An Open Letter to Sazerac

[squire]

What it proves is Saz made a good business decision.

[TunnelTiger]

We might not have liked it but Squire is obviously right. Heavy sigh

[HighInTheMtns]

I would like make the comment that Sazerac I.E. BT has been very good to us at SB.com. They have accommodated us very well.

This is an important point, I think. I chose my venue for this post for a couple reasons, that being one of them. I think the response I got shows the respect that BT continues to have for this place.

[Harry in WashDC]

Based on my store, there has been no slowdown in sales since VOB age statements were removed.

Not surprising. Not sure if it's proof that the average consumer doesn't care or that they haven't noticed.

In my case, I cared some but had no choice; somebody cleared the shelves of maybe a dozen+ "Aged 6 years" BIBs before I could clear the shelves a couple months ago. :cool: I cared less when I got a NAS (or 3 or 4 by now) home and SBS'd over a couple of weeks and after different foods and in different moods. I'm supposing the average consumer in WashDC might not be familiar with VOB as it's not widely available here. However, if they are buying on taste and value, it explains why even the NAS on-shelf gets thinned a lot.

[camduncan]

I'd sure like to get a sample of dem dere accommodations.

I'll make sure you get some on my next holiday....

[mbroo5880i]

I easily fall into two of Mr. Brown's categories - (1) enthusiast and (3) someone who wants to find their whiskey when they walk into a store. Given this fact, I am willing to volunteer my services - free of charge - to serve an independent quality assurance associate. If he sends me bourbon, in the retail bottle, I am willing to provide my unbiased perspective on how an enthusiast as well as an uneducated whiskey buyer will view the bottling. I can be reached via PM. Thank you and good night!

[mosugoji64]

If he sends me bourbon, in the retail bottle, I am willing to provide my unbiased perspective on how an enthusiast as well as an uneducated whiskey buyer will view the bottling. I can be reached via PM. Thank you and good night!

Great idea! You cover the Midwest and I'll represent the southwest! :grin:

[cowdery]

I can recall one event that seemed to send a message to the whole industry. Heaven Hill built the Evan Williams brand on the proposition that it was older and higher proof than the category leaders for a lower price. That was the message they pounded for years and years, when they were 7-years-old and 90 proof, compared to NAS Jack at (then) 86 proof, and 4-year-old Jim at 80 proof. That proposition made Evan Williams the #3 best-selling American whiskey after Jack and Jim. Then, about ten years ago, they went NAS and (later) dropped the proof to 86, which since Jack has dropped to 80 makes them still higher proof than Jack or Jim. They still claim EW is aged 'longer,' but who can really say since there's no age statement? Most importantly, they are still consistently cheaper than Jack or Jim, and they are still #3. No one has come along to beat them at their own game with a lower price, higher proof, and stated age, so there you have it. Evan Williams is a brand in its own right, with brand loyal consumers who don't care about the slightly lower proof and lack of age statement.

It's also interesting to contrast that with what happened to Early Times, which dropped the word 'bourbon' from its labels about 30 years ago, and saw its sales steadily decline. There may have been other factors at work in both cases, but those are the facts in terms of what customers seem to care about and what they don't.

[squire]

What Early Times didn't do though was drop their price which seems to be what customers really cared about.

[TheNovaMan]

Must be Sazerac learned from Early Times: they didn't drop the word "bourbon" from the label, but they did drop the word "straight"