I'd split my efforts. Keep the age statement brand around, even double down on it. Price and exclusivity will rise, it still exists. At the same time drop the age statement with a different release. The market will quickly figure out they're the same thing, you'll get to start making less of the age statement and wring the snobs out even harder while keeping a fair price product around for everyone else. EDIT - haha, now I hear Daniel's answer.
My husband Mark and I love watching your videos! Last year, he started introducing me to whiskey, but then we became pregnant so of course I wasn't drinking. However, preggo nose is powerful so I enjoyed helping him pick out notes in the nose of whatever he was drinking. I couldn't wait to try Del Bac. Now our baby girl Aspen Elizabeth is here (5 days old today), and I finally got to taste it. So good, just as I anticipated for months! 🤣 We actually even watched Whiskey Tribe videos at the hospital to distract me and make me laugh. Thanks for producing such quality content! Our family of three (yay!) loves it!
Makers Mark had a similar issue so they tried to 'stretch' their supply by lowering the proof. That didn't last long....You shouldn't change your product...IMHO
I can tell the difference blind. The 12 is better. BUT, the new no-statement version is still very, very good. A little complexity lost, but it’s still the best bang-for-the-buck bourbon I’ve had.
I tried Ellijah Craig (small batch) b/c of this channel its now one of my favorites. Really want to try the single barrel if I can get my hands on a bottle.
To be honest I liked the Elijah Craig 12 before but I almost prefer the small batch now. I feel like the wood flavor is more balanced by having some younger stock in it. It had a little too much wood tannin bite to it before IMHO. I regularly can find this under 25$ and lately as low as 20. Very very worth it. I believe this and wild turkey 101 are the best bang for your buck out there right now. That being said I do love the barrel proof 12 year and always reach for it when I need a little more oomph. For some reason that one doesn’t seem out of balance to me like the old twelve year 94 proof offering. Thanks for another great vid guys ✌️
Budget for me is bottles that are $12 and under, anything over $18 is not what anyone I know calls "budget" whiskey (even people I know who are relatively rich agree)
This is the beginning of my discovery of whiskeys! So far I've been into bourbons. At the moment I could count the bottles I've tried on my two hands, and I've only bought 3 bottles. This Elijah Craig small batch 94 proof was really freaking good! It's tied for my favorite so far with Four Roses Small batch. The Elijah Craig was more fruity with honey while being nice and light. The Four Roses was a little darker with caramel, it kinda reminded me of a sweet biscuit, almost buttery. Both were good, and I will be happily sharing with whatever friends I can find to drink with!
I usually drink Scotch, my everyday is Speyburn 10. Usually other scotches in the under $40. I do not care for peated Scotches. Lately I have been trying modestly priced Bourbons, so far Makers Mark, WT101, Buffalo Trace, Buillitt (sp) , Eagle Rare and a few others in the $30-40 range. Today I bought a bottle of Elijiah Craig Small Batch because of all the positive reviews as a good modestly priced bourbon. Ipoured a bit into my Glencairn, let it sit a bit.. swirled with anticipation...first sip....the "mustiness" turned me off, ..Tried a little water...no sale.. Different glass..on the rocks.. nope.,. just can't get beyond that overpowering smell and flavor... Reluctant to try it again.. yup that alienated. I wonder if I am alone in this. If that is a characteristic of "better" Bourbons.. I'll have to stick with Scotch. Very much enjoy your reviews.
Elijah Craig could have kept the 12 year age statement for one line, upped the price due to rarity, and created the small batch line at the regular price point. Letting the bourbon market know why they were doing it (demand exceeding production) would help ease the shock.
Based on your recommendation I picked up some Elijah Craig Small Batch while it was on sale at the post shop. My palate is normally pretty close to Daniel's (I prefer scotch); but i have taken a real liking to this bourbon. I recruited a new tribe member with it last week and will be keeping it as my cabinet bourbon. Thanks for the info on it! Looking forward to visiting soon, cheers!
Have yet to try bourbon. Picked a bottle of this up the other day and grabbed a bottle of Bear Crick, Rustle Naptha, Red Deacon, Willow Seeds and Misty Deep 12 year old. Can't wait to try them this winter on an extra cold night.
I work for an agency and my boss gave me one of the best quotes (Mark Twain) to explain my job in digital marketing. There are 3 types of lies: 1. Lies 2. Damn Lies 3. Statistics It's amazing how many brands will blindly listen to an agency or the metrics and analytics without really trying to understand their demographic.
Just picked up a bottle of this for $25...that was a STEAL! Delicious! I honestly didn't have that much experience with Elijah Craig, but feel this was well worth a $35-$40 price point on taste and finish alone!
The first time I had ECSB was a store select, from what I recall, it had a much stronger mint/eucalyptus note than the normal one, sadly don't have anything to A/B compare anymore or at the time :P
Everyone has different tastes. Elijah Craig is my least favourite bourbon out of at least 12 Bourbons available in my province. I just finished it and I won't be buying another. Kudos to anyone who loves it though, I love Buckley's mixture but no one else in my family does.
I just bought a bottle of Elijah Craig small batch and am looking forward to cracking it. I am currently sipping on a Makers Cask strength which is good but not knocking my socks off. I do have one favor to ask of Daniel. Can you please teach Rex how to wear a hat... ;-)
After watching many videos im tried a array of whiskeys recommended by you blokes i bought bottle of Elijah Craig worst bloody mistake i have ever made i live in Australia 🇦🇺 not sure what it is why it is but this whiskey over here is just not the same in price that is $85 aud roughly 62 American dollarydoos worth evrey penny but hurts the wallet as daily drinker after work. My favourite bourbon atm but will stick to makers mark 46 for daily nip i think.
My everyday as a noob experimenting. Straight or in aa cocktail if I try something that reminds me of the bilges of Mt Coast Guard Cutters, Elijah brings me back home just as those 40 year old Cutters did. Thanks guys.
Could Elijah Craig have split the difference? Make a limited 12 year line that would rise in price. And at the same time carry a non age batch at a reasonable price point. Then they could increase production over a period of time and benefit with a larger profit margin on the 12 year. Seems like the loyal are going to complain no matter what because either the price is going up or they are not getting an age labelled batch.
Whipped out my 18 (out of my small batch) to enjoy while watching this video, loved the marketing scenario in this vid. Daniel's approach is the best, wish more distilleries approached diminishing stock like this.
Do you really? It's exactly what W12 did.... And it's a massive PITA to find. So hard that secondary for a W12 is currently $180. In theory it sounds good... But in practice the consumer looses.
Picked up a mini bottle of the Elijah Craig Small Batch as a sampler. Now, here I am virtually taste testing along with you and comparing notes. I definitely get the vanilla and honey. It took a minute to get the honey. Then all of the sudden it was there.
Since age statement is based on the youngest barrel and doesn't represent the batch as a whole. Can a company write the percentage of ages that are in the batch?
I have drank bourbon for decades. It wasn't until recently I came across a video of Daniel demonstrating how to "drink" bourbon like a gentleman (snob). Haha! Soooooo, I grabbed my Buffalo Trace and took it through the paces. Now, I have never drank my whiskeys neat. Always mixed in a cocktail or on the rocks. Neither one is wrong, as Daniel said, just different. But until you take the time to understand the "nose," allow the whiskey to slowly cross the pallet, and then look for the subtleties in the finish, you have not really "tasted" whiskey. I just obtained my first bottle of Elijah Craig Small Batch and enjoyed my first dram last night. I cannot believe what I have been missing for so many years. Now, I have compiled of a list of bourbons that are eventual must tries. Thanks. Daniel, for the instruction and here's to your health. Cheers!
I was really pissed at the way HH handled the 12 year age statement, so much so that I only recently purchased a bottle of the NAS. I did a blind test and compared the two. I did choose the 12 as my favorite. The 12 was a bit more "dark chocolate" while the NAS is more "milk chocolate"? They both have excellent woody noses and are rich, full, quintessential bourbons. I take back most of my hate. The new juice is really, really good on nose and palate. I'm a big fan.
The Dude looks like he may have lost a little weight. Maybe that's just the dancing in the skinny jeans. LUL! Now that we know you can dance, maybe you could sing a little for us. Anyway, my whiskey drinking used to involve skinny jeans, dancing and singing badly at karaoke. Now I'm more cultured and my drinking involves analysis and knowledge. Thanks for that. LMAO!
As a noob (marketing wise) I would say that if they can honestly keep the age statement on a tier of their product line and also create a more available (no age statement) product line they then are in the market at both price points. The blow back from the hardcore fan is that before supply got limited (or demand out paced supply) you could get a brands premium product for x amount of money and now that dollar amount only gets you the standard product. As long as the company says why it’s happening it should not only be fine but also open up additional markets to them. This is the same thing guitar companies have been doing for years, premium models made in US, with same process they used in the 1950s (which got expensive because of environmental laws, etc) affordable models made in Mexico or Far East with more modern techniques (poly coating, CNC etc.)
I enjoy this bourbon, it is the first one I purchased a while back, and it is now my go to "budget" bourbon. However, when I hear others review it, I never hear what I am hoping to hear. I get extreme oak/must when I drink this, but not always. Makes me question if I actually know what I am tasting. Also, the oak/must doesn't always come to the forefront, so not sure what drives that. Appreciate any feedback.
Was sitting here sipping on a glass of Elijah Craig Small Batch myself. This is my second bottle. Finished off my first bottle last year. This glass is so full of different flavors and that’s why it one of my favorites. ThAnks for the video guys. 👍👍
Sounds like the process of "right sizing" that happens a lot in the food industry. Product make-up and price "usually" stay the same but the size/weight gets smaller. This tends to cover the increase in manufacturing costs. But there have been some real a**h*le moves by some companies.
You can't in many states specify what/who can purchase your spirits. You sell it to a "wholesaler" and that's as much say as you get. They can then sell to whoever they wish (bars, stores, etc). Other states are state controlled and you have zero say as the distiller. So your idea of selling the 12 year old to only bars isn't that easy to do or control throughout the country. They could however come out with a mixed year whiskey maybe slightly cheaper and keep the 12 year old and raise the price of that to limit demand which would work across all markets.
First time seeing you guys, I just bought a bottle of EC, had never heard of them, on sale for $22. You guys were super informative while also just being dudes drinking in a room. Nice.
Rex has shown himself to be high on the scale of hypnotic susceptibility. I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out why... :-) BTW, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. People who are susceptible to hypnosis tend to be more intelligent than those who are not.
Hey, people make raisin and date moonshine in my country and there's this rule that you have to keep it in glass bottle for one week before you can drink it otherwise you'll get a headache, I want to search about it in English websites but I don't know the right terminology. We call it infusion but that's not what infusion is in English... Can someone help me out with what should I search and if it's true that you should wait 7 days before consumption
I have to say, this is exactly how and why Star Wars killed it's hardcore fan base. They didn't follow the advice you gave here 00:6:27 , about a totally different industry no-less! Fantastic advice. Well said.
Fate was in play today ... gave a fifth of Elijah Craig small batch as a celebratory gift for a good associates retirement, today ... Thanks, Dan & Rex.
Bruichladdich had similar issue. Now there’s no age statement on core range (generally), but do for certain special releases. Not a huge fan of their marketing, but the whisky is always great, so who cares!
I get very pleasant butterscotch, oaky, slightly smokey aftertastes... the after tastes just roll out in layers.. I feel ts more complex that some other reviewers have stated. Just my humble opinion.
Why not offer both? Still offer the 12 year but in very limited quantity and everyone would understand the price increase. My comment was before they mentioned to offer both...lol
Are all small batches different? I noticed you guys have done this EC SB a few times, but each review is unique in its own way. Others feel free to chime in!
Don't change a product with a large fan base. Introduce a new product and try to win new fans and bring along your existing fans. This is what a lot of brands do. Then if the new product flops or pisses people off, it doesn't taint your existing product.
Simply put... keep the the age statement and raise the price to reflect the exclusivity. Create a fighting brand that will address the price point segment that is now no longer covered. This is a very complex issue better explored face to face and with a better understanding of the global strategy.
This is my first real whiskey, I’m not great at handling liquor so after a taste of it neat, I immediately cut the rest of the shot with eggnog. But it was really good! Just not used to the burn.
Take a percentage the current stock and make a 15 year stock and a twenty year premium whiskey; with premium price To make up for your shortage merge or buy a smaller competitor and bring your brand and standard up to our label
I have a question actually, is it a concern to you guys that because you've had so many whiskeys that some whiskeys don't feel as great as you think they should? What about when you go back and you drink something that you liked, but now after having x amount of whiskeys now you don't? It happens to me with genres of books so I imagine it's the same with whiskey. Love what you guys are doing keep up the good work.
I thought both of your answers were good and companies definitely need to be open with their customers just so we know what we're drinking! That's part of the experience for me. When I'm drinking a 15 year old whiskey I'm like holy shit balls I was 23 when this was put in the barrel!? And that's awesome to think about lol
EC12 in the pirate bottle was small batch. On another note, Very Old Barton used to be 6 years age stated, and they kept the 6 on the bottle, while removing the age statement.
If it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have learnt what I have. I received my first bottle of EC today as a leaving present from work and here I am, late at at night, having a wee nip before bed. Cheers guys 😁
Any one else on EC small batch get a big acitone hit sometimes on the nose ??? I really enjoy it over all and I dont get that every time but sometimes it's pretty potent.
