Biju Chacko wrote [at 12:20 PM 9/3/2007] :
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/31/is-vodka-different/
Why do brands of whiskey, rum, and gin stay constant, while new vodkas
spring up like weeds? Dubner offers one explanation.
I was about to post when I noticed this comment
at teh URL above, which basically captures my thoughts:
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/31/is-vodka-different/#comment-116422
I dont think it is entirely true that there are
no new rums, gins, etc. I think the reason that
there are so new vodkas is 1) vodka is the most
popular hard liquor by sales in most bars, so if
you were to enter the liquor market you would
most likely pick vodka; 2) vodkas are basically
perfect substitutes for one another and dont
really have the flavor characteristics that keep
rum or gin drinkers loyal to a particular brand;
and 3) there is a ton of money to make in the
premium liquor market you pretty much have to
charge a high price because some people think
that a cheap vodka will give them a hangover and
other people like to drink a status product.
except that I disagree with his #2 point. Vodkas
*are* perfect substitutes for each other if you
only use them in mixed drinks, though.
Udhay (a longtime fan of Stoli for sipping
purposes, and Zubrowka for special occasions)
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
