Scotch offered in Azamara's basic beverage package

Seems so!

 

 

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Part of it is a snobbery driven by the marketing gurus of other similar blends. I wonder how many would be so critical of Cutty Sark in a blind tasting given that 90%+ of palates are uneducated in whisky tasting

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Prefer whiskey myself, particularly the single pot still variety.

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Back in the 80s' in the U.S., most salesmen/advertising people drank scotch. So to fit in, I started drinking it. Each time I ordered, I selected a different brand until I found one that I liked the flavor of. It wasn't about my eyes. :hearteyes:

I will admit that people who mix their drink with something probably can't tell. However I suspect most who drink it neat or on the rocks can.

I wound up preferring a blended scotch and never have cared for the single malts. Not too long ago I had the opportunity to purchase Johnny Walker at a heavily discounted price in the islands. My scotch at bars is usually Black. I could be blindfolded and will walk away from Red even if free. After having gone through a bottle of Blue and then Platinum, it was really hard for me to switch back to Black until my taste buds had time to forget. I feel Blue is way overpriced and found I actually prefer the taste of Platinum to Blue.

My husband used to work in whisky warehouses in Glasgow, including Cutty Sark. He remembers that the difference was that Cutty Sark had less added caramel than other blended scotch whiskies because it was the way Americans preferred whisky. The blend itself was no different from other brands. There was a saying that people drink with their eyes.

 

 

I just asked my OH if he could tell the difference between Cutty Sark and the only blended whisky he will drink, which is Chivas Regal... He is a single malt man usually. Highland Park 18 yr old for preference.

 

The look of sheer incredulity on his face said it all! :D

My husband used to work in whisky warehouses in Glasgow, including Cutty Sark. He remembers that the difference was that Cutty Sark had less added caramel than other blended scotch whiskies because it was the way Americans preferred whisky. The blend itself was no different from other brands. There was a saying that people drink with their eyes.

Brava, Grandma. Not only do the eyes see color, they see labels.:rolleyes:

A scotch drinker can tell the difference in what he or she likes...maybe not the specific brand they are drinking. AS someone mentioned I would never drink JW RED...it has absolute no taste appeal to me...JW BLACK is the minimun. Everyday Scotch is DEWARS...affordable and a decent taste. This is what Celebrity has on their classic beverage package.

Monitored :cool:

Thank you for taking notice...hope you have some input to provide some variety in the scotch selection....add Dewars to the basic package!!!

Thank you for taking notice...hope you have some input to provide some variety in the scotch selection....add Dewars to the basic package!!!

Yes! And please quickly before November!

Yes! And please quickly before November!

(yn)(yn)(yn)

As far as Cutty Sark flavour is concerned, there is none and it is only worth diluting with coke so may as well be vodka!! You will never see it sold in Scotland where there are plenty of decent blends available at low cost e.g. Famous Grouse, Whyte and Mackay,Teachers, Grants etc. Johnnie Walker is a high volume spirit mostly sold outwith Scotland with Red Label not widely available and Black Label acceptable at a push.

Mentioned on this forum time and time again, surely someone at Azamara will take note and also upgrade the entire "complementary" bar menu to properly align with the cruise prices they now think their product is worth.

Thank you for taking notice...hope you have some input to provide some variety in the scotch selection....add Dewars to the basic package!!!

I wouldn't hold your breath.

For ages now, I have been asking for a brandy, (cheap will do), to be added to the list, without any success.

I presume that the people who make these decisions drink one of the sprits that are on the included list after dinner so, the lack of brandy does not bother them.

I wouldn't hold your breath.

For ages now, I have been asking for a brandy, (cheap will do), to be added to the list, without any success.

I presume that the people who make these decisions drink one of the sprits that are on the included list after dinner so, the lack of brandy does not bother them.[/quote.

 

I bet that they don't drink Cutty Sark

I wouldn't hold your breath.

For ages now, I have been asking for a brandy, (cheap will do), to be added to the list, without any success.

I presume that the people who make these decisions drink one of the sprits that are on the included list after dinner so, the lack of brandy does not bother them.

I also note they don't appear to include a dark rum either....even a cheap one ;) Seems I will have to pick something up in Barcelona for state room tippling before boarding our T./A next month.

Monitored :cool:

MacLaird.....I must admit I see a little Irish or Scotish in the name....and possibly one who can appreciate a decent libation. Just from a sampling of comments on this thread, if Azamara wants to hold itself out as premium "Boutique" cruise line, especially asking the prices they do, some adjustment need to be made in the basic beverage package. This adjustment should not significantly impact Azmara for all we are asking is something comparable to what its sister companies (Celebrity or even RCCL) already offers in their basic packages. Add a decent scotch such as Dewars, while considering other requests here also for a brandy or rum. Certainly hope you can make our wishes know to Azmara corporate!

MacLaird.....I must admit I see a little Irish or Scotish in the name....and possibly one who can appreciate a decent libation. Just from a sampling of comments on this thread, if Azamara wants to hold itself out as premium "Boutique" cruise line, especially asking the prices they do, some adjustment need to be made in the basic beverage package. This adjustment should not significantly impact Azmara for all we are asking is something comparable to what its sister companies (Celebrity or even RCCL) already offers in their basic packages. Add a decent scotch such as Dewars, while considering other requests here also for a brandy or rum. Certainly hope you can make our wishes know to Azmara corporate!

Rick, Actually Celebrity has moved a lot of their lower brand names off the classic package to their premium package. How would you like to pay extra for a notch above bar brand? They also raised the price on them so that you can also now pay the difference in cost between the package spend limit and the new price. That is generating a dollar or two per drink. It was all done as a revenue generator and it's working for them.

Rick, Actually Celebrity has moved a lot of their lower brand names off the classic package to their premium package. How would you like to pay extra for a notch above bar brand? They also raised the price on them so that you can also now pay the difference in cost between the package spend limit and the new price. That is generating a dollar or two per drink. It was all done as a revenue generator and it's working for them.

Just off a Celebrity Cruise in Europe and I know for a fact Dewars was their Classic Scotch and Beefeatearters their prime Gin along with Jim Beam for a Burbon. Here is a total list of drinks offered in the CLassic package.....quite a variety. I mean they donot even list CUTTY SARK its so bad!! If you have the classic package and want to try something from the premium list yes you only have to pay an upcharge over the $9 limit..ie a single malt scotch may cost $13 if I have the Classic package I would only pay the difference of $4 plus tip.

VODKA

• Absolut
  
• Absolut Flavors
  
• New Amsterdam
  
• Russian Standard
  
• Smirnoff
  
• Stolichnaya
  
• Stoli Flavors
  

GIN

• Beefeater
  
• Bombay Original
  
• Gordon’s
  

TEQUILA

• Cazadores Blanco
  
• Cuervo Silver
  
• Don Julio Blanco
  

WHISKEY (BOURBON, CANADIAN, IRISH, AND SCOTCH)

• Canadian Club
  
• Dewar’s White Label
  
• Famous Grouse
  
• Jameson
  
• Jim Beam
  
• Johnnie Walker Red
  
• Monkey Shoulder
  
• Seagram’s 7
  
• Seagram’s VO
  

RUM

• Bacardi & Flavors
  
• Bacardi Oakheart Spiced
  
• Captain Morgan
  
• Kraken Black Spiced
  
• Malibu Coconut
  
• Myer’s Dark
  
• Wray & Nephew
  

CORDIALS & COGNACS

• Campari
  
• Cointreau
  
• Galliano
  
• Goldschlager
  
• Hennessy VS
  
• Kirsch
  
• Kahlua
  
• Licor 43
  
• Martell VS
  
• Novo Fogo
  
• Ouzo
  
• Pimms 1
  
• Sambuca Romana
  
• Southern Comfort
  
• Tia Maria
  

I believe the one thing you're missing is I feel you're comparing apples and oranges. Weren't you initially complaining about the included list of complimentary liquor brands Azamara gives everyone on the cruise while now touting the brands on the lower Celebrity paid package (whether by perk or package price)? What complimentary liquor brands does Celebrity give their guests other than the complimentary embarkation drink?

These scotches are on Azamara's bottom paid liquor package named Premium for $15.95/day (equivalent to Celebrity's Classic for $55/day?): Dewar's White Label, The Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker Red Label, Justerini & Brooks.

I only brought up the beverage packages because you mentioned them in an earlier post. As an Elite PLus member of Celebrity and Diamond on RCCL we do get complimentary drinks and the selection is much better than what Azamara offers. Dewars is the basic scotch offered...my point in listing the liquor offerings in Celebrity beverage package is that they dont even offer such a (60's) brand as Cutty Sark..nor do they offer Cutty with their free offerings.

Look if Azamara wants to hold itself out as a premium "boutique" cruise line and charge the prices they charge, dont insult the customer by offering "a 60's" brand liquor as their "complimentary" beverages. It does not have to be TOP shelf but it should not be what our fathers drank in the 60s either. As Alfredo1 stated in an earlier post, " As far as Cutty Sark flavour is concerned, there is none and it is only worth diluting with coke so may as well be vodka!! You will never see it sold in Scotland ." And lets not kid ourselves by calling something complimentary...we all know we are paying for the product one way or another

Please forgive me. I forgot you were Elite Plus.

That being said, I wouldn't drink Cutty, Dewers or JW red even if it were free. As a matter of fact I've had two bottles each of Cutty and Dewers in my liquor pantry for over 30 years. Nobody I know will drink it when they come over for a party.

The top shelf AZ package, Ultimate, is only $21.95/day. Well worth it if you drink quality brands. Or are you just looking for free stuff because of your Celebrity and RCCL status?

Chuck..no need to be formal here ...its simply a discussion board with different opinions. My everyday stuff is on Azamara's list however I do upgrade on Celebrity to enjoy the Martini bar and World Class bar for Bombay Sapphire or Bullet Bourbon. The better half enjoys the scotch and although Dewars is her "ok" drink...she definitely enjoys (and we have) the single malts, JW Black, and Blue, and Taskiers etc and other higher level drinks. Of course these you serve to people, who like yourself, enjoy, appreciate, and savor the better drink. She does not order "bar" scotch at a restaurant and we favor restaurants that offer a premium Happy Hour.

My point with the "free" drinks (and again we all know they are not free) is, if Azamara wants to hold itself out as a premium cruise line, they should get with the times with a selection (or at least an offering) that is more to the liking of current day cruisers.....Their sister companies (Celebrity and RCCL) do.

Rich, At least least you have a good pallet. I just know if I want to enjoy a drink I either have to pay $65/d ($10 upgrade with perk) on Celebrity or $21.95 on Azamara less loyalty discount.

When I compare the brands served on the Celebrity Classic package with the Azamara Premium package, they're virtually identical.

Because of your loyalty level, on Celebrity you get a two hour freebie cocktail period. Many times limited to three drinks per day on your seapass. If you took away your loyalty status on Celebrity and RCCL, what liquor would you get compared to no loyalty status on Azamara?

Azamara doesn't do that for any loyalty level. What they do is offer free liquor, beer and wine all the time to everyone regardless of status. Granted they're not very good brands but they are sufficient for many people. However because of your loyalty status, they do give a discount of 15%, 20% and 25% off the Unlimited package if you prefer top shelf. That's more than Celebrity does.

Azamara also gives everyone all the free water and non-alcoholic beverages regardless of loyalty status and without a package. Celebrity charges for those if you don't have a package.

Oceania doesn't do any free liquor unless you get the perk which is only available in the restaurant during lunch and dinner.

You have to step up to the Luxury cruise lines to get the good inclusive liquor brands with your cruise.

Steve...where in South Carolina...we cruise with people from Mount PLeasant!!

:D

Steve...where in South Carolina...we cruise with people from Mount PLeasant!!

Rich, Near there.

If you're in the area, let me know. I'll treat you to some JW Blue or Platinum. Or I'll let you take the bottle of Dewers. lol

NOthing immediately planned for the rest of this year but I will definitely try and contact you up...specifically we visit in Dunes West.