Golden Age?

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Golden Age?

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:54 am

I have been told by many people that they believe that we are in the Golden Age of Bourbon. While I agree that there are a lot of fine bourbons out there and there are some new products coming from the distillers that show promise and inovation, I believe the Golden Age has passed.

The other day at the Bistro, Scratchline and his friend, Bill, were discussing the history of bourbon and one of them brought up a historian who proposed the following theory: The nineteenth century and early twentieth century were the age of business while the late twentieth century is the beginning of the age of industry. The difference between the two is the age of business put the emphesis on the product - make a good product and you will make money. The age of industry the only goal is to make money so the cheaper the product the better. I think this latter attitude has dominated the business for the last 30 years and only now are we seeing some of the distillers try to buck the trend.

To add to this point ask yourself the following questions and be honest with your answers:

If you had a choice between buying a Pappy 23 yo or a Very, Very Old Fitzgerald bottled in the 1960's at 12 yo, which would you buy?

If you had a choice between Old Grand Dad 114 and a 1970's bottle of Old Grand Dad, which would you buy?

If you could purchase a pre-prohibition bottle of I W Harper bourbon for the same price as four bottles of Stagg, which would you buy?

In a choice of Cabin Still 90 proof from Stitzel-Weller or a bottle of Weller 12 yo, which would you buy?

Mike Veach
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Unread postby MikeK » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:49 pm

OK, I need to bring up something that has been bothering me lately.

Why were the premium bourbons from early to mid century better than what we have now? Some of the answers, as I understand it, are lower distillation proof, lower barrel entry proof, and perhaps better oak.

The lower distillation proof keeps more flavor in the spirit. Lower barrel entry proof lets the spirit extract more of the desirable flavor compounds from the wood. It has also been suggested that oak trees farmed now grow faster and this gives a wood structure with less of the flavor components that we want.

I pose the question, why doesn't one of the major distilleries make an "old school" bourbon and market it to enthusiasts? This shouldn't make the product all that more expensive. What is the difference in old time vs modern distillation and entry proofs? 20-30%? I would think that a product made like this would sell easily at a 25% or even 50% markup. Even the wood issue could probably be solved by carefully specifying the wood for the barrels in question.

So who wants to tell me why distilleries aren't interested in this, or why it is not feasible? Is it not worth the time for a separate process? Heck, I'd think someone like Chris Morris would do it just for personal satisfaction.

Hopefully a microdistiller will jump on this and cleanup.

Thanks, Mike
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Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:38 pm

Mike,
I agree with your point. I think the thing that is holding most back is the stockholders and accountants. They do not want to experiment with a product that they don't see has maximum profit. If it happens it will be in the microdistillery world or in a firm such as Brown-Forman or Buffalo Trace where they are more likely to experiment because of family control of the business.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby gillmang » Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:38 pm

Actually it's being done. Wild Turkey is doing it. Except maybe for the barrels (and I trust Jimmy Russell on wood selection) they are doing it with their low distillation and entry proofs. Rare Breed RB-03 is very close to pre-Pro bourbons I've tasted at Gazebo tables (during KBF or Sampler functions). It's being done. Doesn't matter that Pernod Ricard owns it; big CAN be good. I don't believe things were better then, some products were, but in their totality, no. They didn't have Elmer T. Lee then, I'll bet (something as good, yes, but that doesn't prove Brother Veach's point :)). What about Booker's? What about EC 18 year old? Buffalo Trace? Some of the Blantons? There are plenty of good whiskeys today, in Canada too (e.g., Barrel Select in Canada from Forty Creek of Grimsby, Ontario). I think there was always a range of quality at whatever level of industrialisation. This is clear from Samuel M'Harry's distillation book of circa 1810, in fact. Not that I don't admire the best of yore, but I think quality always follows a curve or range, the basics don't change. If anything average quality is better today, this is true e.g., about wine. I would agree that probably there are fewer, in absolute numbers, great whiskeys than before 1970 or 1920, but that is a result of industry consolidation and other factors, nor are they necessarily irreversible, as we have seen in the brewery area.

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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:47 pm

Gary,
I would agree with you about Wild Turkey, but you can see the signs of accountants already. They dropped the age statement from Wild Turkey. They created an 80 proof version. They even lowered the proof of Russell's Reserve. It is a bad trend that could get worse when Jimmy is no longer with them (may they day be in the far future!).

Mike Veach
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Unread postby MikeK » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:48 am

I agree that many product lines are driven by profit margin over quality and conforming to the current moments trends. The new Russell's Reserve is all about sitting comfortably on the shelf next to Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek.

But the proud distiller needs to teach the accountants and marketers what they should already know. A high end enthusiast product or line will drive the image and sales of the rest of the product line.

Why did Dodge build the Viper? The Viper was probably not intended to make a profit on its own. Heck, if it lost money that was OK to. You make a product like that for 2 reasons. First, it is cool. Everyone in the company has higher enthusiasm and job satisfaction. Secondly it boosts the company image and draws people through the show room. Dad goes to see the Viper and while there Mom talks him into a minivan. The guy who drives the Dodge economy car feels cooler by association. The whole company looks better and people buy the whole product line because of the improved company image.

A whiskey company should want to make one or more high end enthusiast products. The profit margin is not as high as the low end products, but that is OK. The company gets lots of aclaim and press over the high end products. This causes the great masses to buy more of the low end products due to the great company reputation.

Yes I know I'm largely preaching to the choir here, sermon over.

Mike
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Unread postby BourbonBalls » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:18 am

I agree with you MikeK.....

But they are already doing that.....they all have their single barrels or their small batches Wild Turkey, Evan Willams, Bookers etc as their "prestige" bourbon.

Your example is a good one with the auto business. In the TV business there is also the prestige shows that they spend a lot of money and publicity on to give the network a profile. The news shows are an example. They really don't make a lot of money on the nightly news (the networks I mean) paying the enormous salaries of the anchors....sending reporters around the world, for the 24 minutes of news each nite? No...it brings people to the network and helps create the image.

Image is what all things that are sold to the mass market need to establish.

I think that the world of bourbon is doing that. Those prestige bottlings are for US to drink, and all the other bourbon drinkers to "oooh and ahhh" over. Notice where all the advertising and hangtags on the bottles go? To these pricier image brands.

All the other brands we wouldnt drink MANY others do.....I think that the bourbon industry does know what its doing. It throws us off because they keep the "good ol boy" simple image that bourbon has but it is very corporate behind the scenes.
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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:37 am

Michael Hack wrote:I think that the world of bourbon is doing that. Those prestige bottlings are for US to drink, and all the other bourbon drinkers to "oooh and ahhh" over.

If those prestige bottlings are for us to drink then why do most of them go to Japan and not stay here????? Yeah, I know they have deep pockets.
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Unread postby BourbonBalls » Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:20 pm

you answered your own question . . . . :P :)
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Unread postby BourbonBalls » Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:14 pm

Everything in our wonderful free-enterprise system conforms to the market. I'm sorry we can't get what Japan gets.....BUT...they can't get everything we get either.

I fully support or free-enterprise system and while as a bourbon entusisast I want what I can't get....I can get a lot. The distilleries and marketing people will give us what we want as long as it is profitable for them. There's good and bad in that.

They have to balance the consumer demand with the profit margin......I WANT them to keep making a profit off Japan or wherever...as long as they stay in business!

Otherwise we are just whiners......We have a lot...or, am I just having too many Wild Turkey single barrel Spirits, right now?

Sorry for the rant.....But I feel blessed with what I DO have......
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