Which is all to say that rye and wheat bourbons will remain
popular in 2019. Expect customers to express interest in
bold bourbons and also those more accessible.
2) Quality Whiskey is King
There is a quality issue in the whiskey industry, led by newer
brands.
Launching a craft distillery or whiskey brand is not cheap.
While distilled product rests in barrels, the backers will
naturally look for easier ways to recoup their hefty initial
investment costs. In some cases they release product that’s
too young. Other times they buy bulk spirit from sourcing
houses like MGP and finish the spirit poorly before bottling.
Frankly, these whiskeys can taste terrible, but still carry high
prices because new distilleries want to break even quickly.
The concern is that consumers who buy these subpar
products, spending top dollar on low quality, could get turned
off from the category as a whole.
“We almost don’t associate ourselves anymore with ‘craft
distilling’ because of the low quality that sometimes can be
associated with that,” says Jay Erisman, co-founder of New
Riff Distilling.
“We almost don’t associate ourselves anymore with ‘craft
distilling’ because of the low quality that sometimes can be
associated with that,” says Erisman of New Riff.
Although New Riff did release sourced stuff (to positive
reviews) four years ago while getting off the ground, the
distillery now prides itself on releasing only house-made
whiskey of high quality.
“Everything we make [except the single barrel], and
everything we will make in the future, is Bottled in Bond,
made to those standards,” explains Erisman. “We don’t look
at this as a gimmick, because we are truly declaring ourselves
as quality-first.”
Some distillers have concerns that the U.S. government has
not done enough to dissuade brands from releasing dubious
product, and fudging details on labels.
“I think the TTB is really letting us down in not really helping
us identify the whiskey categories,” says Stranahan’s Master
Distiller Rob Dietrich. “We need stronger boundaries about
what is and isn’t whiskey. For something that is so highly
regulated, it’s odd that the definitions are not so regulated.”
For instance, an “American Whiskey” can legally contain
a certain percentage of neutral grain spirit. “I think most
consumers do not understand that,” says Heilmann of
Michter’s.
But consumers do understand quality and consistency. It’s
why they return to legacy brands.
“The reality is that consumers should demand the utmost
quality for products because they are paying a premium,”
Drink Asia
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says Sean Yelle, category director for brown/dark spirits at
Campari Group, which owns Wild Turkey. “As an industry we
have a mandate to provide the best whiskey. And remember
that consumers get the final say, and they will find out who
is quality and who is not.”
Which means that the brown spirits wave may not lift all
boats. Look for newer distilleries to struggle in 2019 if their
quality cannot keep up.
3) Younger Whiskey is Getting Better
With the influx of underaged products, many of them subpar,
there is also a rising number of younger whiskeys that taste
quite nice.
Given the exploding number of craft distilleries, it makes
sense that some will have figured out how to produce quality
whiskey on a quicker timetable.
Typically these are distillers that have experimented
extensively with production techniques. Rabbit Hole of
Kentucky released a series of whiskeys after only several
years of aging. The company played around with unusual
mash bills, higher proofs upon barrel entry, and differently
charred casks. The result was whiskey that attained mature
flavor earlier than anticipated.
“It was a complete surprise to me, as I had said that I would
not release anything before four years,” Kaveh Zamanian,
owner and whiskey maker at Rabbit Hole Distilling, told us
last year. “But the color and the flavor were there. If the
flavor is there, that’s the benchmark. If the product is tasting
good, then it makes sense. If not, then it needs to wait.”
Reservoir Distilling from Richmond, Virginia, also makes
younger whiskeys that taste better than their age might
suggest. They work with mash bills that are 100% rye, wheat
or corn, and age in casks five or ten gallons, rather than
53-gallon bourbon barrels. These smaller containers (made
of Virginia wood) impart flavors faster due to increased wood
contact, the company says. This shortens aging periods, at
the cost of less time for oxidization: Reservoir tosses more
stock, and cuts deeper into distillate runs, than is typical.
Drinking younger whiskey can also be a fun exercise in noting
growth and change.
“There are some products out there that are good at three
years old,” says Heilmann of Michter’s. “With some of the
younger whiskey, the quality is there, but it’s just not mature
yet. I think it’s interesting to try these products to see the
progress they make. I’ll try them when they’re one year,
three years, and then five years when they’re wonderful.
The whiskey does change immensely in the bottle.”
Look for more innovative distilleries like Rabbit Hole and
Reservoir to put out younger product that’s not sharp and
overly grainy like most underaged whiskey, but more smooth
and flavorful.
Source: www.beveragedynamics.com
September-October 2019