Wednesday, September 18, 2013

PLCB - Moving at the speed of business. 1930's business.

Just an observation.

I like numbers, I like to see in cold hard print if things are as people claim.  This causes me to wonder why it takes over six weeks to post a pdf of a mimeographed copy of an un-audited financial report on the PLCB website?  Lately (the last few years) these reports have been showing up at the end of August but not this record year.  Maybe record slowness is part of the record year?  It's not like they don't have the info, the press release was back on August 5th so to cherry pick and report some numbers you basically have to have all the numbers available otherwise things don't match up when you do release the information to the public. There will be some interesting numbers showing up in a future blog post depending on when the PLCB hires somebody to figure out the internet for them.

Stay tuned.

Privatization IS Modernization - Accept nothing less.

UPDATE:  Here it is two weeks later and still nothing from the PLCB.  It is now two months since they released some cherry picked numbers so the question I'm asking besides what is taking so long is what are they not wanting us to see?


sam k said...

Very good point, Al. The internet is indeed a bugaboo for the PLCB, as evidenced by their product search page, one that I am entirely too familiar with.

Though most private stores in other states simply have a listing for bourbon or rye, the LCB has a Bottled-in bond category for bourbon and rye, a specialty and straight category listing for bourbon, and a straight rye category. Let's look.

The only Bottled in Bond rye listed is Templeton, not even close to a BIB product.

Under Bourbon (specialty) we see knob creek, while its other small batch stablemates, Booker's, Basil Hayden's, and Baker's (special order only, minimum purchase of six biottles) are listed under Bourbon (straight).

Under Bourbon (specialty) we see some of the flavored bourbons...Red Stag, Jeremiah Weed, and...Grand Dutch ChocoBon 60 proof???? WTF?

But I digress. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel a true BIB, is listed under Bourbon (straight). But is Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon and a few miscellaneous Red Stags. Why not in the specialty section?

Hey, look, Bourbon (straight) also lists George Dickel (discontinued, thank you very much) and a number of Jack Daniel's bottlings, none of which are bourbon at all.

What about Rye (straight)? It includes Jefferson 21 year old straight BOURBON(!)and TAP 357 Canadian Maple Flavored rye, not a straight, hence inherently American, whiskey at all.

OK, how about simply, "Whiskey"? Hmmm...Buchanan's Scotch? shouldn;t that be in, say, the "Scotch" listing? Bulleit Rye? Crown Royal Black? Five
& 20 Spirits rye? Everclear? Hochstadter's Rock & Rye (there really is a Rock and Rye listing)? Hudson NY Corn (there's a Corn Whiskey listing, too!)?

Look, Junior Johnson's here too, even though much of it is also listed under Corn Whiskey! Knob Creek rye? Really? Hey, Red Stag again, and a Tullamore Dew!

I haven't even scratched the surface of what must be absolutely, totally wrong with the way this archaic agency deals with the Internet. Can you imagine what I'd uncover if I were into Scotch, or gin, or what the hell ever?

It's a wonder anyone can find anything in this garbage dumpster of a search page. I'm done.

Albert Brooks said...

I feel for you. I've written them a few times with lists of corrections and they have never done a thing about it. The reason? They say it is the vendor who provides the information which means that nobody in the PLCB is smart enough to actually know what they are selling.

Anonymous said...

Sam, try to find Rittenhouse Rye. True BIB. Has a code (30612) but no stores seem to carry it when you look on the product search page. Used to be you could SLO it but you had to get it by the case. On Fine Wine and Good Spirits website it can't call it up by code or name. So, is it in inventory or not??

Anonymous said...

Try typing the word Rye.

Albert Brooks said...

Store Inventory
There were NO Locations
found for your selected search criteria of:
State Wide ALL

Code: 30612
Description: Rittenhouse Very Rare Straight Rye Whiskey Kentucky 100 Proof
Size: 750 ML
Price: $23.49

It is no longer available in PA even as an SLO. Since it is $7 cheaper out of state so I don't buy it here in PA anyway.