WhiskyCast features cask strength conversation each week, with the latest news on whiskies from around the world, whisky events, Mark Gillespie’s tasting notes, and the “WhiskyCast In-Depth” segment.
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This Week on WhiskyCast
July 1 is Canada Day, and this year it’s even more of a holiday than usual. Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary this Saturday, and Hiram Walker Distillery master blender Dr. Don Livermore marked the occasion with a trip from coast to coast – and all the way from near the U.S. border to the Arctic Circle along the way. He led tastings of the new J.P. Wiser’s One Fifty Commemorative Series whisky at each stop, ending in St. John’s, Newfoundland. That’s where we caught up with him for this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. We’ll also look at the impact of the Trump Administration’s proposed 2018 federal budget on the whisky industry. That budget cuts funding for the key Treasury Department agency that regulates whisky and spirits distillers, and also eliminates funding for an Agriculture Department program that has helped boost U.S. whiskey exports worldwide.
In the news, the owners of Vermont’s WhistlePig Rye have confirmed reports that they’re considering offers to sell the distillery and its whiskey stocks in what master distiller Dave Pickerell describes as a “feeding frenzy” market for craft distillers. Chivas Brothers workers at the company’s main blending and bottling plant in Scotland have voted to go on strike after rejecting a contract offer, and the threat comes as Scotch Whisky exports during ther first three months of 2017 rose by ten percent over a year ago. We’ll also look at the week’s new whiskies and taste three Canadian whiskies, too!
WhiskyCast pioneered the genre of whisky-focused podcasts, and we’re still going strong in our 12th year! The very first episode of WhiskyCast hit the web on November 12, 2005, and since then, we’ve produced hundreds of hours of original audio and video content for whisky lovers like you around the world. Our community spans at least 150 different countries, and we’ve done stories on whiskies made in the far north of Scandinavia all the way to the tips of South Africa and Australia – and everywhere in between. We’ve met many of you at whisky festivals and while visiting distilleries, and hope to meet many more of you over time.
We’d also like to thank our many sponsors over the years, both present and past. Without their support, WhiskyCast would have faded into the mist years ago. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to continue growing and producing new content for you each week, while still maintaining our standards for quality, fairness, and ethical reporting on whisky. By the way, if you’re interested in reaching a global audience of committed whisky lovers, please get in touch with us to discuss advertising opportunities on WhiskyCast!
Slainte!
The WhiskyCast Team
Whisky Photo of the Week
Spiderman might feel right at home in the original Balcones Distillery in Waco, Texas. Balcones moved to its new distillery last year, and has yet to decide what will happen to the equipment at its original site.
