The chips are down for whisky
Dave Broom considers the case for clear, characterless, grappa-like whisky...
My three and a half year old wonât eat chicken... or pasta. To be honest, she wonât eat lots of things. âI donât like it,â she says, to which we reply âbut if youâve never tried it how do you know?â
This argument carries no clout. She turns up her nose, pushes the plate away and asks for chips. Whisky is faced with the same problem.
The quasi-mythical ânew consumerâ wonât touch it because of a perceived flavour barrier. They may have tried a shot once when they were young and it gave them a hangover theyâve never forgotten.
Most, however, simply believe they wonât like the taste and making that jump from irrational aversion to conversion is a big one to take. We all know that whisky has the greatest range of flavours of any spirit, but convincing people of that is the toughest job of all.
Whisky is hardly alone in this. Iâm writing this in Cognac, where another âbrown spiritsâ industry is going to considerable lengths to use innovation to revitalise a sluggish market. Some have worked. Alize (a mix of cognac and passion fruit), and Hypnotiq (cognac and vodka) spring to mind. Many havenât. Hennessyâs white cognac for example.
Is whisky embarking on the same route? Strangely, the person who is hailed as the great innovator, John Glaser, isnât as radical as his counterparts in Cognac (Orangerie apart). All he has done is put a 21st century spin on vatting and blending. Heâs succeeded however because heâs given new drinkers liquids .....
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By Dave Broom
Section : A dram with Dave Broom
Page number : 12
