When the bow breaks... Do you want fries with your Bigmac?

Straw that broke the blogger's back??! $300/bottle

Last year I wrote an article for a UK magazine where I basically stated that the average whiskyphile was getting sick and tired of high prices, bad marketing and the crazy train. I finished the piece with a bit of a warning to the 'big' guys stating that when the bottom falls out this time... the whisky village, so to speak, may not necessarily catch the baby when the bow breaks. 

I will be honest. I know many people don't read my blog, just as much as I don't have the time or the energy to read everyone else's. I do however have a select few (about 10 or so) that I enjoy on a regular basis. These past few weeks I have seen 4 of those people state publicly either on social media or a written blog that they are utterly fed up with the machine and are no longer interested or willing to ride the crazy train. No offence to anyone when I state the following: These guys have been writing about whisky for years. They do way more than just write about the twitter tasting they were on or latest/greatest newest releases. They don't cut/paste marketing emails and slag it off as blog content and as far as I know they don't get invited to parties or get free trips anywhere. Great blogs are about to go silent. I didn't expect that somehow and I'm at a loss for words, which I assure you does not happen often.

As I sit and write my next blog I find myself staring at the blinking cursor, erasing entire paragraphs and struggling to type. I think about the remaining few that I enjoy and wonder how long before they disappear too. My friend Oliver mentioned in his piece that some of us are writing professionally now. I am guilty of that. Which of course means I spend more time composing 'paid' work than blogging. 

I have also stated privately a few times that I'm uncomfortable being called a whisky blogger because there seems to be a negative stigma attached to it in some cases. (The eye rolling we received at a few distilleries in Scotland this year was a sign!) So, what's next? Do I also throw in the white towel in solidarity? Do I 'keep feeding the beast'? Do I become the Gin Lassie? No... not yet I think, I guess?!

First thing I will do is implore the people I admire and respect to not go silent. Surely there is still content to be written? And that's the key: CONTENT. It's what made the blogs enjoyable to begin with. Creative, well written CONTENT. Not mindless dribble, boring nose/palate/finish bla bla bla... 

Second thing I will do is keep writing but maybe try to do a better job at it. I've always stated that my whisky journey is about the people, places, and moments that are created. I've rarely written otherwise (I think)...  So, I'm going to keep to that promise. 

Third thing: People from the marketing industry - PLEASE START PAYING ATTENTION. When we start to lose very respectable individuals it's time to maybe reevaluate who/what/where/when and why you are feeding 'the collective'. Yes there are businesses to run and money to be made but mark my words here and now on Thursday June 2nd 2016 if you don't change where this seems to be heading, you won't be going anywhere but the unemployment line and all the part time "yes men" in the world won't give a rats ass.

Lassie