gloria.p wrote:
>
> Last time I wandered down the vodka aisle I was astonished by the
> variety of flavors. I wonder how long there will be a demand for some
> of the more exotic flavors when the fadistas have moved on to other
> drinks.

My theory is Prohibition in the US increased the market for distilled
alcoholic beverages where beer and wine had been relatively more poular
than whiskey and brandy before Prohibition. Once Prohibition was gone
it took a couple of generations for weaker drinks to start taking over
the market again. Whether my theory about causes is right or wrong,
beverages with less alcohol have switched popularity with the stronger
ones.

The vodka manufacturers saw wine coolers rise in popularity so they
started bottling pre-made mixed drinks. I think they creditted the
flavor not the lower alcohol so they started producing flavored drinks.

Also there's my old experience of a blind tasting back when I was in
college where none of the kids could tell the top shelf brands apart,
none of the kids could tell the bottom shelf brands apart, and only half
could tell the top shelf from the bottom shelf brands. There are bound
to be experts that can tell every detail but the majority of the
population isn't much different from the college kids I knew. Vodka
manufacturers know that the better their product the more most people
think it's the same as their competitors. Flavors are a market
differentiator.