Is 2012 going to be a good year for spirits?

Verdict: Maybe the Mayans were on to something.

Lower-proof bourbon and Irish whiskey. I realize that younger drinkers don’t just jump from drinking sweet sodas to enjoying 142-proof George T. Stagg bourbon. There is definitely a training-wheels stage. But there is also definitely a more elegant way to bring new drinkers to whiskey than by just adding artificial flavors. To that end, some producers are rolling out new lower-proof bourbons, such as Wild Turkey 81 or Early Times 354, both 80-proof.

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(Bigstock photo/BIGSTOCK PHOTO) - HANDOUT IMAGE: Glasses of whiskey with ice. (Credit: Bigstock photo)

There has been more and more investment and marketing push behind Irish whiskeys, which are traditionally lower-proof and smoother. Jim Beam, for instance, last month acquired Ireland’s Cooley Distillery, maker of Kilbeggan and Connemara. I always steer wannabe whiskey enthusiasts to Irish whiskey and low-proof bourbon, and I hope the market rewards producers who cater to newbies.

Verdict: Perhaps the Mayans overstated their case.

Simplicity, modesty and hospitality. Yes, we’re finally seeing less and less of the waxed moustaches and speak-easy role playing. We’re also thankfully seeing the end of the imperious Era of the Mixologist. I see more edited cocktail menus with fewer flights of fancy, and I see bartenders turning their attention to putting a modest spin on simple, classic bar drinks such as gin and tonics, Old-Fashioneds and even rum and Cokes.

Innovation these days might mean serving a signature cocktail or a house-made vermouth “on tap.” Bartenders are again remembering that it’s not only about the drinks: High-quality ingredients, creativity and craftsmanship are still important, but so is hospitality. It suggests that well-made cocktails have become, well, normal. That is a very good thing.

Verdict: The Mayans never wore arm garters and vests. (Did they?)

The rise of the highly educated spirits consumer. In November, astute tequila drinkers brought a lawsuit against Skinnygirl Margarita for allegedly lying on its label. Skinnygirl, the wildly popular pre-mixed “dieter’s cocktail” developed by reality TV star Bethenny Frankel and bought by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, claimed it was “all natural,” contained “no preservatives” and was made with 100 percent agave tequila.

Skinnygirl already had been booted out of Whole Foods Markets for containing sodium benzoate. This lawsuit was even more damning, because the consumers alleged that Skinnygirl did not, in fact, contain 100 percent agave tequila but cheaper, low-quality mixto tequila, otherwise known as the Hangover Maker.

The case hasn’t been heard yet, but to be clear, the liquor business has always been a source romantic half-truths, fibs and outright lies. (More than four years after launch, I’m still trying to figure out whether Frenchmen on bicycles pick the Alpine elderflowers that go into the popular St-Germain liqueur.)

But the lawsuit against Skinnygirl shows me that a growing segment of the drinking public isn’t going to swallow the nonsense often poured by big liquor brands. These days, plenty of people are on the lookout for top-quality, authentic products and are increasingly offended by the cheap, quick and dirty shortcuts.

Verdict: The Mayans were definitely wrong.

Wilson is the author of “Boozehound: On the Trail of the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits” (Ten Speed Press, 2011). Follow him on Twitter @boozecolumnist.