While it’s doubtful they will go broke, this politically woke whiskey release won’t erase deficits either.
Companies are slowly coming around to the concept that descending into politics in regard to their products and/or services is not exactly the wisest move. We have long cataloged the numerous times a business choosing to enter the social activism arena has led to them paying a price–instead of it paying dividends.
Sure, private entities have every right to position their enterprise and promote themselves, but the wisdom behind this has to be questioned. It also works against their best interests, when you are doing so with a product that by design is geared towards leisure. The drinking of whiskey is regarded as involving facets of relaxation and escape–be it calm solitude, celebration, elevating other activities, and any other number of reasons one might want to indulge.
The basic premise of drinking is a form of escape, but injecting politics into the marketing of your spirits works against this desire. Yes, there could be times when some are lounging with other like-minded individuals and it would become appropriate. But when a bottling is centered on a political statement from the company standpoint, you are at least dividing your potential customer base. Then consider those who may be in agreement but desire to take a break from politics, and your potential buyer pool is further diminished.
In Great Britain, the whiskey conglomerate Caskshare has produced a political potable based upon ridiculing one side of the House of Commons, and not only is it a challenge from the perspective of alienating a sector of the marketplace, but there is also an issue of timing. The company released a label dubbed The Big Lie, and it was a product aimed at scorching former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The travails of making a political statement with a whiskey release.@TheCaskshare makes a commentary on politicians lying, by lying outwardly about the origins of its spirit. But this means you pay a premium for a scotch or bourbon without knowing its pedigree. pic.twitter.com/0ZcPuKptz4
— Brad Slager: Armageddon A Bit Sick Of All This! (@MartiniShark) October 23, 2022
The comical promotional material is both scorching in delivery but is also a dodge. “The Big Lie is the most dishonest release, exclusively available on Caskshare,” goes the ad copy. While signaling the dishonesty of the prior Prime Minister, it also means the company does not reveal the provenance of the contents of the bottle. This permits them to have blended any collection of scotches of indiscriminate age and quality.
Want to know all the fine details about every bottle of whisky? What are the fermentation times? What type of yeast was used? Was this whisky matured in a dunnage or rack warehouse? What colour of t-shirt was the distiller wearing when this liquid was made? Well too bad. We’d like to introduce you to The Big Lie. The Big Lie is the most dishonest release, exclusively available on Caskshare.
The company was throwing barbs at the now-deposed leader, but the commentary and proposed tie-in suffered from the realities of getting a scotch onto store shelves. While announced around Johnson’s tumultuous time of departure in July, bottling did not occur until September, and the following period of upheaval in Britain meant Johnson drifted further away from the front page by the time this scotch was released.
In a similar fashion, the company produced a second run in this named series, one targeting the American sipper. The ad reads: “There’s the whiff of covfefe, summer nights by the Mexican border and the gentle aroma of burgers and fries in the Oval Office.” Yes, it is a dig on 45, as their Donald Trump-based release is a bourbon, and it is sold in a similar vein; but it manages to be even more unsubtle, if that were possible.
This bottle aims to make whiskey ‘Great Again’ and is in the ‘Big League,’” Caskshare wrote in a news release. “On first inspection it has a straw colour and there’s the whiff of ‘covfefe’, echoing summer nights by the Mexican border on the nose, followed by the gentle aroma of burgers and fries in the Oval Office. The Devil’s cut here is tremendous but there are no bad hombres to be found in this bottle. Positioned as a commemoration bottle, perfect for those looking for a strong drink after recently being fired or let go from their jobs. Customers can pre-order exclusively on Caskshare.com to ensure they receive a bottle in time for Donald’s re-emergence in the political sphere.
One way the company attempts to justify this subterfuge, along with bringing satirical criticism to the politicians, is the suggestion they are making a commentary about distillers and bottlers being evasive with the details of their products. This becomes a self-created disqualifier, however.
Location: Maybe Nambia
ABV: (Cask Strength) 47.5%
Cask Type: The Fake Yews
Age: Young & Vibrant
Bottle Number: Number 1 of course
Master Distiller: Donald
Approved by: Bye Don
If politicians who lie are not to be supported, why then would there be interest in a likewise prevaricating potable? If it is wrong when a distillery does not share its contents’ origins, then these releases can be considered equally deceptive; so placing a premium on them, when buyers are unaware of what they are getting, is a bit self-unaware on behalf of the company.
Yes, we get the commentary you are driving at with your product. But when you get evasive with your spirits while making your political statement, the best thing we can say is this–you get a vote of no confidence.
