alcohol beverages generally

We got to thinking that the much-ballyhooed swimsuit issue, published in Sports Illustrated every winter, might shed some light on trends in the economy, alcohol beverage advertising, and print advertising more generally. In the past, the swimsuit issue has been a prime place for beer and spirits advertising. This year’s issue is 178 pages, chock full of bikinis. Only 7.3 pages are devoted to alcohol beverage ads. This is nearly a 50% drop off from two years ago, when the economy (and print advertising) were flying a lot higher. A big part of this is due to one brand. Budweiser advertising was at seven pages in 2007 and down to a skimpy two pages in 2009. Almost all of the 2009 ads seem to be customized for the swimsuit edition. Back in 2007, it was about half and half. There is essentially no wine advertising in any of these three issues, and beer accounts for 2/3 while spirits are at about 1/3. Herewith, two of the better alcbev-centric ads tailored to this magazine.

The text on this Glenlivet Scotch ad may be hard to read, and is worth repeating. It says:

THE GLENLIVET was ESTABLISHED when SWIMWEAR was a lady’s SAFEGUARD from the elements. Back in 1824, even the SLIGHTEST display of ANKLE could put the FIRE in...

It is likely that all beer, wine and spirits labels will change dramatically in the near future. TTB has been working on new rules since CSPI and other groups submitted a petition in 2003. The new rules would require a “Serving Facts” panel on every container. This panel would include a lot more information, such as the typical serving size, number of servings per container, calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Because this is a big, controversial change, TTB has received more than 18,000 public comments during the past few years. There are far too many comments for most people to review, and so we will highlight and summarize the most noteworthy comments here. The most recent proposal and comments are here. This is comment 20 in a series; to see others, click on the “serving facts” tag below. CSPI submitted a 10 page comment. It said:

1. CSPI has been pushing TTB and ATF on this since 1972.
2. Alcohol beverage labels offer few uniform disclosures to help consumers. Consumers deserve basic, uniform information that can help them “measure, monitor, and moderate their drinking.”
3. Alcohol is “America’s most popular, legal drug.”
4. TTB ignores more than 35 years of requests for ingredient labeling, and instead requires disclosure of rarely occurring nutrients such as fats and proteins. TTB should also require...

OK we admit that the aforementioned spirits with worms and scorpions are a little light on meat. But here is the real thing.  Spirits with chicken. Chicken. It is commonly known as Pechuga. Del Maguey is a famous brand. The producer warns about plenty of fake mezcal and pechuga and explains:

Pechuga is begun with Minero; mezcal that has already been double distilled. In preparation for a third distillation [the producer adds] wild mountain apples and plums, big red plantain bananas, pineapples, a handful of almonds and a few pounds of uncooked white rice. Next, a whole chicken breast, skin removed, bone structure complete, is washed in running water for about three hours to remove any grease. This is then suspended by strings in the atmosphere of the still and a 24 hour, third distillation is begun. The vapor passes over the pechuga and condenses into a crystal clear liquid that has an amazing taste and smoothness. The reason for the breast they say, is so the mezcal is not dominated by the fruit…a balance. Upon completion the Pechuga is removed from the still and hung in the family Altar room…the most important space in the house.