552051 Mon Aug 25 13:53:23 -0700 2008 24 36 Spirits 0 3985869 My local store doesn't stock it, so I may pick up a bottle now and then when I see it on the shelf, but the price tends to fluctuate more than any other booze I've bought lately. I've seen 750ml bottles priced anywhere from $15 to $20, etc. until last weekend, the store I was in was selling it for $31.99! What is the deal here? Is it growing hype? The price set by individual distributors? FYI, the same store was selling regular old Gordon's for $10.99, so I said hell, and bought that instead. Mon Aug 25 13:53:23 -0700 2008 14412 wontonton 1 3986099 I would suspect a number of causes. first, the exchange rate keeps falling, causing the price of all imports to increase. ( not to get on a rant, but that's what happens when the government insists on financing a war by borrowing from foreign entities and cutting taxes at the same time) Second, Plymouth has been doing a bit of marketing in the US and has had some success with it. Third, because it is a good product, demand has increased as more people find out about it and as is almost always the case, when demand goes up, so does the price. Now, some places have also been pricing b greed, so I'm not sure about that $32 a bottle. I'm still able to get it here for $20.59 per. You might just check and see if the bottle you saw was a liter instead of a 750 ml. That would explain the difference, and they look so similar, you just about need to see them side by side to notice the difference. Mon Aug 25 15:00:45 -0700 2008 3985869 106255 chazzerking 2 3986120 Yep, it was a 750. I had to check because I was so surprised by the price. It was also on the top shelf with pricier type stuff. Mon Aug 25 15:08:27 -0700 2008 3986099 14412 wontonton 3 3986888 I've noticed the same thing in the Boston area. I know that there's the possibility that the lower priced shops may be distributors or just trying to match their competitor's prices, but yeah, the climb to as much as $34.99 in the burbs seems pretty extreme. Thankfully it seems to be $16-$22 a bottle through most of town! Mon Aug 25 20:32:41 -0700 2008 3986120 160067 Scortch 1 3986954 Plymouth smelled the money being made in the super-premium gin category by Hendrick's and Tanq Ten and their ilk, redesigned its packaging, and repriced itself upwards to appeal to free-spending dolts who equate price with value, the same suckers who shell out for Grey Goose and other brands of water-diluted ethanol in arty containers. A shame, really. I still buy Plymouth for its uniquely mild, mixable character, but that 60% premium over what it cost a year ago really stings, especially since the product itself is exactly the same -- only now we're contributing to higher margiins, shinier marketing campaigns, and a slightly sleeker label. Humbug! Mon Aug 25 21:10:08 -0700 2008 3985869 10143 MC Slim JB 1 3987089 I have notice the same thing too. I used to be able to find Plymouth by me: ~$15.50 for a 700ML bottle (old packaging). Now it seems that at most stores the lowest price you can find it for is ~$27.00 for the same amount (in the new Packaging). This is only over the past month or two. Unfortunately I expect the price will go up even more... but lets hope not :( Mon Aug 25 23:01:24 -0700 2008 3985869 178360 Faune 2 3988132 Oh, how I miss that attractive former packaging. I'm not fond of the drab new label. I don't know what they were thinking, except "upscale vodka". Tue Aug 26 10:25:28 -0700 2008 3987089 13780 Up With Olives 3 3988984 my thoughts exactly. It dismayed me so much I even took the time to send them an email with those same thoughts. But I guess the new label and press are working. You can definitely order Plymouth in more places than you could 2-3 years ago Tue Aug 26 14:29:13 -0700 2008 3988132 13330 quazi 3 3990222 Yeah, I know! it reminds me of Smirnoff or something. I liked the old bottle and bottle cap much better. Wed Aug 27 02:02:19 -0700 2008 3988132 178360 Faune 4 3994764 i actually like the new bottle design better. stylish elegance, minimal... i like Thu Aug 28 13:40:14 -0700 2008 3990222 135229 thew 1 3987229 Bought 4 bottles this month for $17 + Tax At the wine merchant in New Hyde Park. Maybe I should go clean them out before they wise up. Tue Aug 26 03:37:22 -0700 2008 3985869 28638 phantomdoc 1 3987238 Got Plymouth 750ml for $17 plus tax at winemarket in New Hyde Park earlier this month. They have other specials that you can print. http://www.winemarketny.com/ Tue Aug 26 04:04:25 -0700 2008 3985869 28638 phantomdoc 1 3988135 Funny, I just bought a bottle on my lunch break at a place where a few months ago I spent around $16, it went up to $29.99 for the 750 mL. When asked the guy at the checkout what the story was, he said a lot of things are climbing quickly, and as an example he said the beer prices are going up every two to three weeks. The Plymouth sloe gin was $31.99. Are there any attorneys on here? Are liquor coops legal? Tue Aug 26 10:25:53 -0700 2008 3985869 20717 sailormouth 2 3988458 Wait, you found the Plymouth sloe gin in Boston? Where? I've been looking everyplace! Tue Aug 26 11:58:05 -0700 2008 3988135 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 3 3988491 University Wine Shop on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Tue Aug 26 12:07:50 -0700 2008 3988458 20717 sailormouth 3 3988890 BRIX in the South End has also been stocking Plymouth Sloe Gin. Strike fast though; the initial U.S. release this spring was limited to 1000 half-cases. Tue Aug 26 14:03:20 -0700 2008 3988458 119042 AbeFroman 4 3988967 It looks like they might have released some more, though, because I've been looking for a couple months at all my regular haunts, and then lo and behold, there were eight bottles at Blanchard's in Allston this afternoon! There's seven now. And based on the little nip I had out of the bottle when I got home, there may soon only be six. This stuff is incredible. Tue Aug 26 14:23:35 -0700 2008 3988890 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 3 3988978 It's also at Blanchard's in Allston, but it was around 38 bucks. Tue Aug 26 14:27:50 -0700 2008 3988458 14412 wontonton 2 3988482 Well Beer prices are going up because of Hops and weakening dollar. Anything owned by Anheuser Busch also went up after their acquisition by InBev. I think it's really just Plymouth looking to get more money. Most other imported alcohols aren't rising much. Or maybe Plymouth just has razor thing profit margins. Tue Aug 26 12:05:11 -0700 2008 3988135 154307 Xaga 1 3995733 Bought 2 more bottles of Plymouth tonight 8/28 at winemarket in New Hyde Park, $16.99 plus tax 750 ml. Thu Aug 28 21:30:31 -0700 2008 3985869 28638 phantomdoc 1 3997177 The lowest I've seen it around here (NJ shore area) lately is $22.50. A few other places I've seen it come in just shy of $30. Fri Aug 29 13:12:51 -0700 2008 3985869 150662 white light 1 4022940 It's not only Plymouth. I just went over to Total Wine in Union, NJ to pick up some Swordsman-- a Beefeater-type import (the label, which shows a palace guard, looks like it was done in high school art class) that was a pretty good value when it was priced at 20.99/1.75L last year. A few months ago, it went up a dollar. Now it's jumped to $24.99, just $3 less than they're asking for Bombay or Beefeater. My guess is that Swordsman, as the new kid on the block, was heavily discounting the product to gain a foothold, and is now testing the results of this marketing strategy. Truth is, it's OK, but it's not up to the quality of the others. I passed, and I suspect a lot of others will also. BTW, Tanqueray is now $34.99--on sale! Yikes. Wed Sep 10 07:11:38 -0700 2008 3985869 12767 albinoni 2 4023395 Plymouth is also a new startup, 1793. Wed Sep 10 09:35:45 -0700 2008 4022940 28638 phantomdoc 1 5092055 Are there any less expensive alternatives to Plymouth Gin? Something as smooth and with some complexity? I've about had it with the $30 . No matter where I check here in the Twin Cities area, I can't find a deal. Campari has gone through the roof at many places too. Fri Oct 09 15:05:18 -0700 2009 3985869 287181 perrywillis 1 5122528 I've found the same as everyone else. Plymouth is hard to find in PA. Up until about 6 months ago I could get a .75L for around $20 in NJ & DE. Then it went up to $30 in both locations. (& was listed in PA for $30 also). A month ago I found it for $20 in MD & was thrilled. Well that didn't last long. Went back last week to stock up again & it was up to $26. While I definitely like it better that Beefeaters & Tanqueray, NOT THAT MUCH. Of course it would help if they would bottle it also in 1.5L to save at least some $. If anyone knows of someplace that carries it for under $25, I'd like to know. Thu Oct 22 08:09:31 -0700 2009 3985869 1118289 svanhorn 2 5134120 I just bought it for 17.99 at the Montgomery County MD DLC Stores (On Sale), regular price is something like 22. Too bad it's so far away, but if you're ever in the DC area it may pay to stop in... Tue Oct 27 07:26:13 -0700 2009 5122528 247373 GinChevyChase