Maker's Mark to start watering-down product

[wiffleball 4,640]

I'm sure either you've seen the story or can find it easily. I can't believe they'd either do and/or admit this.

 

Seems they'd be better off limiting supplies and creating a higher demand/price point. - As opposed to being known as the company willing to water down its product / reputation.

 

Even the local bar I hang at said their next delivery wouldn't be until next month - and that was before this announcement.

 

Just seems like bad biz to me - but I guess any press is good press???

[frank 2,144]

They should either raise the price or just do nothing and constantly sell out. This plan are dum.

[cribdog 0]

I like it with a little water in it anyway, so no worries. Are the dropping the price a bit because of this?

[IGotWorms 3,315]

WTF? That's bullsh!t.

 

 

Stupid move too. You can get a huge bottle of it for $30 at Costco. If you can't keep up with demand, try to cut back on selling it to warehouses for dirt cheap

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

After the bar waters it down there wont be any flavor left at all.

 

I just recently ordered a glass of dewars at chillis. It had zero bite to it. I told my wife they watered it down but she refused to believe me since she works at a different chillis and they never do that.

 

I do not drink nearly enough to become imune to the bite wiskey has, especially cheaper wiskey. I am sure chillis is watering it down but maybe they are doing the same thing to a portion of their product.

[Meglamaniac 380]

WTF? That's bullsh!t.

 

 

Stupid move too. You can get a huge bottle of it for $30 at Costco. If you can't keep up with demand, try to cut back on selling it to warehouses for dirt cheap

I've never seen a 1.75 any cheaper than $49.99.

Does the article say if they plan to do the same to the Makers 46?

[JT 137]

Original email sent to Ambassador-level customers:

 

ORIGINAL EMAIL:

 

Dear Maker’s Mark® Ambassador,

 

Lately we’ve been hearing from many of you that you’ve been having difficulty finding Maker’s Mark in your local stores. Fact is, demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it, which means we’re running very low on supply. We never imagined that the entire bourbon category would explode as it has over the past few years, nor that demand for Maker’s Mark would grow even faster.

 

We wanted you to be the first to know that, after looking at all possible solutions, we’ve worked carefully to reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) by just 3%. This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our limited supply so there is enough Maker’s Mark to go around, while we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production capacity.

 

We have both tasted it extensively, and it’s completely consistent with the taste profile our founder/dad/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr., created nearly 60 years ago. We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference.

 

Nothing about how we handcraft Maker’s Mark has changed, from the use of locally sourced soft red winter wheat as the flavor grain, to aging the whisky to taste in air-dried American white oak barrels, to rotating our barrels during maturation, to hand-dipping every bottle in our signature red wax.

 

In other words, we’ve made sure we didn’t screw up your whisky.

 

By the way, if you have any comments or questions, as always, we invite you to drop us a line at rob@makersmark.com or bill@makersmark.com. Thanks for your support. And if you’ve got a little time on your hands, come down and see us at the distillery.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rob Samuels

Chief Operating Officer

Ambassador-in-Chief

 

Bill Samuels, Jr.

Chairman Emeritus

Ambassador-at-Large

 

My response:

 

Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2013 9:38 AM

To: Rob Samuels

Subject: Re: A message for our Ambassadors

 

As a I've-driven-to-Loretto Ambassador and a long-time connoisseur of the

fine art produced by the Maker's Mark Distillery, allow me to say:

 

>>>we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production

>>>capacity.

 

Excellent news!

 

>>>we’ve worked carefully to reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) by just 3%.

>>>This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our

>>>limited supply

 

Ridiculous news!

 

If Maker's Mark becomes a coveted bourbon that isn't necessarily easy to

find in every gin joint in the world, so be it. You are obviously

financially viable with your current model (despite the curious market

presence of "46"), and should be able to hang on until the benefits of the

first line of this email kick in. This reeks of a large corporate marketing

committee decision, and a lousy one at that. Laughable, to boot.

 

You are taking what some might consider to be a desirable situation -

"demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it" - and

attempting to resolve it with a "solution" that I believe has all the making

of a public relations disaster. But the proverbial cat's out of the bag,

so...

 

Perhaps I can help out. Take one of the barrels aging with my name on it,

divide the contents into two barrels, top them off with water, and assign

that to two Ambassadors! Demand problem solved...

 

Good luck -

[The Moz 69]

Woodford Reserve , and Jack Single Barrel are better anyway.

[Meglamaniac 380]

Woodford Reserve , and Jack Single Barrel are better anyway.

Not better, just different and one's not even a bourbon. If you prefer a hint of that charcoal falvor then both of these would appeal to you, Makers is more sweet.

[BudBro 117]

stealth inflation.

[JT 137]

Not better, just different and one's not even a bourbon. If you prefer a hint of that charcoal falvor then both of these would appeal to you, Makers is more sweet.

 

 

I'm actually surprised anytime it takes more than a half dozen posts for the "sniff... my tastes are so much more refined than yours that I couldn't be bothered by such news..." post.

[ROCKFORD 134]

this is the worst news ive heard all day.

[Finbabble Garp 1]

I'm not exactly a booze snob, but I can't see continuing to pay the same price for admittedly watered-down hooch. What's the scuttlebutt out of Knob Creek?

[Meglamaniac 380]

I'm not exactly a booze snob, but I can't see continuing to pay the same price for admittedly watered-down hooch. What's the scuttlebutt out of Knob Creek?

It's a good mid level bourbon that is not too pricey, has a less sweet more woody taste than MM. It also comes in a small batch at a bit higher price

[Finbabble Garp 1]

It's a good mid level bourbon that is not too pricey, has a less sweet more woody taste than MM. It also comes in a small batch at a bit higher price

All good and well, but are they going to be topping off the tanks with the garden hose like Maker's Mark, is pretty much all I want to know.

[IGotWorms 3,315]

All good and well, but are they going to be topping off the tanks with the garden hose like Maker's Mark, is pretty much all I want to know.

 

My understanding is that they dilute their bourbon with sewage runoff, as it adds a certain flavor you can't find in many other spirits.

[Finbabble Garp 1]

My understanding is that they dilute their bourbon with sewage runoff, as it adds a certain flavor you can't find in many other spirits.

I can live with that.

[Meglamaniac 380]

All good and well, but are they going to be topping off the tanks with the garden hose like Maker's Mark, is pretty much all I want to know.

Why would they? They don't seem to have any issues meeting demand

[Finbabble Garp 1]

Why would they? They don't seem to have any issues meeting demand

That's what they said about Cabbage Patch Kids, until they didn't say it any more.

[Meglamaniac 380]

That's what they said about Cabbage Patch Kids, until they didn't say it any more.

OK

[The Moz 69]

Not better, just different and one's not even a bourbon. If you prefer a hint of that charcoal falvor then both of these would appeal to you, Makers is more sweet.

 

 

Don't get me wrong I like Makers -- Hell I have 3 UK makers bottles ( 1 from 96 , the Calapari bottle , and the 2012 bottle ) I just don't like the wax (I like the ones with the cork) -- I usually when I buy makers it's after I buy a bottle of Jack single barrel -- when I can just wash the JD SB bottle out and pour the makers into that. Makers I admit is by far the best Whiskey/Bourbon - you can get for the price -- 25 bucks here -- where as Woodford is 35 and JD Single is 50 bucks.

[Mookz 1,287]

What really got me is that Perrier then came out with the same announcement. What is this world coming to?

[Finbabble Garp 1]

Tried Knob Creek, but it turns out it's not covered in swank melted wax. Giving Black Maple Hill a test drive next.

[tikigods 76]

Tried Knob Creek, but it turns out it's not covered in swank melted wax. Giving Black Maple Hill a test drive next.

 

Black Hill Maple with a splash of OJ seems to be the drink of the liberals.

[Finbabble Garp 1]

Black Hill Maple with a splash of OJ seems to be the drink of the liberals.

Is that a thing?

 

I hadn't even heard of it till I went in demanding wax on my bourbon and the guy showed me this.

[cbfalcon 824]

All righteous anger aside, is this change even going to be noticeable?

 

It's not like it'll be weak. It is going from 90 proof to 84 proof, whereas Jack is only 80 proof. Or is it just the principal of the matter?

[tikigods 76]

Is that a thing?

 

I hadn't even heard of it till I went in demanding wax on my bourbon and the guy showed me this.

 

Yes. It's called Tap that Ass.

 

Maple= tap

 

OJ added = ass (because it's for the gheys)

[IGotWorms 3,315]

All righteous anger aside, is this change even going to be noticeable?

 

It's not like it'll be weak. It is going from 90 proof to 84 proof, whereas Jack is only 80 proof. Or is it just the principal of the matter?

 

Yes it's the principal. Many people drink Maker's in part because it is more potent than crap like Jack.

[JackARoot 2]

There are a couple of Indiana bourbons that are pretty good, here's one:

 

http://www.harrisonbourbon.com/

 

Also, a little pricey, but has anyone tried Rip Van Winkle?

[cribdog 0]

Never mind.

 

My link

[WhiteWonder 2,171]

After the bar waters it down there wont be any flavor left at all.

 

I just recently ordered a glass of dewars at chillis. It had zero bite to it. I told my wife they watered it down but she refused to believe me since she works at a different chillis and they never do that.

 

I do not drink nearly enough to become imune to the bite wiskey has, especially cheaper wiskey. I am sure chillis is watering it down but maybe they are doing the same thing to a portion of their product.

 

so you took your wife to work for dinner?

[shotsup 832]

so you took your wife to work for dinner?

 

Employee discount

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

so you took your wife to work for dinner?

She doesnt mind, she likes the food. Its actually a diff chillis but we rarely do eat there. She NEVER brings home food so its not like we eat from there often.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

I can live with that.

Bruce, why the new alias/political stance?

[IGotWorms 3,315]

She doesnt mind, she likes the food. Its actually a diff chillis but we rarely do eat there. She NEVER brings home food so its not like we eat from there often.

 

Holy sh!t, that's hilarious!

[tikigods 76]

Its actually a diff chillis

 

Aren't all Chillis the same?

[WhiteWonder 2,171]

Holy sh!t, that's hilarious!

 

honey!, im taking you some place special for dinner! it's Chilis...... BUT BUT...... it's the one on the OTHER side of town!

[Big Blue 06 195]

Looks like Maker's Mark has changed their position.

 

Maker's Mark drew a storm of complaints when the venerable bourbon distiller announced this week it would be diluting its whisky due to anticipated supply shortages, but today it announced it is scrapping the plan.

 

"While we thought we were doing what's right, this is your brand - and you told us in large numbers to change our decision," the company said in a statement released today. "You spoke. We listened. And we're sincerely sorry we let you down."

 

Effective immediately, the company said, it was reversing its decision to lower the alcohol content of Maker's Mark, and would resume production at 45 percent alcohol by volume.

 

"The unanticipated dramatic growth rate of Maker's Mark is a good problem to have, and we appreciate some of you telling us you'd even put up with occasional shortages," said the statement, signed by COO Rob Samuels and chairman emeritus Bill Samuels Jr. "We promise we'll deal with them as best we can, as we work to expand capacity at the distillery."

 

 

My link

[The Moz 69]

The cause is obvious. Its the best Whiskey/bourbon for the money out there and it comes in that wax bottle (personally I don't like the wax).

[cribdog 0]

Looks like Maker's Mark has changed their position.

 

 

 

My link

Moon landing when post 38 contains the same link as post 30?