The Scotch Blog

Independent Bottler, Eh?

I recently had a chance to chat with Barry Bernstein of Premium Bottlers- Canada's first and only Independent bottler.

The company was formed by two enthusiasts who were frustrated with the limited quantity of Single Malt Scotch available on the Canadian market.

The IB and Canadian Liquor Law

You are likely familiar with the concept of an Independent Bottler (or IB) who sources casks of whisky (usually, but not always, fully matured) from brokers or directly from distilleries. They then bottle, label and market the products - usually to specialty shops, you seldom find them in your corner liquor shop.

These casks are often - but not always, hand selected by the IB and usually, but not always, bottled as "Single Cask"

Canada's "interesting" liquor laws create special problems for a company like Premium Bottlers - the interesting law I am talking about dictates that a spirit marketed by Canadians must contain at least 1% of spirit (not necessarily whisky) which has been produced in Canada.

Your Dad was not a fag. But apparently you are.

Canadian Club, a product of Beam Global Spirits* is about to roll out a new ad campaign.

The concept of the campaign? Your Dad was much cooler than you are.

Yep that's right - they are saying it's cool to drink whisky BECAUSE your dad drank it, not despite it.

They are also saying that your Dad was probably more of a man than you are.

According to the press release:

The thought-provoking campaign challenges consumers to embrace their dads classic masculinity, most visibly expressed through their choice to drink Canadian Club whisky cocktails. In launching Damn Right, CC invited Beam Global employees to search through their photo albums to submit images that epitomize the campaign.

Eh. I'm not buying it.

The message I get from the attached ad? Your Mom likely wasn't your Dad's last either. <click on the picture to read the ad>

Some of the headlines created for the ads (seriously):

"Damn Right Your Dad Drank It"
"Your Dad Was Not a Metrosexual"
“Your Mom Wasn’t Your Dad’s First”
"Your Dad Never Got a Pedicure."

I always try to be helpful, so I thought I'd offer up some more "Dad was awesome" ideas for future ads:

For the "Dad was tougher than you" ad placement

• Damn right your Dad never wore a seat-belt.
• Your Dad was twice the man you'll ever be.
• When your Dad was your age a DUI was expected.

For the "Dad was a sex machine" ad placement

• Your Dad didn't use condoms when he was in Saigon.
• Before Paternity Tests.
• Damn right your Dad was getting more than you - DESPITE the leisure suit and side burns.
• Ah, the days when STDs could be cured with penicillin.

For the "Things were just plain better back then" ad placement

• When men were men and cars got 3 miles per gallon.
• You Dad never picked up maxi-pads on his way back from picking the kids up from Soccer*
  
  • *And your Dad never picked the kids up from Soccer
• Your Dad never had to cuddle.

For the "Misogynist" ad placement

• Daddy only hit Mommy because he loved her.
• Dad didn't call it "Date Rape" it was just a "Date".

Ad sites like Adrants are loving the campaign:

Are we seeing a full-on return to the glory days of the hard liquor cocktail when beer was for factory workers and wine was for sissies? Can we now go back to the three martini lunch, pinch asses in the afternoon and have three more martinis at night while watching Mad Men?  We might not get any work done but it sure sounds like fun.

Adrants also reports that the campaign was created by BBDO and ads will appear in Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, with additional placements in Playboy, Men's Journal, Esquire, Outside and Men's Fitness in December and into 2008.

Well it IS a different approach.

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* Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Fortune Brands, parent company of Beam Global