More Headlines, Fewer Bottles: The Rise of Clickbait Scotch
The Macallan, Glenlivet, Dalmore, and other spirits companies are releasing incredibly old, gorgeously packaged, hilariously rare, and extremely pricey whiskies. Explore what constitutes “clickbait Scotch,” and what it tells us about spirits consumers.
Source: https://vinepair.com
On a Monday evening in late February 2019, a small group of New York-based writers went to Sotheby’s for a lavish dinner prepared by Chef Massimo Bottura, the famed maestro behind the world’s best restaurant, Osteria Francescana. This private event was ostensibly held to announce The Dalmore’s new, 49-year-old Scotch, L’Anima, which was packaged in a single bottle and would eventually fetch £108,000 at auction (approximately $139,500), to be donated to the chef’s non-profit organization, Food for Soul.
Really, though, if we’re being honest, this Scotch was created and that event held so the invited journalists would write about it — and dozens eventually did.
It seems like once a week some company releases a brand new, incredibly old, gorgeously packaged, hilariously rare, and extremely f*cking pricey whisky. How it tastes and whether someone actually buys and drinks the stuff is beside the point. Instead, brands are creating what essentially constitutes “clickbait Scotch” — products designed to generate headlines readers will click on, not actual spirits people will sip and savor.