Drinkhacker Reads – 07.30.2014 – Crafty Practices Running Rampant
Is the tide finally turning? Shanken discusses a bit of a problem the vodka industry is facing right now: their flavored vodka lines just aren’t selling the way they once were. Hopefully this is a sea change for folks looking for something a bit less absurd than vodka which tastes like lawn clippings, or asphalt, or wax candles, or whatever the industry is trying to sell these days. [Shanken News Daily]
Will consumers embrace no-age statements on scotch? This is the question the Spirits Business poses in a recent article discussing recent changes to the industry. A better question to possibly ask is: will they have a choice? It seems as if this practice isn’t just for Scotch either: Bourbon is heading in the same direction as well, with a few Sazerac brands recently removing age statements from their bottles. [The Spirits Business]
The Daily Beast runs a profile piece on Lawrenceburg, Indiana’s MGP, a place where many of the “craft”/”artisan” distilleries are currently sourcing their stock. Much has been made lately of the craft debate, with some people asking for more transparency while others are asking if we’re taking this all a bit too seriously. [Follow up: Dave Lieberman from OC Weekly publishes a rebuttal to the original Daily Beast article, and the reddit majority fires up its cylinders for the day.] [The Daily Beast]
And finally today, a new study from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins and the Boston University School of Public Health has determined that underage drinkers are three times more likely to drink brands advertised on television programs they watch compared to other alcohol brands. The results help to reinforce a 2012 linking television and media identity to brand loyalty and familiarity among underaged drinkers, and another recent study linking pop music and alcohol brands. [Science Codex]
