Whisky Business

Obscene Desires At Annandale

February 23, 2015
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Starting a Scotch whisky distillery from scratch is not easy. The new Annandale distillery has come up with an ingenious idea for funding.

Glenlivet 12 Discontinued In Key Markets – Age Doesn’t Matter So Much Anymore For Chivas

February 8, 2015
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Another sobering piece of whisky news has just hit my RSS feed. In his blog Words of Whisky Thijs Klaverstijn reports that Pernod Ricard has confirmed that Glenlivet 12 will be discontinued in a number of markets.

Is The Athenaeum Speyside Whisky Correctly Labelled?

January 30, 2015
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A few days ago I read two articles about the new house whisky of the Athenaeum Hotel in London. Both mention that the whisky also contains Highland whisky.

Diageo Tightens The Screw On Suppliers To Improve Cash Flow

January 27, 2015
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Here is a bit of fresh news that I can not leave uncommented. The Drinks Business reports that Diageo has announced to delay payment for newly contracted suppliers from 60 to 90 days.

Dewar’s New Ad Campaign – Lesson Learned

December 17, 2014
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The end of a development that might well be considered a textbook case study about PR failures.

Blast From The Past – What Old Whisky News Can Tell Us

November 24, 2014

Lately I have been digging around a bit in whisky news from previous years found via Google. Some rather interesting observations can be made if you read those old articles now and compare them to the situation today.

A New Whisky Crisis Looms – Scotch Distillers Running Out Of Names

October 30, 2014

We haven’t quite digested yesterdays’ news of Diageo freezing some of their expansion investements yet, and now another blow is hitting the Scotch whisky industry. The names for Scotch whisky are running out faster than expected.

Diageo And The Pitfalls Of Boom And Bust

October 29, 2014
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Some rather shocking whisky news came out today: Diageo has put their plans for certain distillery expansions on hold, including Teaninich, Mortlach and Clynelish.

Balcones – Showdown In Waco

October 10, 2014

A tragedy is taking place in Waco, and sadly it is about the fate of the Balcones distillery.

Benriach vs. Diageo Or Malts vs. Blends From A Business Perspective

August 11, 2014

It’s the season for annual company results and so far we have seen some interesting developments in the whisky business.

Syndicate 58/6 – A Lesson In Storytelling

August 10, 2014

A few days ago an article on the Forbes website announced “A Rare Scottish Whiskey Discovered In 1958 Is Finally Available To Buyers”. Now this looks exclusive, doesn’t it?

Aultmore XO – A Main Problem Of NAS Exposed

August 3, 2014
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There is a new bottling in the Douglas Laing Old Particular range, apparently exclusive to Tel Aviv Airport Duty Free. It is called “Aultmore XO” and sells for $113.

Thank you for being honest, Dr. Lumsden

July 9, 2014

Yesterday the Spirits Business website published a highly interesting article with statements by LVMH’s “head of whisky creation” Dr. Bill Lumsden about the future of NAS whisky

Nomad Whisky by Gonzales Byass – Not So Unique After All

July 5, 2014

Last week the famous sherry producer Gonzales Byass presented their new Nomad Whisky in Taipeh. Turns out that multi-country maturation is not such a new concept.

An Update On Whisky Inflation

June 30, 2014
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In November 2012, nearly 18 months ago, I took a closer look at whisky inflation since 2002. I will try to make it a tradition to look at the price development from time to time.

The Nikka Samurai Paradox

May 23, 2014
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Can you imagine paying €180 for a bottle of whisky that is available for €25 elsewhere? Sounds hard to believe but it is true.

How Some US And Scottish Distillers Are Doing Exactly The Opposite To Stay Competitive

April 17, 2014
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US and Scottish distillers reacting differently in order to stay profitable, an apparent paradox.

Dewar’s Rebranding Just Months After Pulling Sexist Ad

April 8, 2014
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Whisky brand revamps are usually non-events here on Dramming. But reading yesterday’s news that Dewar’s had ‘unveiled’ a new look for its range, this just cannot be left uncommented.

The Misleading Rarity Argument In Whisky Pricing

April 3, 2014

We can see that rarity is a complex phenomenon in the whisky market, and it is often used more as an excuse than as a necessity to raise prices.

Diageo Officially Confirms NAS Whisky Is Just A Marketing Stunt

April 1, 2014

Oh dear, what has become of No Age Statement whisky.

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