THESE ARE THE END TIMES: Makers Mark waters down its bourbon

[P. Aaron]

Maker’s Mark just got a little less stiff. The bourbon brand, known for its bottles sealed with red wax, told customers today that it’s reducing the amount of alcohol in the beverage in order to meet rising global demand.




http://qz.com/52478/makers-mark-wate...rising-demand/

[knumbskull]

the global demand for what??

if anything, i'd say the world needs stronger booze.

[hover]

read:

meet rising global demand= upping their profit margin at the expense of their product / brand integrity. You can "taste-test" and spin it any way you want, but people are paying premium for the genuine article, and not a compromise.
Increase your production capability or keep things as is.

[ErebusBass]

Guess I'm switching to Knob Creek.

[SoonerMatt]

Well, time to swing by the liquor store and stock up.

[Lonesomedave]

the consumers could stop it...announce a boycott of Maker's Mark, and don't buy until they renounce the heresy.

i'm starting now. who's with me?

[keiththebassist]

Meh, I've been watering down my makers with melted ice cubes for years. Maybe I'm just docile on this Monday morning but I think I'll leave my pitchfork in the shed today.

[bassbully]

One of least fav Bourbons so no loss to me.

[jaywa]

Less (and/or worse) product for the same (or higher) price.

Everyone else is doing it... this doesn't surprise me.

[hover]

At LEAST they are being forthcoming about it, and not being sneaky about it. I've got no dog in the fight tho, I don't drink it, I'm just sayin, if you're going to endlessly quote tradition / authenticity as a selling point / justification of the premium price, then don't change it.

OR

Introduce two tiers of the product, and make the "pure" variant" a "private reserve" version, and let the market drive that at whatever premium...but don't charge the same for something different just because a taste test panel feels you won't tell the difference. That's not the point.

[dullsilver_mike]

^^that's probably what will happen. 12 or 18 mos. down the road they'll re-release the original style and call it "private reserve" for an extra $10 a bottle. Hooray.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Couldn't they just, oh I don't know, distil more spirit?

Meet the increased demand with an increase in production.

But what do I know . . .


It's something that's been happening for a while with Malt Whisky, though at least a few still aim for 43% or 46% (or full cask strength, which will vary depending on the cask).

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by hover

At LEAST they are being forthcoming about it, and not being sneaky about it. I've got no dog in the fight tho, I don't drink it, I'm just sayin, if you're going to endlessly quote tradition / authenticity as a selling point / justification of the premium price, then don't change it.

OR

Introduce two tiers of the product, and make the "pure" variant" a "private reserve" version, and let the market drive that at whatever premium...but don't charge the same for something different just because a taste test panel feels you won't tell the difference. That's not the point.

Well put - saved me some typing there.

[Bert Slide]

There are so many bourbons that are much better than Makers anyway. This now makes them officially dead to me.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by Lonesomedave

the consumers could stop it...announce a boycott of Maker's Mark, and don't buy until they renounce the heresy.

i'm starting now. who's with me?

And another plus: it would also solve the increased demand dilemma!

[Simo98]

Originally Posted by hover

At LEAST they are being forthcoming about it, and not being sneaky about it.

Definitely a plus here. I'd say the reason they are infact putting it out there is to gauge the customers reaction to the change.


I don't know about overseas, but here in Australia a lot of products have gone the "Downsizing" route without changing the price or letting the customer know. Not long ago Cadbury chocolate blocks went from 250g to 200g, stayed the same price (and have since gone up!). They even went to the extent of cleverly disguising it as the "new packaging" which is supposedly even better for the customer for whatever reason they came up with, no mention that you were getting 20% less product for the same price...

[DerHoggz]

Originally Posted by Simo98

Definitely a plus here. I'd say the reason they are infact putting it out there is to gauge the customers reaction to the change.


I don't know about overseas, but here in Australia a lot of products have gone the "Downsizing" route without changing the price or letting the customer know. Not long ago Cadbury chocolate blocks went from 250g to 200g, stayed the same price (and have since gone up!). They even went to the extent of cleverly disguising it as the "new packaging" which is supposedly even better for the customer for whatever reason they came up with, no mention that you were getting 20% less product for the same price...

They sized down ice cream awhile back and advertised its "freezer-friendly" size.

[robd]

"But international growth is what’s driving demand for bourbon makers like Beam Inc., which produces Maker’s Mark as well as Jim Beam, a cheaper and more popular bourbon. Beam executives earlier this month said Australia, Germany, and Japan were strong markets. "



If the shortage is due to global demand, they should sent the watered down **** overseas and leave our whisky alone.

[Bloodhammer]

I'm with Dave on this one. Since we know, let THEM know we won't put up with this ****!

Easy for me - I drink Black Velvet, anyway (yes, I know that's not bourbon ).

[bluestarbass]

"But international growth is what’s driving demand for bourbon makers like Beam Inc., which produces Maker’s Mark as well as Jim Beam, a cheaper and more popular bourbon. Beam executives earlier this month said Australia, Germany, and Japan were strong markets. "

Are they trying to say beam owns makers?!? This is a flat out lie. They are big competition. I've been to both distilleries, they don't really like each other.