Bourbon Unrest: Why So Serious
Ever had someone tell you that you were drinking bourbon the wrong way? Has anyone ever tried to attack you for having bottles not opened? We all like to think that the bourbon community is this happy-go-lucky group of people who hold hands while sharing our Pappy’s and picking up allocated bottles for others at cost. Like most realities, there is some truth and some falsehoods with these assumptions. Overall, the bourbon community is a caring, helpful, sharing type of community but there are quite a few arguments and complaints that frequent podcasts, chat rooms, private Facebook groups, and right out in the open on Instagram and Twitter.
I am very active in most of these platforms, as well as live bourbon events (pre and hopefully post-COVID), so I feel like I have a good understanding of the pulse of the bourbon community. From what I can see, the level of unrest is rising. No, the bourbon community is not out of control but if you really look at some of the threads, chatter, and comments I think you will agree. Let’s look at some of the most common points of contention.
Secondary Market
The mother of all arguments in the bourbon community. Most argument points consist of pro, con, and somewhere in the middle. Not the big, bad secondary market. The conversation usually leads to either super-pro or super-against positions. There are not many people who have the opinion “Oh I don’t really care about the secondary market.” You have your high horse people who simply state the secondary market is illegal so “I would never participate”. There is also the group that does not like the entirety of the market because they feel that is where all the allocated bottles end up and ends up there at an extraordinary price. There are also simply a large group of people who don’t like it because they are butt hurt they can no longer walk into their local store and have these bottles either on the shelf or set aside for them to purchase at retail. I fully understand and appreciate all this segment of the argument against the secondary market.
The pro secondary market people usually have two points during these arguments. The worst is that basically everyone who hates the secondary market is jealous and needs to find a cheaper hobby. That is an extreme point of view of which I hate but there are some “elites” who think this. The larger majority of people who use and accept the secondary market like it because it is the only way they can obtain allocated bottles and dusties. They either live in an area where those bottles are simply not available or are new to the game and have no old relationships with liquor store owners who can assist them in their quest. I happen to fall into this category as I do think certain branches of the market are a good thing. (At some point when I am through with the secondary market, I will write a tell-all article that will make the recent articles look like puff pieces).
Bourbon Karen
The next highest area of contention seems to be the group of people who seem to think they have the power to decide what people do with the bottles they purchase or acquire. I get it; bourbon is a distilled spirit and is meant to be opened and drank. Antique bottles of coke are a soda beverage and was meant to opened and drank, but there are thousands of those sitting in thrift stores, flea markets, and in peoples homes unopened. Where is the outcry there?
Who are we to demand people open their bottles as soon as they are purchased and do a chug video like a drunken maniac? What about people that do open all their bottles but not just at a pace or rate you think is appropriate? There are people on this network that have vast collections and could not possibly drink everything they have if they opened them directly upon receipt or purchase. I think as long as people are buying bourbon and opening and drinking THEIR bourbon at whatever rate they deem necessary; we should all be fine with that. One last thing on this topic. For you trolls who constantly scroll IG or FB looking for people posting pictures of a bottle or their collection that is not opened, only with the intent of posting a snarky comment along the lines of “Wow. Would probably be better if you actually opened it.” Get a life, Karen. You are the worst.
Elitists
Finally, we have our bourbon elitist. You know who I am talking about. The segment of the bourbon community that has their opinion that young whiskey or craft whiskey is inferior. This is the same group that will not purchase bottles that do not have age statements on them. They are also fond of lecturing the rest of us on how premium and allocated bourbons are the only acceptable bourbons neat and anything you find on local shelves these days are mixers.
The issue with this group is that they make comments without having any data or facts to back them up. Do they know that often craft distillery products that are younger have a better flavor profile than big bourbon shelf products because they use heirloom corn and premium grains? What about pot distilling versus the large columns stills where often the larger distilleries strip out most of the grain flavor; therefore, they have to age their products longer to give the barrel more time to impart most of the flavor of the bourbon? I love products from both for different reasons and I do agree that big bourbon did itself an injustice by removing many an age statement over the past 5-8 years but that does not mean non-age-stated whiskey is bad and should be avoided at all cost. No one is going to like every product out there, but it does not mean that a product you don’t like isn’t the perfect product for someone else.
At the end of the day, bourbon is meant to be enjoyed with friends, family, or alone. There is no rule book on what to drink, how to drink it, when to drink it, and how much to drink. No group should attempt to dictate or peer pressure people into what to purchase, when to open it, or how much they should pay for it. There are many highly bourbon educated people who will give good advice if asked, but ultimately it is up to you on what you do, when you do it, and how much you are willing to spend to obtain it. I think a good rule of thumb should be to contact any of the regulars from the ABV Network if you have a question about bourbon. We will give you the facts where applicable and our opinion if asked; all in an attempt to help out a fellow bourbon enthusiast. Let’s all be on the same side and support each other in our individual bourbon journey.
Cheers!
