In search of Perfect 1864

July 30, 2007 1:52 PM

Perfect 1864 in the Bay Area.

I am in the bay area and I can't seem to find Perfect 1864 Vodka.
I contacted them via the website and I received a reply from a seller in Rhode Island! Who offered to sell me some, but come on Rhode Island! No other closer place?! The shipping and handling are a killer, besides they are not being clear about the type of payment they accept yet, I emailed them several times back and no clear answer. This vodka can't be THAT rare!

posted by convex to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

OK. First of all, call Hi-Time Wine & Liquor in Newport Beach and ask if they've got any. I know that's nowhere near the Bay Area, but that place is freakin' huge and chances are if they don't have it, then there's no west coast distributor.

If they do have it, but you're not in the mood to drive to Orange County, ask who the distributor is, call them, and ask if they deliver that spirit to any SF-area bars or stores. If so, there you go. If not, ask if you can get the names of some of their clients so that you can call the store owners and ask them to order it specially for you.

That's basically a short-cut to get the name of the west coast distributor for Perfect; as I said, if Hi Time doesn't carry it, there's a good chance no one out there does. But if that doesn't work out and you still want to poke around, you can try to find the appropriate distributor by trial and error; basically just call a bunch, ask if they distribute that vodka, lather, rinse, repeat. Here's a list of SF-area liquor & beer distributors.

I've done this a few times searching for oddball beers and it usually works out OK. Distributors don't do direct consumer sales so they're basically doing you a favor just by talking to you, which they won't let you forget. But still, they tend to be willing to help out if they've got the right product or know who does.
posted by rkent at 2:51 PM on July 30, 2007

Did you call D&M yet? If they don't stock it, they can probably get some in for you.
posted by majick at 4:22 PM on July 30, 2007

I don't know where in the Bay Area you are, but there's a great independent wine and liquor store in San Rafael, Marin Beverage Outlet, whose owner seems super nice, and went out of his way to help us out when we came by after we moved into town. They've got a very nice selection of wine and liquor there (though they're a tad light on the beer selection), and he seems like the kind of guy who would do what he could to get it for you, if he didn't already stock it.
posted by Brak at 4:39 PM on July 30, 2007

Try Beltramo's in Menlo Park. It's not listed on the web site, but the store selection may vary. And if they don't stock it, I'm sure they'd be happy to get it for you.
posted by jewishbuddha at 7:36 PM on July 30, 2007

I'll check with John Walker & Co. tomorrow. It's a small establishment in Financial District just around the corner from my office that specializes in high end wines and liquor.
posted by junesix at 1:44 AM on July 31, 2007

Called in to John Walker and they didn't have it. They asked if I had seen it anywhere else in California. They said they'd look into it but I'm doubtful of success beyond what you found with the RI distributor.
posted by junesix at 3:23 PM on August 3, 2007

You should definitely try Liquid Experience on Haight Street in San Francisco. Their maxim: "If we don't have it, we'll get it". Try to talk to Mike, the owner.

Another fave for somewhat unsual stuff is Blackwell's Wine and Spirits on Geary near 21st in the Richmond. They're mostly a wine shop but have some boutiquey vodkas and bourbons as well.
posted by missmobtown at 11:36 AM on August 9, 2007