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Maker's Mark New Strategy

Wouldn't raising the price effectively help them with the supply problem they claim they are having?
 
DePasta said:
I am sure they will lower the price right.......     :rolleyes:
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No, but they will keep from raising the price...in effect lowering the price from what it would have been raised to.
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thats a valid point. Dam I hate when people go around making sense and stuff   :thumbs:
 
I'm just not buying into the 'less is more' philosophy. Two issues here...
DePasta said:
I am sure they will lower the price right.......     :rolleyes:
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No, but they will keep from raising the price...in effect lowering the price from what it would have been raised to.
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I should be grateful that once they water it down, I'll enjoy them not raising the price?...hardly.
 
If they were marketing savvy, they'd temporarily lower the price accordingly to save face with their devoted followers. Again I'll say, an Accountant is running this whole debacle.
 
DePasta said:
Look at it from their point of view, firstly there is little change to the taste (I know, I taste tested this as part of their research.) How many of you put ice or water in your bourbon?  98 percent of people that drink Maker's mix it with Coke, Ice or water anyway.....they will know no difference.  Basically the ABV decrease is the equivalent to a price increase, you are getting less alcohol for your money either way and they are doing the work of watering it down for you to begin with.
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 I drink it neat....their assumption doesn't work for me.
 
 
Like everything else in life, perspective is paramount to a consumer. If they know they're getting less, they won't like it as much...before they even raise the glass to their lips. Fickle people those consumers are.
 
But I surmise you are correct, 80% on their patronage won't even know it happened, won't care, and won't tell the difference. ;)
 
Like a very wise man once said, "Always remember, less is.....just that, less." And only 20% get that! :rolleyes:
 
All you Maker's Mark drinkers upset by this, may I offer an alternative?

 
After Maker’s Mark announced it plans to reduce the alcohol content of its bourbon, a small Vermont distillery now says it will start making its own whiskey stronger.


WhistlePig Whiskey, a 12-employee distillery based in Shoreham, Vt., made the change known Monday evening with a comment on a Chicago Tribune article about Maker’s controversial move.


“Whiskey companies should never compromise quality to meet demand,”
owner Raj Bhakta wrote. “To that end we at WhistlePig are taking our
flagship whiskey from 100 proof to 101 to offer a potation richer yet in
flavor.”


The statement came within hours of Maker’s Mark saying it would lower
the alcohol content of its bourbon from 90 proof to 84 proof (or 45 to
42 percent alcohol by volume) to keep pace with increasing global demand for its product. The shift to weaker whiskey left some spirit sellers and drinkers dismayed.


“I’m afraid they are diluting their brand,” Alba Huerta, general manager of the Houston-based cocktail bar Anvil, told Quartz News.


Maker’s Mark representatives reportedly said the change would allow
the liquor to keep its pricing competitive while ensuring there's
“enough Maker’s Mark to go around.” The decision to lower the bourbon's
alcohol content will raise the availability of Maker's Mark by 6 percent, parent company Beam Inc. told Fox News on Monday.


“We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference,” the company said in an email to customers. A Maker’s Mark spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


    
Bhakta, who lives on WhistlePig distillery's farm with his wife and
their child, reckoned that Maker’s decision was likely a difficult one
to make. “When you’re running short on product, as we all are in the
high-end whiskey business, you can either increase volume by reducing
proof or increase prices.”


Bhakta said he has “the utmost respect” for Maker’s Mark and does not
want his distillery’s plan to be seen as a knock against the bourbon
giant. “We were thinking about making this move for a while,” he said.
“Since there’s this debate going on, we figured the time was right.”


Bottles of WhiskeyPig’s Straight Rye, the company’s flagship product,
cost between $70 and $80 and are sold in high-end liquor stores and
cocktail bars around the country. Maker’s Mark is a bourbon, a type of
whiskey made from corn, compared to rye whiskey, which is made from rye
grains. Bottles of Maker’s bourbon generally cost between $35 and $55.


Bhakta expects that boosting his brand’s alcohol content will
constrict supply and result in the company selling fewer bottles. But
those are drawbacks he’s willing to accept, he said.


“By increasing alcohol content, we’re reaffirming our commitment to
flavor,” he said. “Because you can always add more water to your
whiskey, but you can’t add more flavor.”
Click to expand...
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/makers-mark-alcohol-content-whistlepig-whiskey_n_2671473.html?utm_hp_ref=business&ir=Business
 
tomthirtysix said:
All you Maker's Mark drinkers upset by this, may I offer an alternative?

 
 

After Maker’s Mark announced it plans to reduce the alcohol content of its bourbon, a small Vermont distillery now says it will start making its own whiskey stronger.


WhistlePig Whiskey, a 12-employee distillery based in Shoreham, Vt., made the change known Monday evening with a comment on a Chicago Tribune article about Maker’s controversial move.


“Whiskey companies should never compromise quality to meet demand,”
owner Raj Bhakta wrote. “To that end we at WhistlePig are taking our
flagship whiskey from 100 proof to 101 to offer a potation richer yet in
flavor.”


The statement came within hours of Maker’s Mark saying it would lower
the alcohol content of its bourbon from 90 proof to 84 proof (or 45 to
42 percent alcohol by volume) to keep pace with increasing global demand for its product. The shift to weaker whiskey left some spirit sellers and drinkers dismayed.


“I’m afraid they are diluting their brand,” Alba Huerta, general manager of the Houston-based cocktail bar Anvil, told Quartz News.


Maker’s Mark representatives reportedly said the change would allow
the liquor to keep its pricing competitive while ensuring there's
“enough Maker’s Mark to go around.” The decision to lower the bourbon's
alcohol content will raise the availability of Maker's Mark by 6 percent, parent company Beam Inc. told Fox News on Monday.


“We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference,” the company said in an email to customers. A Maker’s Mark spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


    
Bhakta, who lives on WhistlePig distillery's farm with his wife and
their child, reckoned that Maker’s decision was likely a difficult one
to make. “When you’re running short on product, as we all are in the
high-end whiskey business, you can either increase volume by reducing
proof or increase prices.”


Bhakta said he has “the utmost respect” for Maker’s Mark and does not
want his distillery’s plan to be seen as a knock against the bourbon
giant. “We were thinking about making this move for a while,” he said.
“Since there’s this debate going on, we figured the time was right.”


Bottles of WhiskeyPig’s Straight Rye, the company’s flagship product,
cost between $70 and $80 and are sold in high-end liquor stores and
cocktail bars around the country. Maker’s Mark is a bourbon, a type of
whiskey made from corn, compared to rye whiskey, which is made from rye
grains. Bottles of Maker’s bourbon generally cost between $35 and $55.


Bhakta expects that boosting his brand’s alcohol content will
constrict supply and result in the company selling fewer bottles. But
those are drawbacks he’s willing to accept, he said.


“By increasing alcohol content, we’re reaffirming our commitment to
flavor,” he said. “Because you can always add more water to your
whiskey, but you can’t add more flavor.”
Click to expand...
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/makers-mark-alcohol-content-whistlepig-whiskey_n_2671473.html?utm_hp_ref=business&ir=Business
Click to expand...
WP is good stuff....
 
Does alcohol content correlate with flavor? Its a good marketing strategy for this other distillery. No one will be able to taste a one percent gain.
 
Sadly but consistently this is occurring everywhere.
Look at the Food you purchase either in the grocery store or the restaurants, either your paying a higher price or the amounts are being reduced. Hell, the "big" roll of paper towels we usually buy seemed like they are now like the small rolls used to be??
I had my first experience with MM only a few months ago & found I really enjoyed it with select cigars. Funny thing here is I had it on the rocks... effectively watering it down anyway??
Ideally it won't effect the taste, if I hadn't already had the "new" watered down version.
 
Edit: typo
 
Looks like you guys got your way....word from the distillery is they have decided to go back to 90 proof......watch for news.
 
Now my question is, are they going to start screwing around with the mashbill  to make it cheaper. I would still take a slight price increase over any of that other stuff.
 
Recipe won't change....I would look for a price increase or a supply shortage in the short term. Now go get this collectible Maker's 84 bottles...there won't be many.
 
For sale: Bottles of the HTF super rare OR Maker's Mark 84.  PM's only
 
I haven't liked MM lately. Not sure if it is my palate, or the quality or blend has drifted. I still like all of my other favorites, so I am inclined to think it is not the same product of yesterday. I won't be purchasing any until I either hear it has been improved.
 
If I had to clarify my dislike, I have a hard time trying to describe it. It was just not the same, very rough and confused sort of flavor versus the smoother, gently sweet previous years bottles. It also had a bad finish that made me want to use mouthwash.
 
So now the question is whether this was all marketing from the get-go to get consumers to _ask_ for a price increase. Doing it solely for the "out of stock" sales bump seems unlikely. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?
 
Makers just announced they wont be lowering the alcohol content anymore due to customer dissatisfaction
 
chiefmd said:
Makers just announced they wont be lowering the alcohol content anymore due to customer dissatisfaction
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Haha welcome to the party!
 
Got this e-mail today:
 
Dear Friends,

Since we announced our decision last week to reduce the alcohol content (ABV) of Maker’s Mark in response to supply constraints, we have heard many concerns and questions from our ambassadors and brand fans. We’re humbled by your overwhelming response and passion for Maker’s Mark. While we thought we were doing what’s right, this is your brand – and you told us in large numbers to change our decision.

You spoke. We listened. And we’re sincerely sorry we let you down.

So effective immediately, we are reversing our decision to lower the ABV of Maker’s Mark, and resuming production at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof). Just like we’ve made it since the very beginning.

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. We promise we'll deal with them as best we can, as we work to expand capacity at the distillery.

Your trust, loyalty and passion are what’s most important. We realize we can’t lose sight of that. Thanks for your honesty and for reminding us what makes Maker’s Mark, and its fans, so special.

We’ll set about getting back to bottling the handcrafted bourbon that our father/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr. created. Same recipe. Same production process. Same product.

As always, we will continue to let you know first about developments at the distillery. In the meantime please keep telling us what’s on your mind and come down and visit us at the distillery. It means a lot to us.

Sincerely,

Rob Samuels

 

Bill Samuels, Jr

Chief Operating Officer

 

Chairman Emeritus

rob@makersmark.com

 

bill@makersmark.com
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