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Russians, Gays and Booze – Does Boycotting Stoli Make Sense?

July 29, 2013 No Comments

“Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, has declared war on homosexuals. So far, the world has been mostly silent,” wrote Harvey Fierstein, in his op-ed piece in the July 21 edition of the NY Times.

The war has been going on for sometime and gets more ugly each week. There is a law banning the adoption of Russian born children to gay couples and — get this — any couple living in a country where marriage equality exists in any form. The police in Russia are allowed to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, or “pro gay.”

Earlier in June, Putin signed a bill that classifies “homosexual propaganda” (whatever the hell that is) as pornography. The stupidity and narrow-mindedness of that law, makes it a prosecutable offense for anyone describing homosexuality as not evil. Anyone – parents, teachers, judges, etc.

The discrimination has become an issue for the 2014 Winter Games in Russia as to whether gay athletes will be safe there. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provided some lame reassurances, but if history is any indicator, there is reason for concern.

Speaking of history, in the early 1980s at the height of the cold war, two events roused the public anger against Russia and the then Soviet Union. One was the shooting down of the Korean Air Line passenger plane and the other was the boycott of the US Olympics in Los Angeles.

The response by consumers in the US was to boycott Russian products. Since Russia’s main exports were (and still are) caviar and vodka, it was not surprising to see news photos of bartenders pouring Stoli down sewers. Other than increase the awareness of Absolut (which was struggling at the time) the boycott had little effect.

Now we have history repeating itself with gay activists and bars boycotting Russian vodka and aiming their ire at Stolichnaya. A recent article in Adovate.com reported:

“Dan Savage, columnist, author… published an article in Seattle’s independent newspaper, The Stranger, titled ‘Why I’m Boycotting Russian Vodka,’ urging gay bars to stop serving the brand and others like Russian Standard, Shustov, Starka, and Stolichnaya.”

Now, just hold on a minute. I understand the anger and desire to send a message to Russia, but why Stoli. The brand and its owner and managers, are supporters of the LGBT community and have been for some time. Further, the Russian government has no ownership interest or control over the Stoli brand, which is privately owned by the SPI group whose headquarters are in Luxembourg.

So, targeting Stoli is misguided. I doubt that Putin gives a shit other than to laugh at the effort.

Want to send a message? Organize a boycott of the viewing of the 2014 Winter Games by letting NBC and their advertisers know how you feel. Send a message by letting the Russian leaders know that the viewership of their Olympics will be the worst in modern history.

Boycotting Stoli is as meaningless as boycotting caviar.

Who Stole the Vodka? Better Question – Why Bother?

July 8, 2013 1 Comment

Buffalo Trace Newsletter had an article last week about the theft of $1.1 million worth of vodka (752 cases) from a customs warehouse in Miami.

According to a number of news reports including CNN:

“The men were caught by the cameras loading… several boxes containing Spirits of the Tsars Golden Vodka, a Ukrainian-made vodka that features 24-carat gold on its label that retails for between US$250 in the off-trade and $1,200 in the on-trade.”

The product is “golden,” not just because of the label. It is an amber color aged in Cognac barrels for three years.

A number of observations come to mind.

According to the label, this is not vodka but a vodka specialty – “vodka infused with grape wine brandy and natural flavors with caramel color.” At $250 a bottle, the closest you get to Cognac is the barrel? “Golden” vodka, thanks to caramel coloring? Where are you when we need you, PT Barnum?

Most thefts of liquor generally involve product placement under the raincoat or “slippage” out the back door. That’s why you see expensive products in lock boxes, behind the counter or with a “chastity belt” around the cap. But these thieves punched a hole in the wall of the warehouse directly to the area where the vodka was stored. They win the award for brazenness as well as stupidity. Who is going to buy the vodka? Their sales are small, so an appearance of these goods will be noticed.

Somewhere in the basement of a garish McMansion, sits a retired oligarch who ushers his guests into a special wood paneled room where they sip this golden elixir while admiring a stolen Picasso. Really?

The response from the company was to offer a reward worth $5,000. At $1.1 million, 752 cases, means it’s worth $1,462 per case. As CNN put it, “if you use that reward to buy the stuff at some South Beach nightclubs, you could buy about four bottles of it.”

The chincy reward makes me wonder. But then again, the name of the game in the booze business is depletions of stock – through the front door preferably but any other way might also work.

Anyone with information about this theft is urged to stop laughing.

Would you drink a beer that tastes like liquor? How about a liquor that tastes like beer?

June 20, 2013 4 Comments

BrewDog, an independent brewery based in Scotland has launched a beer-based spirit called WattDickie. It’s named for the two owners whose keyboard seems to be missing the space bar. (Their website is here.)

But their creativity seems to be working okay. Although, the idea has been done before, but the other way around. Therein lies the tale.

Messrs Watt and Dickie developed the new product using a “radical brewing and ice distillation process.” It’s 35% AbV and is created using an IPA style beer. At 70 proof it must pack a wallop.

I’ve been following these gents for some time (see May 16, 2012 posting) and admire their independence and cheekiness (for those of you in the States, that’s called chutzpah). Martin Dickie, had this to say about their new creation:

“What we have here is not a beer, but its alter-ego. This is Mr. Hyde. This is the shiver down the spine of the grease slick adman relying on people lapping up the ‘same old-same old’ from their sticky bottle of snake oil. This is a drink by the misfits, for the misfits. It’s a beautiful, absurd experiment.”

It will sell for £2.99 for a 6cl bottle and will be available in BrewDog bars and their online store at the end of June. Get this – according to Just Drinks, it is expected to be available in 700ml bottles later this year.

I wonder what it tastes like.

Back in the day, Seagram, spurred on by the vagaries of the owner, produced a beer-flavored whiskey called Old Breed. (See the May 24, 2010 posting for the full story.)

Failure does not begin to describe the reaction to this neither fish nor fowl new product. The comments were universally negative (with “awful taste” at the forefront) and the product was pulled faster than a New York minute. That is, of course, when management mustered enough guts to tell the owner his baby was ugly.

Now, I’m not saying that WattDickie is in the same class as Old Breed. But, calling their brew or concoction a “new style of spirit,” makes me wonder. Is it indeed a new worthwhile alcohol product or a bad idea whose time has come again?

As they say, “the proof of a pudding is in the eating.” So, to my readers in the UK – try it and let me know what you think.

(My thanks to Drew DeSarno who brought this to my attention and supplied the Old Breed photo.)