CO-CREATING SPIRITS TASTING TOURIST EXPERIENCE: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Spirits tasting is typically seen as an on-site sensory experience predicated on the tasting of whisky, wine, beer, or other spirits by professionals, aficionados, and general consumers. However, given its increasing significance in shaping tourist experiences, which relies on mutual engagement between providers and consumers, the domain of spirit tasting necessitates a novel conceptualization to adequately capture this evolving role. In this paper, the conventional notion of spirits tasting is conceptualized from a co-creation design paradigm using a narrative literature review of academic papers and online articles to provide an analysis of the current landscape. Apart from the on-site tasting experience, this paper elaborates on the pre-tasting and post-tasting experience phases from a tourist experience design perspective. To place spirits tasting design in a broader tourism sector, both drivers and potential outcomes of this seminal approach are outlined, together with further research questions.