Things I would like to see on the whisky scene
It has been too long since I complained about what’s going on in the whisky scene, and i think as 2013 is already in it’s 2nd Quarter it’s time to put it down. So, what do I want to see in the whisky scene, for the next few months. I am not sure the whisky industry will agree, but I do hope you whisky folk / lovers / geeks / aficionados will find them worthwhile:
1. NAS bottling above standard ABV %
Yes, i know complaining about the current “trend” in releasing a lot of NAS bottling by many distilleries is common (The Macallan and their ‘Colours’ series, Highland Park and the ‘Wariors’ and so on). For once i am not here to fight this NAS war, but just to ask distilleries to up the ante of their NAS bottling. Want to release a couple of NAS young spirits, since you have no stock? or want to make more money? Ok. Give us more ABV %. A NAS at 40% is boring, while at 50% it could be a cracker. So, given they are young, and cheaper for you to produce (less ageing) , they could just make one small step, and give us the liquid as we like it. NCF,50%, no Colouring. See the A’bunadh,Farclas 105 etc., these ones are loved and mainly because they are not watered down as most others are. So yes, Give us more Alcohol. if we want, we can dilute it ourselves.
2.Smaller bottles are cool (200 ml)
Yes, we like 200 ml bottles. The Laddie has them, Diageo did some with classic malts, and Coal Ila, Talisker triples of 200ml. They are cheaper, and they let us buy a few drams and not a full bottle, and experiment more. They make excellent gifts, and they are excellent for people on a budget. I think they would be a hit on the market,especially for new releases, where you want more people trying the new dram and when the like it, they are sure top buy the bigger bottles.I am aware of the extra costs of bottling several sizes, but in the long run, they may sell very good and expose more people to the bottling the distillery wishes to.
3.More dram size samples
More and more retailers are offering dram sized samples (Master of Malt is the best example with so many), and whisky folk like it. It’s even cheaper to try a dram than a wee bottle of 200ml, and it also allows you to try very expensive drams, you never could afford. I for once wanted to try a very expensive Ardbeg single cask, and only by means of samples could i ever afford to.
Of course i would love to hear your opinion on those , and if you have more add them to the thread , so those who read this post and can make a difference, take them into consideration.
happy dramming.
Gal.
