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It is too bad. But it's not exactly an insignificant amount though since its almost a 7% reduction in alcoholic strength. And more alcohol equals more flavor.
Not exactly. Ethanol has almost no taste, and what taste there is does not occur for most people as pleasant. The most desirable flavor elements in bourbon are mostly everything else besides the alcohol. And all of those are being reduced by only 3% of the overall beverage content.
I've met and talked to the the Samuels on several occasion, and I believe them when they say the slightly thinner cut cannot be distinguished by taste. Remember, Bill Samuels originally just picked 90 proof kind of at random when he started the enterprise, maybe a little bit to stand out from all the 80 proof standard brands. On a taste basis, he said, they were all good.
It's also worth noting that by industry figures it only costs about $1.40 to manufacture a gallon of vodka, which is not much different from a gallon of unaged "white dog," so I don't see this change as being driven by price... just what they said, that the demand currently exceeds the supply, due to changing taste trends... and that they can't just flip a switch and have more to sell when it takes about 6 1/2 years for the product to come to market.
As for all the people who are foaming at the mouth and saying they'll never buy Maker's Mark again, I say Good! All the more for us!
I prefer 80 proof bourbons and whiskies to 100 proofs. I think it's because I was raised on light beer and I just drink too fast. But this might not be a big deal. It's just "why do you have to change a molecule on my favorite thing" territory.
Not exactly. Ethanol has almost no taste, and what taste there is does not occur for most people as pleasant. The most desirable flavor elements in bourbon are mostly everything else besides the alcohol. And all of those are being reduced by only 3% of the overall beverage content.
I've met and talked to the the Samuels on several occasion, and I believe them when they say the slightly thinner cut cannot be distinguished by taste. Remember, Bill Samuels originally just picked 90 proof kind of at random when he started the enterprise, maybe a little bit to stand out from all the 80 proof standard brands. On a taste basis, he said, they were all good.
It's also worth noting that by industry figures it only costs about $1.40 to manufacture a gallon of vodka, which is not much different from a gallon of unaged "white dog," so I don't see this change as being driven by price... just what they said, that the demand currently exceeds the supply, due to changing taste trends... and that they can't just flip a switch and have more to sell when it takes about 6 1/2 years for the product to come to market.
As for all the people who are foaming at the mouth and saying they'll never buy Maker's Mark again, I say Good! All the more for us!
That may be true but, as you know, most whiskies are cut with water when they are bottled to begin with. So unless you get a cask strength version you are getting a product that is diluted. As such, all cask strength whiskies, which are usually around 60% abv, are much more flavorful and potent then there diluted counter parts. After all, water doesn't provide much flavor to a whiskey (although it can open up a whiskey when drinking).
So now instead of diluting it down to 45% abv they are going to water it down even further to 42%. Obviously that additional water can only dilute the flavor more. Whether it will be significant enough that most people will know, probably not since most people mix or drink it on the rocks instead of neat anyways. The Whiskey Advocate blog has a good article about it. It's a few posts down:
You're right though that Makers can't just pump out more product since it take 6 or so years to age the bourbon. Still, I'm a little surprised they were got off guard by the demand since Makers Mark has been growing quite steadily for years and years now. I read that they had plans to increase production by 50% several years back but just decided to stay the course instead. I bet they wish they had followed through on that now.
Either way it's not much of a problem with me. Maker's Mark use to be a favorite whiskey of mine, I even went to visit their lovely distillery in Loretto, but now I am more interested in scotches and other bourbons. I still enjoy its even balanced smooth flavor but it doesn't quite excite me like it use to. Still good stuff and probably the most distinctive bottle on the market to boot.
Last edited by biggunsmallbrains; 02-13-2013 at 08:30 PM..
Surprise, surprise! Today Maker's Mark announced a reversal of their decision to reduce the proof of their bourbon. It will stay at 90 proof in the US.
They pointed to customer input as changing their minds. There was an immediate and vigorous protest started, and surveys showed that customers would prefer to put up with occasional shortages than to change the product.
Surprise, surprise! Today Maker's Mark announced a reversal of their decision to reduce the proof of their bourbon. It will stay at 90 proof in the US.
They pointed to customer input as changing their minds. There was an immediate and vigorous protest started, and surveys showed that customers would prefer to put up with occasional shortages than to change the product.
I made good and went to Costco and picked up 6 1.75 liters to avoid any price spikes. That'll last a few years.
The shortages will probably be real if there aren't price increases. The demand from Japan/Hipster America is so high.
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