Three things that really frustrate me: Part 1
November 14th, 2007The last time I checked, the United States was still the biggest whisky market in the world. So why do I feel like I’m in prison?
I constantly get press releases about new whiskies. Far too many times, when I ask the sender if any of the whiskies are coming to the U.S., they tell me “no.”
For example, this week I received an email telling me about special trio of single cask whiskies from Glengoyne called “Choice” bottlings, because different distillery workers pick their favorite cask. Great idea, but no one from the U.S. will know what they taste like. None are being imported.
Before that it was the 1975 & 1976 Vintages of The Macallan (part of the Fine and Rare series). The 1976 Vintage was brought into the U.S. and won Malt Advocate magazine’s “Scotch Malt Whisky of the Year” honors for 2007. We never got the 1975 Vintage.
A couple of weeks before that I received a press release on the new single cask, cask-strength peated BenRiach whiskies. Of the seven, we’re getting one. Hey, at least we’re getting one!
Before that press release, I was informed about “The Family Casks” from Glenfarclas. That’s 43 different vintages of Glenfarclas from 1952 to 1994. How many of these vintages have come to the U.S. so far? Not one!
The reasons are always the same: “We have to do a special 750ml bottle for the U.S.” (It’s 700ml for other European countries.). Each state is like it’s own country when it comes to the liquor laws. Our importer doesn’t want to be bothered with them.”
I understand what you’re saying, but you don’t have to send us a lot. And you don’t have to send it to all 50 states. Pick a handful of specialty retailers in a few states and send each of them a few cases. These retailers have customers throughout the U.S. The whisky would probably sell out within a week, and then everyone is happy. The whisky producer, importer, distributor, and retailer all make money, and the consumer gets your whisky.
