Booze is cheap down here

There are 43 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 11,377 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

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    The other day I needed to replenish our stock of Jameson Irish Whiskey (750ml) and whilst it's true that many prices have increased since devaluation and also that prices vary quite wildly depending on where you go, many brands are still considerably cheaper than in the UK. This is of course based on an exchange rate of US$1/AR$36.

    In Coto, Carrefour and Discso, Jameson is priced between $850 and $1200, but in the local Chinese I picked one up for $600, which is quite bizarre. At GB£1/AR$48, that's £12.50 and the cheapest I could find it was at Tesco at £22.50.

    Same with Capt Morgan Spiced Gold Rum which you can pick up here for about AR$220 (£4.60) whereas in the UK it's about £14.50.

    I'm sure that there are similar situations with Gin and Scotch, so It's a pleasant surprise to find that we actually win sometimes. Of course it's also true that booze is very highly taxed in the UK and frankly I didn't find the Heathrow duty-free prices to be all that remarkable, so we didn't buy any.

    Variety is certainly improving, but imported beer is still rather expensive though.

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    This makes me want to go out for a Negroni. I haven't had one in ages. Overall, I have noticed that here they do not consume alcoholics to the same rate we do in Europe. Actually, I have never seen people having an alcoholic drink in a cafè, unless it is beer or fernet cola.


    Spritz seems to be quite popular because 'Italian' but albeit simple to prepare, they do not seem to ever get it right. And it is always sold for a hefty price, whereas in Italy it is pretty cheap.

    Could it be that liquor is more rarely consumed here, so stores (especially the small ones) could still be selling the stock they purchased at the 16-20 pesos/USD rate?


    Quick! Run out and stock up before they read argentinaexpats.org and correct this pricing oversight!

    Quote from Splinter

    Yes it's true that Argentines are not big drinkers, publicly at least and if you walk past a cafeteria even at around 1800, most people are drinking coffee or soft drinks.

    But...get them together at a wedding or similar event and it's a different matter.

    Hard liquor, not just beer & wine?

    I don't know about Jameson, but there are other whiskey brands that are developed on license, typically in Brazil. This might explain why it is cheaper here. My understanding is the quality is lacking too. Again, I am not sure if this is the case for Jameson (I guess it isn't as you would know if you drink it on the regular).

    I don't buy spirits that often but when I do it's usually VAT69 or Three Pipers which can be had for around £4 a bottle when on special offer. Pretty sure I read neither of those brands can be had in the UK any longer which makes me think they've punted all the remaining stock over here to get rid of it.

    You're right though certain spirits can be had at bargain prices however the few decent Scottish malts I've seen cost silly money. I shall keep an eye out for the Jameson....never ever tried it.

    UKMan , do try Jameson as you will like it . Irish is triple distilled unlike Scotch which is double distilled , making it a little smoother.


    I will advise you of any malt bargains that I see


    The Vat 69 you can buy here is a different blend form the one you and me drank as a wee boy.... They changed the quality some time ago. Its drinkable but nowhere as good as it was. My old man would be turning in his grave but he became a Grouse drinker before he went to the big distillery in the sky.

    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    UKMan , do try Jameson as you will like it . Irish is triple distilled unlike Scotch which is double distilled , making it a little smoother.


    I will advise you of any malt bargains that I see


    The Vat 69 you can buy here is a different blend form the one you and me drank as a wee boy.... They changed the quality some time ago. Its drinkable but nowhere as good as it was. My old man would be turning in his grave but he became a Grouse drinker before he went to the big distillery in the sky.

    Ah I see. I wouldn't know the difference to be honest as I've never been much of a whisky drinker even when back in the old country. I've used the two more for hot toddy's and flavouring the crap coffee you get here than drinking it straight.

    I'll certainly give the Jameson a try...that won't be going in my coffee.:thumbup:

    Not much of a whiskey drinker either, and really don’t like the taste of either gin or scotch. But I do like Jameson and could probably really get into bourbon, I’m afraid.


    Do you ever see Maker’s Mark or Gentleman Jack for sale here? With 80% of the world’s bourbon distilled in a small area in Kentucky, I would guess they wouldn’t be available everywhere here?

    Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam are fairly easy to obtain in licorerias and some big supermarkets.


    I am also seeing Evan Williams from time to time in recent months









































    Quote from Rice

    Not much of a whiskey drinker either, and really don’t like the taste of either gin or scotch. But I do like Jameson and could probably really get into bourbon, I’m afraid.


    Do you ever see Maker’s Mark or Gentleman Jack for sale here? With 80% of the world’s bourbon distilled in a small area in Kentucky, I would guess they wouldn’t be available everywhere here?


    Quote from Rice

    Not much of a whiskey drinker either, and really don’t like the taste of either gin or scotch. But I do like Jameson and could probably really get into bourbon, I’m afraid.


    Do you ever see Maker’s Mark or Gentleman Jack for sale here? With 80% of the world’s bourbon distilled in a small area in Kentucky, I would guess they wouldn’t be available everywhere here?