Greek whisky : the localization of a global commodity

Abstract

Greek whisky is a historical ethnography of alcohol consumption that explores several facets of contemporary Greek culture. The focus of the study is on the “social life” of Scotch whisky in Greece and more specifically on three distinct trajectories of the beverage. The analysis of the mediascapes of the Greek cultural industry, the Athenian nightlife and entertainment and the North Aegean island drinking habits, aims in the examination of the localization process of Scotch in these spaces. While several studies in Greece have focused on the consumption of Greek-produced alcoholic beverages, imported beverages—and especially Scotch whisky—have been neglected.

By “following the thing” the study seeks to link several key concepts such as popular culture, consumption and style. In opposition to views of global cultural homogenization as monoculture, the author argues that consumption as cultural appropriation is a process of meaning creation by consumers, multinational corporations and the cultural industry. Furthermore the localization of a commodity is not only understood as an act of consumption and a form of making oneself ‘at home’ as a result of the impersonal realm of commodity production. Localization is a major arena of negotiation of gender and group styles and more importantly a tactical practice.