Willaim T Stagg

That should be George T Stagg, not "William".

Best source of info (tasting notes, availability, photos, chit-chat, etc.) on George T. Stagg, both the 2002 (137.6 US proof) and 2003 (142.7 US proof) releases, is

Cheers!

You know any online sites that sell this, that ships to any state?

The 2002 release is long gone and the 2003 Stagg, released last October if I remember right, is almost gone except in Kentuckey, Tennessee and Indiana. There are probably a few scattered bottles, but they will soon be gone. As for on-line dealers, the standard ones, like Sam's and Binny's, are probably out by now. Shipping is a big problem for most states in the USA, so even if a dealer has a bottle, you may be out of luck in getting it shipped. Or you might have to pay a whopping big price increase: say $100 versus the regular price of $38 to $43 it was selling for. On a personal note, I find Stagg 2003 to be wonderful: it is very enjoyably drinkable (slowly!) even at 71.35% ABV! It is well worth finding, so good luck in your quest. One last thing: Stagg is evidently going to be an annual release, with the release dates in October or maybe November (the

site is the best source of info, expertise, and error correction on Stagg, so I recommend reading about it there), so this coming Fall should see another release. This past year's release was less than 2600 bottles. Hope this helps and good hunting! Cheers, Ed

Jusst checked Binny's (

) and the site still shows Stagg available at $44.99, with a two bottle limit per customer. They won't ship to my state, but maybe they will ship to where you live: check their web site for that info. Best to call if you really want the Stagg since their website might be out of date on this. No joy at Sams ( ). Cheers, Ed

).

Yea, I'm in a stupid non-ship state too. What's the deal with that? Why don't some states allow shipments?

).

I wonder is there is a way of getting around this non-ship state crap. I'm beginning to think I need an internet buddy in a major city (San Francisco/New York) who can personally buy and ship these whisky's to me.

I strongly discourage this. If the state finds out you're accepting illegal shipments of alcohol you could end up fined or in jail depending on the jurisdiction. If you are within driving distance of a major metropolitan area, I'd suggest driving there and checking out the upscale liquor stores to see if it's carried.

Sadly, Stagg's percentage means that flying is out of the question. If you want to fly somewhere to get something tamer, I outlined the risks associated with this in a previous post.

You mean if a friend or relative in San Francisco sends me a bottle of whisky to me (in a no-ship state) I could get in trouble? Even if the sender is a close friend or family?

Sadly, yes. Since the end of Prohibition, each state broadly determines its own basic alcohol policies and in some states (e.g., Kentucky, Indiana, Florida), it is a felony to obtain alcohol via out-of-state shipments. California, with its important wine industry, is perhaps the most liberal in its alcohol policy. Sorry this is not better news. Cheers, Ed

[snip]

It's the hangover from prohibition, the "Noble Experiment". The repeal of prohibition didn't legalize sale of alcohol in the U.S., it just took the Federal governmant out of it. States (and even counties, parishes, municipalities, etc.) could write their own laws to regulate the sale of alcohol. In my state, Texas, there are still "dry" counties where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. I went to college in a county that allowed the sale of beer but not wine or spirits. And isn't Jack Daniels produced in a "dry" county?

So there is a layer of state regulation in every state. Some are liberal, some are restrictive. The result usually is that the home state disributor and retailer are protected from competition with retailers from out of state. Beer, wine and spirits are not always treated alike. Because of the growth of the wine industry some shipments of wine are allowed into regions that do not allow shipping spirits. It's a mess, really. And as I said above, I once lived in a county that allowed sales of beer but not wine or spirits.

Well, unofficially of course, you can often "get away with it". But you're violating a statute and may lose your purchase (and your money) at any time. You may be fined... or worse. It doesn't matter who sends it to you, it only matters that you're bringing it across state lines. The only legal solution is to drive to the other state to make your purchase and drive it back to your home. The SMWS ships to Texas, but has made arrangements to ship to a member in care of a local retailer, so the bottle appears at the retailer and then the member picks it up there. Nuts, isn't it?

In article ,

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com says it is a felony to ship spirits into some states. I did not know that. But I knew the laws varied from place to place, as does the enforcement.

In America, you just have to become used to the fact that many bottlings (especially european bottlings) are just not going to be available to you. Depending on where you live you may have access to a good selection of bottlings, or not. I have a friend in Louisianna where booze is available everywhere, but good scotch is hard to find. States with state owned liquor outlets seem even worse. I live where the local distributor/retailer supply a very good selection of scotch whiskies. But the Campbelton Loch 25yo, for instance, just didn't appear here at all. Wish I had had a chance to try it!

Bart

The short answer is...tax dollars!

CW