Background
One of the pros of the NC ABC system is that no matter where you shop in the state, prices are all the same (and they are usually close to MSRP). The quarterly price sheets give ABC store managers and North Carolina shoppers visibility into the prices set for each quarter. They can also give us a sneak-peak into what new spirits we might expect to see in stores in the coming months.
The Stock Status page is a bit different. The North Carolina ABC system sends all incoming liquor through the Wake County stock warehouse. This central warehouse maintains a stock status sheet on their website that gets updated regularly. This list is primarily targeted towards ABC board purchasers to place orders for their store. Some of the more heavily allocated bourbons are distributed to these boards on a lottery system.
For the rest of us, the average consumer, these resources act as leading indicators of what’s coming in the next few months. Sometimes its predictable, and the state sets prices early when expecting new bottles in the next 1-3 months. Other times, they get stock of something new and have to update the availability.
NC-Whiskey.com watches these lists extremely closely. Below, we’ll keep an updated list of new discoveries in one or both of these sheets. Some bottles are found on the Price Sheet long before they are in stock. When a bottle hits the stock list, you can usually expect to see it in stores within one to two weeks (though it might be longer for some bottles).
This list updates within an hour after changes are found.
You’ll notice that not all of these whiskeys are new, that might just mean they’ve been updated in the NC system. I’ve also limited the list to ABC categories whose names contain “whiskey,” “bourbon,” or “special packages” (the latter of which may include non-whiskey items).
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If you’re having trouble finding something you’re looking for, we’ve started curating some great, available bottles from online retailers that ship to NC. Browse them here.
Here’s the updated list:
name | nc_code | found_date | first_stock | size | price |
|---|
Hello,
I’m not new to drinking bourbon, but I am new to exploring different brands and learning more about what I’m actually consuming. Like all that have come before me I suppose, I’m finding it frustrating trying to figure out how to get my hands on all the different bottles I read and hear about. The employees at my local ABC store (Kinston, Lenoir County) say “our trucks come on Wednesdays, but we have no idea what is going to be on them.” I believe them when they say they don’t know, but someone is placing those orders, right? Is there truly no way to figure out what is coming ahead of time?
I appreciate the site you have put together to help with my above question, but I could use some clarification. What precisely is the difference in the “found date” and “first stock?” For example, the Maker’s 2021 FE-01 doesn’t have a “First Stock” date, but it has already come and gone at the Kinston ABC Store. It arrived this past Wednesday Feb 24th. I was lucky enough to go in after the truck arrived and pick up the third to last bottle. Is that how this game really works? Is there truly no better way than just calling the local ABC store every Wednesday and asking “Hey what came on the truck today?” I hate to be a pest. I can only imagine how annoying it must be for the employees to constantly be fielding phone calls every Wednesday. I’d like to be able to predict what’s coming down the pipe with a little more consistency. Thanks for the help.
I Ren. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, and welcome to the bourbon community. I agree it can be frustrating to try and understand when and where bottles will show up. Even when they come through the state warehouse, it’s hard to know when they’ll get to various areas around the state, and then it’s up to the local boards to distribute. It’s not always the most transparent process. The way I understand it, someone is placing orders, but if it’s an allocated bottle then it might still go through a State lottery to determine which boards get them. Otherwise, they might know they ordered something, but not be sure which week the shipment of that will come in. I have a contact at one of the board warehouses who says they sometimes wait weeks for something they ordered, and they may never get them if the lottery doesn’t fall in their favor.
As for the Maker’s Mark FAE-01, the discrepancy in this table comes down to me not having updated it since the 19th of February. Looks like the first stock hit the warehouse on the 22nd. I’m on the hunt for a couple bottles of this myself, and still haven’t found it yet. Anyway, you’ve encouraged me to try and automate this table so it updates with better frequency. It won’t be able to tell you when it’s hitting Kinston, but maybe you’ll be able to work out a pattern for when deliveries happen after they hit the state warehouse. But thanks to you, the new version of the table is now updated automatically several times a day with any new changes, and is searchable and sortable.
Feel free to connect on Instagram if you want to chat more: @ncwhiskey
Hey thanks for the reply. I’m glad I could help out, lol. As for the Maker’s, I just got lucky… Thanks and i’ll be sure to keep track of the site and see if I can’t figure out a pattern
I’m in Kinston as well and find it frustrating on the stock of less common bottles. I will say they do have a lottery in late fall where they distribute bottles they have saved and not put on the shelf throughout the year. I would be on the lookout for the announcement on the door.
How is it that you can go thru the secondary market & find Blanton’s all day long, but might be a year to get one bottle Thru NC ABC, if your lucky. Seems to me that more should be allocated toward the state ABC system than say woodencork.
Appears all the allocated bourbons no longer are listed in warehouse stocks as of 9/1
What does (BTB) mean?
(BTB) in these lists is NC code for “Buy The Barrel”, so this indicates a single barrel select version of the bourbon.