Houston, we have an (image) problem. (Part 1)

In the U.S. there is much confusion over what Scotch is, how it differs from Bourbon, and what makes it “Scotch” - and the industry working as a whole has done little to clarify the confusion. As a result, the average American is averse to most whisk(e)y beverages.

Word Association

I am told, with absolute certainty (by Americans), that “Scots don’t like the term “Scotch” and it shouldn’t be used."

Really? Is that why the term is printed on every single bottle?

The truth is that the industry should get on their knees and thank the barley gods that Americans aren't really clear on the terms “whisky” and “Scotch” and don’t necessarily think of them as synonymous.

You DO NOT WANT Americans to think “whisky”. Why? Read on…

I asked about 50 people to email me the first 1 or 2 words that came to mind when I mention the following words: Scotch, Whisky, Whiskey, Tennessee Whiskey, and Bourbon. All of the respondents consume alcohol, but are not single malt Scotch whisky drinkers. The majority drink high-end white spirits as well as being fans of American micro-breweries, Belgian, German & English beers.

Here is what they thought:

• Scotch = “pompous”; “upper class”; “cigars”; “Whiskey”;  "Uggh”; “tastes like old shoes”
• Whisk(e)y = “drunks”; “Old west”; “Jack Daniels”; “getting drunk”
• Bourbon = “hick drink”; “yummy”; “Jack Daniels”; “good-old boys”
• Tennessee Whiskey = “moonshine”; “Jack Daniels”; “red-necks” “poorer good old boys”

Notice the clustering of negative words around all of the terms.

In the UK it is common to refer to Single Malt Scotch as “Whisky”; however, in the U.S. whisk(e)y is usually associated with the Western movie - where cowboys force down a shot of horrible rot-gut whiskey before starting a bar brawl…or nailing a hooker.

To our respondents, the term “whisky” - however it was spelled - brings to mind a beverage that is preferred by hard-core drunks.

They also associate the term strongly with Jack Daniels – which in turn is associated with Southern stereotypes, such as NASCAR, “hillbillies”, “hicks”, or “red necks”.

Among the Southerners I asked, Bourbon is not perceived as negatively, but when broken down among brands -  a spectrum of associations appears (e.g., Jim Beam is associated with red-necks, while Maker’s Mark is considered to be more high-brow).

Most interesting is that “Scotch” is also viewed negatively – but from an opposite perspective – It is viewed as the drink of snobs, elitists and the pompous.

By comparison, I can point to any number of people who do not like Gin, Rum or Jagermeister, but their disdain is based on flavor (or bad experiences) and not on a view associated with the perceptions of the people who drink it.

But this can all change. At one point, Rum was something that people drank while on vacation in the tropics or associated with Pirates – now, the Mojito is one of the most popular mixed drinks. Five years ago, the only place I’d ever had a Caipiriña was in South America. Now Americans can buy cachaça at their local liquor store.

You can change perceptions - but it takes work.

Confusion: Is the wheat fermented in the barrel?

That's what people who DO NOT like Scotch whisky think of it - so let's focus on the people who do like it - not the anoraks, but the casual drinker. Someone who is interested enough to want to become a little more familiar with the topic. Surely, Scotch whisky is easy enough to understand...

Maybe not. One of the most questions I am asked most frequently is “What is the difference between Scotch and whiskey.”  The simple answer - telling people that Scotch IS whisk(e)y is met with blank stares. How could this be? - Scotch and whiskey are as different as night and day!

Launching into even the briefest explanation of the production of grain-based alcohol generally takes about 10 minutes – and that’s before even entering into the legal criteria for defining “Scotch”. People don’t like answers that take 15 minutes.

Some people have bits and pieces of the story. Unfortunately, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and these under-informed people try to teach others.

The exchange below is an attempt to explain “Scotch” taken from a website which focuses on men’s interests (emphasis is mine/misspellings are theirs):

Catherine asked:

correct me if I’m wrong: In order to be called a Scotch it must be made in Scottland? What does single malt really mean? And how is Scotch made??? Educate me you educated gentleman ;)

The response from “Cash”

Yes, it must come from Scotland to be a Scotch. Otherwise it’s just whiskey (with a differentiation between bourbon and whiskey being that bourbon is corn based, whiskey is wheat, I do believe)

Single Malt means it’s 100% malted barley (no wheat or grain which can be used to ‘cut’ blended whiskeys) and comes from a single distillery (blends come from multiple distilleries)

Long story short: The malted barley is distilled and then allowed to ferment in oak casks.

Hmmm…

Another person “Danimal” attempted to expand:

Just like blended wines, blended scotches can potentially be good, but a lot of times it’s a way to make fast, cheap, crappy scotches taste better.

Scotch, Irish Whiskey and Bourbon are all very similar, and all fall under the category of Whiskey. The main differences between Scotch and Irish whiskey is how the wheat mash is dried (scotch uses peat fire which imparts rich smokey flavor, Irish whiskey uses air drying) and the number of distillations (2 vs 3).

Barrels for scotch and irish whiskey are usually barrels that have previously aged a different type of alcohol, especially bourbon (oak), sherry (pine or other softwood), or sometimes port or madiera. The distilate previously in the barrel and the type of wood used in the barrel greatly influence the taste.

Bourbon is the new world version of scotch. The grain composition is different (uses corn and wheat instead of just wheat) and the barrels are different. Bourbon is aged in large, charred, brand new oak casks. Also, bourbon usually has a triple distillation.

The Scotch, Irish Whiskey and Bourbon are all considered high-end distillates because of their complexity. The only other alcohol that can realy compare in complexity is wine.

The opposite end of the spectrum is vodka; you might see high-end vodkas advertising as many as 7 distillations, which is essentially just getting you closer and closer to pure alcohol. In whiskies and wines, the “impurities” are what you’re actually after… the delicious parts.

To which Cash replied:

Excellent info Danimal!!

And poor Catherine went away thinking she had learned something.

Now, I am sure most beer drinkers have no idea how it is actually made and plenty of people still
believe that Vodka is made only from potatoes – but how often do you hear people discussing the production processes for these beverages?

The complexity of the production process has become part of the mythos – and yet another barrier to broad acceptance.
  
Lesson: Delving into the minutia creates confusion. People do not need to know how it is made to buy it.

NEXT WEEK: We hear from the Industry People. And I make some suggestions...

Comments

[jimmy]

Now I'm confused. I think it was the delving into minutia. Some vodka is made from potatoes!

Right?

[Kevin Erskine]

Hi Jimmy,
I should have been more clear.
many people think Vodka = potatoes; when in fact very few use potatoes. The only one that comes immediately to mind is Chopin.
-K

[matt]

Why not forward people to the Wikipedia site?

[Kevin Erskine]

Frankly, I'm not a big fan of wikipedia.
I've only had a few occassions to visit, and frankly I find that the information isn't always entirely accurate. There seem to be no qualifications (like actual knowledge) to add anything - as a result there are a number of erroneous things there.

As a matter of fact - I suggest that people DON'T go to wikipedia if they want to learn.

If someone wants to learn about whisky get a good book...Like mine :).

[David G.]

I was looking for a sight to explain how "Healthy" it is to drink various types of liquors, and it seems that according to what I could ascertain from This article is that the Less Complex a liquor is, the quicker it is likely to race thru the human body and therefore the Healthier it is to consume.?.
I have heard that Dr.'s will tell you to drink Vodka IF you're going to drink at all, as it is the Purest form of Drinkable Spirits on the shelf and Therefore, will travel thru the body without Taxing it as bourbons and some others will do...
Let me say that I love a good malted Scotch but if it takes alot of Body Filtering to work it thru - .?.
I might just have to go to the Big V...
What are your thoughts Hopkins.?. (from the movie Arthur)...
Thanks guys, I appreciate it.!.