A customer approached me the other day in the tequila aisle and asked a very interesting question that I would like to address today. He asked me if Patron is the best tequila on the market. While Patron is an excellent top-shelf tequila, it is more a pop culture phenomenon and not necessarily the best tequila out there. Much of the liquor industry is centered around image and marketing. Many of the products that society and marketing stipulate to be the best are generally excellent products, but I would never call them the best. Grey Goose and Patron are both very good products, just as their advertising campaigns dictate. However, my recommendation to you is that, as a consumer, don’t let yourself be marketed to. A determination of the best can only be decided upon by the consumer. Drink what you like, not what other people tell you that you should like.
Some of my favorite products in the entire store are from the smallest producers. I think that smaller producers offer more bang for your buck. All that marketing costs companies millions, so it is only logical that those expensive advertising campaigns and pop culture references will be reflected in the price of the product. One example is Pierre Ferrand cognac. For virtually the same price as Hennessy V.S. you can get Pierre Ferrand’s Amber cognac, which is an X.O. from the Grande Champagne region (the finest territory within cognac). The Hennessy is a good V.S. cognac, but you are paying a lot to have the privilege of drinking that name brand. The Ferrand on the other hand is an X.O. and just on a whole other level.
So the moral of this blog is to drink what you like, not what society tells you to like, but remember there is nothing wrong with buying a name, it’s generally a safe bet. You can always rest assured that you are getting a quality product. That is one of the many benefits to branding, but just remember that by traveling off the beaten path you can almost always get a product of equal or greater quality for a bit less. If you ever need any help navigating though some of these lesser known products, don’t hesitate to ask for my assistance. I am always happy to help.
