Whisky to show off at £50 a shot

[maximus otter]

Is it about savouring the flavours of hazelnuts, honey, rose petals and oranges, or is it just plain showing off?

Sales of a whisky costing up to £50 a shot are soaring as part of a booming trade in luxury spirits.

Johnnie Walkers’s colour code: Red Label whisky is £12.99 a bottle; Black, £19.99; Green, £29.99; and Blue £165

Premium spirits — those costing £35 or more a bottle and including vodka, gin and even tequila — are growing at 15 per cent a year, and producers believe they have to thank those using drink as a status symbol to impress friends or colleagues.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label sells for £165 a bottle in specialist shops or £35 to £50 a shot in bars and has almost doubled sales in the past year.

What makes Blue Label unusual among expensive whiskies is that it is a blend, rather than single malt, the traditional gold standard for connoisseurs. It does not even contain an age statement.

Johnnie Walker describes it as having "a velvety mouth-feel, then an explosion of flavour. At once you'll discover hazelnuts, honey, rose petals, sherry and oranges. Subsequent sips reward you with kumquats, wispy aromatic smoke, sandalwood, tobacco and dark chocolate."

Expensive whiskies have traditionally been single malts popular with connoisseurs rather than a younger crowd in bars looking for ways to spend their city bonuses. Half of Blue Label sales are by the shot.

Rob Malcolm, president of the maker, Diageo, said: "There's a newly affluent class of bankers and successful businessmen who are looking for something with status and maybe looking to show off."

Sales of mainstream blended Scotch whiskies have declined from 13 million cases in 1980 to eight million last year. However, the whiskies that are doing well are more expensive than ever before.

Rob Allanson, the editor of Whisky Magazine, said: "Single malts have always had a cult status, but we have seen more innovation in blends and that is starting to pay off."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/20/nwhisk20.xml

maximus otter

 

[shaldag]

I am always amused to read these kind of stories, and even more amused to see the whisky hodaddies try to impress their friends and dates.

I recently had the opportunity to sample some of that Johnny Walker Blue, by the way, at a whisky tasting. Wasn't bad at all. I could see paying, say, about $25 for a bottle.

 

[moonwilson]

Yes, the liquor price thing is out of control. But you know the old saying about "a fool and his money are soon parted"- this is a perfect illustration of that. Johnny Walker Blue is a white-guy version of Crystal so beloved by (and recently out of favor with) rappers. If you can afford to sip JW Blue, you've got style and class, baby!

I have to admit that I have fallen prey to a lesser degree of booze snobbery. Most of the hooch I buy now costs around $40 a bottle now. (I like scotch, whisky and bourbon these days) I don't drink that much liquor, but I've found that the expensive stuff tastes much better, and doesn't give you a hangover.

I would never buy a bottle of booze that costs more than a good knife. I'd rather have a knife- it'll last a hell of a lot longer. $100 a shot? That's just crazy and wasteful.

 

[kinzli]

I'm a huge fan of good single malt Scotch, but never had any interest or desire to drink JW. It seems to lack the character and flavors that I enjoy, most notably the peat/smoke of a good Islay. Favorites include Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, with Ardbeg being my favorite.

With Islay whiskeys, you either love them or hate them. Kind of like overhopped IPAs Personally, I love them.

Just got back from London a bit ago and had 3 bottles of Ardbeg in tow. Mmmm. Yummy :jerkit:

 

[Gollnick]

JW Blue is certainly the smoothest whiskey there is; it's blended to achieve that goal. It's very nice. But, smoothness isn't necessarily the ultimate quality in scotch. Smoothness trades off with character. So, JW Blue is very nice, but not my personal favorite.

 

[Lanza]

Forget the scotch and try some Pappy Van Winkle 20 year Reserve. Wonderful layering of flavors and a true sippin' whiskey.

 

[lapinot2003]

Just a quick question, out of curiosity : what is the average price for a bottle of lagavulin scotch whisky in the US ? and a Jack Daniel's one ?

my two cents about the article : I think the words "show off" are adequate. trying to look classy by buying expensive stuff always sounded kind of stupid to me. Thinking "expensive = good and classy" just shows that one is not able to really understand by oneself what is good or not...

And It is not right when a sebenza can't be traded for more than 7 shots of whisky!!!!

 

[Steven Roos]

Just a quick question, out of curiosity : what is the average price for a bottle of lagavulin scotch whisky in the US ? and a Jack Daniel's one ?

my two cents about the article : I think the words "show off" are adequate. trying to look classy by buying expensive stuff always sounded kind of stupid to me. Thinking "expensive = good and classy" just shows that one is not able to really understand by oneself what is good or not...

And It is not right when a sebenza can't be traded for more than 7 shots of whisky!!!!

Well, a nearby store has Lagavulin 16 Y/O for $70 a bottle and the same place has Jack Daniel's for $16. For comparison a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue is $160, which would buy you nearly any other single malt in the store, with the exception of a couple 25 Y/O bottles from Bowmore and Macallan.

 

[shaldag]

I get Lagavulin 16 (distillery bottle) for about $60 a bottle, a little less on a good day. Comparing it to Jack Daniels is not a good comparison, but a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old bourbon (mentioned by Lanza) goes for $80.

On the average, malt whisky in the US is about 2/3 the price it goes for in France, and half the price in the UK. So Kinzli's story about bringing back three bottles of Ardbeg from London (even duty free) would not be a good idea financially. However, Ardbeg famously does not export it's best whisky to the US, and it is quite probable that Kinzli bought something over there that is simply unavailable here at any price.

Caveat: The above are the prices in the cheapest liquor stores I know, which carry 300-400 malt whiskies.

 

[shaldag]

Johnny Walker Blue is a white-guy version of Crystal so beloved by (and recently out of favor with) rappers. If you can afford to sip JW Blue, you've got style and class, baby!

bwahahaha!!!!! So true.

 

[kinzli]

I get Lagavulin 16 (distillery bottle) for about $60 a bottle, a little less on a good day. Comparing it to Jack Daniels is not a good comparison, but a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old bourbon (mentioned by Lanza) goes for $80.

On the average, malt whisky in the US is about 2/3 the price it goes for in France, and half the price in the UK. So Kinzli's story about bringing back three bottles of Ardbeg from London (even duty free) would not be a good idea financially. However, Ardbeg famously does not export it's best whisky to the US, and it is quite probable that Kinzli bought something over there that is simply unavailable here at any price.

Caveat: The above are the prices in the cheapest liquor stores I know, which carry 300-400 malt whiskies.

Exactly right...Ardbeg Very Young, Still Young, and Nam De Beist are the three I brought, all of which are so far unavailable in the US. I'm sure glad I did, they're all superb!

 

[donovan]

My favorite watering hole in Austin has the Ardbeg Provenance at $80 a shot. I'd pay that in a heartbeat if I had an extra 80 bucks. It's upward of $400 a bottle now if you can even find it. One of the greatest whiskies ever produced. The bartender at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh is reported to have cried upon tasting it. Whisky writer Jim Murray says it is as close to perfection as a whisky can get. $80 seems like a bargain considering that it will never exist again.

Lagavulin in these parts ranges from about $79-$99.

Jack

 

[mete]

There has always been a lot of BS in the wine/whiskey business .And snobbery ,very much a status symbol thing. First each person perceives flavors differently .Truffles have three chemicals responsible for the flavor .Those who can detect all three think truffles are fantastic. Those who can't detect any of them ask what's the big deal !! Describing flavor in words is difficult at best .It becomes absurd when some describes a wine as having the flavor of 'tobacco' or 'reminds me of the flavor of leaves on the forrest floor' . No thanks , I don't want my wine to taste like tobacco or leaves !!! I trust nothing but my own taste buds and they happen to be very good. Remember that you may have 1,000 taste buds ,or 10,000 !! Your saliva chemistry is very important and half of 'taste ' is a brain function !! If you like it enjoy it ,if you don't , forget it.

 

[donovan]

On the average, malt whisky in the US is about 2/3 the price it goes for in France, and half the price in the UK.

I've seen you state this before, but I'm not sure where you are getting your figures. Even at todays abysmal exchange rate for US dollars into British pounds the prices at Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh are equivalent to, if not less than, the US prices that I am familiar with.

www.royalmilewhiskies.com

Jack

 

[shaldag]

Donovan,

the prices I quote are basded on 3 stores in the US.
The UK prices I quote are based on considerably less shopping around--
mostly Oddbins and a few other shops, and the duty-free at Heathrow.
I also found the whisky shops in Edinburgh quite expensive, but maybe I was only in the tourist places.

For example, I was buying 30-year old Laphroaig for $200 a bottle for awhile here, while in the UK it was going for 199 British pounds.

In most places in the US, Glenrothes 12-year goes for about $60. I know one place that has it for under $40 in NYC (reference provided upon request), but they don't ship. Your link shows it for 28.99 BP for 70cl, which is about $59. Still more expoensive, if not quite double.

Now, as far as the Provenance--I had two bottles.
One is gone, and it was indeed good.
I still have the other.
Got any knives that I want?

I'll tell you this, though. An Ardbeg that I liked much better is bottled by Gordon and MacPhail under their Spirit of Scotland label. It was distilled in 1979, and G&M have released it in 2 bottlings--one at 25 years old (56.9%), and one at 26 (54.8%). The 25 year old is one of the two most unbelievable whiskies that I have discovered lately. It is also cheaper than the Provenance, though not cheap by any means.

Did you try any of the "Lord of the Isles" Ardbeg distillery release?
What did you bring back? Inquiring minds want to know.


edited to add--I should not have stated "on the average, US prices are half...., rather, at their best, US prices are about half. I sit corrected. Come on by and I'll pour you a dram of something open.

 

[donovan]

I have not had the Lord of the Isles. The general unavailability of Ardbeg bottlings in the US is a great source of unhappiness for me. I do have access to the Uigeadail which I like and rumor has it that the Airigh Nam Beist should be available locally soon. I very much enjoyed the 1977 distillery bottling when it was available.

Thanks very much for the offer of a dram. You never know. I've probably gone farther for less.

Jack

 

[shaldag]

I didn't think that the Uigeadail was anything to write home about.
I look forward to trying the Airigh Nam Beist.

I also loved the 1977--I have one bottle left. Nobody I know has any for sale.

I am just as frustrated as you at the lack of Ardbeg imports to the US.

I do a lot of travelling. One day I was in the Tel-Aviv airport duty free shop (of all places). They were selliing the 1977 for about 60 bucks, and the 17 year old distillery bottling for 40 bucks. I was (and am) convinced it was a mismarking, but when I expressed my disbelief, the guy just said "do you want it or not?"
I took all they had of the 1977, plus 2 bottles of the 17 yr old. Considering that I already had in my luggage 8 bottles from a stop in Heathrow, I was a leetle nervous on the trip back. Especially when customs was opening every bag of every passenger. Sure enough, I got caught. They found 16 bottles of malt whisky, 2 boxes of Cuban cigars, an OTF automatic, and some smoked goose breast.

They confiscated the goose breast, gave me back everything else, and laughed at the expressioin on my face. No fine, no nothing, but a "have a good evening, sir".

 

[victory]

I am always amused to read these kind of stories, and even more amused to see the whisky hodaddies try to impress their friends and dates.

I recently had the opportunity to sample some of that Johnny Walker Blue, by the way, at a whisky tasting. Wasn't bad at all. I could see paying, say, about $25 for a bottle.

Blue label isn't so much better than black label to justify the cost. People have to learn what they should be looking for and not get drawn into the trap of how many years old the stuff is. I have some 10yo Japanese Yoichi that blows a lot of high end whisky out of the water. Of course it costs about 5000 per bottle (yen about $43). Nothing wrong with paying top dollar for top shelf spirits, but do your research and learn what you like.

Furthermore, if you spent £165 on a bottle of blue label you got jacked. that's more than double retail for a 750mL bottle.

 

[kinzli]

Hey guys, I brought back some of the "Beast" (Airigh nam beist), and while it's good, it's not my favorite Ardbeg. It's very oily, and while I certainly will enjoy it, I'm completely in love with the "Very Young" and "Still Young" releases - they are just on fire and makes me appreciate the youngness. They're relatively inexpensive, and super, super enjoyable IMHO.

 

[Gollnick]

Sure enough, I got caught. They found 16 bottles of malt whisky, 2 boxes of Cuban cigars, an OTF automatic, and some smoked goose breast.

They confiscated the goose breast, gave me back everything else, and laughed at the expressioin on my face. No fine, no nothing, but a "have a good evening, sir".

Probably agricultural inspection. They search every compartment of every bag but are only concerned about meats and fruits and vegetables.

Coming into the US, each passenger is allowed 2L of distilled spirits duty-free. Any more than that is subject to duty. Coming into NY from Russia on my last international trip, I had six liters of Vodka. They asked us to get into either the Nothing To Declare or Something To declare lines. The nothing line was huge. There were only a few people in the something line. I decided it would be worth paying the duty to get through the line. When asked "Let's see, US Passport... citizen... returning from Russia directly...What are you declaring?" I replied. "I have six liters of Vodka." The response was, "Is that all? Get outta here!" "But I should pay duty." "Processing the paperwork will cost more than the duty. Get going."