[Whiskey Decision] How One Color is Dominating Whiskey

In a high-stakes legal battle, two art collectors are suing Banksy's authentication company, Pest Control, for allegedly refusing to verify the authenticity of a £30,000 print depicting Queen Elizabeth as a bejewelled primate. The piece, could be worth up to £70,000 with proper certification. Banksy's signed prints sell for five to six figures and his infamous shredded painting fetching over £18.5m at auction in 2021. While the case raises questions about Pest Control's authentication process, it's unlikely to force Banksy to reveal his true identity.

In today's dispatch, we're diving headfirst into:

• Off to Greener Pastures - Rye Whiskey

• Worthy Reads: Sampling some of the best from around the web

• Rewind: Some of our most popular Instagram posts from last week

• Cocktail: A little Sicilian flair on the classic Manhattan

Off to Greener Pastures 🚜

Stroll through the whiskey aisle lately, and you're struck by a green takeover. Bottle after bottle, ryes are flaunting an element of green, vying for your attention. Are our brains just tying to detect patterns where they might not exist?

In 2009, a measly 88,000 9-liter cases of rye whiskey we sold. Fast forward to 2021, its skyrocketed to a whopping 1.59 million. That is a 1,706% increase. Rye isn't just back - it's big business. And the producers? They're multiplying like rabbits. In 2023, 500+ distilleries making rye whiskey. That's a far cry from the handful of old-school distilleries that were keeping the spirit alive back in the day.

Surely, it isn’t all rye whiskies that are sporting green? In what can only be described as the more tedious research projects we’ve ever undertaken - we downloaded and screen captured 247 rye whiskey labels. One. By. One.

Out of the 247 labels analyzed, an astonishing 167 incorporated green. That's 67% of the bottles - well above the consumer awareness saturation point (between 50%-70% of a market). We broke down the labels into four groups:

• Touch of Green: 31 Bottles (12%) - A boarder, partial text, etc. More of a a sprinkle to the label.

• Green Accent: 32 bottles (13%) - a tint, a banner, a splash of color to grab your eye.

• Prominent Green: 33 bottles (13%) gave green a starring role, covering ~30% of the label.

• No Escape from Green: 70 bottles (28%) fully embraced the trend, with green commanding over 80% of the label space.

• Void of Green: 83 bottles (34%) bucked the trend either based upon time honored traditions or spite.

From industry giants to smaller craft distilleries, the green bandwagon is for all levels of distillers. Surprisingly bourbon, wheat, and even American whiskey is void a unified color.

Planting the Green Flag, A bit of History🟢🏳

Michter's, may have started the green evolution with their Rye release in 2011. While difficult to prove if others were inspired, 2011 seems to have been the year the rye revival went fully verdant. Both Bulleit Rye and Woodford Reserve Rye released their own green labels the same year.

Other major brands gradually adopted the trend, with Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye switching from yellow to green in 2016 and Knob Creek replacing black with green in 2017. More recently, in May 2023, Jack Daniel's updated their barrel proof and single barrel bottles. Nonetheless, notable exceptions that have consistently eschewed green include Old Overholt, since 1810, Rittenhouse Rye, and Sazerac Rye.

Why green, and why now? To comprehend this, let's return to the 1980s: a time of big hair, neon colors, and the emergence of silver diet soda cans, epitomizing a generation's calorie-consciousness. Silver quickly became synonymous with guilt-free enjoyment, epitomized by Diet Coke. Launched in 1982, Diet Coke ascended to the No. 3 soft drink spot within two years, only surpassed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and overtook Pepsi in 2010.

Fast forward to today, the rye whiskey industry is adopting a similar strategy. Green is becoming the "silver" of spirits, distinguishing rye from bourbon and scotch. The choice of green signifies rejuvenation for a segment previously overlooked, offering a fresh, new perspective.

However, the trend towards uniformity has its drawbacks. In an industry where conformity prevails, diverging can be beneficial. Maryland stands as an example: among states hosting multiple rye-producing distilleries, it remains distinct, resisting the green wave. Moreover, when an industry collectively adopts one color, the challenge of distinguishing oneself intensifies.

This green movement raises questions: what does it mean for rye enthusiasts? It signifies adjustment to a new standard where green dominates, underscoring the influence of color on industry dynamics, similar to silver's impact on diet sodas in the 1980s.

Time will tell if we'll look back on this green era with nostalgia, reminiscing about when rye shelves sparkled with shades of emerald. For now, we can appreciate the nuanced world of whiskey marketing with a glass in hand, contemplating the impact of color trends.

📰 Worthy Whiskey News (a.k.a. our favorite reads)

• After a two-year absence, Michter’s fans can rejoice, as Barrel Strength Rye will be released later in 2024.

• Brown Forman follows MGPs guidance - near future looking ‘normal’

• The repeal of an 18-year old duty stamp scheme - auction buyers celebrate!

• This is either brilliant or horrible. But DISCUS creates their own political party dubbed the Cocktail Party.

📸Rewind: A selection of our most popular IG Posts

• Wait, blended malts are how much more common than single malts?

• The first BTAC to appear on Chart Leaders…

• A stampede or just a graze, Buffalo Trace Price Search

• Scavenger Hunt gets silly. How many bottles over the target?

• Perfect 10s? Some might disagree with our comparison of 10 year bourbons

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Quote of the Week

Going Sicilian - The Black Manhattan

While the spring days are warming up, the night still holds onto winter with one last grasp. Enjoy the last few sips of winter with this bolder take on the classic Manhattan.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. rye whiskey (go with a higher proof >50ABV)

• 1 oz. Amaro Averna

• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled.

Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.

What a ride it's been this week, huh? Thanks for joining us on this journey through the world of good spirits at great prices.

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Thanks again for being here. Let's raise a glass to the week ahead.