How Lasso Motel Whiskey Markets Whiskey Through a Different Lens

How Lasso Motel Whiskey Markets Whiskey Through a Different Lens ‍

Whiskey is often tied to a bygone area that conjures up feelings of when things were a bit simpler. It’s why so many brands feature the word “old” in their names and why one of the most popular whiskey cocktails that's ordered today is ironically called an “old fashioned.” Lasso Motel is a new whiskey brand that respects the past as much as it looks toward the future.

Lasso Motel Whiskey was created by industry veteran Devin Odell, president of Dynasty Spirits, which, according to the company, is the third largest spirits producer in Texas. Though the announcement of another new whiskey line isn’t something that is exactly headline news nowadays, the unique ways in how brands communicate their message through the actual whiskey, label design, and marketing can be.

One look at the Lasso Motel Whiskey packaging and it instantly conjures up feelings of the pre-internet years when summer vacations involved long car rides, and the family stayed in a random roadside motel that wasn't a franchise and owned by a multi-billion dollar company. The New York Times recently published an article titled “Motels are having a moment” about what is old is new again and the reassurance of motels that harkens back to simpler times.

The creation of Lasso Motel Whiskey was inspired by Odell's time at the storied Belmont Hotel, a now closed historic Dallas landmark that’s reminiscent of the famous West Hollywood Chateau Marmont. Where many whiskey brands have called back to Pre-Prohibition times with their branding, Lasso Motel Whiskey is taking a more modern interpretation of it - at least modern in the sense that their inspiration only comes from a half-century ago and not an entire century ago. Be it the postwar bliss of the 1950s, the high times of the 1960s, or the modernization of the 70s and 80s, it's a connection that makes what you're drinking just as important as how and why you’re drinking it.

Where some brands hit the whiskey scene launching one core expression before slowly rolling out their follow-ups, Lasso Motel Whiskey is going for broke, launching an unheard of 13 whiskey expressions at once. The range includes bourbon, rye, and American whiskey, and numerous finished whiskeys including French oak, sherry, rose, port cask, Tokaji, naranja, Cognac, Mizunara, and Amburana, with ages between 4-18 years.

Having tasted through a dozen bottles in this release, it’s clear to me that “Something for everyone” seems to be a clear selling point, and pricing for most of the releases is in the $70 range for a 750mL bottle. The whiskeys in the collection range from average to very good and offer a nice range of distilleries they’re sourced from, from Green River Distilling to MGP to Barton 1792 Distillery. What really helps draw you in, though, is the colorful labels and matching large colored cork tops.

With whiskey marketing stubbornly stuck in its only ways, for the industry to grow and to continue to battle vodka for mindshare and tame the upswing of tequila, a different approach will likely be needed. With the typical age range of whiskey drinkers in their upper 30s and well into their 50s and beyond, the Lasso Motel Whiskey brand of Americana will likely appeal to that age range. Though with the popularity of mid-century chic and the rise of the modern motel scene, Lasso Motel Whiskey’s marketing on their website and a catalog-like brochure featuring a range of 20-somethings, is a striking departure from current whiskey marketing and it is clear they’re also going after an often neglected younger demographic.

Whiskey marketing isn’t a topic many whiskey enthusiasts typically care about or may even notice. But sometimes, it's the small steps and out-of-the-box thinking that lead to the next new thing. For whiskey to succeed and continue to grow, what you know of it today will likely be different in the future. Lasso Motel Whiskey doesn't reinvent the whiskey wheel, and it's getting increasingly harder for anyone to do just that. Yes, what is in the bottle matters most, and design is forever debatable, but viewing whiskey through a different lens, be it subjectively or objectively, can have refreshing results.

‍

Lasso Motel Rye Cask Strength SiB

Proof: 122.4

Age: 10 Years

Distillery: MGP

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Kentucky Straight Whiskey 4 Year

Proof: 100

Age: 4 Years

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Kentucky Straight Whiskey 8 Year

Proof: 100

Age: 8 Years

Distillery: Sourced from Barton 1792 Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Rose Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Naranja Cask Finish Bourbon

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Tokaji Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Port Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Cognac Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

Nose: Chocolate mousse | Vanilla | Plum
Palate: Milk chocolate
Finish: Rye spice | Oak | Touch of citrus

‍

Lasso Motel Sherry Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Mizunara Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

Lasso Motel Le Stave Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Distillery: Sourced from Green River Distillery

‍

‍

‍Lasso Motel 18 Year American Straight Whiskey

Proof: 121

Age: 18 Year

Distillery: Sourced from MGP

‍

Opinion