Dreaming of drams: authenticity in Scottish whisky tourism as an expression of unresolved Habermasian rationalities

Abstract

In this paper the production of whisky tourism at both independently-owned and corporately-owned distilleries in Scotland is explored by focusing on four examples (Arran, Glengoyne, Glenturret and Bruichladdich). In particular, claims of authenticity and Scottishness of Scottish whiskies through commercial materials, case studies, website-forum discussions and 'independent' writing about such whisky are analyzed. It is argued that the globalization and commodification of whisky and whisky tourism, and the communicative backlash to these trends typified by the search for authenticity, is representative of a Habermasian struggle between two irreconcilable rationalities (Habermas, 1981(Habermas, :1984(Habermas, , 1981(Habermas, :1987. This paper will demonstrate that the meaning and purpose of leisure can be understood through such explorations of the tension between the instrumentality of commodification, and the freedom of individuals to locate their own leisure lives in the lifeworld that remains.

Living with the consequences of policy decisions: reactions to student lifestyles in the neighbourhood

“…Residents and students may both feel distanced from the levers of power, but manage to exert other forms of power to lay claim to the area. They wrestle over what Spracklen (2011-following Cohen, 1985 identifies as an imaginary community, but they hold different 'imaginaries', seeking to establish appropriate symbolic boundaries.…”

Familiness as a form of value for wineries: a preliminary account

“…A dominant theme in this area of research is that authenticity is not an intrinsic property residing in the object or experience, but a situated accomplishment, 'an assessment made by a particular evaluator in a particular context' (Grayson and Martinec, 2004: 299). Studies of such diverse goods as automobiles (Leigh et al, 2006), clothing (Botterill, 2007), beer and whisky (Beverland et al, 2008;Spracklen, 2011), and gourmet food journalism (Johnston and Baumann, 2007) have identified a common set of markers associated with authenticity, including economic disinterestedness and anti-commercialism, the natural and the rural, heritage and tradition, and the local and hand-crafted rather than the mass-produced and industrialized.…”

‘Mine’s a Pint of Bitter’: Performativity, gender, class and representations of authenticity in real-ale tourism

“…This paper contributes to debates in tourist studies around festivals, belonging, leisure, the search for authenticity and the growth of food and drink tourism. Research has been undertaken examining the relationship between leisure choices, the search for authentic food and drink, and tourism; in addition work has also been built around the cultures of consumption and the shaping of identities and social order in tourism (see for example, Douglas, 1984;Spracklen, 2011a;Wilson, 2005). Leisure choices are expressive of individual agency around the maintenance of taste, boundaries, identity and community: what Spracklen identifies as a Habermasian struggle over the lifeworld between communicative rationalities and instrumental rationalities (Spracklen, 2011a).…”

“…Research has been undertaken examining the relationship between leisure choices, the search for authentic food and drink, and tourism; in addition work has also been built around the cultures of consumption and the shaping of identities and social order in tourism (see for example, Douglas, 1984;Spracklen, 2011a;Wilson, 2005). Leisure choices are expressive of individual agency around the maintenance of taste, boundaries, identity and community: what Spracklen identifies as a Habermasian struggle over the lifeworld between communicative rationalities and instrumental rationalities (Spracklen, 2011a). Taste is both a way of defining self and distancing others, creating distinctions of class, gender, 'race' and other markers such as local and regional identities (Edensor, 2002;Edensor and Richards, 2007).…”

“…In this context, real-ale is increasingly being packaged and promoted by the tourism sector across the United Kingdom and internationally (Caffyn, 2010). Tourism destination management and marketing organisations are typically charged with identifying, packaging and promoting local distinctiveness to prospective national and international tourist markets (Church and Coles, 2007;Howie, 2003;Spracklen, 2011a). This paper will thus focus on representations of local identities and 'authenticity' as portrayed by real-ale campaigners and brewers, and also -and more importantly -from the perspective of the 'sub-cultural' real-ale tourist (Richards and Wilson, 2006;Robinson, Picard and Long, 2004).…”