Five Things I have learned this week #5

1 — Australia has a tolerance of 1.5% for the ABV in its wines. This feels high, especially for a country famed for its punchy shiraz. A 14.5% bottle could be as high as 16%; nudging fortified wine territory. While the EU requires a tighter 0.8% tolerance for imports, it is unlikely that checks are ever made and therefore the labels proclaiming 14.5%, which should read 15.2%, are probably left in place. The UK’s requirement for spirits is 0.3%, though in fairness, it is easier to measure the ABV of spirits than liquids with lots of other sugars in them.

As an aside, the global leader in making the little bobbing density gauges (hydrometers) we use to find out our ABV is Stevenson Reeves, a small company based on the south side of Edinburgh.

And one final vignette on alcoholic strength: Kikkoman Soy Sauce has an ABV of 1.5%.

2 — The ’60s are back. Burger King has launched its first redesign for 20 years and gone with a look that is reminiscent of a scene out of Mad Men. As part of the rebrand, it has commissioned a new typeface called Flame Sans. I’m led to believe a custom typeface will cost you around £20,000; if that’s all BK paid for Flame Sans, money well spent. Their rebrand is outstanding.

3 — It was widely reported that Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial arts star, sold his stake in Proper No. Twelve whiskey this week. In fairness to him, he may have had no choice in the matter. Becle, the Mexican drinks giant who is buying the brand, exercised an option it obtained last year to take full control. Whether or not McGregor will continue to promote the brand is unknown. Which raises an interesting point. What is Proper No. Twelve Whiskey without its founding father?

There are an increasing number of booze brands indelibly linked to celebrities. Diageo hasn’t helped by buying both George Clooney’s tequila brand and Ryan Reynolds’s gin brand for exorbitant sums (roughly $1bn and $600m respectively). Both of those purchases came with sales targets as part of the bargain, presumably locking in the celebrities for a while. But will you keep buying Dwayne Johnson’s Teremana Tequila once he’s sold it to a global drinks giant and steps away to count his winnings?

4 — I heard a story this week of a writer who used to ensure a happy mood at her launch parties by hiring a Compliments Guy, who would wander around the room and give everyone a compliment. If you ever receive a compliment from a stranger at the Port of Leith Distillery, don’t let the fact that I’m paying him dent the sincerity of the compliment.

5 — I see articles demanding we take a digital detox quite regularly. They’re either by silicon valley tech types or British super-performers like Tim Harford. This week’s was by Om Malik, a genuinely brilliant writer who is always worth reading (https://om.co/2021/02/24/shared-unrealities/). My problem with these pieces is that for most people at either small companies or fast growing companies (i.e. startups), not being available just doesn’t fit the business model. I’ve tried to switch off from my job on holidays, but always end up releasing payroll from a Kyoto hotel room, or filing a VAT return from my phone whilst trying to enjoy the splendour of the Piazza del Duomo.

And you know what — I don’t mind. I like knowing what’s going on, and more importantly, I like knowing there are no crises waiting for me when I get back. I look forward to retiring, but until then — not having a late filing penalty is worth the 10 minutes it takes to just take care of things.