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Here's an interesting interview done of Rob Samuels the head of Maker's Mark about the lowering of the abv. I can see why they reversed that decision quickly.
The interview is towards the last half of the podcast.
They could probably stop much of the shortage if they just stopped shipping it to Costco for a while. Costco often has stuff one day and then it's gone the next. Of course it might **** a few people off but probably not as much as changing the recipe did.
Does anyone know if they actually shipped out the lower strength version anywhere?
Another key element in Maker’s Mark’s success is that they rarely give in to market pressure. “We measure success as we’ve never lost control of the product. Our number one marketing goal is to not alienate our existing customers and always try to make new friends.” Whiskey connoisseurs have often pushed Maker’s Mark to put out 8 or 12 year bourbon, and they’ve flatly refused. “Maker’s ages quicker than other bourbons because of the wheat, which is more sensitive than rye. There are also fewer alcohol derivatives which puts its peak flavor balance at 6-7 years”.
Guess they temporarily forgot about that one. At least they recovered quickly enough.
Last edited by biggunsmallbrains; 02-18-2013 at 05:21 PM..
Ok. One more article. This must have been written a while ago about the Maker's Mark story. ... ...Guess they temporarily forgot about that one.
I've been to the distillery a couple of times, I've met two of the Samuels, I've long been a fan, and my name is on a barrel that will be coming up ready to be bottled in a year or so.
Nevertheless, I think the following excerpt from Wikipedia may shed some light on the situation...
Quote:
Maker's Mark was sold to Hiram Walker & Sons in 1981, which sold it to distillery giant Allied Domecq in 1987, which in turn sold it to Deerfield, Illinois-based Fortune Brands in 2005.[1] In 2011 Fortune Brands split; its drinks business became Beam Inc.
IOW, it doesn't matter how much a family business runs on a founder's philosophy at the beginning, once they get acquired by a big corporation, the founder's values get... (ahem)... diluted over time.
I've been to the distillery a couple of times, I've met two of the Samuels, I've long been a fan, and my name is on a barrel that will be coming up ready to be bottled in a year or so.
Nevertheless, I think the following excerpt from Wikipedia may shed some light on the situation...
IOW, it doesn't matter how much a family business runs on a founder's philosophy at the beginning, once they get acquired by a big corporation, the founder's values get... (ahem)... diluted over time.
That definitely can happen but not always. I will say that Maker's has done a hell of a job keeping their loyal following and growing the company for so many years. I guess you're allowed one screw up after so long. Especially if you swallow your pride, admit your mistake and move on. I think they did a good job realizing their mistake and correcting it. I'm not sure there are many other whiskies or spirits that would have elicited such a response.
The irony is that now there has been so much media attention to this that they probably will have MORE supply issues. Well, as someone said, it's a good problem to have.
The irony is that now there has been so much media attention to this that they probably will have MORE supply issues. Well, as someone said, it's a good problem to have.
I think the other thing worth noting is that Jack Daniels reduced their ABV 10 years ago and came out smelling like roses. Of course that was before Facebook and Twitter, which drove the fast turnaround.
I'm a MM drinker. And while I certainly don't look at this as good news, it won't change my opinion of this fine bourbon if it doesn't alter the flavor.
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Maker's Mark Diluting it's product permanently
