George Dickel: Diageo's red headed step child.

[jmpyle]

I don't know, I just don't understand leaving something like Dickel alone. Of course I've never left well enough alone.

I think what you guys seem to be talking about are ad and marketing campaigns. That's great and all, but it's mostly cooked up by in house marketing teams or 3rd party consultants that are trying to be too cute. And they cost big money. Absolutely I agree that Diageo would be better off not going there.

However, there's a great deal of educating that Dickel could be doing about their brand, it's history, the LCP and why their's is different. I *think* they could do this without loosing their typical customer. And again, we're not talking about big money stuff here.

But what do I know.

[ebo]

I think this may be the answer. I've read that Dickel's sales are what they are, and nothing much moves them. Jack is the bad boy, down home, fun loving, rock and roll iconic whiskey. Dickel would have to find some other position and advertise the heck out of itself to make gains. They tried the "we taste really good" tack in the late 70's with "Water's for (fill in the blank), Dickel's for drinkin'." They showed people doing things with water (bathing, canoeing, fishing, etc.) other than put it in their smooth Dickel whiskey, which you could (by inference) drink neat.

I am not really sure taste is the most profitable way to market alcohol. Most people drink it for TOTALLY different reasons.

And that's too bad, because Dickel 12 is so much better than Jack Black.

[ebo]

I think of McDonald's versus Burger King. McDonald's has had this very consistent advertising image for decades, whereas Burger King is completely repositioned with every new ad campaign. It's the same way with Jack and George. Jack has had this consistent image and George doesn't know what it wants to be. And McDonald's is much more successful than Burger King, just as Jack is much more successful than George.

All things considered, Diageo is probably smart to leave the brand alone.

Agreed. It's definitely the same thing. I think Burger King is better than McDonald's, just as I think Dickel is better than Jack. But, marketing always seems to win over quality.

[flintlock]

You gotta think big picture. It's big picture to not to spend a bajillion dollars advertising something if it probably won't increase sales. I am NOT a big picture guy - probably the reason I drive a 1996 Honda Civic.

Besides - all they need to do is product-place a bottle of Dickel in the next James Bond movie and they won't be able to fill the barrels fast enough.

[boss302]

And that's too bad, because Dickel 12 is so much better than Jack Black.

[Josh]

As I muse on the topic it seems to me that all the major distillers have a brand like Dickel that receives little or no marketing support but is profitable enough on its own to justify its existance. Coincidentally (or not) most of them are pre-pro "olds":

Beam: Old Grand-dad

Brown-Forman: Old Forester

Buffalo Trace: Old Charter

Heaven Hill: Old Fitzgerald

Tom Moore: Everything they make except 1792

Not sure what to make of that, it's just kind of interesting.

[ebo]

As I muse on the topic it seems to me that all the major distillers have a brand like Dickel that receives little or no marketing support but is profitable enough on its own to justify its existance. Coincidentally (or not) most of them are pre-pro "olds":

Beam: Old Grand-dad

Brown-Forman: Old Forester

Buffalo Trace: Old Charter

Heaven Hill: Old Fitzgerald

Tom Moore: Everything they make except 1792

Not sure what to make of that, it's just kind of interesting.

[CaptainQ]

1792 is one that I've never tried. It's available to me. I've thought about purchasing a bottle, but I'm reluctant to spend the money on something I can't taste before hand. Should I?

[cigarnv]

GD12 is truly the classic sippin whiskey that IMO blows JD out of the water with the exception of their SS.

[ebo]

GD12 is truly the classic sippin whiskey that IMO blows JD out of the water with the exception of their SS.

Yeah, GD 12 is infinitely better than JD. Ilike JDSB quite a bit, but GD 12 is even better than that, IMO.

[STLbourbon]

Great to find this thread at the moment. It's halloween night, 2011, and I've been sitting around the fire handing out treats and sipping bourbon/whiskey all night. Closing the night with GD#12 and I must admit that for the first time I finally get this stuff.

There's a distinct flavor that stands out with George Dickel #12. It's definitely an orangey candy kind of reminder. Anyway, for some reason that flavor was too dominant to me upon first tastings. But tonight it's opened up for me and that aspect has blended into the greater whole. Now I taste the whole whiskey here. It's really good on a lot of levels. I kind of thought this moment would come eventually and it has. Just a great taste, balanced, flavorful, has that depth and interesting complexity that comes with a good recipe and age, all that stuff. It really does go to show you that the business of marketing is so powerful. This is such a far superior whiskey compared to JD and many others. I hate to even have to lump it into that Tennessee camp because it deserves to be in context with finer "bourbons".

I get it. Yeah!

STLb