DS Forums

 
 

Alcohol strengths on supermarket websites


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-06-2013, 18:47
Isambard Brunel
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,087

A few weeks ago, the Asda website removed all alcohol strengths listed on its website. Tesco and Aldi never listed them, and that leaves Lidl stating the strengths of the alcoholic drinks listed on its website.

I presume this is some kind of 'responsible drinking' thing, but surely the strength of the alcohol you buy is an important piece of information, just like the amount of fruit juice and sugar in a cordial tell you a lot about it and give a hint about how it might taste? By hiding this, you're as likely to buy a 14.5% wine just because you liked the photo of the bottle as you are to buy an 11% wine? And if you want to buy spirits, the strength can be an important clue as to whether it's good or not. For example, a rule of thumb is that 36% brandies and rums tend not to be as good as 40% brands. It's only a hint, but it's something some buyers look for.

Aldi do an own-brand amaretto that isn't very nice compared to a proper brand. One big clue is that the Aldi one is about 14% whereas proper ones are around 28%, but you wouldn't spot that big clue on their website. The same goes for some own-brand beers that are about 2% and taste of cat wee.

So, what do others think about the trend for supermarket websites hiding the strength of alcoholic drinks?
Isambard Brunel is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 03-06-2013, 18:51
stud u like
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
Posts: 40,106
I always thought it was very important and it is dangerous not to list it.
stud u like is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2013, 18:52
cassius_west
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 947
Hmm, you learn something every day. Never realised they did hide the strength. How odd
cassius_west is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2013, 23:54
curvybabes
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Scotland
Posts: 11,157
I noticed this with asda a few weeks ago, its very strange and annoying I was trying to buy my Dad the Cava he likes, its a lower alcohol one they do several bottles that look the same but I could find this because of the content until now.
curvybabes is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2013, 23:57
Hypnodisc
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21,375
From my understanding of licensing law it is actually a legal requirement to make the ABV percentage available on any menu's, promotional literature etc. and I would have assumed that would extend to a supermarket website.
Hypnodisc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2013, 13:07
walterwhite
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 21,738
A few weeks ago, the Asda website removed all alcohol strengths listed on its website. Tesco and Aldi never listed them, and that leaves Lidl stating the strengths of the alcoholic drinks listed on its website.

I presume this is some kind of 'responsible drinking' thing, but surely the strength of the alcohol you buy is an important piece of information, just like the amount of fruit juice and sugar in a cordial tell you a lot about it and give a hint about how it might taste? By hiding this, you're as likely to buy a 14.5% wine just because you liked the photo of the bottle as you are to buy an 11% wine? And if you want to buy spirits, the strength can be an important clue as to whether it's good or not. For example, a rule of thumb is that 36% brandies and rums tend not to be as good as 40% brands. It's only a hint, but it's something some buyers look for.

Aldi do an own-brand amaretto that isn't very nice compared to a proper brand. One big clue is that the Aldi one is about 14% whereas proper ones are around 28%, but you wouldn't spot that big clue on their website. The same goes for some own-brand beers that are about 2% and taste of cat wee.

So, what do others think about the trend for supermarket websites hiding the strength of alcoholic drinks?
Tesco still list strengths for alcohol unless i'm missing something.
walterwhite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2013, 14:05
Shrike
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,481
I don't use the websites, but out of curiosity had a look at Asda - the wine doesn't have any indication of strength, but this beer does - Golden Ale

Puzzling.
I'm not sure strength of drinks is always a guide to quality, well not with wines anyway, as it seems the cheaper wines are often the stronger, which seems to be a way of covering up lower quality.
Mind you I can't handle too much booze now so I tend to spend ages checking ABV and must look like a right alco when in fact I'm trying to find one of the few that are under 13%
Shrike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2013, 21:46
walterwhite
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 21,738
I don't use the websites, but out of curiosity had a look at Asda - the wine doesn't have any indication of strength, but this beer does - Golden Ale

Puzzling.
I'm not sure strength of drinks is always a guide to quality, well not with wines anyway, as it seems the cheaper wines are often the stronger, which seems to be a way of covering up lower quality.
Mind you I can't handle too much booze now so I tend to spend ages checking ABV and must look like a right alco when in fact I'm trying to find one of the few that are under 13%
This whole thread is weird as Tesco who have apparently never shown the strengths have them on everything I look at.
walterwhite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2013, 23:49
Brady12
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 375
Tesco does show the strengths.
Brady12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2013, 03:48
Sambda
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,228
Tesco does show the strengths.
Indeed:

e.g. http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Produ.../?id=273884670

Don't know what the OP is talking about.
Sambda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2013, 08:06
Jambo_c
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,725
That's odd, I thought it was law that they had to show it.

They don't have to show it anywhere in America, we found a lot of bars don't even display it on the pumps. Some had it on the beer menus but some had nothing. I spent a lovely afternoon drinking quite a few pints of this gorgeous beer that turned out to be 7.5%, I thought I was just being a bit of a lightweight on that day!
Jambo_c is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2013, 10:42
Isambard Brunel
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,087
That's brand new to the Tesco site. They've only just started showing strengths, perhaps because they noticed Asda stopped? It's newness is probably responsible for their teething troubles in listing the number of units per drink as the ABV figure a couple of days ago, something which is now fixed.

I still think it's wrong for supermarket websites to hide the strength of alcoholic drinks.

Clearly it can't be the law to do so otherwise Asda wouldn't have removed them and Tesco, Aldi, Waitrose (spirits), M&S and others would all have been listing them over the years. Perhaps you only need to state strengths if they're to be consumed on the premises?

And going back to Aldi's rubbish amaretto, I notice they've redesigned the bottle so that the alcoholic strength is no longer printed on the front. It's a huge giveaway that it's not as good as a proper brand.
Isambard Brunel is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 17:55.