As we continue our series leading up to the 20th anniversary of WhiskyCast in November, it’s important to celebrate the whisky legends who are still with us while they’re still around to receive our recognition. Jim McEwan retired from public life a couple of years ago after nearly 58 years in the whisky business, and he’s always been one of our favorite interview subjects. This week, we’re featuring Mark Gillespie’s interview with Jim from May 25, 2013, just as Jim was about to celebrate his 50th anniversary with a Feis Ile celebration at Bruichladdich. In the news, Diageo plans to close a Crown Royal bottling plant in Ontario, Independent Stave is laying off 110 workers at its Lebanon, Kentucky cooperage, and American whiskies won’t be on sale in Ontario any time soon…
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Following the Roaming Road
Frustrated by the hoopla over Bourbons, with their relative scarcity and high pricing, Mike Gilmore decided to take a different tack. He started searching the world for alternatives to Bourbon, and found them in Armagnacs, Cognacs, and Rums from Barbados to Belize. For the last three years, he’s been bottling them under his Roaming Road Spirits label, while also exporting Bourbons from his collection of barrels to Ireland and finishing them in Irish Whiskey barrels. We’ll talk with Mike Gilmore on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a receiver has been named for Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey, while the Waterford Distillery receivership may not be resolved until next year.
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Cedar Ridge Celebrates 20 Years of Heartland Distilling
Jeff and Laurie Quint started Cedar Ridge Distillery and Winery as a retirement lark. 20 years after receiving their distilling licenses, Cedar Ridge has grown from a rented garage space adjoining a liquor store to become Iowa’s largest distillery. Cedar Ridge Bourbons are Iowa’s number-one selling Bourbons, and the distillery is winning awards and praise for its American Single Malts. Master distiller and blender Murphy Quint joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, a federal judge has ordered Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey into receivership, but the fate of founder Fawn Weaver remains unclear at this time. We’ll have all the details and the rest of the week’s whisky news, including a new poll showing fewer Americans are drinking these days.
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A $2 Billion Impact From Trade Tariffs
The Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition of drinks industry groups estimates trade tariffs could cost the U.S. economy 2 billion dollars and more than 25,000 hospitality jobs. This week on WhiskyCast, we’ll talk with two industry leaders lobbying the Trump Administration to clear a path to “zero for zero” tariffs for whiskies and other distilled spirits. In the news, Uncle Nearest is facing likely receivership after defaulting on $108 million in loans, and we’ll have all the details from Tennessee.
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A Whisky Importer's View of Tariffs
With new U.S. trade tariffs scheduled to take effect this week, we’ll talk with importer Raj Sabharwal about the impact of those tariffs on whisky importers. Raj co-founded Glass Revolution Imports, which is the U.S. importer for Amrut whiskies from India, Blackadder Scotch whiskies, and many more brands, and he’s dealing with tariffs that have been changing almost daily. We’ll talk about the impact to his business on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo brings a former executive back to serve as interim CFO, while former Mackmyra master blender Angela D’Orazio is joining Compass Box as creative director of whiskymaking.
Each week's episode features the latest whisky news, a calendar of upcoming events, and interviews with whisky experts. For more information, links, and a complete archive of past episodes, visit www.whiskycast.com.
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