MM Proof Change

Here's another angle that comes to me from an excellent and you should read two page article in today's Chicago Tribune "Beam's new zest". Woman!

There is a seperate boxed headline within the article entittled "Women are key to sprits growth" which starts out with describing a woman wine drinker changing over to Maker's with water. "A big part of Deerfield-based Beam's growth trajectory can be pegged to the increasing importance of the female consumer."..."but bourbon-makers like Beam also see as opportunity with female consumers and flavors to grow bourbon's 11 percent overall share".

The Tribune is now a pay site so I'm not linking but the article describes how precise growing Beam market share with innovation, research and marketing now is including the importance of the renovated Clermont Campus and its Global Innovation Center.

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Originally Posted by funknik

I think Ben makes a good point. Even my friends who consider themselves "whiskey drinkers" don't tend to know what proof the whiskeys they drink are bottled at . . . I think the typical MM drinker will not notice at all (certainly not by the taste) - even if it's pointed out to them. Plus, they'll be saving money on Coke and Ginger Ale. :cool:

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However, a lot of those drinkers do buy it because of its tradition of quality (either real or imagined) They think that is has been unchanged all these years, something the Makers has been proud to feed. This is a substantially visible change that goes against the lore of the company. Those loyal customers feel cheated and lied to.

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Originally Posted by cowdery

Beam bought Maker's in 2005. In the package was an expansion plan, ready to go. Allied Domeq was about to pull the trigger but they got bought instead. Beam did some of the preliminary work, such as enlarging Maker's lake and upgrading their spent mash handling, but they have dragged their heels on the expansion itself, which will increase capacity by about 50%. I spoke with Rob Samuels this morning and he thinks they'll start the expansion "soon," but he doesn't know, and they've been saying "soon" for the last eight years.

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The delay of the 3rd expansion is far more troubling than the proof change.
Is there any other reason besides the 30 million dollars that they keep delaying the expansion?
Do they see an end to the current growth of bourbon, a bottoming out or even a decrease in sales?
Is BeamGlobal going to continue to downgrade MM in the future if sales continue to grow?

This proof change is typical of the worse type of business philosophy that to many American companies have.
They are only concerned with the next P&L statement, the next quarter, the next end of the month.
To have a healthy business you have to invest for the future.
A long term outlook is the best but today's current board member's and ceo's of most companies want to cash in today, which is 100% their right.

I was under the impression that MM was already into this 3rd expansion.
I was hoping in 10 years or so we would get mature barrel proof single barrels from MM.
Guess we can kiss that silly dream good-bye.

Not much of a Maker's drinker here but this is motivating me to grab a bottle of 90 proof next time I see one for a reasonable price. So I guess this news will result in them selling one more bottle than they would have otherwise.

Oscar I'd say it's more the nature of the whisky business rather than something American companies practice. The Scots are as tradition bound as any distilling culture and I've seen their Single Malts go from 94 to 86 to 80 proof within different brands over the last 35+ years.

At least we can still get Bonded Bourbons at a reasonable cost.

I guess this means I will actually put a few bottles of the 46 proof stuff in the bunker.

Generally I'm in favor of stockpiling liquor supplies but think I'll pass on MM. I'm saving those dollars in case Rock Hill Farms goes on closeout.

I believe this hurts the brand. Obviously, from the way they announced and are spinning it, they think it's something they can survive. It's that idea that people buy brands, not specifications. If the Jack Daniel's experience is relevant, and I think it may be, there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, but sales won't miss a beat.

I think for the people they claim to care about the most, the devoted Maker's drinker (yes, you, Dale), it makes the brand a little less special. It doesn't blow the whole thing out of the water, but it's a chink in the armor. If you always thought Maker's was different, they just became a little less different. There is no Santa Claus, all professional athletes cheat, and even though Ashley Judd and Scarlett Johansson are both single again, they are more likely to get together with each other than with me. It's a cold, cruel world.

The more you know, especially about the delayed expansion, the more disingenuous their explanations sound. I hope they're paying Rob Samuels a boatload of money, because this has to suck for him especially. If he needs a lesson in how to shut up and enjoy his membership in the lucky sperm club, he should talk to Fred Noe.

I buy MM about twice every year, the reason being, I want to see if it can come closer to what I recall from 30 years ago than it's been for some time. I do that with all brands (Beam Black is next). Sometimes it pays off, e.g. Jack Daniels, despite the proof drop, is a better whiskey IMO than 10 years ago. All HH bourbon is better IMO than 10-15 years ago. Profiles evolve, either intentionally or through a drift of some kind, so it's good to check in. This change gives me less incentive to do so than before. I think they are going the wrong way on this, and that Maker's 46 was a mistake - it would have been better to bring back 101 or the kind of palate I remember from back in the day as a limited edition.

Gary

Well, I hope they don't drop the proof on the '46. I quite like it, and buy it ocationaly.

While I don't buy the regular MM I do ocationaly have some in a bar or restaurant.

And, yeah, I'll bitch about the proof drop even though I rarely buy any, 'CAUSE I WOULD BUY IT MORE OFTEN IF THEY WENT THE OTHER WAY WITH THE PROOF!