SWA - BourbonSphere

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.

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.

Tennessee Whiskey’s Lost History

History changes all the time as we uncover new facts about the past, and historian Drew Hannush’s new book shakes up some of the history… Read More

History changes all the time as we uncover new facts about the past, and historian Drew Hannush’s new book shakes up some of the history of Tennessee Whiskey. For starters, “The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey” sheds new light on the origin stories of Jack Daniel’s and the Lincoln County Process. We’ll talk with Drew Hannush on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Heaven Hill is closing its bottling operations in Canada, while Irish Distillers is getting out of the beer business.

Episode 1041: January 28, 2024

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.

Scotch Whisky Exports Down in 2023

Scotch whisky exports declined in both value and volume during the first half of 2023, according to a new report from the Scotch Whisky Association.… Read More

Scotch whisky exports declined in both value and volume during the first half of 2023, according to a new report from the Scotch Whisky Association. The report, based on HMRC statistics, shows a 3.6 percent decline in the value of Scotch Whisky exports over the first six months of 2023 compared to the same period a year ago. It should be noted that the first six months of 2022 set a record for both export value and volume as markets grew and restocked following the pandemic. The volume of Scotch whisky exports was down by 20 percent over 2022’s record volume.

SWA executives characterized the findings as part of a global trend toward premiumization in the spirits category as consumers drink less, but better. According to SWA Chief Executive Mark Kent, “around the world, we continue to see the same trend – consumers drinking less overall and switching to higher quality spirits like Scotch Whisky. Premiumisation in the spirits category didn’t start during Covid-19, but the pandemic certainly accelerated the trend, and it remains the case that consumers are trading up, enjoying premium spirits, and consuming fewer units of alcohol. Scotch Whisky remains well placed to benefit from this shift.”

France reclaimed its long-standing position as the top export market by volume with 88 million (700ml equivalent) bottles, despite a 12.6 percent decline from 2022. India, which had previously displaced France as the volume leader, recorded a 31.4 percent decline to 72 million bottles. The United States ranked third with 59 million bottles even though overall exports were off by 14.9 percent.

The U.S. continues to lead by value of exports with £437 million worth of Scotch Whisky imported during the first half of the year. However, that represents a 5.1 percent decline from 2022. France gained four percent to £235 million to finish second once again, while Singapore’s role as an Asian shipping hub helped push exports up by 59 percent to £165 million. Taiwan and China both reported strong gains to round out the top five.

The premiumization trend is most obvious in the Asia-Pacific countries, since none of those three crack the top ten in terms of value and the wider region reported a 13.5 percent gain in export value. The European Union gained 3.8 percent by value, while the non-EU European countries showed a 14.5 percent gain. North America, the Middle East and Africa, and Central and South America all reported declining exports.

This story was published August 17, 2023.

Another New Distillery for Campbeltown

At one time, Campbeltown was Scotland’s whisky capital with more than 35 distilleries. That number dwindled to just three over the years, but now, planning… Read More

At one time, Campbeltown was Scotland’s whisky capital with more than 35 distilleries. That number dwindled to just three over the years, but now, planning approval is being sought for up to three new distilleries. The latest project is the Witchburn Distillery to be built on the former RAF Macrihanish site, and we’ll talk with project manager and master distiller Andrew Nairn on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also hear from Beam Suntory’s Daryl Haldane following the auction Friday of a one-of-a-kind Bowmore single malt to raise money for projects on Islay. In the news, Stirling Council has rejected plans for the proposed Wolfcraig Distillery for a second time, Scotch Whisky Association leaders continue their push to reserve an excise duty hike planned for August, and Jack Daniel’s lost a trademark infringement case in the U.K. to a pair of comedians.

Episode 1006: May 28, 2023

Another New Distillery for Campbeltown

At one time, Campbeltown was Scotland’s whisky capital with more than 35 distilleries. That number dwindled to just three over the years, but now, planning… Read More

Episode 1006: May 28, 2023

Experiments in Whisky (Episode 1001: April 23, 2023)

Dr. Bill Lumsden has been experimenting at both Ardbeg and Glenmorangie distilleries. His latest Ardbeg release, Heavy Vapours, involved taking part of the distilling system out of the picture just because he wanted to see what would happen if he did. At Glenmorangie, he has a whole year’s worth of projects for his experimental Lighthouse distillery. We’ll catch up with whisky’s mad scientist on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Scotland’s controversial alcohol marketing restrictions have been sent back to the drawing board, while the equally controversial deposit return scheme for bottles has been pushed back to next March. Read More »

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