First off – lets start with some good new. 
Victory for Five Wives Vodka in Idaho. As you might recall, a few weeks back, we asked Is Five Wives really offensive? Well, it appears now The Idaho State Liquor Division decided to grant special orders of Five Wives
"in a desire to avoid unnecessary litigations costs to the people of Idaho”
In other words – they knew their reasoning wouldn’t stand up in court. Congratulations to Five Wives – now get distribution to Missouri so I can get a bottle.
This does bring us to the next point (and another Five Wives Mention) - Why are there so many brands of vodka on sale? This was a really short, but interesting read, with the following Highlights -
With little noticeable distinction in taste, vodka makers rely on sophisticated marketing and branding campaigns to win customers, analysts say.
"Making it stand out on the back bar, on the liquor store shelf, making it look cool on the table in a club, these are not small considerations," Rothbaum says.
With a few exceptions - I agree with this statement. Just look at The Professors write up he did on Seven Vodkas and read his statement on Crystal Skull (although I like the flavor of that one).
The other interesting point in the article is this -
Distilled Resources Inc, also in Idaho, ferments, distils and bottles high-end flavoured and unflavoured vodkas for dozens of brands who contract with the company.
"They came up with the name, they selected the bottle," says Gray Ottley, the distillery's director and vice-chairman, about one of the vodkas.
"That's their brand. They filed the trade mark."
In fact, three of the company's oldest brand partners - Blue Ice, Glacier and Zodiac - sell the same potato vodka, Ottley says.
I’ve thought this for some time with Vodka (and I know it goes on with Wine and Whiskey) – at the low end, they are all the same. Oh well, I guess I’ll just refill my Crystal Skulls with RotGut.
Next up, two stories I found fascinating -
To Grow A Craft Beer Business, The Secret's In The Water – describing how some of the Colorado breweries are moving to 
How Miller Lite segmented America – As MikeC can attest, I am a conspiracy theorist, and now I know the evils of Lite Beer <Wink>
Speaking of Miller Lite – if you get Country Music Channel, you need to check out Redneck Island. Obviously sponsored by Miller Lite, it appears to be a trainwreck in the making – AND in the following clip, you get to see one of my favorite beer tricks
Finally – what do you do when you are Prime Minster of Britain and you go to a pub? Why Leave your daughter there of course. OK, I chuckled at this one, but then I realized – this actually a mess up on the bodyguards part. I am sure someone is tasked to make sure person A gets in car B for security reasons….so I kinda give Mr. Cameron a pass – somewhat.
What I find funny is the reaction of people here in the US – asking why he is taking his daughter to a pub in the first place. These same people would take their kids to Applebee's, TGIF or any other restaurant/bar combo here in the states. Its no different. In fact, I take my son to 44 Stone here in CoMO all the time, and I let him explore and interact with the staff MORE than I would at any of the Box Restaurants. Why? Because they care and take an active interest in knowing the clientele. They broker a trust, something the chain restaurants make no attempt to do – they just want to cycle the tables. This is why I support my local restaurants (44 Stone, Bleu, APP, Woody’s, Grand Cru ect) – even when they miss expectations (ala Oska’s)
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