You are "Different than Average"

My deep dark secret is that I grew up in New York. Yep, in the city -- not Long Island or New Jersey. I went to Saint Mary, Star of the Sea, a Catholic grade school in the Bronx on City Island, and to the Bronx High School of Science. I am a "real" New Yawker.

I know people move from all over the world to New York so they can spend 3/4 of their salaries to live in an apartment the size of a shoebox with three roomies. The other 1/4 is apparently spent on Banana Republic, Uggs and subscriptions to eHarmony. But, no, I turned my back on all that and left.

I've lived in many places, but I now call Virginia my home -- and it's great here -- but there are drawbacks.

Forget about landing a decent pizza. Bagels? Puh-lease. And no one here has ever even heard of a knish.

But the biggest drawback of all is that Virginia is a "Control" state - which means it has state-owned liquor shops.

It's not that they do a bad job, it's just that unlike a Binny's, Sam's or Park Avenue Liquor, they just can't carry everything I might want to get my grubby hands on. They tend to carry the lowest common denominator.  And since its a monopoly, there's no specialty Scotch shop to give me choices (believe me - if this was an option, I'd own one).

Imagine my surprise and joy to see a bottle of Bruichladdich 10 year old on the shelves last week. I bought it for no other reason than to prove there IS a market here.

Could the March/April issue of "StateWays" (The Beverage Alcohol Merchandising Magazine for Control States) have something to do with it? Very likely, considering the November 2005 issue of The Virginia Wine & Liquor Quarterly reprinted the Stateways article "For Peat's Sake."

Below is the article, which is well-written, interesting, and informative -- mostly because it speaks bluntly about how the Liquor industry in the US perceives the Scotch drinker.

Oh, go ahead and read on...the perception is a good one:

For Peat's Sake

While dwarfed by the relative size of several other distilled spirits categories, Scotch remains one of the identifiable standard bearers of the urbane consumerism. Its cachet of uncompromised quality, breadth of expression, and dynamic range of flavor has made Scotch a global heavyweight.

"Even though Scotch is not the largest of the whiskey markets, the category still carries more gravitas than other whiskeys," contends Larry Kass, director of corporate communications for Heaven Hill. "Scotch offers more expressions, superb marketing and packaging, and a strong academic/educational bent. Collectively they're positioned in a sophisticated, upscale way, lending an importance and weight that's disproportionate to case sales."

Consensus is that Scotch enthusiasts are different than your average spirits drinker. They're more prone to try new releases and sample unconventional bottlings. They are driven by the sense of discovery and the need to experience something new and exciting. It's all like an urban adventure. Distillers appreciate these compelling desires because it's the same forces that drive them.

"Our experience has shown us that what impels consumers to purchase a blended or single malt Scotch is taste, recommendation and self-discovery," observed Jack Shea of Allied Domecq. "As a consumer's palate becomes more discerning, he or she may be willing to move on -- and up in price if necessary -- to experience a more complex malt, maybe something more adventurous. More often than not, they purchase based on a recommendation or through their own discovery and research."

Richard Nichols, Diageo's vice president of marketing for Scotch, agreed. "Discovery is absolutely what drives consumers to single malt Scotches -- the provenance of Scotland, the history of the distilleries, and the variety of flavors you can experience by region, age, finish, etc."

Mary Therese Kraft of Jim Beam believes that successful retailers will continue focusing their efforts on educating consumers. "Hand-selling and personal recommendations are imperative when it comes to selling Scotch. The retail trade is the single-most important entity in the education of consumers. (KE - She must not know about The Scotch Blog :)) They are perceived as experts, and the more knowledge the retailer and their employees can impart to the consumer, the more they will enjoy and experiment within the category."

This past year or so has featured the release of new and tremendously exciting malts, each nudging the envelope and expanding the horizon. So discard the notion of "best" as outdated and overtly subjective. Instead, line your shelves with genuinely 'intriguing whiskies.
Source: March/April 2005 issue of StateWays the Beverage Alcohol Merchandising Magazine for Control States, via the November 2005 Virginia Wine & Liquor Quarterly.

That's good news for people, like me, who live in control states.

If the Virginia ABC takes this to heart, I can (hopefully) look forward to a wider selection, and not have to leave my clothes behind in cities around the world so that I can make room for new whiskies I pick up when I travel.

Here's a hopin', y'all.

Comments

[Harry]

In Canada, all provinces have liquor boards though some control just importing while others, including Ontario where I live, control alcohol from importing to retailing.

Even here, however, you can get your own stuff imported legally if you play by the rules. Minimum one case order (five bottles plus one for them to test usually that you don't pay for), one product only; the testing regimen means mixed cases don't work. Not all distilleries will bother, and it also requires that they have an import agent who is willing to go to the trouble for just one case. In some ways it is to their advantage as the private order need not meet the full labelling requirements (simple stickers for missing information is all that is required) and once it has been tested (not just for methanol and other poisons but also taste tested) there is a chance it will be noticed and brought in for general sale. You don't pay more than a small deposit until it comes in so your money isn't tied up. For the consumer the process of private import is fairly painless, though lengthy.

Even without private ordering, the LCBO usually stocks at least one bottling of all the Islay distilleries. Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Port Ellen, Lagavulin and Caol Ila are very well represented. Ardbeg (only TEN right now) and particularly Bunnahabhain are less well stocked for some reason.

Harry