Working For The Man, Writing For The Brands

Photo courtesy Glenfiddich

I’ve written before about “sponsored content” (HERE is the link if you want to see it) and in the last several weeks it’s become the lion’s share of my writing. I have no problem with it, because the pay is far better than editorial and the research generally involves sifting through whatever material the brand has emailed me. There’s definitely less glory in writing sponsored content, especially because I don’t even get a byline for a lot of it. But they’re fun to write, and sometimes my assignments overlap with stuff I’d be interested in writing about editorially. Case in point — Crown Royal 18 Year Old, a swankier and longer-aged version of the classic Canadian whisky. I’d had a bottle for a few months and kept meaning to try it but hadn’t gotten around to it… until I got the assignment to write sponsored content for Robb Report. I popped it open while working for liquid inspiration, and it’s terrific. Same with Heaven Hill’s Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Have it, love it, never found an excuse to write about it… until the brand, via Vinepair, came calling. The article they wanted wasn’t the one I would have written had I been given free rein, but that’s the way it goes with sponsored content, and hey, it was still an excuse to drink good whiskey.

I don’t always get to taste what I write about. In the case of Glenfiddich’s Time Re:Imagined series, that was a real bummer, because who doesn’t want to taste such a seminal single malt, aged between 30-50 years? I had to use my imagination, the tasting notes I’d been given, and the dim memories of tasting a 50 year old Glenfiddich in 2009, but I think it turned out well. I had a similar dilemma with Azaline Vermouth, which I’d never even heard of before I was assigned to wax rhapsodic about it for Vices. But it had an interesting backstory, and the owner of the brand liked my writeup enough to send me a bottle after the fact — which did indeed turn out to be delicious.

Why not read them all! It won’t take you all day or anything.
Glenfiddich Time Re:Imagined Series
Azaline Vermouth
Crown Royal 18
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

And if sponsored content isn’t your bag but reading articles written by other people in which I’m quoted is up your alley, check out this fun piece by Abbey Bender (the daughter of my high school English teacher!) in For Women First about Sarah Jessica Parker’s new canned Cosmopolitan cocktail. I don’t have any opinion of it one way or the other, since I haven’t tried it, but I do pontificate about canned/bottled cocktails in general. It’s worth your time, and you can read it right over -> HERE <-..