# Stocking Liquor to Barter?



## preppernorthwest88 (May 19, 2014)

so I had a random thought. With an economic collapse where papaer money would be useless we would go back to the days of bartering. Everyone I have talked to said to invest in precious metals. From a practical standpoint on things to stockpile for bartering sake if it comes down to it what do you think of stocking liquor? Things like a good vodka and a good scotch or tequila?


----------



## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

That question has been asked here a few times. My answer is that I've never been able to save beer,wine or Licker


----------



## Dalarast (May 16, 2014)

I got I to prepping or the idea about prepping when I got into making my own beer. If SHTF I have enough knowledge that I could probably make a decent beer or mead with supplies on hand. I have grown hops in the past (had to get rid of them when the dog thought they looked tasty) and could barter local farms for grains if needed. 

I couldn't store booze though... As mentioned above: that doesn't last long in my house.


----------



## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

I wouldnt buy "top shelf" stuff. But, yes, it would be a good thing to have to barter with.


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I'm with AquaHull; every bottle I have ever tried to save turned out to have a hole in it.

Remember that tequila does not keep once the bottle is opened. Turns into "whiskey," as they say. Not that I know, first hand. Never let an opened bottle last long enough.

Hey, what about cheaper whiskey? Why spend the money on "good scotch" when people aren't going to worry about how good it is?


----------



## preppernorthwest88 (May 19, 2014)

The good scotch would be for me  everyone else gets Monarch and Idaho Silver vodka


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

I'd be trading bullets for liquor. Buy Smirnoff, Bacardi and Jack Daniels and I'm there.


----------



## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

I am not a liquor guy at all so the dozen or so bottles I have stashed away don't disappear. but they can serve a dual purpose for relaxing and medical. just got to have a little will power


----------



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I keep a bit of the good stuff around, I don't stock it for barter, I'd rather barter for the grains and corn to make it (moonshine). It's not that hard to do and besides a by product (head) is acetone. Which may or may not be useful for barter.


----------



## Mike45 (Dec 29, 2013)

Its not that hard for someone to put together the means to make their own. But people that have a favorite brand won’t want bathtub gin-they’ll opt for the real thing if they can find it.


----------



## Reptilicus (Jan 4, 2014)

The only kind of alcohol that has any kind of self life in my house is in the first aid kit!!!


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

wesley762 said:


> I am not a liquor guy at all so the dozen or so bottles I have stashed away don't disappear. but they can serve a dual purpose for relaxing and medical. just got to have a little will power


_Will power_. What is the nature of this _will power_, to which you refer?


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

csi-tech said:


> I'd be trading bullets for liquor. Buy Smirnoff, Bacardi and Jack Daniels and I'm there.


You are one pricey date!


----------



## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

I made a batch of "vanilla bean flavored yukon jack", for the gathering. Unfortunately, a few asshats at work tried to mutiny, and caused some serious need for alcohol consumption.
That 750 Ml bottle is nothing but beans. I purchase "mini' bottles", and consume them and then use the bottles for alcohol stoves. 
I have yet to "stock" any, but I should.


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

I live in the Moonshine Capital of the US, Franklin County Va. If SHTF there will be plenty of hootch to go around. There also seems to be a fair amount of greens (If ya know what I mean). The medicinal uses of "greens" are well known and it would be readily available. In a SHTF situation I think you will need to put aside your socially accepted notions and use what you have access to. 

North Idaho is a bit different. I think having a dozen or so pint bottles would serve you very well. I would not stock the large bottles. It's the same problem with people who buy gold coins. Unless you have a bit circle and cutter your stuck bartering for an entire coins worth of stuff at one time.

Bullets and booze. Meds as well if you are the position of being able to stock up.

Speaking of meds how many of you folks are current on shots? I talked to my FNP at the VA and told her I was accepting a job in Africa "Wink Wink", can I get a full series of shots? I start hep c next week. Something to think about team.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Looking at it from another direction - if things are bad enough to go to a barter system, alcohol MAY attract some undesirable type people. People who could very well cut your throat for a bottle.
As a sober alcoholic of many years who tries to help others with the disease, I know of what I speak.
Y'all need to be careful.


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Looking at it from another direction - if things are bad enough to go to a barter system, alcohol MAY attract some undesirable type people. People who could very well cut your throat for a bottle.
> As a sober alcoholic of many years who tries to help others with the disease, I know of what I speak.
> Y'all need to be careful.


Too right RPD. Thanks for the view.


----------



## Conundrum99 (Feb 16, 2014)

Friend of Dr Bob


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Oh and lest I forget my brother.

Semper Fi Rice Paddy Daddy and Happy Memorial Day.


----------



## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

It's amazing how cheap a small still would be, and instead of stocking up on whiskey or any other buy some bulk little bottles to put your shine in and you'll be king of the barter house.


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Two different types of distillation are employed here.

There is the standard heat process that everyone is familiar with. It requires constant well maintained heat. Most shiners use propane now. It makes it easier to control the temp. The second process is called Fractal Distillation. It's done in winter or with a freezer. It's a much slower process and you get less production. The products however are very different. The cold process is much smoother and you max out at about 80 proof.


----------



## RogerD (Mar 31, 2014)

Ripon said:


> It's amazing how cheap a small still would be, and instead of stocking up on whiskey or any other buy some bulk little bottles to put your shine in and you'll be king of the barter house.


Thats my plan........


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The best barter items will be those that everyone needs - and few people have.
That may be alcohol - herbs - not so much because anyone can grow a plant.
Coffee - yes! and other "feel good" foods too.

toiletries - including paper, anything hot or cold in the corresponding season, medical supplies that will fight infection and the diseases that come with a lack of infrastructure.
Things that bring a sense of normalcy to a world turned upside down will be good barter items. Chocolate, makeup, cologne, fresh meats, vegetables and fruit. Milk and cheese, bread, eggs and fish. Also articles of clothing like socks, shoes, underwear and weather resistant outer wear.
Raw materials that can be made into necessary goods like steel and stainless, copper, glass and pottery clay. Add to those fuel for heat or transport and parts to keep things working. Simple tools like hammers and saws, screwdrivers and chisels. 

Although guns and ammo fall into similar categories it is important not to trade something that can be used to take what they want and take back what they traded for it. Keep your guns and ammo for friends - not as a general barter item.


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

OK, I'll say it Tampons. Yes Tampons will be like gold. Can you imagine the poor bastard who says no to Tampons if available for barter? Not me buddy, I'm stocked up.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Maxxdad said:


> OK, I'll say it Tampons. Yes Tampons will be like gold. Can you imagine the poor bastard who says no to Tampons if available for barter? Not me buddy, I'm stocked up.


Tampons are good for a lot of things besides the obvious. Filtering sediment from liquids. Improvised bandages.


----------



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Yep. The Maxipads are made to order for field dressings.


----------



## tribby01 (Jun 2, 2014)

Tampons are good for fitting in bullet wounds as well to help stop bleeding. Ive been stocking up on Meds. I have bunch of Medical supplies from the military. I get a bunch of the old stuff they throw away when its out of "date" And I have a bunch of Antibiotics saved up.


----------



## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Why buy it when you could buy supplies to keep you in a position to make your own for years to come? While I very much prefer a fine top shelf Cognac, I dare to say I drink a couple of cases of Pear wine every year! Wine is very easy to make from various fruits, fruits that often ripen and become abundant at 2-3 week periods of the growing season. I have quite a few fruit trees, get wine bottles from a bar which means I don't buy them so it keeps my cost down considerably. Since we make several cases a year and distribute around to family members that enjoy it I already have all the equipment and supplies. Just trying to think a little outside the box here...


----------



## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

Vodka with a high enough alcohol content that it will burn. Drink it, use it as an antiseptic, use it in a pinch as fuel source for a alcohol lamp/burner.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Any luxury vice that can keep well should be stored away for bartering.
Alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, etc...
I'm not soulbound to any of them, so my stock should last a good while, and bring in some much more important necessities.

I'm torn on the idea of bartering with ammunition. On one hand, it is something with inherent intrinsic value in that it can be used to acquire food and keep one safe.
On the other, it can be used against you to try to take the remainder of your things.

Some form of fuel is always a good tradeable item to have on hand.
I read a story about a man living through a natural disaster in some third-world country. He had the knowledge and means to create lighter fluid.
He took in used up lighters on trade for other things, and would refill them with his homemade fluid, and trade them back out for other things at a higher return.
He was the only one that knew how to do this in his area, so he was well know and well liked by everyone because he could supply them with fire.
Storing gas might be a bit dangerous, but learning how to safely make bio-diesel or kerosene might just be a life-sustaining skill in a grid down situation.


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

since it takes alcohol to make bio-diesel why not just use the alcohol for fuel?


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

PaulS said:


> since it takes alcohol to make bio-diesel why not just use the alcohol for fuel?


That's assuming you have such skills. I only provided examples.
Will any diesel engine that takes bio also use alcohol? I assume this would take some engineering to rework the engine for such operation, yes?


----------



## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I am following a prep plan to slowly over time infuse my very bone marrow with this alcohol substance so that at any point SHTF, I have months of residual product absorbed into every layer of fat, every part of my marrow...to last me a long time...I'm nearly certain that my heart converted to an alcohol burner fuel pump years ago. So I'll barter with you sir..want a child? spiteful relative? I will trade up or down...maybe a pesky neighbors wife and a servant (used to be pesky neighbor)?


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Kauboy said:


> That's assuming you have such skills. I only provided examples.
> Will any diesel engine that takes bio also use alcohol? I assume this would take some engineering to rework the engine for such operation, yes?


Kauboy,

Diesels can be modified to run on an alcohol/bees wax mix but not on alcohol alone unless it is a fixed speed diesel for a pump or generator. Even then it needs some wax to lubricate the injectors. That is one reason I don't have diesel engines in my plans.


----------



## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Arklatex your an enabler...got a drink?


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

PaulS said:


> Kauboy,
> 
> Diesels can be modified to run on an alcohol/bees wax mix but not on alcohol alone unless it is a fixed speed diesel for a pump or generator. Even then it needs some wax to lubricate the injectors. That is one reason I don't have diesel engines in my plans.


Not to derail the thread, and as long as the topic remains alcohol related, I guess we won't, but what are your plans when it comes to engines?
Can a gasoline engine be retrofitted to burn alcohol? Or do you have something else in mind?


----------



## Guest (Jun 7, 2014)

Dealing with addiction is an ugly thing..I'd be visibly armed and have a crew with me during that trade.


----------



## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Kauboy said:


> Not to derail the thread, and as long as the topic remains alcohol related, I guess we won't, but what are your plans when it comes to engines?
> Can a gasoline engine be retrofitted to burn alcohol? Or do you have something else in mind?


Any gas engine can run on alcohol, but it does require a different carburetor usually since it takes almost double the volume of alcohol. you might be able to drill out the jets, but you could easily burn a piston getting it right. It is also a bitch to get one started on alcohol when it is cold out unless you have ether or a shot of gasoline to get it to fire up. You also need probably 90% or better alcohol (not proof, but percent 40 percent=80 proof)


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

We will have the still going not for drinking but many other uses. It takes resources to make alcohol.


----------



## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I keep about 10 or 12 bottles of cheap Vodka, i buy it when its on sale. Plus i'm a Vodka and Orange juice kinda man!


----------



## microprepper (Nov 21, 2013)

I have thought about this, too. But it is one of those things that might be hard to announce as a barter item. Someone with a real craving is more likely to get ugly for alcohol than for most other things. I would stockpile some for medicinal purposes more than for barter.

Sugar is a better item to stockpile for barter, along with some other foodstuffs, IMHO.


----------

