Could you imagine a year without your Christmas boilo?
While there should be plenty of Four Queens whiskey to go around Schuylkill County this Christmas season, it could be the last.
We reached out to the folks at Laird & Company, the maker of Four Queens, this week to find out if it’s facing any supply chain issues that might cause a shortage of boilo’s main ingredient.
Like most companies, Laird & Company says it’s facing “many” supply chain problems. But that likely won’t affect supply issues at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in Pennsylvania the rest of this year.
“We are experiencing many supply chain problems but so far this year, we managed to keep the supply of Four Queens flowing to the state of Pennsylvania,” Laird & Company sales and marketing VP Thomas Alberico tells us.
Four Queens Whiskey Maker Says It’s at Risk of Being Pulled from Shelves in Pennsylvania
So, while it appears there’s plenty of Four Queens to go around for the 2021 holiday season, it sitting on liquor store shelves may not be such a good thing. And that’s what’s putting Four Queens’ future in Pennsylvania at risk.
Delisting by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), not the supply chain problem, is the biggest threat to your boilo right now, Alberico says.
Twice a year, the PLCB reviews sales of the products it stocks on shelves at its state stores. If a certain product isn’t racking up big sales, the PLCB may consider dropping it from its stock, or delisting it.
And if that happens to Four Queens, as the company worries, it could force local boilo makers to either find another whiskey or track down Four Queens elsewhere.
The next PLCB delisting announcement is expected in March 2022.
“Four Queens is a small player in the Whiskey category and is in danger of falling below the sales criteria set by the state,” Alberico says.
Most boilo recipes you’ll try in Schuylkill County use Four Queens whiskey. And that’s a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed at Laird & Company.
“Boilo is a rich and wonderful tradition and we are very happy to have been a part of that tradition through the years,” Alberico adds. “If the PLCB ever decides to eliminate the product from their general selection, it will be a sad day for Boilo lovers and for us at Laird & Company. The only way I know to reduce the chances of elimination is for all of us to make and enjoy more Four Queens based boilo.”
Now, this could all be a clever marketing ploy to get Schuylkill County residents to make a run on liquor stores here and buy out their stock of Four Queens. Or it could be genuine worry and Four Queens really is at risk of being pulled from store shelves.
Locals may have to decide if they’re willing to wait around and find out.
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Old saint nick
December 12, 2021 at 4:21 am
Geez, Just use some other whiskey, most of the toothless drunks in the county wont even know the difference!
Von Hummel
December 1, 2022 at 8:33 pm
Actually local moonshine is preferable, or clear, un-aged rye. The reason for this is because cheap aged whiskey imparts it’s inferior flavor into the mulled liquid. With a good quality clear whiskey, you taste the spices and citrus with more clarity, no oak or off flavor. Also, your less likely to experience a hangover 😵