What’s Under the Rug at Spirits Tastings?, Newsletter #16
What’s Under the Rug at Spirits Tastings? Marketing Psychology Runs the Show
George F Manska, CR&D Arsilica, Inc.
We know you are out there; we see many of you at every whiskey, tequila, or rum tasting. We’ve been watching you since we first figured out there is something inherently wrong with spirits tastings, well over twenty years ago. Here is how we know it’s you.
You look down, averting eye contact and hiding your facial expression as you brace for that first sniff ethanol pungency.
The initial wince and eye squint from the overwhelming first sniff of pungency. You know it’s unavoidable and accept it, knowing it will pass quickly.
The discomfort and uncertain look on your face because you can’t detect the aromas described by the tasting leader/host or brand ambassador, and the frequent re-sniffs as you try your best to detect them.
Your facial expression clearly indicates perplexity, and you give that final shrug as you realize one or more of the following:
You doubt your own ability to detect aromas and feel the anxiety of “missing” the experience, particularly when you are surrounded by smiles and approving nods. You ask, “How come everyone else seems to get it but I don’t?”
Your sense of smell is off today, or worse, it just is not good enough and never has been when it comes to spirits.
Frustration with playing the mystery game of “What’s in the drink?” at every tasting.
After a few sniffs, there is a positive. It has the expected ethanol content, so at the very least, it’s okay.
You ask yourself, “Am I the only one who cannot taste? Why doesn’t anybody say something, or admit it?”
These circumstances don’t apply to everyone, but they represent thousands of drinkers’ experiences at spirits tastings everywhere. Those smiling “actors” are experiencing the same struggles and have no intention of admitting that they do not get it: You are not alone. Why does it happen? Four key reasons interact and combine to define the state of the art of spirits tastings:
#1: Ethanol.
Ethanol is a medical anesthetic, numbing olfactory sensory neurons and massively impeding sense of smell from first sniff.
The sharp, pungent ethanol stimulus diverts focus away from aroma detection.
Ethanol is the most volatile compound in any spirit, (whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, cognac, and all), evaporates first, travels quickest, crowds out less prevalent aromas on its way to numbing the olfactory receptors.
Subsequent sniffs bind more sensors to ethanol, and the lingering first sniffs of defining aromas disappear. Without conscious pain or warning, drinkers have no clue that ethanol up the nose destroys their sense of smell.
#3: Drinkers’ Psychology
We know ethanol is a drug, but discussion of that aspect is socially uncomfortable. We expect and even demand it, and we enjoy the buzz. After all failed attempts to detect aromas which satisfy our sensory perceptions, we finally give in, “At least it has strong ethanol. It’s my affordable drug of choice.”
Ethanol’s presence takes priority over the personal quest for seeking character aromas. “I can’t smell those aromas,” said no one out loud, ever. Most came to the tasting for ethanol. “I don’t want to appear uneducated just because I can’t smell what they say I should.” The free ethanol buzz is sufficient reward for attendance.
Other than plastic cups with possible off-gassing issues and no headspace to collect aromas, most tastings have used tulip glasses for decades. The common misconception is: “In a world of EVs, cellphones, artificial intelligence and jets, everything in use must have been designed by scientific application. However, it’s not true when it comes to tulip glasses.
We never question the tulip glass used by most drinkers and industry educators. The glass that numbs sensory experiences in the name of fraternal recognition “I’m unique, I am a proud straight spirits drinker, my glass is my badge.”
Very few buy because they like the aromas since they could not smell any. Who admits they paid $100 or more for a bottle because the bottle shape, label, celebrity endorsement, or cute presenter was appealing; or the desirability of owning and coveting the new limited, rare edition was the decision factor. Sadly, most purchasing decisions are NOT made from sensory attributes. Industry tastings are designed to present any number of “hooks” to convert to sales.
Decades of tasting with tulip glasses have conditioned drinkers to accept high concentrations of pungent, nose-numbing ethanol, and consequentially, many drinkers eventually come to equate higher ethanol with better quality. Hence the surge in cask strength expressions and further reinforcement of common erroneous opinions that (1) higher ethanol equates to better value, and the absurd (2) higher price means higher quality.
Peer pressure plays an important part, as many tasters nod in approval at brand ambassadors’ statements, to look knowledgeable or assume an air of expertise.
Since most drinkers never wish to be perceived as shallow or uninformed, many display a false sense of appreciation by extolling the virtues of cask strengths, further advancing the perceived notion that high quality is defined by high ethanol. Cask strengths are fine but drinking them from tulips creates a bigger nose bomb and defeats the increase in flavor intensity.
Who doesn’t want free samples of ethanol, or that quick buzz. Tasting events have a high percentage of “seldom-a-buyer” attendees who are always in for the free shots and slink out near the final call to action.
Reason #4: Spirits Industry Marketing
Industry marketers know you can’t really smell character intensity through the ethanol mask; they’ve known it all along, and they carefully prepare notes for the brand ambassador/host/presenter with specific aromas and emotional, exotic and romantic descriptions and phrases to imprint the tastes you should smell prior to the tasting. “They said it’s there; why can’t I find it?”
Evoking an emotional connection is a key marketing objective to convert sales, especially when potential buyers do not have a clear definition of the specific character aromas or a concept of whether it truly satisfies personal sensory preferences.
Tasting hosts attempt to provide as many reasons as possible to convert attendees to loyal buyers. Appealing to what they are supposed to smell in advance of the tasting, an interesting story about the distiller, a tie to a historic event, or a celebrity endorsement are strategically employed.
Unique bottle shapes, stoppers, label designs and colors evoke specific buyer emotions. Visions of pirates, pilots, warriors, narrow escapes from danger, and ultimate lavish celebrations permeate advertising. The back story subject from discovery to bootlegging, knighthood to historical firsts becomes the all-important marketing tool when flavors are less distinctive.
Bloggers and author/critics all help steer drinkers to purchase their personal favorites, acting as independent sensory experts. If you still want outside help, follow one you can trust.
Summary: Corporate and distributor designed spirits tastings are all about controlling sales conversions. Psychology is the “secret weapon,” never publicly discussed. Swept “under the rug,” purchasing motivations are the engine room where incisive marketing is designed to push product over personal sensory appeal. The ship of conversion to sales is designed to drive willing passengers to buy. They love the journey, the comfortable numbness, the fulfillment of fantasy, and the freedom from having to make personal, accountable decisions on the way to their mysterious destination, augmented by interesting and entertaining stories.
Spirits will always have ethanol; it’s why we drink. But the face of the spirits tasting is whatever the industry wants it to be as they continue to support numbing the consumers’ sensory to enable manipulation. The marketing machine for straight spirits drinkers is highly efficient, aided by the iconic tulip ID badge supporting the “I belong to the worldwide whiskey lover fraternity” ideology.
The tulip is worthless as a functional diagnostic glass and is the enemy of our personal sensory faculties. Drinkers who prefer the iconic, traditional tulip-shaped, nose-bomb glass, generally use it because everyone else does. Many production and quality sins hide behind the ethanol mask created by tulips, but most egregiously, drinkers and aficionados who embrace the tulip-induced ethanol mask permit industry marketers to play a significant part in their personal buying decisions.
Ethanol is a double-edged sword. We love it, but if we can keep it away from our noses, we can make more satisfying and intelligent decisions about what we want to keep in the cabinet. The reward is a better tasting experience. Many drinkers prefer a wide-mouth tumbler to alleviate the pungency of ethanol, and many are making that giant leap to glassware designed to diffuse ethanol.
Conclusion: Consumers can take back the sensory driven personal choice initiative, but only if they want it. The spirits industry can open doors by helping the consumer gain back the power to make their own sensory decisions, but that asks a lot from an industry which has the situation under their own control. If you are a serious spirits drinker, the solution truly begins by acting on your personal sensory preferences. Glass choice is key to traveling the enlightened path to a more rewarding flavor and tasting experience. Which are you? – superficial, comfortably numb, eth-head? Or are you serious about appreciating the craftsmanship of distilled spirits?
Bio: George F Manska, CR&D, Arsilica, Inc.
Qualifications: Published sensory science researcher, and entrepreneur. BSME, NEAT glass co-inventor
Mission: Replace myth and misinformation with scientific truth through consumer education.
