Young people are turning their backs on clear spirits like vodka in favor of whiskey and other dark liquors. The new trend is sparking creativity among vodka and gin producers in order to fight dwindling sales. Many of these distilleries are adding barrel aged products to their catalogues in order to pull in more attention from millennials who are all about the whiskey.
Absolut recently released a barrel aged, caramel colored vodka called Oak. This mysterious-sounding beverage has the appearance of a dark liquor but the taste of vodka. Svedka’s parent company, Constellation Brands, is diving into this trend too. They recently purchased a Utah based whiskey distillery called High West. Companies are even exploring cross-spirit blends. Grey Goose’s newest product, called VX, is a barrel aged cross between vodka and cognac. Your guess is as good as ours about how this one goes down.
This movement towards dark spirits is expected to continue so keep your eyes open for more experimental blends and colors.