Best of: Different is good

Originally Posted - December 12, 2005

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.

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

[Jeremy]

I had a similar experience last week when I found a bottle of Lagavulin 16yr at my local Alabama ABC.

[Dave]

The scotch selection (at least at the ABC store I frequent - in Carytown) has indeed grown in the last few months. I remember it used to be just one short aisle of scotch; now it's one short aisle, and one half-aisle opposite the Irish whiskey. Here's hoping the trend continues...

Slainte

[lawschooldrunk]

hey, kevin, nice post.

While you know this, I'd like to let any virginians know that if they head over to montgomery county in maryland, the prices are much better and (I guess from what you are saying)the selection is much better. the link to the county's website is here: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dlctmpl.asp?url=/content/dlc/liquor/home/index.asp

keep in mind that maryland state just raised their sales tax from 5% to 6% (what the hell?!). I guess you can also head into D.C. if you are looking for a better selection- but watch out because their prices are at best retail prices; and their sales tax on alcohol is 9%.

kevin, you stay in virginia. If you head to maryland, your liable to buy up the whole shelf :)