Maker's Water

[Quattro Pete]

Not too long ago, Maker's Mark announced they'll be watering down their famous bourbon to fill more bottles. The public cried, and the company has reversed its decision.

The initial decision was driven by corporate greed, but it's nice to hear that they've listened to their consumers and came to their senses in the end. Of course, I won't be surprised if they now jack up the prices to make up for this.

On the other hand, it seems there is a world-wide shortage of bourbon? Hmmm... I need to buy some stock.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/17/news/makers-mark-bourbon/

 

[DBMaster]

The bourbon they're selling now was produced 6+ years ago. Inventory planning is challenging.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yeah... I guess they didn't predict the recession would last this long and everyone would be drowning their sorrows in liquor...

 

[Mr_Incredible]

They've increased production but it will still take a while to catch up.

I read yesterday that they were scrapping the change and will proceed business as usual.

 

[DBMaster]

The "watering down" would take place when the bourbon is removed from the barrels for bottling. In the barrel it could be 120-130 proof. To have appropriate supplies in 2013 they have to be able to project sales years beforehand and make the right amount at that time. They would not want to overestimate, either. If it stays in the barrel too long it doesn't necessarily get any better. Also, Maker's practices barrel rotation. They rotate barrels through different levels of their warehouses to keep the aging as consistent as possible. Temperature variations at different warehouse levels can affect that process. If they make too much they end up with more time and expense for these rotations. So, increasing production now won't help the current situation a bit. Bourbon aging isn't really "done" after a set amount of time, either. It has to be tasted and approved as a match for the product's flavor profile. What could happen here is that they may start tweaking the profile a bit to allow less mature whiskies to be included in the blending. This industry has a very interesting business model, for sure.

Maker's is not the only distillery with these issues. Wild Turkey recently announced that the remainder of its aged rye whiskey stocks would be sold at 81 proof (weird number) rather than the usual 101 due to shortages. They also introduced an 81 proof bourbon a few years ago to deal with tight supplies. I personally can smell and taste a difference in some other whiskies since Beam Global took them over - Ardmore and Laphroaig single malt sctoches. Seems like there is more artificial color in them (scotch makers are allowed to do this) and the whiskies taste noticeably "younger."

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Mr_Incredible
I read yesterday that they were scrapping the change and will proceed business as usual.

Yes, that's what I wrote.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I guess they didn't predict the recession would last this long and everyone would be drowning their sorrows in liquor...


Could be true! Flavorful spirits - hard liquor in general - is making a comeback after some years of decline. American whiskey has become so good that it competes quite well in the international arena. The article mentioned that they are drinking a lot of bourbon in India these days. I know they are fond of it in Japan as well. Nice to know that at least one industry in the U.S. still makes it products with American labor and American components and is growing by double digit percentages every year!

 

[fdcg27]

I heard this on NPR, my default commuting listening.
I have a bottle of this whiskey that I've had for several years.
I don't think it's all that great.
I much prefer a single malt scotch.
My current favorite is Balvenie.
My bottle of Maker's Mark will likely end up in whiskey sours.

 

[DBMaster]

I'm not a big fan of Maker's Mark. It is definitely a quality bourbon, though, it is a "wheater" that I find quite generic and unobtrusive. In other words, wheat is used as the minority flavoring grain rather than rye. That will appeal to some who prefer a little mellower whiskey. If you want to save a few bucks, another excellent choice in a wheated bourbon is W.L. Weller 12-year-old (90 proof). And, if you want that higher punch you could go for Old Weller Antique (107 proof). Both are less expensive than Maker's. The variations of Van Winkle are also wheaters, but they are definitely several steps above in price.

 

[DBMaster]

I bought a bottle of MM on my way home today - for a gift. It was 90 proof and on sale for $21.99. It may be a bit bland for me, but it is a high quality, consistent product. That's why they toyed with the water idea. They can't just start bottling younger whiskey, or whiskey that is "slightly off" from the signature profile. Unlike motor oil, liquor making still has a certain amount of artistry involved in its formulation. It is not purely chemistry or analytics. As someone earlier mentioned, you can see how passionate MM's customers are as well as how the people in charge value them.

 

[DBMaster]

In other words, these guys are so old-school that they offered an actual act of contrition, not just a meaningless apology. Proves there is a bit of conscience under the corporation.

 

[Hermann]

IMO is was a publicity stunt to receive Millions of free advertising. Every TV station has been talking about it for a couple weeks now.

 

[DBMaster]

Being owned by Beam, I suppose that's a possibility, but generally these guys ARE old-school and don't play games like that.