Vodka session
speaking
The current super-saturation of the vodka market
means brands need to find their point of difference
and maintain it. Sarah Davey sat in on a round table
discussion with three industry experts to find out
how they see the clear liquid making its mark.
drinks trade 33
Vodka session
Vitek Czernuszyn, Manuel Terron and Doug Van Tienen at the Drinks Trade vodka session.
Following the excise on ready-to-drink products, there has been
much talk of what will happen to the straight spirits industry. A recent
Drinks Trade vodka session provided Polish distiller Vitek Czernuszyn of
Vitek Vodka, industry representative Doug Van Tienen from Barmania!
and training manager Manuel Terron from Southtrade International
the opportunity to talk through a range of different vodkas as well as
discuss trends they have noted during their time in the industry.
The discussion focused on marketing, with all three men agreeing
that the ‘neutrality’ of the spirit is a major factor in brand development. “I
think one of the reasons vodka is so successful is because it is the ‘blank
canvas’ of alcohol,” Vitek said. “It’s the blank canvas on which everyone can
paint their masterpiece.” Traditionally, vodka was marketed as a tasteless
alcohol. With most of the vodka-consuming markets being in Russia and
Poland, there was not a need to identify one brand over another. In today’s
market, however, the consumer is spoiled for choice and brands need
that ‘special something’ to differentiate them from their competitors.
Many brands are choosing to focus their marketing around the
distillation process. “You’re never going to see a vodka company come
out and say, ‘we’re tasteless and colourless’ – there’s just no saleability
in that,” Manuel said. “What are they going to lean on, if not for the
process? When you look at a clear definition of what vodka is, there
is no notes, no character – there’s nothing but alcoholic heat.”
Pick up any bottle of vodka and on the label you will be sure to find written
somewhere how many times it has been distilled - but what does this really
mean to those who are purchasing bottles? “When I present bartenders
with a new vodka, the first question I am asked is, ‘How many times is it
distilled?’” Doug said. “I say to them, ‘What does it actually mean when
you ask me that question?’ and no one can answer it.” The team argued
that while distillation will extract some of the strong alcoholic flavours that
naturally come through, the process only really needs to be done once.
“Once you’ve distilled the spirit you have eradicated any character,” Manuel
said. “After the first distillation, there’s really nothing left to eliminate.”
While some vodka brands are leaning on the distillation process to market
the product, it has become increasingly popular to give layers of ‘flavour’
to the spirit. Manuel noted the tendency for brands to up-sell their flavour.
“When vodka was first introduced to the market people were saying, ‘this
doesn’t taste like anything’,” he said. “They were the people who enjoyed
drinks such as juniper-heavy gins, austere cognacs and they identified
with these spirits because they had certain taste profiles.” But the question
asked was whether there was really any way of picking the ‘flavour’ in a
non-flavoured vodka – and Vitek didn’t seem to think so. “At least when you
speak about wine, there are different levels of bouquets and depth,” he
34 drinks trade
said. “When I start hearing about the pepper and the berry in a vodka – and
I like to think I have quite a good palate and nose – I just can’t find it.”
Following a tasting session Doug conducted in Melbourne, 26 bartenders
were presented with different vodkas and were asked to write accompanying
tasting notes. When the results came back, not one bartender had the
same tasting notes as the official version. “Asking someone to comment
on a vodka’s taste is like asking someone how long a piece of string is,”
said Manuel. “You’re going to get different answers from each person.”
However, brands such as Ciroc have created a distinct flavour profile to
set them apart from competitors. By introducing a lemon-peel aspect
into the distillation process the brand is able to market itself as ‘vodka
with a difference,’ rather than a flavoured vodka. “It’s that citrus, lemony
thing that distinguishes it from all other vodkas,” Manuel said. “More
than the taste, it’s very big on the nose. They have created this neutral
vodka, I think based on the popularity of flavoured vodkas – they have
added the aspect in without having to call themselves a citrus vodka.”
Ciroc is considered by the majority of the market to fit in the ‘luxury’
category. But what is it that defines luxury? Once again, the team put it
down to marketing. “The difference between a good vodka and a bad vodka
is fairly self-evident,” Vitek said. “The difference between a good vodka
and super-premium vodka? While there is a growing market that is starting
to understand it, unless you are an avid vodka or martini drinker you will,
I think, never be able to tell the difference.” Manuel agreed, stating that
the line is constantly blurred especially between a super-premium and a
luxury. “It takes a true aficionado to taste a vodka and say ‘This is good
quality’ and then ‘This one is rubbish,’” he said. It is thanks to this blurred
line that brands are jumping to marketing to get their point across.
The ABSOLUT marketing campaign has been touted as possibly the
most successful in the world. Everything, from the shape of the bottle
right down to the use of the word ‘ABSOLUT-LY’ in various situations has
given the brand exposure across the world. “It’s extraordinary to what
degree they took the concept and applied it across everything in life,”
Vitek said. The campaign has been so successful that people can identify
the brand immediately – which makes for extremely powerful presence.
Belvedere has also harnessed the power of marketing. First hitting the
market around 100 years ago, Belvedere was known as the ‘pedestrian’
spirit and enjoyed by the lower classes in Poland. Originally owned by the
Polish vodka promotion board (POLMOS), Vitek grew up knowing the ‘other’
Belvedere, and finds it amazing how pure marketing has turned the brand
around. “I always have a laugh with my mother about this, because of how it
was seen when I was younger,” said Vitek. “They have managed to turn this
vodka into what is rapidly becoming the leading vodka in the world – purely
through marketing!” Essentially, what the team agreed on was the fact that
image is one of the most important things when it comes to marketing vodka.
“What position does for real estate, image does for vodka,” Vitek stated.
“It’s about image, image image – because that’s all they’ve got to sell.”
Looking ahead for the category, Manuel predicts the gradual reduction
of vodka-based cocktails on-premise. He believes this is because vodka
does not carry the immediate flavours that a gin or a cognac exhibit,
therefore bartenders are limited with what they can do with it. “I see the
more knowledgeable the bartender becomes, the more they learn to despise
vodka,” he said. “I say that because they can see that vodka doesn’t lend
itself to their creativity.” He went on to say that the trend will most likely
begin in the style bars and have a rippling effect, so that eventually on
most cocktail menus there will only be four or five vodka-based cocktails.
Following the RTD excise, sales for straight spirits spiked and it comes as
no surprise that vodka still remains the most popular white spirit off-premise
– with Doug observing that in the last two weeks his sales were up 30 percent
on average. The Drinks Trade vodka session ended on a positive note, with
the team agreeing that coupled with an image accepted by the consumer,
there is no reason why vodka shouldn‘t have a long and happy shelf life.