Do you drink your whisky with Coca-cola? Perhaps you find the taste of whisky too harsh but somehow the heavier sweet/herbaceous/smokey flavors go pretty well in a mixer?

Well good news is you’re not alone!

The truth is there really isn’t a right way to drink whisky, there is a recommended way, but really who is gonna police you at 3am sitting around in a circle with your friends trying to get wasted?

This image of a bunch of people awkwardly playing spin the bottle lives rent-free on Wikipedia. (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Preferring to drink whisky in a mixer is no less legit than drinking it neat, or so whisky brands have been trying to signal. Nah! The truth truth is that your dollar is better in their pockets than yours. 

Anyhow, whisky brands have sought to make whiskies more accessible (just as we are!). Realistically, most people don’t have a great first impression of whiskies and they almost never try whiskies neat for their first time.

 Glenmorangie X comes with several cocktail suggestions. (Image Source: Glenmorangie)

To fit around that, Glenmorangie has come up with X, which is designed to be used as a mixer with tonic water or cola.

This expression, bottled at a very easy-going 40% abv, was aged in Bourbon casks and finished with new charred oak casks.

It is sweet and richer in taste, with notes of:

Pear, Vanilla, Honeysuckle, Orange Sherbet, Chocolate Fudge, and that Cherry Coke you mixed in.

Glenmorangie has also niftily included several easy cocktail recipes that you can find in the QR code on the bottle.

Some cocktail suggestions include: Date Night, Nights In, Karaoke, BBQ, Brunch, Passionfruit and Marmalade. Basically just replace the water in your water bottle with the Glenmorangie X.

Our Take:

Whisky brands have sought to increase their total addressable market, and they’ve figured, if they can’t get everyone to come to them, why not go to these folks instead?

The perception that whiskies are inaccessible not just in price tag but also in taste, is well known. Most people simply find whiskies too harsh due to the high abv. By comparison wine punches at about 5% and beer at 4%, while whisky weighs in at 40 – 60%.

Image Source: Edward M. Janzekovich

Hence, cracking the code to changing this demographic’s minds is an eyewatering goldmine. By creating whiskies that are designed for mixers, the hope is that more people will slowly get into the groove of whiskies. Frankly, I think it’s brilliant. 

Most recently, Johnnie Walker has also released their own version of a mixer-friendly whisky and so did indie bottler Compass Box.

Yet funnily, I also find this whole exercise very reminiscent of a country whose whiskies are proverbial gold bars. To save you the guessing, I’m referring to Japan.

The Suntory Kakubin was designed for Highball cocktails. (Image Source: Drink Manila)

Recall our Feature on why people love Japanese whiskies so much? Early iterations of Japanese whiskies modelled themselves after Scotch, which was wholly rejected as too harsh. Japanese whiskies then evolved its way into daily life by producing lighter, more floral and fruity whiskies such as Yamazaki’s Kakubin, which was designed for highball cocktails. Which was of course a commercial success.

I suppose the masters can stand to learn from its disciples every once in a while.

Glenmorangie’s own Highball suggestion. (Image Source: Glenmorangie)

The Glenmorangie X in specific does sound like it might do the job, sweet, rich, fruity, and also fairly affordable.

Kudos to Glenmorangie for being open to reinventing the wheel!

It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. Kanpai! 

@111hotpot