Rishi Sunak - BourbonSphere

Through the Years with Dewar’s Master Blender Stephanie Macleod

WhiskyCast celebrates our 18th anniversary this week, and Stephanie Macleod has been the Master Blender for Dewar’s almost as long. She was named Master Blender… Read More

WhiskyCast celebrates our 18th anniversary this week, and Stephanie Macleod has been the Master Blender for Dewar’s almost as long. She was named Master Blender in 2006, and has won a shelf full of awards for her work since then. Stephanie joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss malts, the relationship between blender and distiller, and her role in bringing along the next generation of women in the whisky industry.

Episode 1030: November 12, 2023

Scotch Whisky Association Calls for Fairness in Autumn Budget

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is preparing the government’s autumn budget statement to be delivered to Parliament next month, and the Scotch Whisky… Read More

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is preparing the government’s autumn budget statement to be delivered to Parliament next month, and the Scotch Whisky Association is hoping for better treatment than it got last spring. Hunt’s spring budget included a 10.1% increase in excise duty on Scotch Whisky and other distilled spirits, which left the industry crying foul.

SWA leaders are asking Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government to remember the Conservative Party’s pledge to support the Scotch Whisky industry with a #SupportScotch campaign. The association blames the tax hike for alcohol’s high inflation rate, along with unfair tax treatment compared to cider, beer, and wine, and wants Hunt to freeze or reduce spirits duty in the autumn budget.

Taxes currently make up 75% of the average cost of a bottle of Scotch Whisky in the UK.

This story will be updated with additional information.

A Scottish Rye? Rye Not! (Episode 1002: April 30, 2023)

Rye hasn’t been widely used by Scotch whisky distillers for decades, but Inchdairnie Distillery is doing something different for its first release: A Scottish single grain distilled from 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley. The distillery contracted local farmers to grow the rye grain, and released its first batch of RyeLaw this week. Inchdairnie managing director Ian Palmer joins us to explain the reasons for starting with a Scottish rye whisky. In the news, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says no to reconsidering a whisky tax hike set for August, while Diageo is joining the growing list of whisky Read More »

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