As you read through the mumblings of this amazing website, I have little doubt that you leave chock full of new, valuable, educational and always entertaining information about rum and a few related spirits. But there's something you don't read...
The real backstory.
It's just like Disney's Magic Kingdom - the underground workings of the park are actually more amazing than the overground rides and goodies the public sees. There's actually more underground than overground!
So I've decided to let you into The Project's secret underground, ergo this marvelous series: The Omerta Department!
Todays Offering:
Background: Distillers, or rather their marketing departments love to create backstories and sales oriented ad copy. As a former marketing man I'm a big, big believer in truth based copywriting. It is quite possible to present a product without making it up.
Unfortunately that has changed.
Nowadays the new marketing twerps are (a) so lazy or (b) so mercenary that they don't bother with the truth. "Backstories" are simply made up or exaggerated beyond belief - except by the Shillery monkeys of course. So what I do is email these distillers with simple, but hopefully revealing questions.
For this inaugural "Omerta" posting...
This was sent to Wiser's (Canadian whisky distiller) using their usual "Contact Us" link. BTW, these mails are sometimes sent as "Capn Jimbo", sometimes by other innocuous e-names (sometimes I want to know how they'll react to a spirits reviewer, sometimes to determine their reaction to the ostensible general idiot.Moi by email: "Hello and thanks for your attentions. About your Wiser's Legacy, I have a few questions...
1. Is it column or pot stilled?
2. What is the recipe in terms of percentage corn, wheat, rye, etc.?
3. Are there any additives such as sugar, glycerol, flavorings or spices, sherry etc., as allowed under Canadian law?
4. How long is the Legacy aged, and in what kind of barrels?
thanks.... love your whiskies..."
The goal: the questions must be simple and reasonable, but for distillers, possibly a little uncomfortable. If I don't get a response, the email is resent a time or two, or perhaps under another e-name.
Wiser's Response:
The envelope please! And the response was... nada. Yup, Wiser's hasn't responded to confirm anything about their wonderful Canadian whisky. Not the grains distilled, not the method of stilling, not the additives (if any), and not the method of aging. In other words...
Omerta. And we are none the wiser, lol...
Their attitude might as well be "Hey, if we say it's good, it's good. Just shut up, don't ask any questions and drink it, asshole. ". Heaven forbid I might have an allergic reaction to some unadmitted additive.
*******
Note: My attitude is simple. If a distiller really and truly uses commendable materials and methods, you can be sure they'll say so and will not hesitate to confirm them. OTOH, I find that evasion - and/or omerta - is cause for doubt. As for Wiser's, you decide...
To be fair, I'll continue to attempt to contact Wiser's to be sure.
