Aldi and the £50 whisky
If the intention of budget supermarket giant Aldi was to get publicity by launching a 40 year old whisky for under £50, then I guess they succeeded.
But if it was attempting to lure middle class customers in to its stores in the run in to Christmas in a bid to change perceptions, I’m really not sure it has gone about it in the right way at all. And quite what damage it has done to the premium spirits market remains to be seen.
To recap, Aldi has launched a 40 year old whisky across its estate for £49.99, and a 24 year old one for £29.99. A good quality whisky aged 40 years would normally retail from £350 upwards, and for a ‘name’ brand such asHighland Park, Talisker or Dalmore, the figure would be quite considerably higher. The price of the 24 year old is less than what a good quality 12 year old single malt should cost.
Aldi has released a few thousand bottles of the 40 year old whisky across its 1800 stores as a loss leader, and unsurprisingly it has caused quite a stir.
But the move may have done our industry more harm than good and failed to achieve its aims.
Why?
Firstly, because in recent years the industry’s whole focus has been about drinking less but better, a message liked in with responsible drinking and with an emphasis on quality and heritage. Pernod Ricard in particular has emphasised the importance of age to quality, and the company hasn’t done it for altruistic reasons. It wants people to know what the value of an aged spirit is so they understand why they should pay a fair, but higher, price for it. So what does it say when one of the rarest whiskies you can buy costs less than the Call of Duty computer game?
Secondly, and perhaps in contradiction to that point, I’m not sure that the significance of such a low price is understood by the public. If you’re working in a bar, ask a handful of customers what a 40 year old whisky should cost. Ask your friends. I guarantee that most won’t have a clue and the range of answers you get will be huge. What most people know is that whisky can be expensive and expensive means higher than £40.
And finally, most people these days are cynical enough to believe that you don’t get something for nothing, no business is going to offer hand outs, and if a very old whisky is this cheap there must be something wrong with it. A few years ago a major drinks company did the same thing with a world famous blend. It was shunned by the public because they knew that the price wasn’t right. The company ended up buying the stock back at the price the supermarket was selling it, taking a huge financial hit in the process.
It may be then, that the whole idea will backfire.
As for the whisky? I’m told it’s lovely.
