India - BourbonSphere

The World’s Most Remote Distillery?

Few places are as remote as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, and that makes the Faer Isles Distillery the world’s most remote distillery.… Read More

Few places are as remote as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, and that makes the Faer Isles Distillery the world’s most remote distillery. A group of friends founded the distillery several years ago, and have persuaded more than a thousand shareholders to join them via two crowdfunding campaigns. The first Faer Isles whisky is set for release in late 2026, and co-founder Danial Hoydal gives us a preview on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a coming port strike on the U.S. East Coast could play havoc with whisky shipments for the holidays, and in our Behind the Label segment, we’ll go behind the creation of The Storyman whisky with actor James Cosmo.

Episode 1076: September 29, 2024

Image courtesy Faer Isles Distillery.

Honoring J.P. Wiser with a Vintage Whisky

Canadian Whisky pioneer J.P. Wiser started making whisky 165 years ago in eastern Ontario, and the brand that bears his name to this day has… Read More

Canadian Whisky pioneer J.P. Wiser started making whisky 165 years ago in eastern Ontario, and the brand that bears his name to this day has now released its oldest whisky ever, the J.P. Wiser’s 42 Year Old. We’ll talk with master blender Dr. Don Livermore, who created the new whisky, about Wiser, his legacy, and the new Decades Series that begins with the 42 Year Old. In the news, Ian Macleod Distillers has expanded to India with a new distillery, while Brown-Forman has restored a piece of Bourbon history at Woodford Reserve.

Episode 1063: June 30, 2024

Image courtesy J.P. Wiser’s.

Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam Lead World’s Best-Selling Whisky Brands

Despite a 2.7% decline in sales during 2023, Diageo’s Johnnie Walker brand continued to lead by a wide margin among Scotch Whisky brands, according to… Read More

Despite a 2.7% decline in sales during 2023, Diageo’s Johnnie Walker brand continued to lead by a wide margin among Scotch Whisky brands, according to the new Spirits Business Brand Champions report. With 22.1 million 9-liter cases sold worldwide, Johnnie Walker outpaced its nearest competitor, Ballantine’s, by nearly a 3-to-1 ratio. Chivas Regal, Grant’s, and Bacardi’s William Lawson blend round out the top five best-selling Scotch brands, while Glenfiddich continues to lead the single malt Scotch category with a 6.2% increase in sales to 1.7 million cases. The figures show the continued strength of blended Scotches compared to single malts.

Jim Beam continues to remain the best-selling Bourbon and “world whisky” brand, with 17 million cases sold during 2023. Suntory’s Kakubin Japanese whisky dominated the domestic Japanese market with 15.8 million cases sold, and Jack Daniel’s came in third with 14 million cases sold. Jameson sales dipped by 7.9%, but remained above the 10 million case mark with 10.2 million cases sold during 2023.

Crown Royal remains the best-selling Canadian whisky despite an 8.4% decline in sales during 2023, with 7.7 million cases sold during the year. Canadian Club also saw a 4% decline in sales, but remained second with six million cases sold, while Heaven Hill’s Black Velvet came in third at 1.6 million cases.

These reports are dwarfed, though, by the performance of McDowell’s Whisky, the top-selling Indian whisky brand. Largely sold in the domestic Indian market, this molasses-based whisky brand sold 31.4 million cases, up 2.1 percent from 2022. In fact, the top four Indian brands all sold more than Johnnie Walker did on a global basis.

The complete report is available here.

A Part of the Community

Many distilleries take great pains to be involved in their surrounding communities, but Scotland’s Glen Wyvis Distillery goes to an extreme. That’s because many members… Read More

Many distilleries take great pains to be involved in their surrounding communities, but Scotland’s Glen Wyvis Distillery goes to an extreme. That’s because many members of the Dingwall community are shareholders in the community distillery, which was built with a crowdfunding campaign. The distillery donates a percentage of its profits each year to grants for local community programs, with a goal of improving life for all of Dingwall’s residents. Distillery manager Matthew Farmer joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Wild Turkey honors Jimmy Russell with its new visitors center, while Scotch Whisky industry leaders are worried about a potential return to tariffs after the U.S. Presidential election.

Episode 1058: May 26, 2024

Image courtesy Glen Wyvis Distillery.

A Green Fuel Source for Distillers?

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to… Read More

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to create a hydrogen conversion unit that could be deployed at remote distilleries. We’ll learn more about the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source for distillers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Laphroaig is looking for a new manager, while R&B Distillers has received planning approval for a new distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland and Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie makes a surprising admission about this year’s Ardbeg Day release.

Episode 1053: April 21, 2024

A Commitment to Sustainable Whisky

Scotland’s Nc’Nean Distillery is one of a handful of whisky distilleries certified as “B Corp” for their sustainability efforts. At Nc’Nean, that goes all the… Read More

Scotland’s Nc’Nean Distillery is one of a handful of whisky distilleries certified as “B Corp” for their sustainability efforts. At Nc’Nean, that goes all the way to the use of renewable energy for the distillery and using recycled glass for its bottles. We’ll talk with founder Annabel Thomas about the challenges of making whisky sustainably and organically on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the founder of Bimber and Dunphail distilleries has stepped aside following his arrest on two-decade old charges in his native Poland, while Kentucky lawmakers are trying to close loopholes in the state’s Vintage Distilled Spirits law.

Episode 1045: February 25, 2024

Image courtesy Nc’Nean Distillery.

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.

A Whiskey Maker’s Holiday Treat

Alex Chasko is an Oregon transplant turned Dublin whiskey maker. He’s the master distiller and whiskey maker for Teeling Whiskey Company, and his latest creation… Read More

Alex Chasko is an Oregon transplant turned Dublin whiskey maker. He’s the master distiller and whiskey maker for Teeling Whiskey Company, and his latest creation is a 33-year-old Irish single malt finished in Pineau des Charentes casks. He’ll join us on this holiday edition of WhiskyCast. In the news, European and U-S trade negotiators extend a deal to avoid a return to tariffs on American whiskey exports, while another Scotch Whisky company is building a distillery in China.

Episode 1036: December 24, 2023

Exploring the Luxury Whisky Market (Episode 986: January 8, 2023)

Whiskies are being released at staggering prices with an eye to investors as well as collectors, but what is the market for these rare whiskies? Duncan Taylor & Co. has just released a £75,000 1969 Macallan, and we’ll talk with Peter Currie of Shand Imports about this whisky and its intended market on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. Links: Duncan Taylor & Co. | Hood River Distillers | Buxrud.se | Gordon & MacPhail | The Independent | The Lakes Distillery | Westland Distillery | Indri | Larceny Bourbon

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Paul John Oloroso

Good work from the Oloroso casks here with classic dried fruit and chocolate to the fore. 84/100