More Skullduggery From Diageo

[Dai]

http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/ ... edentials/

When is a craft distillery a craft or not?

[jankdc]

I can't find it right now, but Diageo has signed a contract to receive most of the production from MGP. A lot of MGP/LDI stock has come into the marketplace recently under the name of many smaller "craft" distillers. They are trying to sell stuff until their own stocks start to mature.

MGP Wikipedia

MGP website

5 Things You Don’t Know about MGPI, America’s most misunderstood distillery

George Dickel Gives A Different Taste To LDI Rye

More From Inside MGP

Review: Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon This is a company that repackages MGPI's whiskey

[Capn Jimbo]

A couple of great posts...


As far as the dance between these two mega's: a distiller and Diageo, let's start with distiller LDI/MGP and their menu of products, later used by any number of completely fabricated "brands":

Bourbon (45% Wheat)
Bourbon (49% Barley Malt)
Bourbon (21% Rye)
Bourbon (36% Rye)
Bourbon (99% Corn)
Corn Whiskey (15% Rye)
Light Whiskey
Malt Whiskey (100% Barley Malt)
Rye Whiskey (49% Barley Malt)
51% Rye Whiskey
95% Rye Whiskey
95% Wheat Whiskey
Select Blend Whiskeys (DSS)
Grain Neutral Spirits
Grain Neutral Spirits Distilled from Wheat
Non-GMO Grain Neutral Spirits
Distilled Wheat Gin
High Proof Gin
Low Proof Gin

Food Grade Industrial

190 Proof U.S.P.
200 Proof U.S.P.
SDA-1
SDA-2-B
SDA-3-A
SDA-3-C
SDA-29
SDA-35-A
SDA-40-2
SDA-40-B
SDA-40-C
Reagent Alcohol

What happens here is that various other marketing companies simply choose their poison - one from Column A, one from Column B - to quite literally "assemble" their invented product, then proceed to create a lovely romantic story of an old family recipe, et al. The usual. And the monkeys just lap it up.


As for Diageo:

The OP is quite revealing, and reminds me of the documentary "The Beer Wars", which illuminated the growth of craft breweries, and how the Big Three of Beers - who are insanely competitive - responded by creating fake craft names, looks, bottles and stories for non-existent breweries. And then? Used their distribution power and control of the shelves to force true craft products out. It works.

What has happened is that among hundreds of true craft beers, just a handful of those have been able to grow, and literally outgrow the category (such that the category had to redefined to include larger production).

I strongly urge you to read the OP's link, but here's an exerpt:

“As for what is or isn’t a ‘craft spirit’, that’s up for debate and can vary across categories such as single malts and Bourbons,” he said."

“Everyone has their own opinion and should have the right to voice it, just like all those in the business have the right to be creative and innovative with the products they sell."

“Craft is about artisanship, passion, experience, great liquid, great products. Not all small distilleries are craft, and not all craft distilleries are small."

That's not simple spin, it's actually a whirlwind. You see what mega-giant Diageo did was to invent a company called "Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company". The premise of this small sounding company was to locate and "recreate" forgotten whiskies and boasted "We’re going to be the number one craft distiller in North American whiskey in the US. Why? Because we have the whiskies.”.

That's actually funny. The idea of "craft" - though legally undefined" does not include a massive international conglomerate and their marketing driven and invented products. Still there is indeed a monkey - er, sucker - born every millisecond...

[bearmark]

Diageo has released 3 of their Orphan Barrel products to date:

• Old Blowhard - 26 Year Old Bourbon
• Barterhouse - 20 Year Old Bourbon
• Rhetoric - 19 Year Old Bourbon... plans for a release every year (e.g. 20 Year Old in 2015)

They have also announced Strongbox, but I haven't seen a description or a release date. So far, the offerings have been overpriced and no better than average. It seems like they're targeting collectors rather than actual whiskey drinkers.

[Capn Jimbo]

Bear, thanks...


And here's a word from my old friend Chuck Cowdery:

"The way Diageo presents its 'Orphan Barrel' whiskeys is an insult to American whiskeys and the people who drink them.

The bourbon itself is interesting. Some is from the old Bernheim Distillery, which stopped distilling in about 1988. The rest is from its replacement, which started in 1992. The soon-to-be-released Rhetoric, also from the early days of New Bernheim, has a different taste profile than Barterhouse, according to Diageo. No word yet on Strongbox.

The problem is that while these products have interesting true histories, Diageo isn't emphasizing that. Instead, they made up a front company to sell them, coined some jokey names, and designed some retro-style packaging, all of which is silly and belittling to the ostensibly fine bourbon inside. This is an example of a scotch company treating American whiskey like flavored vodka. Do you think Diageo would do something like this with whiskey from Oban, or Talisker, or Lagavulin? They give even Johnnie Walker more respect."

In truth Diageo really did/does have some worthwhile old bourbons, from old known distilleries. But rather than simply being honest, and honoring the actual distillers, valid, interesting and honest history; instead...

1. They make up the names
2. They create a very expensive bottle - the same one - for all the "finds"
3. They represent these - falsely - as craft products
4. They take credit for booze that they had nothing to do with, other than to buy out the stocks twenty years later.

I really have to laugh - at first I thought our good man Bear was kidding about the names, particularly "Blowhard" and "Rhetoric", but these arseholes at Diago are obviously completely without shame. Look for their next craft release "Fack You".


*******
http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2014/0 ... iageo.html

[jankdc]

I can't find it right now, but Diageo has signed a contract to receive most of the production from MGP.

I found the article, but it was referring to rye:

Since then, many straight ryes have been introduced using whiskey made by the distillery best known as Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI), which last year was sold to MGP Ingredients, Inc. of Atchison, Kansas. Templeton was the first to bring LDI’s unique 95% rye to market and George Dickel Rye may be the last, as least for now, since almost all of LDI’s current rye inventory is less than a year old. (Dickel has its supply locked up.)

George Dickel Gives A Different Taste To LDI Rye