Tonight my plan was to watch a long forgotten Italian spaghetti western, Django (1966), and maybe follow it up with another cinematic epic: The Big Gundown (1966)
If I had the time, I would write a film review blog and explain in painstaking detail some of my favorite movies and genres (ie. spaghetti western and film noir). But, I do not have the time nor the discipline right now, so that project will have to wait. But, the plan was . . . to watch Django and revel in the cheesy Ennio Morricone influenced soundtrack (you know, eerie harmonica, ghostly vocals, staccato piccolo, where string music, gunshots and bullwhip sounds meet!) the terrible dubbing of English over Italian, the violent plot line and the obligatory, hard-done-by, alluring woman of ill repute with a heart of gold. I never got to Django or The Big Gundown though. You see, I was distracted by a really bad idea.
If I had the time, I would write a film review blog and explain in painstaking detail some of my favorite movies and genres (ie. spaghetti western and film noir). But, I do not have the time nor the discipline right now, so that project will have to wait. But, the plan was . . . to watch Django and revel in the cheesy Ennio Morricone influenced soundtrack (you know, eerie harmonica, ghostly vocals, staccato piccolo, where string music, gunshots and bullwhip sounds meet!) the terrible dubbing of English over Italian, the violent plot line and the obligatory, hard-done-by, alluring woman of ill repute with a heart of gold. I never got to Django or The Big Gundown though. You see, I was distracted by a really bad idea.
No, I am not referring to Vladimir Putin's latest manly publicity stunt of flying a motorized hang glider over Siberia in an effort to lead endangered birds on their migratory path south. Note the billowing white overalls. All this in an effort by Vlad to lead some white cranes to warmer climes. Stupid! I guess it is a slight step up from locking up, for two years, a feminist gaggle of punk rockers for an anti-Putin song performed in a Russian orthodox church.
No, it wasn't that that distracted me from my much anticipated tumbleweed film fiesta. The bad idea is below for your viewing displeasure:
Just read that publicity still one more time. Yeah. Let it sink in. Take some bourbon, flavor it with black cherry and what do you get? Answer: Red Stag Black Cherry by Jim Beam.
I am not going to dignify this alleged American whisky product with a proper tasting note. That's how much I hate this swill. It's slop.
What does it taste like? A mouthful of cherry flavored cough syrup, and heavy on the syrup. Horribly sweet. Great for shooters in a nightclub where the bar staff dance on the bar or ride robotic bulls (not you guys in the crowd . . . that comes later). And, I think I have hit upon the real target audience of this product: young people, college crowd, Jagermeister enthusiasts. Nothing wrong with being a part of that demographic or selling to the market segment, but don't bring to market a product has got to be the worst entry in the 'bourbon' field.
I wouldn't be so venomous in my dislike if they didn't market this stuff as bourbon. It does not taste like bourbon. It tastes like cheap liqueur that frat boys ingest after an evening of female rejection with a repetition that rivals the gunfire in my much loved spaghetti westerns.
Look at that label. Just below the big cap, red lettering, "Red Stag" appears the words: "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey"
Nothing about this stuff tastes like bourbon. It tastes like Cherry coke with your favorite childhood cough syrup and a mouthful of cherry flavored Halls cough drops. Add the stuffy nose and you will feel as miserable as I do about this stuff.
This is a liqueur at best and a poor one at that. Super sweet, red licorice crap that is easy to shoot and get drunk on, but not a whisky within any normal meaning of the word. Might meet the legal definition of 'bourbon' according to some white shoe law firm down south, but sure as hell doesn't meet the definition for us. To my mind, Red Stag is not bourbon, it is not whiskey. It is alcohol infused cherry cola/cream soda marketed to the college and nightclub crowd.
The chief problem with this product for me, again, is the use of the words "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey." Use of those words on a label will attract the attention and spending habits of the serious whisky fan. Such a consumer will be very disappointed with what this product delivers. This is not serious bourbon. This is not a good example of American whiskey. This is an aberration.
So, I ask why would Beam Global do this? I can just see the sheepish answer from suits in a boardroom: "Profits, expanded market share, attract younger people to whiskey . . ." This is a disappointing direction for the company to take, as they have many great American whiskey products like Jim Beam Black (fantastic bourbon and amazingly affordable!) and Maker's Mark (higher price point with commensurate quality).
The chief problem with this product for me, again, is the use of the words "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey." Use of those words on a label will attract the attention and spending habits of the serious whisky fan. Such a consumer will be very disappointed with what this product delivers. This is not serious bourbon. This is not a good example of American whiskey. This is an aberration.
So, I ask why would Beam Global do this? I can just see the sheepish answer from suits in a boardroom: "Profits, expanded market share, attract younger people to whiskey . . ." This is a disappointing direction for the company to take, as they have many great American whiskey products like Jim Beam Black (fantastic bourbon and amazingly affordable!) and Maker's Mark (higher price point with commensurate quality).
Bottom Line: Think of Red Stag Black Cherry by Jim Beam as cherry flavored Jagermeister, and when you see it, run like hell in the other direction!
Cheers!
Jason Debly
P.S. - Update: Beam Global is no longer labeling this 'Red Stag' product as "Kentucky Straight Bourbon" infused with cherry but rather as 'liquer.' At least that is the case as of November 2015.
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2015. All rights reserved. Photo credits: (1) photograph of Vladimir Putin - Photographer: Alexey Druzhini; (2) Red Stag by Jim Beam promotional poster is a free download from jimbeam.com; (3) Photograph of members of Pussy Riot in custody - Misha Japaridze/Associated Press. Note: All images appearing in this article are for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment. Moreover, all images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description.
P.S. - Update: Beam Global is no longer labeling this 'Red Stag' product as "Kentucky Straight Bourbon" infused with cherry but rather as 'liquer.' At least that is the case as of November 2015.
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2015. All rights reserved. Photo credits: (1) photograph of Vladimir Putin - Photographer: Alexey Druzhini; (2) Red Stag by Jim Beam promotional poster is a free download from jimbeam.com; (3) Photograph of members of Pussy Riot in custody - Misha Japaridze/Associated Press. Note: All images appearing in this article are for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment. Moreover, all images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description.
