Smith & Wollensky under investigation by state of Ohio

http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14461&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

It seems as though they've been filling premium liquor bottles with the cheap stuff.

Management has fired (scapegoated) all of the bartenders--who would seem to have NO financial interest in doing this other than to carry out the orders of the company/local management.

FWIW, I ate dinner at S&W here in Chicago a couple of Fridays ago to celebrate a friend's birthday. As is often the case, before dinner, I had a glass of 18 year old MacAllan. I have enough confidence in my own tastebuds to know that, if they had replaced that nice vintage with some Johnny Walker Red, I would have figured it out pretty quickly. It was wonderfully smooth just the way I expect an 18 year old aged single malt to be.

The steak and lobster were pretty effin' good, too.

I agree, what stake would a bartender have in pouring well into premium bottles? They work for tips. I hope it was the bar manager that was fired.

Sam Harmon wrote:It seems as though they've been filling premium liquor bottles with the cheap stuff.

Management has fired (scapegoated) all of the bartenders--who would seem to have NO financial interest in doing this other than to carry out the orders of the company/local management.

This is a different version of the usual "Ohio is investigating a bar owner story."

Ohio has a tax rate of alcohol that is twice that of Kentucky. Most of my friends buy their alcohol in Kentucky and bring it back. Generally, if it is a few bottles, the Ohio Alcohol Control officers doesn't get involved (although they do surveillance on some stores in Newport and Covington, KY).

This practice has been going on for years. Several old acquaintances financed their educations by procuring alcohol by the case in Central Kentucky and selling the KY-taxed liquor to Cincinnati area taverns. At the time, you could purchase any alcohol in KY at 18 years of age. The bar owners would pour the KY liquor into OH bottles. They would buy enough OH liquor to keep the distributors from asking questions (and the old bottles needed to be replaced occasionally).

Agree completely that it is a restaurant manager who has ordered this. What is the motivation of bartender to do it? Personally, the restaurant manager should have done it himself off-hours if he planned to get away with it.

nicinchic wrote:I agree, what stake would a bartender have in pouring well into premium bottles?

Maybe the bartenders were getting a kickback for going along with the scheme.