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Whisky II

Interesting Ardbeg rant from Ralfy based on the recent multi-million ££ cask sale, marketing bullshit and declining quality of the range

Striking parallels with Naim there methinks. Ralfy however, as much as I agree with every word, is shouting at the moon. The CEO and directors of LVMH will not a feck give about older connoisseur’s concerns of declining quality as long as the cash registers are ringing. Naomi Klein identified this trend in No Logo (1999), in which she describes how the ‘brand’ becomes more important than the product.

Ardbeg now sits alongside Johnnie Walker Blue Label as a status symbol more than an actual whisky. Aspiring executives who know sweet FA about whisky will simply Google ‘whisky’ and pick up on the fact that Ardbeg is prestigious and desirable, and splash out ridiculous sums on a gift to impress their chairpersons and enhance their promotion prospects. The emergence of a global, vulgar, super-rich (typified by Rishi Sunak) will ensure that these products are snapped up.

Those of us who were lucky enough to live through the period where you could walk into Oddbins and walk out with an Ardbeg, Macallan or Springbank for £20 must now find other sources (indy bottlers in the main). I’ve said before that I don’t think the 80’s bubble burst will happen again because since that time you’ve had the explosion of online sales, online auctions and the development of the secondary market, as well as the rise of Chinese, Indian and Russian billionaires who will continue to drive prices upwards and quality downwards.

It was good while it lasted.
 
I bought one of the previous Ardbeg committee releases, Scorch. It was ok, but nothing special, and not worth the 100 or so quid ( can't remember exactly) that it cost me. Not worth, certainly, the significant extra cost over Corryvreckan or Uigeadail.

More significant in Ralfy's video about the 15 million cask is the suggestion that the ten is going downhill due to inferior casks. If it's hitting the ten, it will certainly hit all the other core bottles. Sad. Might be time to buy a few core bottlings before they get worse.
 
…Might be time to buy a few core bottlings before they get worse.
Aye, or time to look elsewhere? Kilchoman, Port Charlotte, Caol Ila…late to the Ledaig 10 party but have one in the stash to try, which I’m sure won’t disappoint. No getting around the fact of a waning supply of quality casks and a rapid increase in global demand, but there is still plenty to get excited about / drown our sorrows in…who knows, we may be on the cusp of an emerging golden era of English whisky..? And my nearest distillery (still ageing whilst they flog their juniper juice) will only be a few miles away!
 
Striking parallels with Naim there methinks. Ralfy however, as much as I agree with every word, is shouting at the moon. The CEO and directors of LVMH will not a feck give about older connoisseur’s concerns of declining quality as long as the cash registers are ringing. Naomi Klein identified this trend in No Logo (1999), in which she describes how the ‘brand’ becomes more important than the product.

Ardbeg now sits alongside Johnnie Walker Blue Label as a status symbol more than an actual whisky. Aspiring executives who know sweet FA about whisky will simply Google ‘whisky’ and pick up on the fact that Ardbeg is prestigious and desirable, and splash out ridiculous sums on a gift to impress their chairpersons and enhance their promotion prospects. The emergence of a global, vulgar, super-rich (typified by Rishi Sunak) will ensure that these products are snapped up.
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This exactly. I was sat in a bar here (Hangzhou) ogling the many fine malts they have and at quite a pretty price also. Then I noticed something I'd not ever seen before. People actually ordering a bottle for their table of two! AND DRINKING THE WHOLE THING ALONG WITH BEERS! Admittedly this feat took a couple of hours but who in their right mind forks out bar prices for a full bottle and then drinks the lot? After the third glass I may as well be drinking bleach!

Two lads at the table behind me had a bottle of Ardbeg and down it went. Others with various Macallan bottles. The sad part.....nearly all were seen throwing up in the parking lot as we left around 2am.

All money and zero wit it would seem.
 


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