The link about the yuppie-fication of the Bourbon industry provided by CptCurl is interesting... particularly the reference to the Tulip-Mania moment. That hasn't arrived quite yet, but it hasn't happened with extremely high priced wines yet either. Yet.
Earlier in this discussion, I mentioned a few everyday Bourbons that are quite drinkable when you are only tying to impress yourself, and which don't cost several dollars a shot. I can't help thinking about a wager I witnessed when I worked as a bartender for several months while looking for work in my major after graduating from college.
It was a rough working class neighborhood bar, and I worked mostly during the day when all of the older retired guys and alcoholics made their daily visits. One day, a patron was pretty loaded, and arguing about beers with some other guys. He proudly proclaimed that his brand was the best, and said he'd know it anywhere. Another patron heard this and told him he was full of shit, and the heated argument soon turned into a wager. Money was piled onto the bar, and I was drafted to set up the test and referee the results. A couple clean bar-rags were tied together to make a blindfold for the guy. I was asked to set up a row of small chaser glasses, and we filled them with about 8 or 9 different beers including the favorite of our blindfolded friend. A small piece of paper under each glass had the brand name of the contents written on it.
Then, the guy who jump started this contest called me over, and in a low whisper, he instructed me to also fill two more of the test glasses, one with plain water, and one with 7-UP from the soft drink dispenser.
The blindfolded guy was then handed a glass one at a time, and asked to tell us when he tasted his Shlitz or Strohs or Koehlers or whatever it was. He worked his way down the line, and actually tasted his own favorite without identifying it. But when he took a sip of the 7-UP, he banged his fist on the bar and said, "That's my beer... I'd know it anywhere!"
The guy who set up the wager collected his money. The guy who lost had to accept his loss, which was witnessed by me and his friends. I was pretty amazed by the results at the time, but the guy who set him up told me that he had done this a number of times before to other drunks, and that once a drinker is half-loaded, their taste buds are anesthetised to the point that they won't know what the hell they are drinking. He said the ability to taste accurately drops rapidly after only a couple drinks. This guy was ripped enough that he thought 7-UP was his favorite beer.
And this is how bars can easily get away with putting a cheaper whiskey in a top-shelf bottle.
