To set themselves apart and break through the mainstream clutter, liquor brands are concentrating bigger chunks of their ad budgets online, reports The New York Times.

Online ad targeting allows marketers to track how the consumer of choice is interacting with the ad, where they came from and where they went after they viewed it and other metrics.

In some cases the advertising being done is on specifically targeted niche sites. Vodka brand Reyka, for instance, ran spots on Nerve.com, TheOnion.com and others. In other cases, such as Chivas Regal Scotch, they went for broad reach by sponsoring a travel and adventure channel.

Whatever the buy, most liquor marketers are careful not to break any rules when it comes to age restrictions. Ads aren't placed on sites with too large a percentage of an under-21 audience and age-verification procedures are put in place on corporately-run microsites.

That doesn't appease all critics, who worry that the easy access afforded by the Internet leads many kids to restricted sites.