top-shelf liquor
{{Short description|Marketing description}}
Top-shelf liquor (or "premium liquor") is a term used in marketing to describe higher-priced alcoholic beverages, typically stored on the top shelves within bars.{{Cite web |title=What Are Top Shelf Liquors—And Does it Matter {{!}} Wine Enthusiast |url=https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/top-shelf-liquor-explained/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=www.wineenthusiast.com|date=April 2022 }} This contrasts to a "rail" or well drink, which are lower cost beverages typically stored on the lower shelves of the bartender's rack.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QyusKkN-tqgC&q=rail+well+vs+call+vs+top-shelf&pg=PA7 |title=Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology |publisher=St. Martin's Press |others=Harvard Student Agencies, Inc. |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-312-34906-6 |editor1-last=Lai |editor1-first=Anne |edition=4th |pages=7–9 |name-list-style=vanc}}{{cite book |last1=Kulp |first1=Kayleigh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWCrqWDA_foC&pg=PA113 |title=Booze for Babes: The Smart Woman's Guide to Drinking Spirits Right |publisher=Hundred Proof Publishing Co. |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-9857731-0-6 |page=113 |name-list-style=vanc}}{{cite book |last1=Katsigris |first1=Costas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwCACgAAQBAJ&q=well&pg=PA704 |title=The Bar and Beverage Book |last2=Thomas |first2=Chris |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2012 |isbn=9780470248454 |edition=5th |page=704}}{{cite book |last1=Feinstein |first1=Andrew H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2WPWUeSITlQC&pg=PA567 |title=Purchasing: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry |last2=Stefanelli |first2=John M. |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-470-31485-2 |page=567 |ref=. |name-list-style=vanc}}
Tiers of beverages
File:Our_bartender_at_Superior,_New_Orleans_2016.jpg
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) divides all spirit categories into four segments: standard, premium, high-end premium, and super premium, with each of the latter three categories often colloquially described under the umbrella of "top shelf".{{Cite web |title=Your Guide to Premium Spirits: How and When to Buy |url=https://tastersclub.com/blogs/articles/premium-spirits |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Taster's Club |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=What Are Top Shelf Liquors—And Does it Matter {{!}} Wine Enthusiast |url=https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/top-shelf-liquor-explained/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=www.wineenthusiast.com|date=April 2022 }}{{Cite web |last=Highland |first=Carol |date=2021-11-04 |title=The Difference Between Well, Premium And Top Shelf Liquor {{!}} Luxury Activist |url=https://luxuryactivist.com/lifestyle/the-difference-between-well-premium-and-top-shelf-liquor/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |language=en-US}}
The categories of premium and super-premium beverage describe top-shelf liquors which may possess additional special attributes, including, but not limited to: brand,{{Cite web |last=goat |date=2021-01-20 |title=What makes a premium spirit? |url=https://bbbdrinks.com/what-makes-a-premium-spirit/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=bbb drinks |language=en-GB}} batch size, rarity, aging, craftsmanship, revenue for the manufacturer,{{Cite web |last=Galante |first=Meredith |date=2019-07-23 |title=The Hot Trend for a New Generation of Drinkers: Super-Premium Spirits |url=https://www.dimins.com/blog/2019/07/23/new-drinkers-super-premium-spirits/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Dimensional Insight |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=What Exactly Is a Super Premium Spirit Anyway? |url=https://fortune.com/longform/what-is-a-super-premium-spirit/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Fortune |language=en}} and marketing budget.
Research by GlobalData forecasts the market share of the premium/super-premium segment to grow by 13% in 2024, with 40% of global liquor consumers already consuming the category.{{Cite web |title=The Growing Premium Cocktail Craze! |url=https://bartenderspiritsawards.com/en/blog/insights-1/the-growing-premium-cocktail-craze-473.htm |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Bartender Spirits Awards |language=en}}
Social reception
The trend of certain drinks being labeled "top-shelf" or "premium" and being demanded by consumers based on this status is described as "premiumization."{{Cite thesis |title=Diageo: Asia leading the premiumization of spirits? |url=https://run.unl.pt/handle/10362/122743 |date=2021-01-18 |degree=masterThesis |first=Joana Beatriz Gonçalves Dos |last=Reis}}
Increased demand from consumers based on perceived "premium" status has been measured to be on the rise since 2020.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-10 |title=Alcohol Trends 2023: Key Factors Shaping the Industry this Year |url=https://overproof.com/2022/11/10/alcohol-trends-2023/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Overproof |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal |last1=Plata |first1=Alejandro |last2=Motoki |first2=Kosuke |last3=Spence |first3=Charles |last4=Velasco |first4=Carlos |date=2022-03-01 |title=Trends in alcohol consumption in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-country analysis |journal=International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science |volume=27 |pages=100397 |doi=10.1016/j.ijgfs.2021.100397 |pmid=35003399 |issn=1878-450X|pmc=8717736 }}{{Cite web |date=2023-04-21 |title=Consumers are buying more premium alcohol, seltzers |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/beverage/consumers-are-buying-more-premium-alcohol-seltzers |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Supermarket News |language=en}}
Premium labeling, however, is often a topic of debate among consumers and critics. Some use the term premium as a measure of quality, describing liquors made with "natural ingredients and more careful distilling and aging processes"{{Cite web |last=Hsupublished |first=Jeremy |date=2010-06-24 |title=Is Premium Liquor Really Better than the Cheap Stuff? |url=https://www.livescience.com/32665-is-premium-liquor-really-better-than-the-cheap-stuff.html |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Your Guide to Premium Spirits: How and When to Buy |url=https://tastersclub.com/blogs/articles/premium-spirits |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Taster's Club |language=en}}
To others industry insiders, the term has been described as "meaningless" with those who purchase premium liquors "really just paying for a mass-produced spirit with an excessively high marketing budget."
Some scientific studies have indicated that one's decision to purchase alcohol perceived as premium is not tied to quality at all, but rather a driven subconscious pursuit of status, complex social factors and desire to conform.{{Cite journal |last=Cunningham |first=Nicole |date=2023-12-31 |title=The role of social group influences when intending to purchase premium alcohol |journal=Cogent Business & Management |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/23311975.2023.2174093 |issn=2331-1975|doi-access=free |hdl=10419/294265 |hdl-access=free }}
References
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