Comfortably seated in front of my computer with my hairy sleepy cat purring on my knees, I was about to pour myself a wee glass of – ENTER YOUR FAVOURITE DRAM HERE – when my eyes met the path of this exciting 140-characters statement on my Twitter live feed :
BWW Previews: NYLO NEW YORK CITY Offers Urban Bourbon Trail Package with Jeffersons Bourbon: http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtravel
NYLO Hotel
An urban Bourbon Trail in NYC ? That’s definitely one of the best initiatives I had heard of so far in 2015 (well, still 11 months to go, come on whisky buddies, bring it on !). Not that I am particularly a bourbon expert or a crazy New York lover, but I quickly realised the huge touristic potential of NYC when it comes to Bourbon. Urban distilleries, amazing bars and whisky aficionados clubs (Not to mention, I have been told recently that NYC is actually home to many whisky women… Which is not really surprising when you think about the size of this town…), many things can be done (and have to be done).
So here I am, clicking on the linked article and finding myself on the BroadwayWorld website, reading what’s gonna turn to a huge disappointment.
The NYC Urban Bourbon Trail happened to be a NYLO hotel and Jefferson’s Bourbon’s initiative which is going to be organised over ONE SINGLE WEEKEND in February. Well, some would argue that it’s still a good start and might even give ideas to tourism stakeholders enabling them to look into this direction and create a real touristic product, which may be right. However, I am not really comfortable with the idea of the trail being a brand’s initiative and therefore only part of a wider marketing strategy. Even if the package sounds quite appealing (whiskey tasting lesson and blending session, top-class accommodation, complimentary metro card, gifts and a map of NYC whiskey bars), The “trail” being organised by a brand aiming at promoting itself won’t bring you to spots where they don’t find any interest for them. Don’t you think it would be nicer (and much more interesting) for New Yorkers and citybreakers to discover the whiskey-making process before tasting the product ? I mean, I would definitely understand if there was no place to do so, but NYC is home to urban distilleries (Kings County, Van Brunt Stillhouse, The New York Distilling Company…) which are really worth the visit…
Well, here is just my personal feeling about the article. I also think that I won’t have felt the same way if NYLO hotel and Jefferson’s had not called their package “NYC Urban Bourbon Trail”. It’s like taking part to a “Dublin Whiskey Trail” and not passing by the Old Jameson Distillery, nonsense – at least to me.
What do you think of Jeffersons Bourbon’s initiative ?
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