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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.

Chivas Brothers Workers Ratify New Contract

Members of Unite and GMB Scotland have voted overwhelmingly to accept a revised contract offer from Chivas Brothers, the Scotch Whisky unit of Pernod Ricard.… Read More

Members of Unite and GMB Scotland have voted overwhelmingly to accept a revised contract offer from Chivas Brothers, the Scotch Whisky unit of Pernod Ricard. The two-year contract covers about half of Chivas Brothers’ 1,500 employees around Scotland, and includes a 6.4% pay raise previously rejected by union members in October.

The revised offer makes the pay raise retroactive to July 1, while adding an additional pay hike in the second year of the contract tied to the inflation rate. In addition, workers will each receive a £500 one-time bonus payment.

In a statement announcing the results of the vote, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said “It was only down to the fact that our 500-strong membership at Chivas Brothers were prepared to fight and take strike action that the company came back to the negotiating table. The pay deal is another example of Unite delivering better jobs, pay and conditions for its members.”

A Chivas Brothers spokesperson said “We are pleased that following the latest ballot, employees covered by bargaining agreements have now voted to accept our revised proposal, which avoids unnecessary strike action. The new deal includes an acceptance of our original pay proposal and enhanced benefits, along with the security of a two-year agreement.”

Chivas Brothers brands include The Glenlivet, Aberlour, Ballantine’s, and Royal Salute.

Strikes Against Chivas Brothers Postponed

The unions representing hundreds of Chivas Brothers distillery, bottling plant, and warehouse workers have called off their planned strikes for next week after the company… Read More

The unions representing hundreds of Chivas Brothers distillery, bottling plant, and warehouse workers have called off their planned strikes for next week after the company made a new pay offer. The move will allow GMB Scotland and Unite to poll their members on the new offer, and essentially ends any threat to holiday orders for Chivas Brothers.

Both unions had planned strikes for next week, with GMB Scotland planning a one-day strike at 21 Chivas Brothers facilities around Scotland and Unite planning three days of rolling strikes at other Chivas Brothers sites.

GMB Scotland spokesman David Hume told The Spirits Business “It is regrettable that it took the threat of a strike to prompt this revised offer but we have now suspended the planned industrial action to allow our members to vote on the terms.” Terms of the new offer were not disclosed, but it is believed to be higher than the 6.4% pay hike rejected overwhelmingly by members of both unions in October.

A Chivas Brothers spokesperson said “While the results of the official ballot are still pending, we are pleased that constructive talks have enabled us to re-engage with the unions on our original proposal, and reach a mutually agreeable position that avoids unnecessary strike action and limits the long-term impact of this dispute on our team. Our offer reflects our ongoing commitment to sharing our success throughout the company, while recognising the normalising business and economic environment for the year ahead.”

Northern Ireland’s Distilling Resurgence

There was a time when Belfast and the surrounding counties led the world in whisky production. Several factors led to that tradition all but disappearing… Read More

There was a time when Belfast and the surrounding counties led the world in whisky production. Several factors led to that tradition all but disappearing over the last century, but now, the six counties of Northern Ireland are bringing new life to their distilling heritage. We’ll visit several of the country’s distilleries on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Chivas Brothers faces holiday strikes by distillery and bottling plant workers, while UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has given the country’s distillers a break by freezing excise taxes.

Episode 1032: November 26, 2023