Grey Goose Vodka

[Stazy]

I'm working on a product management assignment and would like your thoughts on the following question... In your opinion, what are Grey Goose's key differentiating attributes and current market position?

 

[kwilkinson]

Guido-esque.


It is, however, good. Just very guido/hot chicks with douchebags.

 

[Xericx]

I think a lot of people like Grey Goose for the name over other vodkas. Its an "ultra premium" brand, and people just love saying how awesome it is, when in fact, they just like ordering it because its "the goose". Kind of like the same phenomenom with Patron (which I actually like) tequilas.

For my taste, Grey Goose has a strange aftertaste after I drink it. I'll drink it, but its not my favorite vodka in that range. I'll never order it voluntarily from a bar, but when I find myself in a group getting bottle service, they always seem to order Grey Goose.

 

[DNW]

I don't remember.

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by Stazy

I'm working on a product management assignment and would like your thoughts on the following question... In your opinion, what are Grey Goose's key differentiating attributes and current market position?
Differentiating attributes:

• Distinctive, somewhat medicinal flavor
• It tastes just bad enough that many people feel they 'ought' to like it (which does not disparage those who actually like the taste)

Current Market Position:

• Probably #1 in name recognition and prestige for the majority of consumers
• It has become the go to vodka for people who don't particularly enjoy drinking spirits for their own sake.

~ H

 

[The Wayfarer]

As Huntsman touched on, Grey Goose has firmly established a solid marketing niche for itself. Beyond that, eh...

 

[RedScarf7]

Rappers talk about it in songs. People drink it for the same reason they drink Alizee, their favorite rhyme spitter drinks it.

Also, here at uni it is viewed as being pricey. For some, drinking it may be an attempt to garner a little prestige.

 

[Lucky Strike]

- Overpriced. Stoli/Absolut/Finlandia/whatever is your best bang-for-buck. - The bottle "artwork" looks unbelievably tacky. Hurts my eyes. - Heavily associated with AmJacks/DBs/Guidos. Not good. I reject the idea of "premium vodka". The taste of Grey Goose isn't too bad, but come on, this is vodka, which is more or less pure alcohol/H2O in any case. I just can't see the point. The best "vodka" I've been served was pure medical alcohol (popularly called "asswipe" by med students) diluted to 48% with Evian.

 

[Hombre Secreto]

Women love the stuff for some reason...

 

[cheessus]

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

Women love the stuff for some reason...

For the same reasons why they love 7FM and True Religion jeans.

GG wins because I think it inexplicably comes from France, whose products are associated with quality for better or for worse. I mean seriously, vodka from France?

Taste-wise, I think it is pretty good. I like the fact that it isn't as smooth as brands that are clearly superior. That said, I hate their infused vodkas. Pear smells good, but tastes horrible.

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by Lucky Strike

I reject the idea of "premium vodka". The taste of Grey Goose isn't too bad, but come on, this is vodka, which is more or less pure alcohol/H2O in any case. I just can't see the point.
The differences in that "more or less" may, in fact, be huge. The difference in taste and aroman (though some would say smell) between an Irish whisky like Jameson and a Scots whisky from Islay, such as Laphroaig, is so considerable that many can't even get near the Laphroaig yet alone taste it. That difference is due to chemical compounds called phenols that are present in Islay whiskies at concentrations on the order of 50 parts per million, or approximately 0.005%. So while vodkas as a rule are considerably less bold than any of their other spiritous counterparts, they still have distinctive flavor profiles that are definitely evident to many tasters. That subtlety is why many enjoy vodka as a counterpart to the brash circus of flavor that is bourbon or whisky. Just as with those spirits, the distilling process involves the cut between the feints and foreshoots that determines the character of the vodkas and the amount of flavor components remaining. Ciroc retains fruitiness due its grape origins, just as the pepper is evident in rye whiskys, and a certain mellow starchy note for the potato vodkas. Cheap vodka can be as nasty as cheap whisky, so I think there is room for premium vodkas on the spectrum of tastes. I hope to get some data from a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer to back some of these statements up with empirical evidence sometime this year. ~ H

 

[Pangolin]

Originally Posted by cheessus

GG wins because I think it inexplicably comes from France, whose products are associated with quality for better or for worse. I mean seriously, vodka from France?

Exactly. I grew up in France, actually very close to where they make it, and never heard of the brand until I came to the US. That should say something.

 

[Lucky Strike]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

Just as with those spirits, the distilling process involves the cut between the feints and foreshoots that determines the character of the vodkas and the amount of flavor components remaining. Ciroc retains fruitiness due its grape origins, just as the pepper is evident in rye whiskys, and a certain mellow starchy note for the potato vodkas. Cheap vodka can be as nasty as cheap whisky, so I think there is room for premium vodkas on the spectrum of tastes. I hope to get some data from a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer to back some of these statements up with empirical evidence sometime this year.
Oh, I can absolutely taste the differences between various vodkas, even in spite of having smoked twenty a day for twenty-five years (I'm supposed to have the palate of an ashtray, but I still think I can). That may be why I like whisky's "brash circus of flavor" (good phrase, that) - my palate is ruined. With vodka, I just think it's a case of very speedily diminishing returns - and I think cheap vodka is more or less always drinkable, at least when mixed, while bad whisky can be completely undrinkable. And please do the chromatograph tests!

 

[Stazy]

Thank you for all the responses so far! It's greatly appreciated.

 

[fcuknu]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Guido-esque.


It is, however, good. Just very guido/hot chicks with douchebags.

That is not true at all