By
George Brozowski
What's
up with
this vast proliferation of flavored spirits lately? I believe
it has to do with penetrating a whole new marketing segment
to sell to because the other segments are pretty well saturated
and the distillers have nowhere else to go to increase sales.
What do I mean by that? Well, the 21-101 age groups, both
male and female, are pretty well entrenched with their drinking
options. Well, maybe not so much the 21-30 group, as those
are very transitional years where palates mature and knowledge
of spirits increases and new favorites are ultimately chosen.
However,
in the more mature age groups, one segment doesn't drink at
all and won't change their minds no matter what you offer
them at any favorable price point. Another segment is the
diehard Scotch or Vodka or Whiskey or whatever drinker that
won't switch no matter what you do. The third group (the one
I fall under) is the person who enjoys different spirits at
different times of the day and seasons and whenever the mood
strikes to drink something different, yet really good, or
drink something special that enhances a particular meal.
That
newly targeted demographic that I am referring to is that
hard to penetrate, fickle and easily influenced under 21 year
old segment. I know, I know you're probably thinking "what
in the hell is George thinking - that's just plain illegal
if not evil". Granted, but who else is going to buy chocolate
cake flavored spirits or watermelon or even whipped cream
or bubble gum or creamsicle flavored booze? Those spirits
are so sweet and/or outright weird that they have to be targeted
at young, unsophisticated palates with serious sweet teeth.
I'm not saying that these Marionberry and Cherry Bomb whiskeys
are targeted at that youngster demographic, but those other
flavors certainly must be.
So
let's see how these flavored whiskeys stack up. The
Marionberry Whiskey's nose is jam packed with ripe
Marionberry flavor, along with strawberries and blueberries
and hardly any alcohol trace at all. Ahh, the whiskey finally
shows up on the palate and is laid back and understated but
definitely there. The fruit flavors level out and their intensity
is on par with the whiskey. I still get the marionberries
with a touch of strawberry and blueberry and citrus peel,
along with a tart berry taste that makes it all quite interesting.
The finish is short and sweet but not too sweet and smooth
and fruity. This whiskey is not as sweet as I feared it might
be and presents a well balanced profile of whiskey and fruit
flavors. I do believe it is a bit more sophisticated than
a very young palate might appreciate, and I salute Eastside
Distilling for not making it overly sweet. It mellows considerably
on the rocks and makes for a decent mixer again featuring
that balance between sweet and tart and whiskey. This is a
very good flavored whiskey any adult might enjoy.
The
Cherry Bomb Whiskey has a nose I would like
to say smells like ripe cherries, but I can't. Somehow the
whiskey and the cherry aroma seem to fight each other and
they both lose leaving a sort of wanna be whiskey aroma and
a cherry aroma that just don't want to play nice with each
other. However, that all changes on the palate when the whiskey
and the cherries decide to make my tongue their next best
friend. Again, this is not a super sweet teen tempting taste.
There are layers of flavor with the whiskey taking center
stage and the cherry flavor hovering in the wings but still
quite influential. The finish is fruity, featuring the whiskey,
without being overly sweet and quite smooth and about medium
in length. I might just sip this on the rocks after a meal
or even pour a bit on some vanilla ice cream for dessert.
This
is a very well balanced flavored whiskey that does not compromise
the sweetness, the tartness, the whiskey, or the fruitiness
but gives them all their glorious moment in the sun to shine.
Marionberry
Whiskey sells for between $29.95 to $41.70 per 750
ML bottle and weighs in at 30% ABV. Cherry Bomb Whiskey
sells for around $23.95 to $29.95 per 750 ML bottle and it
too weighs in at 30% ABV. These prices seem to be all over
the place depending on where you look; however, the Eastside
Distilling website lists them both for $29.95, so it pays
to shop around for these spirits.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.eastsidedistilling.com/