Yeah it's pink. What's your point?

It was about a month ago that the story about Strawberry Kiss whisky liqueur was making the rounds. I didn't make any mention of it at the time because frankly, I had nothing to add. The target market (young women) is an attractive potential growth segment for the industry as a whole, so why would I argue?

If you read the story, you also noticed that the Leith Liqueur Company prominently used Dr. Bill Lumsden's (Master Distiller, Glenmorangie) endorsement of Strawberry Kiss:

"I quite liked it and normally I don't have a penchant for sweet things like that. This drink isn't too sweet or cloying as I expected it might be when I saw the colour.

While the skeptical bastard in me might jump to the conclusion that Glenmorangie is the whisky part of the ingredient list, this isn't the case. The unnamed single malt is apparently a 14-year-old Speysider (and not a 10-year-old Highlander). And if you've met Bill, you'll know he's an earnest and ardent promoter of good great whisky. I don't believe he'd give his support to crap.

The product got a lot of "air-play" from non-whisky focused sites such as Luxist, SlashFood and LiquorSnob. Not on the basis of taste, but on the basis of it's "pinkness". I can't blame anyone - it's an easy target - a pink, strawberry-flavored whisky aimed at "girls". And it's easier (and more fun) to make fun of pink whisky than it is to understand the concept of a whisky liqueur.

That's right - I want to reinforce that Strawberry Kiss is NOT classified as a whisky, but instead as a whisky liqueur. A liqueur is class of spirit that is produced by mixing or redistilling spirits with fruits, herbs, spices, and/or cream. Liqueurs are sometimes referred to as "Cordials" and often served as a digestif (after-dinner drink).

Whisky liqueurs are nothing new - Drambuie, Glayva, Columba, Atholl Brose, Heather Cream, Cock O' The North, Stag's Breath and Drumgray are all whisky liqueurs.

Glenfiddich, Old Puteney, Glenturret, Arran and Edradour have all released branded whisky liqueurs based on their malts.

No, whisky liqueurs are not the seventh sign of the whisky apocalypse. This one just happens to be pink. It's simply another way to enjoy whisky. And if it attracts a new type of whisky lover, then I'm all for it. I may even try it, given the opportunity.

Comments

[Al Fiala]

Hi -
Scotch fan but new to your corner of the world- will return, enjoy your wit