Letter from Boston

A Night Out With Johnnie

By MASAKO YAMADA

My boyfriend recently got an unsolicited invitation in the mail inviting him to a "Journey of Taste" sponsored by the famous whiskey company Johnnie Walker. The card claimed that the company wanted to invite him, one of the "true gentlemen in Boston," to the complimentary event. The card also mentioned that he was free to bring his friends and colleagues to the party.

The event was to be held at the Harvard Club of Boston. The Harvard Club is a hall where Harvard alumni hold official events, but it is also a general space that other individuals and groups can rent out for special functions, especially if they want it to have an exclusive air.

My boyfriend and I got a hearty laugh out of the ridiculous language used in the invitation, since he hardly fits the image of a proper gentleman: He's a graduate student living on a rather meager stipend. Nevertheless, we were intrigued by the invitation, since it promised free cocktails, appetizers, dinner and a guided whiskey tasting by one of the experts at Johnnie Walker. We decided to go together.

When he called to make reservations, he discovered that the company got his name through a college alumni list, and when we arrived at the event, we saw that most of the attendees also looked as if they had just graduated from college.

I couldn't spot a single lady or gentleman and the overall atmosphere of the party was casual. However, I could understand why Johnnie Walker had targeted this young crowd, since the company can best use its advertising money to influence people who have not yet become loyal to any particular brand of whiskey.

In particular, we got the feeling that the company had targeted people from elite schools or companies. This, of course, also makes sense, since Johnnie Walker is a product that aims for a high-class image.

I was a bit disappointed that the event was not as formal as suggested in the invitation. There is a part of me that wants to mingle with the Jane Austens and Oscar Wildes of the world. Nevertheless, I had a good time.

The appetizers were quite delicious and the free cocktails promised on the invitation indeed flowed freely. It was no surprise that the only cocktails they offered were those with a Johnnie Walker base: whiskey sours, whiskey and ginger ale, whiskey and soda, whiskey on the rocks, whiskey straight up. This was a mere precursor of things to follow.

After the cocktail hour, we were ushered into an adjacent hall where the formal whiskey tasting was to be conducted. A Scotsman in a kilt was to give us our lesson.

First, however, we were shown a video and a slide show. Not too surprisingly, both the video and the slide sow were much like commercials. The narrator mentioned the name "Johnnie Walker" many times as pictures of the famous bottle with the diagonal label running across the front flashed on screen.

I learned a lot about the whiskey-making process in general, and about Johnnie Walker whiskey in particular. It was very interesting to see different sections of Scotland on the map, and to then taste different whiskies from those regions.

The elements of Johnnie Walker indoctrination in the video and slide show were a bit annoying, but the audience certainly seemed savvy enough to realize that the event was one big advertising campaign. This was a small price to pay in exchange for the free food, drink and education.

All in all, we tasted about seven kinds of whiskies, including three from the Johnnie Walker line-up: Red, Black and Gold. Unfortunately, they couldn't give us any free samples of the fabled Johnnie Walker Blue, but I think I got a pretty good introduction to the different kinds of whiskies that are available.

Since I've hardly had any whiskey in the past, I can say that I learned everything that I know about whiskey at this one event. I must admit that I will probably end up buying Johnnie Walker whiskey in the future, even though I've never bought any in the past. I'd like to think that I can avoid falling prey to the power of advertisements but I think Johnnie Walker has done its job right.

Shukan ST: Oct. 6, 2000

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