exports - BourbonSphere

Mark Reynier: Whisky’s Enfant Terrible

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier has no shortage of opinions about how he feels whisky should be made, and he’s putting those opinions into the… Read More

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier has no shortage of opinions about how he feels whisky should be made, and he’s putting those opinions into the bottle. Reynier has butted heads with the whisky establishment many times over the years because of his passion for flavor above all else, critics be damned. He’ll share some of his opinions with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Compass Box founder John Glaser is stepping down after 23 years, while there’s both good and bad news about whisky exports.

Episode 1046: March 3, 2024

U.S. Whiskey Exports Set Record in 2023

While most drinks industry reports have been full of bad news in recent weeks, a new report released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the… Read More

While most drinks industry reports have been full of bad news in recent weeks, a new report released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States shows U.S. spirits exports have recovered from three years of European Union tariffs. Exports totaled $2.2 billion in 2023, up 8% over 2022, while American whiskey exports increased by 9% to a record $1.4 billion. Whiskies account for 63% of all U.S. spirits exports by value and 34% by volume.

In a news release, DISCUS Vice President of International Trade Rob Maron said “The tariffs imposed from 2018-2021 as part of two separate disputes between the U.S., EU and UK have since been suspended or removed, presenting U.S. spirits producers with an opportunity to recapture lost market share in some of the U.S.’s largest export markets. Over the span of two years, American Whiskey exports to the EU surged by more than 60%, climbing from $439 million in 2021 to $705 million in 2023.”

The 27-member bloc represents the largest export market for American whiskey, followed by Australia ($121 million), Japan ($106 million), the United Kingdom ($86 million), and Canada ($76 million). Tariffs remain suspended until March 31, 2025 while Washington and Brussels negotiate a trade deal on steel and aluminum exports, along with a separate dispute over aircraft subsidies.

The emphasis on whiskey exports can also be found on a state-by-state basis. Tennessee was the number one state for spirits exports ($983 million), largely on the basis of global demand for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Bourbon exports pushed Kentucky to the number two position at $505 million, while exports of rum and other spirits put Florida in third place at $338 million.

The full report is available here.

Bulleit Enters the American Single Malt Race

Diageo is staking a claim in the growing American Single Malt category with the new Bulleit American Single Malt. This whiskey’s release earlier this month… Read More

Diageo is staking a claim in the growing American Single Malt category with the new Bulleit American Single Malt. This whiskey’s release earlier this month has spawned a lot of questions, and Bulleit master blender Andrew Mackay joins us this week with some answers. In the news, Scotch Whisky exports plummeted in 2023, and major drinks companies are blaming economic headwinds in the U.S. for lagging sales. We’ll have the details, along with the story of a British distiller facing extradition to his native Poland after two decades on the run.

Episode 1044: February 18, 2024

Image courtesy of Diageo.

Scotch Whisky Exports Decline in 2023

In what industry executives describe as a “challenging year” for the spirits industry, 2023 proved to be a down year for Scotch Whisky exports. New… Read More

In what industry executives describe as a “challenging year” for the spirits industry, 2023 proved to be a down year for Scotch Whisky exports. New data released by the Scotch Whisky Association show a 9.5% decline in the value of exports during 2023 compared to 2022, which has been called an outlier year because of the boom in exports and spirits sales globally following the end of the pandemic. Volume declined by 19% year over year as consumer demand for spirits slipped given current economic headwinds.

Exports to the U.S., traditionally Scotch Whisky’s largest export market by value, were down by 7%, mirroring a report last week from the Distilled Spirits Council showing a similar decline in Scotch sales. The numbers are even worse when compared to 2019, which the SWA has used to compare pre and post-pandemic data, showing an 8.5% drop in value compared to that year. The U.S. was the only one of the top 10 export markets to show a decline in value year over year, which SWA leaders blame on global economic conditions and rising living costs for consumers.

Globally, Scotch Whisky exports were valued at £5.6 billion GBP in 2023, up 14% in value when compared to 2019. The volume of exports was down 19% from 2022, but showed a 3% gain over the 2019 numbers. The Asia-Pacific region was Scotch Whisky’s largest regional market by value, largely based on increased exports to China, Singapore, and Taiwan.

India, which the SWA and whisky makers have long targeted as a market ripe for expansion, showed significant declines in both value (down 22%) and volume (down 24%) from 2022 results. However, India showed strong increases in both volume and value from 2019, with a 31% gain in value and a 27% gain in volume.

More details on the report are available here.

Changing of the Guard at Ireland’s Midleton Distillery

Master Blender Billy Leighton’s recent decision to step aside from day to day work at Irish Distillers gave his longtime apprentice the dream job of… Read More

Master Blender Billy Leighton’s recent decision to step aside from day to day work at Irish Distillers gave his longtime apprentice the dream job of a lifetime. Dave McCabe is the new Master Blender for Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, and other Irish Whiskey brands, and we’ll talk with him on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

In the news, Irish Whiskey exports posted a decline in 2023, while Islay’s Ardnahoe Distillery is shutting down part of its visitors center. We’ll have the details on those and other stories, including another new distillery for Kentucky.

Episode 1039: January 14, 2024

Photo courtesy Irish Distillers.

2023: The Year in Whisky

A lot happened in the world of whisky during 2023, and with the help of WhiskyCast Community app members, we’ve identified the top ten whisky… Read More

A lot happened in the world of whisky during 2023, and with the help of WhiskyCast Community app members, we’ve identified the top ten whisky stories of the year. Join us as we count them down in the news, then listen as Milam & Greene’s Heather Greene shares her lessons on whisky entrepreneurship in WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also have some of your year-end dramming choices in our Community segment, too.

Episode 1037: December 31, 2023

Links: Milam & Greene | Torabhaig Distillery | Smokehead | Lagavulin | Bruichladdich

Never Say Die Bourbon: A Whiskey with a Back Story

The stories behind the whiskies we drink are almost as enjoyable as the whiskies, and the story behind Never Say Die Bourbon is an intriguing… Read More

The stories behind the whiskies we drink are almost as enjoyable as the whiskies, and the story behind Never Say Die Bourbon is an intriguing one. There’s a near-death experience, followed by success on horse racing’s grandest stage, and a side story linking it to the founding of The Beatles. Never Say Die co-founder Brian Luftman joins us to share that story on this week’s WhiskyCast. In the news, Chivas Brothers workers approve a new contract, Kentucky Bourbon distillers set more records, and the deadline to avoid European import tariffs on American whiskey is getting closer.

Photo courtesy Ninth House/Never Say Die Bourbon.

The Spirited Chef Takes on Whisky & Food

One of the highlights of this week’s New Brunswick Spirits Festival was the food and whisky pairings created by The Spirited Chef, Taylore Darnell. She… Read More

One of the highlights of this week’s New Brunswick Spirits Festival was the food and whisky pairings created by The Spirited Chef, Taylore Darnell. She and the staff at the Delta Fredericton created spirited breakfasts, lunches, and dinners featuring unique combinations of food and whisky. We’ll talk with Chef Taylore about matching food to whisky and how our senses perceive those combinations on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, there’s a new world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold at auction, and American single malt makers are still waiting for an official definition for their whiskies.

Episode 1031: November 19, 2023

A Deep Dive Into Scotch Whisky Data

There’s a lot of data behind the whiskies we enjoy, and analyzing that data can give us some insights into the health of the whisky… Read More

There’s a lot of data behind the whiskies we enjoy, and analyzing that data can give us some insights into the health of the whisky industry. Martin Purvis and Duncan McFadzean examine whisky data for their Commercial Spirits Intelligence newsletter, and concluded that last week’s Scotch Whisky export numbers aren’t as bad as they might appear on face value. We’ll talk with Martin Purvis about the analysis on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we have details on this year’s crop of annual releases from Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Old Forester, along with the rest of the week’s new releases. We’ll also have our Community segment and explain in Behind the Label why you can’t get a Kentucky Bourbon Trail passport stamped at one of the Commonwealth’s most popular distilleries.

Episode 1019: August 27, 2023

The Risks of Whisky Investing

Valuations for rare whiskies have started to slow down after being one of the best performing alternative investments over the last ten years. The latest… Read More

Valuations for rare whiskies have started to slow down after being one of the best performing alternative investments over the last ten years. The latest Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index shows a four percent decline year-over-year in the value of the rare whiskies that make up the index. Is this the start of a trend? We’ll ask rare whisky consultant Andy Simpson, who helps compile the index for Rare Whisky 101.

In the news, Scotch Whisky exports fell during the first six months of 2023 compared to last year, with a sharp 20 percent decrease in volume. Irish whiskey exports rose during 2022, according to a new report released this week, and Hedley Wright, the longtime chairman of Springbank owner J&A Mitchell Co. Ltd. passed away this month at the age of 92.

Episode 1018: August 20, 2023