Is it too early to hope for a shift?

Here is my opinion regarding the shift back to age statement:

Here is my opinion regarding the shift back to age statement:

Edrington – Highland Park: They will keep the 12 Viking Honour and the 18 Viking Pride as there bread and butter core range. Their entry level will be NAS, Magnus and Valkyre. The travel retail “Spirit of the Penguin, Wasp, …. get age statements. Honestly, the travel retail “Viking Warrior Series”, is a pig with lipstick. There limited Collector releases of 30,000 bottles will have an age statement but come with inflated prices, for “Collectors” who like their bottles with a “my little pony colours”. Highland park is a great used car salesman.

Edrington – Macallan realised too late, a faulty strategy when they introduced the “Pole Dancer Series”. My nephew’s where on a Macallan distillery tour when the announcement was made. They both went out and bought a couple of cases of their favourite Macallan Fine Oak 15 upon their return to Canada. I got a call asking me to “get six bottles”, before they disappeared. Now for the last four years there is a well stocked supply of the 1824 series, except for Ruby. She must have been a hell of a great peeler. Recently, while at an LCBO, an employee commented to me how he “had orders to push the 1824 and new Double Oak 12”. I think the Macallan plane had already crossed the fail safe point and did not see the back lash from the consumer until, it was too late. The collectors can have the expensive glass bottle with EXCUSIVE NAS juice. Maybe, their trying to redeem themselves. It is going to be a wait and see. For Canada, give us back a Sherried Oak with a 10 or 12 Age statement at 43%.

Diageo – Mortlach or as my university buddy asked after we killed an independant bottling, many years ago “Who is this Mortlach … some crazy Warlock”. I think we can thank the Brits for the protest. North America get the 700-750ml bottle. The UK get a 500ml bottle. When a marketing wizard decides to make a product a PREMIUM. You know your getting screwed and not even getting a kiss! The whisky enthusiast would and should be more interested in Mortlach from independent bottlers. Personally, I would not hold my breath for a decrease in this PREMIUM product.

Old Pulteney – Entry level will be the NAS. I still think the 12 is at a good price point. The issue I have is the high level of batch variation in the 12. Did you notice how much the 17 and 21 jumped in price with the discontinuation? Me thinks a “new normal is being set”.

I don’t begrudge the fact that they are offering the consumer more choice. What I have a problem with is the “Premium”, which Diageo, Edrington, and Old Pulteney will be demanding for the return of the AGE Statement. It is already happened the price for 12 year old is between $85 - $130, Canadian. The 18 year old range from $180 - $275 Canadian. That $275 is for Springbank 18 year old in Ontario Canada. Then some of the reviews in general, indicated that the new old stuff is just not as good as the old old stuff. Then again for those just getting into the even more expensive whisky hobby the new old stuff maybe the best whisky they have ever tasted.

@cricklewood Highland Park Rape & Pillage Edition sounds, er, interesting. I have no qualms being the nutjob with the sandwich board. Taste is the most important thing, but the marketing b.s. around NAS was just too much.

Your links to distillery plans for age-stated line-ups are encouraging, but:

From the same source, Scotchwhisky.com "Age hangups will become obsolete." from the 2018 World Whisky Forum, paragraph 12 prediction in the article from 27 June 2018 below:

scotchwhisky.com/magazine/…

The distillers think that you will forget about all of this age statement stuff within a few years. It is way too early to think that the distillers do not plan to continually and forever sell you lots and lots of no age statement whisky.

That article reports a great deal of self-congratulation, double-talk, and wishful-thinking from the ranks of the commercial distillers. I see little reason for optimism.

@Victor and @OdysseusUnbound Yesterday after developing my cabinet and playing around with the wish list: I added this:

"""Diageo / Ricard Pernod / Edrington Group "Sample Pack" New Make Spirit

Diageo / Ricard Pernod / Edrington Group "Sample Pack" New Make Spirit A Spirit Tasting Pack from the distilleries they own. Before there was NAS there was "New Make from the Spirit Safe", for that simulated distillery visit experience. Am I asking for too much transparency?"""

It was meant to be a tongue and cheek comment. It is innovation or it's the worst case scenario for the direction of the Scotch industry?

Later I ran across @markjedi1 review: connosr.com/glenglassaugh-the-spirit-drink…

I found the review an eye opener. Any opinions?

Is the Scotch Craft distillery or whisky industry in a bubble? Which is what the the article @Victor referenced seemed to imply. Way to go @cricklewood stoking the embers of the NAS versus Age Statement debate.

I'll stick with my opinion. That what was once mid-range (12-18 Year Old) is now premium. NAS is now entry level or top shelf, depending on which consumer the marketing department targets.

@cricklewood - Thanks for the link(s). Very interesting read.

I'll have to say that little I read has changed my opinion (a bit like @fiddich1980 & @Victor ) that the SWA (will) have pulled off a mass hoodwink feat that Keyser Soze himself would be proud of.

Whisky gets popular > low stocks > drop age and create NAS > market it as premium > folk complain, noise increases > industry stick fingers in ears and go 'la la la' > folk make more noise and grumbles > Age is reinstated at a higher premium than before.

Industry pats itself hugely on the back for a job well done.

Is that too cynical?

Thought this was quite interesting too, if somewhat on a tangent.

scotchwhisky.com/magazine/…

On a positive - the likes of Springbank, Benromach and such who are seemingly more concerned with doing things the right way and giving consumers vfm - and hence building reputations on quality - are selling like the proverbial 'hot cakes'.

Quality will always outshine 'bumpf' and as long as the discerning types keep seeking it over its over hyped brethren there should be some cause for optimism going forwards.

When the 'boom' dips, which it will, you're left with the discerning customers who won't be falling for it. That said, I see the future of the supermarket isles as being split with umpteen NAS editions and the odd age stated over priced 'premium' bottlings . . .

@fiddich1980, about the marketing of New Make Spirit by Diageo and others, well, they are in business, and that business is to sell what they have...and they have a lot more New Make Spirit than they have 20 yo whisky. In this respect Diageo is in the same sort of position that the thousands--yes, literally thousands-- of small new US distillers are. There is a market for New Make, both among connoisseurs justifiedly seeking to broaden their understanding, and also to those who really like that sort of basic and bracing drink. There are many more drinkers than there are connoisseurs, and Diageo knows that. Diageo is well aware that massive quantities of unaged and very lightly aged spirits are successfully sold in the US, often at amazingly steep prices, in competition to their own aged products, all of the time. And to whom does Diageo sell Johnnie Walker Red Label, for God's sake? Johnnie Walker Red is not about to die from a boycott by connoisseurs.

I do not think that New Make marketing poses any threat whatsoever to those who like aged whisk(e)y. It is a different product marketed almost entirely to a different audience.