Maker's Mark decides to water down their product so they can "meet demand".
And they say you're too dumb to notice the difference.



So lets see here... you're gaining a major foothold in the market and your response is to change the product? GENIUS!
Sure no one will notice that you've watered down your Bourbon.
Oh and here's a fun tidbit too...

Ok so is this decision based on overwhealming demand or not?

I predict! (say it like you mean it cool breeze) that this won't play well at all and sales slow.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Weak Sauce.......literally.

Old man Maker and old man Mark would not be happy with the fucking idiot corporate stooge that has just pissed in their barrels and shit on their brand.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

I prefer Basil Hayden anyways

I agree. For what it's worth I kind of view Makers as the Absolut of Bourbon. It's the brand you call because it's the first one that comes to mind. Not really as good as the perception...but now they've lowered that perception for those paying attention. I'll stick with Woodford Reserve when possible and now Knob Creek when the alternative is Makers.

_________________
“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

I've never been to one liquor store where Maker's is sold out. Maker's is my go-to decent bourbon but that'll have to change. Pretty shitty management decision.

I did not see that post coming.

_________________

I'll stick with my Beam. I like makers mark, but Beam has some nice premium bourbon. Their Black label is the goods. I also like their 7 yr stuff too.

_________________

Woodford Reserve is quite smooth and tasty for for sipping, Manhattans, or Old Fashioneds. When I try other brands and inevitably come back to Woodford I wonder why I tried something else in the first place. Have you tried their Double Oaked version? It's good, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra $$ over the regular kind...or maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough to tell the difference.

I bought a bottle of Booker's a while back and didn't know it was 130 proof until I got home and tried some. It almost turned the rest of my hair grey.

My buddy emailed me this story last night, my first reaction was, "Bullshit."

They are probably feeling pressure from rising costs and such so they have to resort to this. The 'tell' is that they won't revert back to the original formulation after the "increased demand" dies down. This is a reaction to higher input costs and margin compression. Beer makers in the U.K. and continental Europe are beginning to do the same thing.

Coffee makers as well, substituting lower quality Robusta beans in place of Arabica.

Inflation is a bitch.

I miss Woodford Reserve.

_________________

I like Shirley Temples. They have a cherry.

I have also never run across this problem. It sounds made up.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

It is.

He's trying to force everybody to drink Jamesons

I thought he smoked Newports.

i don't think i've ever seen any brand of liquor "sold out"...but then i don't shop for hard liquor. i can't envision a maker's mark crisis in my life.

I don't think it is made up. Remember, it takes a long time to age that shit. The amount there is is all there is. Ramping up production produces no yield for two years at a bare minimum. Bourbon has become very popular over the last several years what with all kinds of high end cocktail bars popping up everywhere.

Still, it seems to be a damn dumb "solution" to the problem.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Oh my God!!!
We actually agree on something for the first time.

_________________
Host of the weekly "We Fish ASA" podcast
Weekly columnist for the Northwest Herald
Bi-monthly columnist for Illinois Outdoor News magazine
Former host of The Outdoors Experience on WIND and The Great Outdoors on CLTV
http://www.wefishasa.com

But the quote below Darkside included shoots down the demand excuse.



I think it's a combination of reasons nailed in this thread. Maker's wants to keept their fat margins while the spirit segment is exploding even though input prices are increasing. And since they're like Absolut, the most well-known mid-tier bourbon, they're betting on their brand over product.

They may be correct for many of the people here.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Not really. It just shows the company to be opportunistic.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

That sounds like a horrible idea from a marketing standpoint. The logical thing to do when you have overwhelming demand for your product is to raise the price, not lessen the quality.

Whatever. I drink Weller's 107 neat.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I have been a Maker's Mark ambassador since 2001. Today, I received the following email.

Dear Ambassador,

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
Chief Operating Officer,
Ambassador-in-Chief
rob@makersmark.com

Bill Samuels, Jr.
Chairman Emeritus,
Ambassador-at-Large
bill@makersmark.com

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Hooray for alcohol!

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm going to get drunk and neglect my family to celebrate. Thanks, Makers Mark!

_________________
This is my signature...

Why don't they just start selling it in pony bottles?

_________________

How's that different from any other night?

Get drunk with the family. That's what my grandma did. I turned out ok. Sorta.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014