Craft whiskey…you had me from hello. (I know, cheesy movie reference, but it applies).
I’ve been drinking whiskey since I started bartending in college. I’ve come and gone through various versions of drinks, mixed and not. And most always just stayed with what I knew. Then on a vacation with my wife, we were in Holland Michigan seeing an old friend, and he took me to the New Holland brewery/distillery. It was there that I sampled their Beer Barrel Bourbon. It was different than all the other traditional whiskeys I had been drinking. Really different. So, I brought home a case.
Now, I had had other craft whiskeys prior to this, but this one opened my eyes to the aspect that craft whiskeys can really push the envelope and try different things. Most of the time, the craft whiskey that I tried was average and just so-so. Some were downright bad. But this one made me want to keep coming back to it.
This is where I see a challenge for craft whiskey that they must overcome. The challenge of making a person “want” to come back to that craft whiskey. Making a person want to come back and buy the second, third or more bottles. I think that’s really the challenge they have.
Big-bourbon brands have been making whiskey for decades. They have perfected their craft and fine-tuned their stills, maturation process, and bottling process so they are producing some great whiskey. Not good whiskey, but great whiskey. Some of the big-bourbon brands have master distillers that have been making whiskey for more than 40 years. And, Craft Distillers, you, unfortunately, are being compared to those whiskeys by the bourbon geeks, Whiskey nerds, professional tasters, and the casual drinker.
The bar has been raised in Whiskey by the big-bourbon brands, they have experience, time, and many distillations behind them.
It might not seem fair, but that’s the reality of producing whiskey today. Whiskey is on a resurgence and growing by leaps and bounds. There’s lots of choices now to pick from. The debate is real, and I have it with myself all the time when I’m standing in my local store looking over the choices. Do I spend $50 on a craft bourbon I know nothing about and see what kind of surprise I find? Or do I spend $35 on an old favorite from one of the big-bourbon brands? And, it’s even harder when I’m comparing a craft whiskey at one price point, and a really good solid big-name brand at the same price point. The struggle is real.
So, when you produce a whiskey it better be good. It needs to make me “want” to come back to it. It needs to be above average. Not just “meh”. If you are going to come out with a whiskey and charge $50, $70, or $100, it needs to make my taste buds stand up and take notice. It can be done, I know it can cause I have had a few that have made me “want” more.
I’m all in on craft whiskey. I’m gonna take the plunge and buy that first bottle, almost every time, even if it’s $50 or $70. I may have to talk myself into it if it’s $100 or more, but damn, it better be worth it. If it’s not, I can’t guarantee that I will come back for a second bottle. And, that’s the real loss. Cause if you can get me to come back for a second bottle, you can pretty much bank on the fact that I’m going to buy bottle number three and now you have a customer that continues to look for your product and tells others.
Craft distillers can innovate in ways that big-bourbon brands can’t. They can try different things the big brands won’t. They aren’t held to the way it’s always been done like many of the bigger brands. There’s good and bad in that, however, the taste of the whiskey needs to be…well, if not fantastic, far better than average. The bar has been raised in whiskey.
So here's the rub - are you, the whiskey drinker, going to give the craft distillers the chance they deserve, or stick to what's tried and true? Are you into playing it safe with your money, or are you the adventurous kind that will explore new territory for all the good and bad you might encounter? Me...while I like a tried and true whiskey, I'm a curious drinker at heart.
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