The Tasting Panel magazine

November2010

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On the Rocks: The Search for America’s Top Bartender is a four-episode series that pre- miered on October 30th after Saturday Night Live on nine local NBC (in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, San Diego and Hartford, CT) as well as the NBC affiliates in Las Vegas and New Orleans. The next episodes will air on November 6th, 13th and 20th. Sensory Analysis One of Simon Ford’s biggest and most successful projects is Absolut’s Sensory Analysis program which teaches bartenders how to taste. “We teach how the tongue works, too,” adds Ford, who set up a blind tasting of a variety of vodka brands. “We know that vodka is one of the most subtle of all spirits, so how does a bartender perceive the differences between what he or she is tasting?” Spirits expert Dave Wondrich hosted a “Vodka Speakeasy” showcasing a century of vodka cocktails with 13 recipes to help enhance profiles for Absolut and its line-up of flavors. “We are bringing the bartender back to vodka,” Ford states. By improving the trade percep- tion of Absolut, the brand is in effect reintroducing vodka to the trade, many of whom may have temporarily left the spirit behind in a rush to discover other categories. “Absolut is the number one imported vodka in the U.S.,” Ford tells THE TASTING PANEL. “It’s a brand that tastes good . . . and a brand that cares.” november 2010 / the tasting panel / 41 Sensory analysis programs were held in cities across the U.S., using visual, aroma and auditory elements to improve trade perception not only of Absolut, but of the entire vodka category.

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