AP
Inevitable: Maker’s Mark reverses decision to cut alcohol content
Rob Samuels, Maker’s Mark’s chief operating officer, said Sunday that it is restoring the alcohol volume of its product to its historic level of 45 percent, or 90 proof. Last week, it said it was lowering the amount to 42 percent, or 84 proof, because of a supply shortage.
“We’ve been tremendously humbled over the last week or so,” Samuels, grandson of the brand’s founder, said of customers’ reactions.
The brand known for its square bottles sealed in red wax has struggled to keep up with demand. Distribution has been squeezed, and the brand had to curtail shipments to some overseas markets.
In a tweet Sunday, the company said to its followers: “You spoke. We listened.”
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Phew, our long, national nightmare is over.
rbj on February 17, 2013 at 3:20 PM
Doing the right thing.
After exhausting the other possibilities.
trigon on February 17, 2013 at 3:21 PM
Don’t they teach the New Coke/Original debacle in business school?
reddevil on February 17, 2013 at 3:25 PM
Now they will double the free publicity from the first announcement.
cozmo on February 17, 2013 at 3:25 PM
Then again maybe it’s brilliant marketing.
reddevil on February 17, 2013 at 3:28 PM
I wonder how many Maker’s Mark drinkers have learned the names of competing premium brands in the meanwhile?
Jaibones on February 17, 2013 at 3:30 PM
i’ll have to go and grab a bottle to taste test for myself tomorrow. just to make sure.
renalin on February 17, 2013 at 3:30 PM
I still much prefer Wild Turkey 101.
AcidReflux on February 17, 2013 at 3:32 PM
Eh. I learned to rely more on Kirkland brand and Buffalo Trace because of the possible MM dilutage.
apostic on February 17, 2013 at 3:40 PM
Either lying or deluding themselves. A little math tells us they added water about equal to 7% of the total volume of 90 proof whiskey to make it 84 proof. 7% isn’t just a ‘touch’, I can taste that. They thought they could make more money this way than by raising the (pre-tax, pre-bottling) price 7%. Capitalism is great, but I hate liars.
Fenris on February 17, 2013 at 3:53 PM
I’ll drink to that!
turfmann on February 17, 2013 at 3:54 PM
I wondered how they thought their customer’s would just roll over for this sort of thing.
For the person who argued about them to add 7% to the price instead of cutting 7% of alcohol volume, price and quality are not directly related at a rate of one to one…
The stated argument for the cut was that demand was too high to be met by their current infrastructure and they planned to expand and this was a shortcut to meet demand with existing facilities. Now I wonder if they will need to do that expansion after pissing on their customers the way they did.
When you are willing to create sub par products for financial gain I do not think you deserve to have very loyal customers.
astonerii on February 17, 2013 at 4:06 PM
I didn’t mean to imply that. Just the opposite. I think they thought they could maintain a premium brand name without the premium brand and (in a few years) the diluted form would become permanent. But they also thought the price-demand curve wasn’t going to permit raising the prices much, maybe because of the economy. So they chose the easy way out: lying. And, I’m no expert on making the stuff, but I suspect expanding production isn’t done overnight for something made with traditional methods. i.e. this was a long term move.
Fenris on February 17, 2013 at 4:23 PM
Bourbon by definition is made in Kentucky. What’s the other 5%?
oldernwiser on February 17, 2013 at 4:26 PM
Can you taste the water that is already in it at 90 proof?
BierManVA on February 17, 2013 at 4:27 PM
Is the stuff any good? Never tried it.
Did try Jack Daniels honey this weekend. It’s great.
wolly4321 on February 17, 2013 at 4:29 PM
Ashley Judd’s house.
sauldalinsky on February 17, 2013 at 4:31 PM
I think you’ll find it’s an elective and offered in the early morning so students choose to take, Short Cuts 101 which is in the afternoon and doesn’t require attendance or home work.
Dusty on February 17, 2013 at 4:40 PM
Yeah, except I read the press release. They weren’t faking that much stupid.
TexasDan on February 17, 2013 at 4:55 PM
My bad. You are right, you cannot keep a premium brand with premium quality. At least, should not.
I am not a big alcohol drinker, so in this game I am not an expert, but it certainly seems lots of premium brands remain premium even with lack luster quality items. Ever seen the crud they pass off to women for purses? Plastic bags for hundreds of dollars.
astonerii on February 17, 2013 at 5:33 PM
astonerii on February 17, 2013 at 5:41 PM