Commentary by Mark Gillespie March 6, 2021 – After the United States reached tentative truces with Great Britain and the European Union this week and… Read More
Mark Gillespie
I'm the host and executive producer of WhiskyCast.U.S. Suspends Single Malt Whisky Tariffs During Talks with Great Britain & Europe
By Mark Gillespie Updated March 5, 2021 – In a surprise early-morning move Thursday, the Biden Administration announced a four-month suspension of tariffs on single… Read More
British Government Freezes Spirits Duties in Budget’s Covid Response
By Mark Gillespie March 3, 2021 – Scotch Whisky makers had been hoping the British government’s response to the economic damage from the Covid-19 pandemic… Read More
Conor McGregor’s Future with Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey in Question
By Mark Gillespie March 1, 2021 – A little-noticed line in the annual financial statement for Mexican drinks conglomerate Becle could mean the impending end… Read More
Silicon Valley’s Single Malt Whiskies (Episode 860: February 28, 2021)
Silicon Valley is the technology center of the world, but Virag Saksena has made the switch from mashing together code to mashing barley. He’s a… Read More
A Solution to Japan’s Whisky Conundrum (Episode 859: February 21, 2021)
Japan’s whiskies have been getting more attention on the world stage. While some “Japanese Whiskies” are rightly winning awards in major competitions, others with the… Read More
Pandemic Leads to 66% Decline in 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Trail Visits
By Mark Gillespie February 16, 2021 – Virtually everything whiskey-related has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the lone exception of retail bottle sales.… Read More
Japanese Whisky Industry Defines Standards for “Japanese Whisky”
By Mark Gillespie February 16, 2021 – It’s been an open secret among whisky connoisseurs for years that not all whiskies labeled as “Japanese Whisky”… Read More
Another New Distillery for Islay (Episode 858: February 14, 2021)
Scotland’s legendary whisky island is getting yet another new distillery. Local officials have approved the plans for the new Elixir Distillers project just east of… Read More
Islay’s 11th Whisky Distillery Gets the Green Light
By Mark Gillespie February 9, 2021 – It takes three years of waiting before “new make” spirit can legally be called whisky in Scotland. It… Read More
Ardbeg’s Pirate Captain Sails Into the Sunset (Episode 857: February 7, 2021)
Mickey Heads retired recently after 13 years as Ardbeg’s distillery manager and four decades of work at distilleries on Islay and Jura. Now, Ardbeg has… Read More
Asia’s Whisky Capital (Episode 856: January 31, 2021)
Hong Kong has become a key center for the world’s whisky makers, and we had more evidence of that this week. Gordon & MacPhail’s new… Read More



