Podcasts about distilled spirits council

Tariffs and economic uncertainty were hot topics during the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States' (DISCUS) annual meeting in late March.    BevNET spirits editor Ferron Salniker joins this week's Brewbound Podcast to share the scuttlebutt from the meeting, including trends to watch, distributor consolidation and supplier jumps to beer distributors.    Plus, Justin and Zoe share their experiences after attending Bell's Oberon Day in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They also break down the latest craft-on-craft deal activity in Colorado with new partnerships between Left Hand-Dry Dock and Wilding Brands-Great Divide.   The show wraps up with Another Round or Tabbing Out on breweries revamping existing brands, including a taste of Sierra Nevada's transformation of Big Little Thing into a hazy imperial IPA.

Brian Lilley hosts the show today and opens by talking about Doug Ford going full steam ahead with tariffs. Then, Chris Swonger from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States joins the show to talk about the impact that Ontario removing American booze has on the industry. Then, Pierre Poilievre joins Brian in the studio to discuss various issues including Mark Carney.

Dan Leese wears two hats: one as CEO of the importer and distiller Hotaling & Co., and the second as the current chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Mark Gillespie sat down with Dan Leese to discuss the state of the whisky industry and the threats posed by trade tariffs, legal cannabis, and other challenges. In the news, the Trump Administration gets a victory as India agrees to reduce its tariffs on American whiskies, while new data shows declining sales as consumers switch to less-expensive whiskies. 

Today we speak to the leader of an organization that has received more than $250 million dollars voluntarily from the nation's leading distillers to fight drunk driving and underage drinking and promote responsible decisions about beverage alcohol. Stay tuned as we learn about their dedication to advocacy.    ABOUT the GUEST Chris Swonger serves as the President & CEO of both the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org. Responsibility.org was founded in 1991 and has received more than $250 million dollars voluntarily from the nation's leading distillers to fight drunk driving and underage drinking and promote responsible decisions about beverage alcohol. DISCUS is the leading voice for distilled spirits in the U.S. market and serves as the industry's advocate in state capitals, the nation's capital and foreign capitals around the globe. Chris has extensive experience guiding corporations to lead in business while playing a positive role in communities through proactive engagement. In this capacity, Chris focuses on breaking down the traditional barriers that exist between corporations, non-government organizations and activist groups by facilitating consensus-based outcomes which are deliverable, actionable and measurable. A native Texan, Chris received his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and lives in McLean, Virginia, with his wife Amy and their two sons Holden and Beckett Boone. Chris' favorite drink? Bourbon on the rocks.   Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you. https://www.rapindex.com   This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy. Contact Voices In Advocacy at: www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com 480 488-9150 At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better effective, influential advocates.

Nel corso dell'ultimo anno, i superalcolici hanno dimostrato una forza inarrestabile negli Stati Uniti, guadagnando terreno rispetto alla birra e al vino per il secondo anno consecutivo. Nonostante una modesta crescita dello 0,2% nel fatturato, che ha raggiunto i 37,7 miliardi di dollari, le vendite hanno superato quelle delle altre bevande alcoliche, rispettivamente dello 0,4% per la birra e addirittura del 26,1% per il vino. Questo è quanto emerge dal recente rapporto economico annuale del "Distilled Spirits Council of the US - Discus".

During the holiday season it's easy to fall into the trap of drinking too much. But what's the definition of “too much"? What does drinking in moderation actually mean? Luckily, in a previous episode I interviewed celebrated dietitian Kathleen Zelman who helps us to understand it all and provide strategies on how to drink more mindfully this season and beyond. Kathleen Zelman MPH, RDN, LD, is a food, nutrition and media communication consultant, an advisor to the Distilled Spirits Council, the co-host of the ‘True Health Revealed' podcast, and owner of No Nonsense Nutrition, LLC. She is also the former director of nutrition for WebMD where she helped build their state-of-the-art food, diet and nutrition portal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show I'm joined by Dr. Amanda Berger, Vice President of Science for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.We're talking all about the recommended dietary guidelines for alcohol, the science that goes into these recommendations and if the United States will be changing those recommendations around alcohol in 2025.To learn mor about DISCUS and Dr. Amanda Berger, please visit www.distilledspirits.org.New to the podcast? Download the Podcast Listening Guide.Come check out Making Peace with Alcohol! my new online group coaching program and community.Join my private FB group Alcohol Minimalists here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/changeyouralcoholhabitHas this podcast helped you? Please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Follow me on Instagram: @AlcoholMinimalist Have you grabbed your free e-book, "Alcohol Truths: How Much is Safe?" Get it here.Low risk drinking guidelines from the NIAAA:Healthy men under 65:No more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 drinks per week.Healthy women (all ages) and healthy men 65 and older:No more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 drinks per week.One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. So remember that a mixed drink or full glass of wine are probably more than one drink.Abstinence from alcoholAbstinence from alcohol is the best choice for people who take medication(s) that interact with alcohol, have health conditions that could be exacerbated by alcohol (e.g. liver disease), are pregnant or may become pregnant or have had a problem with alcohol or another substance in the past.Benefits of “low-risk” drinkingFollowing these guidelines reduces the risk of health problems such as cancer, liver disease, reduced immunity, ulcers, sleep problems, complications of existing conditions, and more. It also reduces the risk of depression, social problems, and difficulties at school or work.If you' are unsure about whether or not you have alcohol use disorder, please visit the NIAAA for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, our host Chris Swonger is joined by the great Brent Looby, one of the Co-Founders and the CEO of Desert Door, a unique distillery specializing in Sotol, a spirit that is distilled from the sotol plant that is native to the Chihuahua desert. For hundreds of years, this spiky desert succulent has been used by the indigenous peoples for everything from tools and food to fermented drink, and now a fine spirit handmade in Driftwood, Texas. Brent is here to share his story of building Desert Door and discusses how Sotol is becoming the next big thing in the spirits industry. So don't miss this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, brought to you by The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. president and CEO Chris Swonger joins to break down the opportunities canned cocktails are creating for beverage-alcohol companies. Swonger also pushes back against the beer industry's stance against expanded market access and lower excise taxes for these products.    Also, Justin and Zoe recount the latest Anchor Brewing news, including brewery workers' bid to buy the company and the response from Sapporo's spokesperson.    Zoe recaps July 4 data in both the on-premise and off-premise channels. Finally, Justin and Zoe close out the show with a game of Another Round or Tabbing Out on Walmart's unique UPC mandate for seasonals and variety packs, and an e-commerce platform's marketing target of tallboys. 

An exploration of bourbon's origins, some crazy history bits, and the whiskey's standing as a uniquely American spirit. This also is probably the most excited a podcast host has ever gotten about corn, so there's that. Resources from this episode: Books: Big Whiskey [Revised Edition], DeVito, C. (2021) Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) Study Guide, Society of Wine Educators, Nickles, J. (2020) The History of Bourbon [Audible Edition], Albala, K. (2019) The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails [Kindle Edition], Wondrich, D & Rothbaum, N., (2022) Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide, Jackson, M. (2005) The World Atlas of Whisky [2nd Edition], Broom, D. (2014) Websites: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Code of Federal Regulations - Title 27, Subchapter A, Part 5, Subpart 5.143 - Whisky https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-5/subpart-I/section-5.143 Atlantic: America's Lost Crops Rewrite the History of Farming, Laskow, S. (1 October 2022) https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/10/agricultural-revolution-is-wrong-corn-cultivation-lost-crops/671587/ Britannica: Corn (6 June 2023) https://www.britannica.com/plant/corn-plant The Bourbon Review: The Taft Decision, Veach, M. Edison, B. (17 February 2014) https://www.gobourbon.com/the-taft-decision/ Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS): Celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month This September, Quinn, M. (14 September 2020) https://www.distilledspirits.org/news/celebrate-national-bourbon-heritage-month-this-september/ Distillery Trail: Bottled in Bond Act Signed Into Law March 3, 1897 - The Law Explained by Fred Minnick & Bernie Lubbers [video], (3 March 2018) https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/bottled-in-bond-act-signed-into-law-march-3-1897-the-law-explained-by-fred-bernie-video/ Food and Wine: Which Type of Corn Makes the Best Whiskey? Kuta, S. (10 February 2020) https://www.foodandwine.com/news/the-perfect-corn-variety-for-whiskey-doesnt-exi Grapes and Grains: Bourbon - a Symbol of American History and Culture, Morais, R. (28 April 2017) https://www.grapesandgrains.org/2017/04/bourbon-symbol-of-american-history-and-culture.html History: The Whiskey Ring and America's First Special Prosecutor, Pruitt, S., (Updated 1 June 2023) https://www.history.com/news/the-whiskey-ring-and-americas-first-special-prosecutor Hoover Institution: The Colonial Roots of American Taxation, 1607 - 1700, Rabushka, A. (1 August 2002) https://www.hoover.org/research/colonial-roots-american-taxation-1607-1700 Liquor.com: What is Bourbon? A guide to America's Original Whisky, Morgan, A. (20 March 2023) https://www.liquor.com/bourbon-whiskey-guide-7369244  Liquor Laboratory: Why is Bourbon Called Bourbon? The origins (2023 Updated), Martin, L. (8 May 2022) https://liquorlaboratory.com/why-is-bourbon-called-bourbon/#How_Bourbon_Got_Its_Name Natural Agricultural Library (U.S. Department of Agriculture): Popcorn https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/popcorn/early-history Salon: When it Comes to Making Bourbon, Why is Corn so Important?, Stevens, A. (24 August 2022) https://www.salon.com/2022/08/24/when-it-comes-to-making-bourbon-why-is-corn-so-important/ Science News: Corn Domestication Took Some Unexpected Twists and Turns, Bower, B. (13 December 2018) https://www.sciencenews.org/article/corn-domestication-process-long-complicated Smithsonian Magazine, Where Bourbon Really Got Its Name and More Tips on America's Native Spirit, Kiniry, L. (13 June 2013) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/where-bourbon-really-got-its-name-and-more-tips-on-americas-native-spirit-145879/ University of Utah, Genetic Science Learning Center: Evolution of Corn, https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/evolution/corn/   Glass in Session® Episodes Related to this Session: S2E3: Apple Brandy - Domestic Happiness https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s2e3-apple-brandy-domestic-happiness S4E6: Got Wood? Talkin' bout Oak: https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s4e6-got-wood-talkin-bout-oak S7E3: Booze Riots and Rebellions, Part 1 - Champagne & Whisky https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s7e3-booze-riots-and-rebellions-part-1-champagne-whiskey S9E2: Whisky, Burns Night, and … Beerhenge? https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s4e6-got-wood-talkin-bout-oak S12E3: Madeira Primer https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/madeira-primer-s12e3 S12E1: Rum: King of Booty? https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/rum-king-of-booty-s12e4 S13E1: American Sparkling Wine https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-sparkling-wine-s13e1   Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC. Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)

What's it like to attend a hard seltzer festival in 2023? Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata shares her first-person experience at Seltzerland in Boston.    Plus, BevNet spirits editor Ferron Salniker joins the podcast for the first time, detailing everything that went down at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United State's annual meeting.   Zoe and Brewbound editor Justin Kendall also run through the latest headlines, including more craft brewery CEO changes, this time at New Belgium and Lawson's Finest. Justin wildly speculates what Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman should do now that another craft brewery exec hits free agency.    And the team plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on AriZona entering the hard tea war of 2023 against Twisted Tea.

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, our host Chris Swonger sits down to celebrate DISCUS' 50TH ANNIVERSARY with the wonderful Jim Bareuther, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry. Jim has an incredibly impressive career, including his 17-year tenure at Brown-Forman and serving as a three-time chairman of DISCUS. For this special episode, Jim shares his insights on the industry's evolution over the last few decades, the exciting opportunities ahead, and the different policy accomplishments that led to historic milestones for the spirits industry. So don't miss this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, brought to you by The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

O tequila, savage water of sorcery, what confusion and mischief your sly, rebellious drops do generate!” In 1980 Tom Robbins poetically captured the personality of tequila as a disruptor in his novel Still Life with Woodpecker, but he might also have been predicting tequila's disruption of the American liquor market. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, tequila and mezcal are poised to upset vodka as the best-selling liquor in the United States this year. So what is the difference between tequila and mezcal? What gives them their distinct flavors? Join Notre Dame chemistry professor Ken Kuno and Ron C. Runnebaum ‘96, associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis, as they uncover the chemical mysteries behind tequila, mezcal, and other agave-based spirits.Speakers:Ken Kuno,  professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and concurrent professor of Physics, University of Notre DameRon C. Runnebaum, '96, associate professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, UC DavisThanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the US released their 2022 report detailing who sold what, how that changed from the previous year, and suggesting where the market is going. Such great information! So Chava and I went through the report separately and each identified three facts in the report. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we bicker over what those facts mean, what they don't mean, and where we really think everything is headed!Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.comAgave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, our host Chris Swonger is joined by Master Distiller, Bruce Joseph.  Bruce is an industry veteran who has been instrumental in putting American whiskey on the map.  In this episode we'll be talking to Bruce about his amazing career, where he sees the spirits industry moving in the future, and the incredible work he is doing at Hotaling & Co., including  championing the return of pot-distilled whiskey through the launch of Old Potrero.  Don't miss this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, brought to you by The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.Follow UsTwitter: @DistilledSpirit Facebook: @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram: @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn: @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Welcome to Episode 1261 in which Steve Raye interviews Donna Hartman of Olender Feldman, in this installment of Get US Market Ready With Italian Wine People, on the Italian Wine Podcast. More about today's guest: Donna H. Hartman concentrates her practice in the areas of corporate legal affairs, general corporate, commercial transactions, due diligence, acquisitions/dispositions, legal and regulatory compliance, beverage alcohol compliance, employment law, and intellectual property management. Donna previously served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to Rémy Cointreau USA, Inc., a global industry leader of premium beverage alcohol products. She was a member of the Executive Management Team charged with ensuring the company's success as one of the fastest growing premium spirits companies in the U.S. Prior to working at Rémy Cointreau, Donna worked for ReedSmith, LLP, an internationally recognized law firm, where she represented parties involved in sophisticated equity financings including public offerings, private placements, resales of securities, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital. She counseled clients with respect to employment, consulting, licensing, intellectual property, real estate matters and distribution agreements. Donna received her B.S. in Marketing from Rutgers University and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. She is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey. Donna is a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bar Associations, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and Association of Corporate Counsel. Donna has held the following posts at the National Association of Beverage Importers, Inc. (NABI), Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors; Chairman, Vice Chairman & Secretary of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Succession Planning Committee, and Member of the Wine Committee. In addition, Donna was an Executive Committee Member and Member of the DISCUS Code Board of Responsible Marketing of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). To learn more visit: dhartman@olenderfeldman.com More about the host Steve Raye: Steve Raye of Bevology Inc originally joined our weekly lineup with narrations from his book “How to get US Market Ready” - but everyone just loved him so much, we brought him back with this series of interviews that informs and inspires! Each week he speaks to industry professionals; guests who have gained valuable experience in the Italian wine sector and have insightful tips and stories that can help anyone who wants to learn about getting US Market Ready! To learn more visit: Website: www.bevologyinc.com/ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodcast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, our host Chris Swonger is joined by the ultra-talented mixologist and winner of Netflix's “Drink Masters,” Lauren Paylor O'Brien! Having worked many roles in the food and beverage industry from Beverage Director, R&D Production Chef, and Beverage Consultant, LP now spends her time creating diverse, inclusive, and safe spaces through her work with Focus on Health and her consulting company LP Drinks Co. She joins Chris to discuss her journey becoming a renowned bartender, her unique approach to cocktails, and her insights into the future of the industry, including no/low abv drink trends. Don't miss this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, brought to you by The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Outdated laws keep convenience stores in many states from selling these products. In states like Texas, retailers are fighting for change. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Paul Hardin, President & CEO, Texas Food & Fuel Association Paul Hardin, CAE, is president & CEO of Texas Food & Fuel Association. A 30-year veteran in association management, Hardin previously served as executive director and CEO of the Texas Physical Therapy Association and has led non-dues revenue programs for the country's largest state hospital and medical associations. He also is a former staff member of the Texas Grocery & Convenience Association, which merged with the Texas Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association in 2012, forming what is known today as the Texas Food & Fuel Association. Chris Swonger, President & CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Chris Swonger is president & CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the spirits industry's top advocate in the nation's capital, state capitals and foreign capitals around the globe. He also is the president & CEO of Responsibility.org, a national nonprofit funded by leading distillers to fight drunk driving and underage drinking, and promote responsible decisions about beverage alcohol.

During the holiday season it's easy to fall into the trap of drinking too much. But what's the definition of “too much"? What does drinking in moderation actually mean? Luckily, celebrated dietitian Kathleen Zelman is here to help us understand it all and provide strategies on how to drink more mindfully this season and beyond. Kathleen Zelman MPH, RDN, LD, is a food, nutrition and media communication consultant, an advisor to the Distilled Spirits Council, the co-host of the ‘True Health Revealed' podcast, and owner of No Nonsense Nutrition, LLC. She is also the former director of nutrition for WebMD where she helped build their state-of-the-art food, diet and nutrition portal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, our host Chris Swonger is joined by Scott Neil, retired Special Forces veteran and the Co-Founder and COO of Horse Soldier Bourbon! Having significant executive, operational and combat experience, Scott knows a thing or two about how to get things done under pressure. Scott shares his story with Chris about making the transition from the battlefield to the distillery, the tradition and power of American made spirits, and some of the exciting plans that lay ahead for Horse Soldier Bourbon. Plus, the two raise a glass for Veterans Day to all of those brave men and women who serve and have served our country. Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Today, we speak with Alex Castle, Master Distiller at Old Dominick's Distillery in Downtown Memphis. Making spirits isn't as much a job as it is a calling, and Alex Castle found hers early on. As a Kentucky native, there's a passion for good bourbon that runs deep. As a chemical engineer, there's a love of the process that takes something simple and makes it sublime. Her talent, passion and creativity are why she was supervising Wild Turkey's 24-hour-a-day operation at only 24 years old. For her many accomplishments and tireless pursuit of excellence, Alex Castle, was appointed as the state of Tennessee's first female Head Distiller. She now holds the title Master Distiller and Senior Vice President. In 2020, Alex was elected the first female President of the Tennessee Distillers Guild, a position she still holds today. Alex also represents craft distillers across the country as a member of the Craft Advisory Council for the Distilled Spirits Council of America. Old Dominick Website: https://olddominick.com/ The Old Dominick Family Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBY-AeR0Irc&list=TLGGLOWXVpyGR4YyOTA5MjAyMg Products: https://olddominick.com/shop/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olddominick/

It's This Week in Bourbon for September 30th 2022. The number of bourbon barrels in Kentucky reached a record and so have the taxes. Barrell Craft Spirits is releasing their 2022 Gray Label Bourbon. Wild Turkey Master's Keep Unforgotten, the newest release in the annual limited-edition series. Show Notes: CarbonBetter announced the certification of the world's first carbon-negative bourbon distilled by Fierce Whiskers Distillery Diageo is not renewing its membership with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Evan Williams Bourbon Experience will introduce Square 6 High-Rye Rye Whiskey Sotheby's in London, bidding opened on The Macallan The Reach 81 Years Old single malt The number of Bourbon barrels in Kentucky reached a new record and so have the taxes Chattanooga Whiskey announced the next release of their Bottled in Bond Series: Fall 2018 Vintage FEW Spirits introduces today FEW Rye Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond Uncle Nearest to release first ever rye whiskey High West Releases A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 10 and Encore Barrell Craft Spirits is releasing their 2022 Gray Label Bourbon Wild Turkey Master's Keep Unforgotten, the newest release in the annual limited-edition series @carbonbetter @fiercewhiskers @diageo @evanwilliamsbourbon @sothebys @themacallan @chattwhiskey @fewspirits @unclenearest @drinkhighwest @barrellbourbon @wildturkey Support this podcast on Patreon

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, Chris Swonger sits down with Kaveh Zamanian, the founder, distiller, and CEO of Rabbit Hole Distillery! Kaveh was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in recognition of his transformational impact on Bourbon's stature, growth, and awareness. Today, Kaveh joins Chris to discuss the honor, as well as the incredible innovations that visionaries like himself are bringing to the category. Plus, hear Kaveh talk about his career pivots that led him to distilling.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, Chris Swonger sits down with Scott and Becky Harris, the Founders and Owners of Catoctin Creek Distillery! Day to day, Becky is the Chief Distiller, while Scott is the General Manager at the distillery and together this dynamic husband and wife team has earned many accolades. This year, DISCUS presented them with the “Dave Pickerell Memorial Craft Member of the Year Award” for their outstanding service to the craft community across the country and in their home state of Virginia. Today, they join Chris to discuss their recent award, the importance of advocating for the industry and how they created such a successful operation.  Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Today on The Spirited Advocate Podcast, Chris Swonger is joined by Victoria Russell, the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Beam Suntory and Chair of the DISCUS DEI Committee, and Dia Simms, CEO of Lobos 1707 and Co-Founder of Pronghorn! Together, the trio discuss how the spirits industry can create a more inclusive environment. Hear what shifts Victoria and Dia have already noticed during the course of their careers – plus the pair give advice for those looking to build a more diverse company, brand, or distillery.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

John McDonnell is the former International President and COO of Patrón, where he was responsible for growing its revenue from 75 million to 600 million dollars. He is a worldwide motivational speaker, helping individuals and organizations achieve success in today's global economy, build strong international brands, and leverage the power of teamwork. He served as the Chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and is now a Chairman of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.  In this episode with John McDonnell When it comes to the spirits industry, consumer demands are rapidly advancing. With new generations shifting towards distilled liquor, brands must take measures to ensure they're producing quality products that meet those demands. So, how can your brand market to the young consumer while maintaining a lasting legacy?  John McDonnell suggests conducting in-depth consumer research through focus groups. These groups give customers the opportunity to sample products and provide feedback, allowing your brand to make profitable adjustments. And by steering clear of third-party distributors, you can sell your products directly to consumers for a more personable experience. In today's episode of Legends Behind the Craft, Drew Thomas Hendricks and Bianca Harmon sit down with John McDonnell to discuss expanding your liquor brand. John shares his advice for building an international brand, how liquor brands can adapt to dynamic consumer demands, and tips for creating a lasting legacy. 

Catoctin Creek's Scott and Becky Harris were honored with the Dave Pickerell Memorial Craft Member of the Year Award during last Thursday's Distilled Spirits Council awards luncheon in New Orleans. The Harrises have been leaders in the craft distilling movement for more than a decade, and are perfectly placed to explain the issues many small-scale distillers face in today's crowded marketplace. We'll talk with them on WhiskyCast In-Depth and check in with Nicole Austin of George Dickel on Behind the Label. She was honored with the Emerging Leader of the Year Award, days after shocking a few purists by releasing a 15-year-old underproof spirit under the Cascade Moon label. In the news, a TTB proposal on American Single Malts could be just days away, and we'll hear from TTB Deputy Administrator David Wulf.

Alcohol demand is falling demonstrably in Ireland and around the West. It's especially falling out of favour among young people. And yet selling booze - notably whiskey in this country - is an important part of the Irish economy and a source of substantial tax revenue. So Far the government has increased the taxes on alcohol and set a minimum price per unit below which it can't be sold. There's a big conference being held in Dublin this week for the spiritsEUROPE Congress and they've plenty to consider. Chris Swonger, the President & CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the US and for the European perspective, Ulrich Adam, Director General of Spirits Europe both joined Joe Lynam on the show.

Description: Military and veteran kids experience unique stressors that may influence their decisions to engage in risky behaviors such as underage drinking. Join MCEC and Responsibility.org as we bring together experts to discuss how talking with your kids about alcohol early and often is the best way to keep them safe.  Thank you to the Fort Lee Area Spouses Club for their support of this podcast.  https://www.fortleeareaspousesclub.com/   Show Notes: Understanding Youth Substance Use: For Military Parents and Caregivers https://www.nctsn.org/resources/understanding-youth-substance-use-for-military-parents-and-caregivers Responsibility.org             https://www.responsibility.org/ Talking to Tweens About Alcohol: https://asklistenlearn.org/parents/conversations-and-communication/ Ask,Listen, Learn:                 https://asklistenlearn.org/ Infographic on Ask, Listen, Learn Conversation starters English Spanish: https://asklistenlearn.org/materials/spanish-language-building-communications-infographic/?lessonplan=Parents Advice for Parents from Parents    https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking/talking-to-kids-about-alcohol   Bio:  Tim Farrell, MCEC's Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO), is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel who served for more than 23 years. Before joining MCEC, Tim served as the CEO of the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations (NAVSO), and as COO and interim President & CEO of Operation Homefront. Having balanced his military service and raising his children for many years, Tim has a personal understanding of the difficulties military families face during periods of transition. He is a strong believer in using this experience to serve his community through his work on the World Affairs Council of San Antonio's Board of Trustees and the City of San Antonio's Veterans Affairs Commission, as well as his selection as the inaugural board chair of Students of Service (SOS) - San Antonio. Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rutgers University (where he also played college football), a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and an executive certificate in Transformational Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife Gina live in San Antonio with their two sons, Aidan and Keagan.   Chris R. Swonger Chris serves as the President & CEO of both the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Mr. Swonger has extensive experience guiding corporations to lead in business while playing a positive role in communities through proactive engagement. With over 25 years of experience in the public and private sector, Mr. Swonger brings extensive experience breaking down the traditional barriers that exist between corporations, non-government organizations and activist groups by facilitating consensus-based outcomes and knowledge leading industry in corporate social responsibility strategies.   Dr. Katie Friedman Dr. Friedman is a board-certified pediatrician, writer, spokesperson, and mother. She currently practices pediatric emergency medicine in South Florida. Along with her two sisters, Dr. Friedman is co-founder of ForeverFreckled.com, guiding parents through obstacles of childhood safety, illness prevention, and pediatric medicine. She also serves as a medical correspondent for Lifetime's Access Health and The Balancing Act.

Description: Military and veteran kids experience unique stressors that may influence their decisions to engage in risky behaviors such as underage drinking. Join MCEC and Responsibility.org as we bring together experts to discuss how talking with your teens and young adults about alcohol early and often is the best way to keep them safe.  Thank you to the Fort Lee Area Spouses Club for their support of this podcast. https://www.fortleeareaspousesclub.com/    Resources: Understanding Youth Substance Use: For Military Parents and Caregivers https://www.nctsn.org/resources/understanding-youth-substance-use-for-military-parents-and-caregivers   NMFA and Bloom Survey https://www.militaryfamily.org/the-military-teen-experience/ Responsibility.org https://www.responsibility.org/   Advice for Parents from Parents  https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking/talking-to-kids-about-alcohol   Advice for Parents from Experts on Talking to Teens   https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking/end-teenage-drinking/parenting-teens/   Conversation Starters https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking   Parents You're Not Done Yet https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking/responsibility-on-campus/parents-youre-not-done-yet/   Bio:  Tim Farrell, MCEC's Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO), is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel who served for more than 23 years. Before joining MCEC, Tim served as the CEO of the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations (NAVSO), and as COO and interim President & CEO of Operation Homefront. Having balanced his military service and raising his children for many years, Tim has a personal understanding of the difficulties military families face during periods of transition. He is a strong believer in using this experience to serve his community through his work on the World Affairs Council of San Antonio's Board of Trustees and the City of San Antonio's Veterans Affairs Commission, as well as his selection as the inaugural board chair of Students of Service (SOS) - San Antonio. Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rutgers University (where he also played college football), a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and an executive certificate in Transformational Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife Gina live in San Antonio with their two sons, Aidan and Keagan.   Chris R. Swonger Chris serves as the President & CEO of both the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Mr. Swonger has extensive experience guiding corporations to lead in business while playing a positive role in communities through proactive engagement. With over 25 years of experience in the public and private sector, Mr. Swonger brings extensive experience breaking down the traditional barriers that exist between corporations, non-government organizations and activist groups by facilitating consensus-based outcomes and knowledge leading industry in corporate social responsibility strategies.   Dr. Katie Friedman is a board-certified pediatrician, writer, spokesperson, and mother. Dr. Friedman completed her residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami and currently practices pediatric emergency medicine in South Florida. Along with her sisters, she is also a co-founder of ForeverFreckled.com, where she serves as an educator and spokesperson. Using her passion for preventive medicine and pediatric safety, Dr. Friedman has worked alongside several educational initiatives, such as KnowYourOTCs, Talk Early, and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, to guide parents through obstacles of childhood safety, illness prevention, and pediatric medicine. In addition to her hospital work and writing obligations, she also serves as a medical correspondent for Lifetime's Access Health and The Balancing Act.  

On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, CEO and co-founder of Siponey, Amanda Victoria, joins Chris Swonger to discuss the importance of sustainability in the distilled spirits industry. The pair talk about the rise of ready-to-drink beverages, what inspired Amanda to start Aperitif Hour, a cocktail, wine & spirits communication and education company, and her journey from bartender to brand founder.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Welcome Whiskey Ringers to Episode 42! Today's guest is Chris Swonger, President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org.  Chris has a long history in the spirits world, but after ten years away he was asked to take the reins of the industry's leading advocacy organization. In 2019, he assumed his role, leading both DISCUS and the alcohol-use awareness organization, Responsibility.org.  We discuss how DISCUS is the "tip of the spear" for the spirits industry, advocating on the federal and state levels for improved economic conditions (and against tariffs!), working within the three-tier system to increase connections between distilleries and consumers, and leading the charge for responsible consumption. From the smallest, newest craft distilleries to the heritage brands known around the world, DISCUS represents them all. Dealing with 50 different state systems is no easy feat, yet Chris and the DISCUS team have led the charge for direct-to-consumer shipping, increased state-to-state reciprocity, and for the easing of excise taxes.  He's also incredibly accessible for the head of a 48-member, $17M national organization. Reach out via email or social media - Chris cares and will respond.  Finally, a note on Responsibility.org. The mission comes down to one word: moderation. Nobody wants a return to Prohibition, and even less so overconsumption, drunk driving, accidents, and other effects of overindulgence. The industry has a self-interest in promoting moderation, and Responsibility.org is, like DISCUS, the tip of the spear. I'm an advocate for drinking what you like how you like it, and for always tasting something new when you can. But always - always - drink responsibly.  If you haven't joined the Patreon community, now is the time: you can now support the site and podcast for as little as $1 a month. There are also $5 and $25 tiers available, and you'll want to get in on the ground floor today for big events coming up this year. Just go to patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring to sign up. If you haven't yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.  Finally, please subscribe to the Whiskey Ring Podcast on your favorite podcast platform today! Please leave a 5-star rating and review and share with your friends and fellow whiskey lovers. Thank you for listening and for supporting, and please enjoy this episode with Victoria Eady Butler of Uncle Nearest Distillery. DISCUS DISCUS Website DISCUS on Facebook DISCUS on Instagram DISCUS on Twitter Responsibility.org https://www.responsibility.org https://www.facebook.com/GoFAAR https://instagram.com/go_FAAR https://twitter.com/goFAAR Thanks to our Sponsor, ImpEx Beverages https://impexbev.com ImpEx on Instagram ImpEx on Facebook ImpEx on Twitter

Ian Smith, Keepers of the Quaich Chairman, joins Distilled Spirits Council's President & CEO, Chris Swonger on this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast to speak about the rich tradition of producing scotch whisky and the importance of celebrating those within the industry. Plus, hear about Chris' induction into the Keepers of the Quaich, as well as interviews from his visits to several distilleries in the gorgeous Scottish countryside. Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Have you ever wondered how much impact beer, wine, and spirits have on your health and longevity? The US Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting the number of alcoholic beverages we consume, but that can be pretty confusing. How do we even know how much alcohol is considered moderate and how much is too much? Or if we're offered a cocktail at a party, how do we know how much alcohol is in it? My friend, and fellow dietician, Kathleen Zelman is joining us today to answer all those questions and tell us how moderate alcohol consumption can affect our health. She will also explain how alcohol can sabotage our well-being and longevity. Kathleen Zelman is a food, nutrition, and media communications consultant, co-host of the new podcast, True Health Revealed, and owner of No Nonsense Nutrition. Kathleen helped launch WebMD and spent seventeen years as their Director of Nutrition. Kathleen has received many awards throughout her career, including the prestigious Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in recognition of her distinguished career and remarkable contributions to the dietetics profession.  Kathleen is also a consultant for the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), so she is savvy on the subject of alcohol. She is here to give us the scoop on alcohol and talk about a new online calculator designed to help us figure out how much alcohol we are drinking. We will also share some snazzy ideas for cocktails and mocktails! Show highlights: Kathleen is excited about her new podcast that launched in January! She and her co-host, Dr. Tom Rifai, are doing it on behalf of the True Health Initiative, a non-profit organization that wants to ensure that they get information to consumers, translate science, and give consumers evidence-based facts.  Dr. Eric Rimm, a Harvard professor and true expert on alcohol, was on Kathleen's podcast. He said it's okay to have a glass of wine now and then.  What does moderation mean for men and women, and how does that translate into beer, wine, and spirits? To find out what up to one drink per day looks like, go to www.standarddrinks.org to find a calculator. One standard drink is one and a half ounces of 80-proof spirits, a 12-ounce bottle of regular 5% alcohol beer, or five ounces of 12% volume wine. An exercise to do at home is to measure five ounces of wine and pour it into different glasses to see what a standard drink looks like. Become aware of what you are drinking and what the alcohol content is. Most wines have 12% alcohol, but some have much higher alcohol content- 15 or 16%. Most ready-to-drink canned cocktails are 12 ounces and have 5% alcohol content. However, some brands could contain up to 8 or 10% alcohol, so make sure you know how concentrated they are before drinking them. The information is on the label. Get to know how much you are drinking using the standard drinks calculator. Kathleen explains how it works. Having too many drinks in a row or drinking too quickly is considered binge drinking. It is always best to moderate your drinking or have your drinks with food. Why does one type of alcohol impact some people more than another?  If your face becomes flushed after drinking, it is your body telling you to slow down. It means you are not tolerating the alcohol. Kathleen discusses the potential health benefits of drinking in moderation, whether or not there is any truth to the French paradox, and how drinking too much alcohol can sabotage your health. Kathleen lists the people who should not consume alcohol at all.  Some tips to help you enjoy alcohol, reap the health benefits and make your drink last longer.  A standard drink contains roughly 150 calories. Calories add up, so try to use low-calorie mixers, like club soda, and DON'T drink with a straw! Kathleen enjoys a tall vodka soda with a splash of cranberry and a wedge of lime. Her latest favorite is the Aperol Spritz- a serving of prosecco over lots of ice with a splash of Aperol and a wedge of lime.  Kathleen and I share some recipes for mocktails. They are a good option for a “dry January” or taking a break from alcohol. Blue zones are hot spots in various places in the world where people live particularly long and healthy lives. One of the common denominators in all the blue zones is moderate alcohol consumption. Kathleen talks about the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) and explains what you will find on the DISCUS website.   Resources: The standard drinks calculator  The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) website is called Standard Drinks.Org   Liz's Links:  My website: www.lizshealthytable.com   My email: liz@lizshealthytable.com    Mocktail Recipe: Pomegranate Winter Spiced Mocktail (Serves 2) Place a cup of 100% pomegranate juice, a cup of 100% orange juice, some cloves, star anise, and a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and then allow it to cool.  Pour it into a tall glass filled with ice, and garnish it with some orange slices or a wedge of orange. You can also add a sprig of mint. Or stretch it by adding some sparkling water.

Have you ever wondered how much impact beer, wine, and spirits have on your health and longevity? The US Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting the number of alcoholic beverages we consume, but that can be pretty confusing. How do we even know how much alcohol is considered moderate and how much is too much? Or if we're offered a cocktail at a party, how do we know how much alcohol is in it? My friend, and fellow dietician, Kathleen Zelman is joining us today to answer all those questions and tell us how moderate alcohol consumption can affect our health. She will also explain how alcohol can sabotage our well-being and longevity. Kathleen Zelman is a food, nutrition, and media communications consultant, co-host of the new podcast, True Health Revealed, and owner of No Nonsense Nutrition. Kathleen helped launch WebMD and spent seventeen years as their Director of Nutrition. Kathleen has received many awards throughout her career, including the prestigious Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in recognition of her distinguished career and remarkable contributions to the dietetics profession.  Kathleen is also a consultant for the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), so she is savvy on the subject of alcohol. She is here to give us the scoop on alcohol and talk about a new online calculator designed to help us figure out how much alcohol we are drinking. We will also share some snazzy ideas for cocktails and mocktails! Show highlights: Kathleen is excited about her new podcast that launched in January! She and her co-host, Dr. Tom Rifai, are doing it on behalf of the True Health Initiative, a non-profit organization that wants to ensure that they get information to consumers, translate science, and give consumers evidence-based facts.  Dr. Eric Rimm, a Harvard professor and true expert on alcohol, was on Kathleen's podcast. He said it's okay to have a glass of wine now and then.  What does moderation mean for men and women, and how does that translate into beer, wine, and spirits? To find out what up to one drink per day looks like, go to www.standarddrinks.org to find a calculator. One standard drink is one and a half ounces of 80-proof spirits, a 12-ounce bottle of regular 5% alcohol beer, or five ounces of 12% volume wine. An exercise to do at home is to measure five ounces of wine and pour it into different glasses to see what a standard drink looks like. Become aware of what you are drinking and what the alcohol content is. Most wines have 12% alcohol, but some have much higher alcohol content- 15 or 16%. Most ready-to-drink canned cocktails are 12 ounces and have 5% alcohol content. However, some brands could contain up to 8 or 10% alcohol, so make sure you know how concentrated they are before drinking them. The information is on the label. Get to know how much you are drinking using the standard drinks calculator. Kathleen explains how it works. Having too many drinks in a row or drinking too quickly is considered binge drinking. It is always best to moderate your drinking or have your drinks with food. Why does one type of alcohol impact some people more than another?  If your face becomes flushed after drinking, it is your body telling you to slow down. It means you are not tolerating the alcohol. Kathleen discusses the potential health benefits of drinking in moderation, whether or not there is any truth to the French paradox, and how drinking too much alcohol can sabotage your health. Kathleen lists the people who should not consume alcohol at all.  Some tips to help you enjoy alcohol, reap the health benefits and make your drink last longer.  A standard drink contains roughly 150 calories. Calories add up, so try to use low-calorie mixers, like club soda, and DON'T drink with a straw! Kathleen enjoys a tall vodka soda with a splash of cranberry and a wedge of lime. Her latest favorite is the Aperol Spritz- a serving of prosecco over lots of ice with a splash of Aperol and a wedge of lime.  Kathleen and I share some recipes for mocktails. They are a good option for a “dry January” or taking a break from alcohol. Blue zones are hot spots in various places in the world where people live particularly long and healthy lives. One of the common denominators in all the blue zones is moderate alcohol consumption. Kathleen talks about the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) and explains what you will find on the DISCUS website.   Resources: The standard drinks calculator  The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) website is called Standard Drinks.Org   Liz's Links:  My website: www.lizshealthytable.com   My email: liz@lizshealthytable.com    Mocktail Recipe: Pomegranate Winter Spiced Mocktail (Serves 2) Place a cup of 100% pomegranate juice, a cup of 100% orange juice, some cloves, star anise, and a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and then allow it to cool.  Pour it into a tall glass filled with ice, and garnish it with some orange slices or a wedge of orange. You can also add a sprig of mint. Or stretch it by adding some sparkling water.

Lora Hemy, Head Distiller at Roe & Co in Dublin, joins this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast to discuss her unconventional path to distilling Irish whiskey with Distilled Spirits Council's President & CEO, Chris Swonger. Plus, hear about the new Golden Age of Irish whiskey and how Roe & Co is blending history with innovation.Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

On this episode of The Cocktail Guru Podcast, spirits evangelist extraordinaire—and former European Union genever ambassador—Charles Hardwick shares tales of slinging drinks at some of New York City's most important bars with hosts Jonathan & Jeffrey Pogash. Brought to you by Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky and Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey. GUEST BIO Charles Hardwick has over 30 years of experience in the bar industry and has worked at some of New York City's most iconic bars, among them Pravda, The Odeon, The Waldorf-Astoria, and The Office at The Aviary New York. As the founder of drinkmärkt beverage consulting, he has launched and/or participated in the re-branding of 10 major spirits. His talent and creativity have been rewarded with recognition from his peers and in the pages of The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, The New York Post, The Daily News, Eater New York, Punch Drink, New York Magazine, and the publication of his signature cocktails in several cocktail books. Current and former clients include Stolichnaya Vodka, Hendrick's Gin, Drambuie, Remy-Cointreau, Art Basel Miami, Vogue, Esquire, Victoria's Secret, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, and, as the category brand ambassador for genever, the European Union. He continues to evangelize for the nobility of the bartending profession and the pursuit of the perfect cocktail, served at the perfect moment. THE COCKTAIL GURU PODCAST is produced by 1st Reel Entertainment and distributed by EatsDrinksTV, a service of the Center for Culinary Culture—Home of The Cocktail Collection, and is available wherever fine podcasts can be heard. The Center for Culinary Culture—Telling the Story of Food & Drink…One Taste at a Time. This episode of The Cocktail Guru is brought to you by Paul John whisky and Tullamore Dew --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecocktailgurupodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thecocktailgurupodcast/support

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States released their 2020/2021 report and … good lord, you people are drinking a lot. But the real news here is, you're also paying a lot more for what you drink. So does that mean you're getting better tequila? Or just more expensive tequila? We dissect the numbers in this episode of Agave Road Trip!Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.comHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member!Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

The distilled spirits industry is so much more than what's in your glass. It's made up of distillers, bartenders, farmers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts. On The Spirited Advocate Podcast, we share the stories of everyone who makes the spirits industry what it is. Join Chris Swonger, President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, as he shares a cocktail and a conversation with leaders, distillers, and contributors to the spirits industry. You'll hear new recipes, business advice, stories of passion, and how policy impacts the world of Distilled Spirits.

Actors Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder rose to stardom through their portrayal of brothers on the CW hit “The Vampire Diaries.” Now, they're leveraging the bond they built after nearly a decade on screen into “Brother's Bond Bourbon.” On this episode of The Spirited Advocate Podcast, join Distilled Spirits Council's President & CEO, Chris Swonger, as he talks with Paul and Ian about how they got into the spirits business and what goes into making a great bourbon. Plus, hear about their passion for creating a sustainable industry and the powerful lesson Paul's grandfather taught him about values and tenacity that they bring into their business. Follow UsTwitter @DistilledSpirit Facebook @DistilledSpiritsCouncilUSInstagram @distilledspiritscouncilLinkedIn @DistilledSpirtsCouncilPresented by Distilled Spirits Council of the United Stateswww.distilledspirits.org

Chris Swonger is the President & CEO of both the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org. Responsibility.org was founded in 1991 to fight drunk driving and underage drinking and promote responsible decisions about beverage alcohol. DISCUS is the leading voice for distilled spirits in the U.S. market and serves as the industry's advocate in state capitals, the nation's capital and foreign capitals around the globe. America's Talking is a production of America's Talking Network. You can listen to all of our podcasts at www.AmericasTalking.com! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/americas-talking/support

Brought to you by The Real Voice - Mel Allen. Providing voice over for commercials, podcasts, explainer videos, and more. Samples and demos at https://therealvoice.com I love a good CollaBEERation and hearing that Our Mutual Friend Brewing is set to release three new collaboration beers this month. “Fate Map” is a collaboration with Attitude Brewing out of San Diego. The 7.6% ABV IPA utilizes a combination of West Coast and Juicy/Hazy techniques. “Greatness is Transitory”, is a collaboration with Station 26 Brewing Co., it's a Barrel-Fermented Wild India Pale Ale. For “Yellow Vibrations”, they collaborated with Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis. Yellow is a Saison that's brewed with buckwheat and wildflower honey and comes in at 5.8% ABV. Find out release dates and more at shorturl.at/lovRU The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) has some good news, the spirits market did gain share for the 12th consecutive year. The top spirits categories include Brandy & Cognac up 13.1 percent, Cordials up 15.2 percent, and Tequila/Mezcal up 30.1 percent! Top fastest-growing spirits categories include, (no surprise) Tequila/Mezcal at that 30% and Premixed cocktails/RTDs up 42.3 percent! Get more details at shorturl.at/gntCS Massachusetts-based LEVIA, one of the top-selling Cannabis-infused Seltzer companies is about to launch Orange Blossom on February 7th throughout Massachusetts. The company also offers other cannabis-infused seltzers and water-soluble tinctures. All made in Georgetown, Mass. with locally sourced simple and all-natural ingredients. Each 12 ounce can of “Orange Blossom” seltzer contains 5mg THC, zero calories, and zero sugar. They say the product is good for spring cleaning, planting a new garden, or embracing the outdoors with friends and family as it pairs perfectly with the sun, flowers, and the spring atmosphere. Learn more at shorturl.at/efkqC Next Time: The Boozebuddy Update continues on video! On Spotify, watch alongside the podcast, or head to the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC033VXK28YhXgJAYpHS-C_w Head to BoozebuddyUpdate.com to comment or get in touch with me! Remember - don't drink and drive, stay safe, drive sober and support the booze that supports your local community. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boozebuddy/support

In this new year, there's one thing we've been thinking about more than almost anything else: what is on-premises consumption of cannabis going to look like in America? When will it happen, and how will marketing and branding change when it does? In the alcohol industry, on-premises consumption builds brands while the off-trade grows volume. It brands an aura and creates opportunities to legally put your products in the hands of consumers. When cannabis companies can do the same thing, it will inevitably transform the business–and create incredible opportunities for great products and savvy marketers. In today's conversation, Rick and Jeff dig into the history of on-premises consumption in alcohol and tobacco (and how it relates to cannabis). They also discuss the laws and regulations that are likely to create unique issues with cannabis and the many different types of Cannabusinesses we could see opening up in the months to come. KEY TAKEAWAYS How DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council, self-polices the alcohol business. Why the cannabis industry is inevitably going to run up against smoke-free laws and how this conflict could possibly resolve itself. How marijuana tourism and social cannabis events exist legally in a small number of states. What operators of cannabis consumption lounges and other venues are most concerned about. Why Amsterdam has become less tolerant of cannabis tourism than it used to be. Show Notes For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/44 To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

When it comes to Kentucky bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle is among the most exclusive. You can't get it unless you're exceptionally lucky, exceptionally wealthy, or willing to break the law. The Pappy frenzy has the police, bartenders, and even the Van Winkle family themselves wringing their hands. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, sales of the most expensive American whiskeys have basically doubled since 2016, when we first looked into Pappy Van Winkle. We decided to find out what's happening now. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.  Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brought to you by The Real Voice - Mel Allen. Providing voice over for commercials, podcasts, explainer videos, eLearning, telephone systems, and more. Samples and demos at https://therealvoice.com “Cocktails To Go” has another state allowing the beverage trend to stick around for a while. 16 States made ‘to go' cocktails a permanent fixture. California joins the list of 15 states with a temporary reprieve. Governor Newsom signed the bill which ends December 31, 2026. For the list of the others, follow the link in the show notes to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. https://www.distilledspirits.org/?s=to+go+cocktails&submit= Every Wine lover needs a cork holder that spells out their love for wine, right? Well, those are certainly available on this list - but there are, thankfully, other options available too. Maybe you need a decanter, a way to clean your decanter, or some fancy vacuum sealer (which may or may not prolong the life of your opened bottle of wine), but chances are you might find a great last-minute gift on this list. I admit there have been times I printed up a picture of something I ordered for someone - so they had a gift to open on the special day, but wouldn't actually arrive until well after that day. https://parade.com/1304576/karlarodriguez/gifts-for-wine-lovers/ If you're taking a weekend off from drinking, not done your workday, or headed to a gathering but need to have your wits about you… here's a list of non-alcoholic beers that allow you to have a few drinks with your friends, but still be safe to jump into whatever the rest of your night holds. I would add that the Food and wine folks should also try Rescue Club IPA but that's just one of my favorites https://www.rescueclubbrewing.com/beer/p/rescue-club-ipa and the full list at https://www.foodandwine.com/drinks/best-nonalcoholic-beers The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and New Hampshire Brewers Association got together to launch the Sustainable Craft Beverage Recognition Program. It expands on prior work the state has been doing and was created as a way to publicly recognize and encourage craft beverage producers who are, preventing pollution and improving energy efficiency, conserving water, minimizing waste, and other similar steps. New Hampshire leaders are offering training, resources, and support to continue expanding the effort https://www.des.nh.gov/business-and-community/greening-your-business/sustainable-craft-beverages The Boozebuddy Update continues on video! On Spotify, watch alongside the podcast, or head to the YouTube channel. Help me get a custom URL on YouTube by viewing, liking, sharing, and subscribing at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC033VXK28YhXgJAYpHS-C_w Thanks for listening or watching, remember to like, review & subscribe! Head to BoozebuddyUpdate.com to leave feedback or get in touch with me! Remember - don't drink and drive, stay safe, drive sober and support the booze that supports your local community. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boozebuddy/support

Brought to you by The Real Voice - Mel Allen. Providing voice over for commercials, podcasts, explainer videos, eLearning, telephone systems, and more. Samples and demos at https://therealvoice.com “Cocktails To Go” has another state allowing the beverage trend to stick around for a while. 16 States made ‘to go' cocktails a permanent fixture. California joins the list of 15 states with a temporary reprieve. Governor Newsom signed the bill which ends December 31, 2026. For the list of the others, follow the link in the show notes to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. https://www.distilledspirits.org/?s=to+go+cocktails&submit= Many of the ‘Top beers' of the year are made by brewers, judges, and experts, but what does the general public think? Well, the closest to that may be the list from Untappd (you can friend me at https://untappd.com/user/BoozeBaconBoy). Some might be surprised at Tripel Karmeliet from Brouwerij Bosteels, but then reassured that Miller Lite, Heineken, and Yeungling Lager made the list and Guinness topped it! https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2021/12/the-10-most-popular-beers-in-the-world-in-2021-according-to-untappd/ And what do you do if you want to have a drink or two, and don't like craft beer or seltzer and one bottle of wine is just too much? That's probably where Canned low-alcohol wines have come in and they're expected to gain a lot of traction in the coming year. Canned wines are certainly fairly new, but canned wine with a 5% - 6% ABV is a growing global trend, being driven by the younger American market's palates. The story also has a link to boxed wines making a comeback https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2021/12/low-alcohol-canned-wine-rtds-set-to-boom-in-2022/ And a bonus fight! That thankfully didn't happen. Bud Light and Yuengling almost had a tiff, but thankfully cooler heads seem to have prevailed. It all stemmed from an alleged trampling of the trademarked phrase “next generation of light beer." This is the best non-fight between the two since Yuengling said “Get off my lawn." about two years ago! Read more at https://news.yahoo.com/yuengling-accuses-bud-light-trampling-161135213.html The Boozebuddy Update continues on video! On Spotify, watch alongside the podcast, or head to the YouTube channel. Help me get a custom URL on YouTube by viewing, liking, sharing, and subscribing at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC033VXK28YhXgJAYpHS-C_w Thanks for listening or watching, remember to like, review & subscribe! Head to BoozebuddyUpdate.com to leave feedback or get in touch with me! Remember - don't drink and drive, stay safe, drive sober and support the booze that supports your local community. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boozebuddy/support

On the heels of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States' annual convention in Austin, Chris Swonger, the trade group's president and CEO, joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the growth of ready-to-drink spirits-based canned cocktails, and the organization's efforts to even the tax rates for RTD products with beer, as well as efforts to add direct-to-consumer sales privileges and much more.

Guy Rehorst, founder of Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, joins us at the 1-minute mark as Whiskey Weeks 2021 continues. Trying their Still & Oak Straight Bourbon   How difficult was it launch a distillery in Wisconsin in 2004? What drew you to the business as you were the founder of a high tech manufacturer previously? Did the idea really come to you when you were out at a restaurant? Changing laws to allow tastings/have a tasting room in Wisconsin You were a founding member of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) Craft Distillers Advisory Council and a member of the DISCUS Science Committee, why was the important? Sourcing locally from Wisconsin/region  How does it help to be able to work with growers/know the growers  Crafting a pumpkin spirit  Sustainability is big thing with you all to the point you do small batch  You all have a unique empty bottle buy back program  Balancing a variety of distilled spirits  Creating a bottled in bond gin  Making cocktails and how those trends are changing  What has changed over your 20 years? Are you still distilling or have they kicked you out of that? What's next for Great Lakes? What's next for you? SHOW PARTNER: Check out Nose Your Bourbon social media and etsy so you can train your nose to find the nuances in bourbon. Visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/NoseYourBourbon or noseyourbourbon.com.Don't forget to check out the video on YouTube and our Facebook pages. Plus, our Give It A Try Highlights pour every Monday and our Cocktail Quickie videos shake up Fridays.

Starbucks is facing a significant union organizing effort in Buffalo, but unlike recent campaigns, this one is not run by a local independent union but by allies of the SEIU itself. Phil Wilson, President & General Counsel of the Labor Relations Institute, joins the pod once again to walk us through what is happening on the ground in Buffalo and why it matters to all employers in the market. And the wine and spirits industry is stepping up to the plate, taking concrete action to address and prevent sexual harassment not only in their industry but other sectors of the hospitality community as well. We are joined by the leaders of that effort, Deborah Brenner, Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits and Chris Swonger, the CEO of DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States stop by to discuss their program, how it came about, and more importantly, why it matters going forward. We'll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Chris Swonger, CEO of Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Responsibility.org, and David Ozgo, their Chief Economist, talk about regulations, tariffs, and the overall well-being of the US spirits industry.

The food and beverage industry has been rocked by the pandemic. We recently heard from restaurants and breweries about their outlook as Americans continue to get vaccinated and states chip away at restrictions. Now we’re hearing from distillers. Some say temporary loosened restrictions saved their businesses, but it’s going to be a long and slow recovery as tasting rooms reopen and states consider approving permanent laws that could benefit distilleries. Do you operate or work in a distillery? What has been your experience over the last year and what do you think the future holds for the industry? Tell us your thoughts by commenting below or call 866-893-5722.  Guests:  Ryan Friesen, head distiller at Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana, he’s Vice President of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild; he tweets @Kehrageous Simon Haxton, one of the owners of Portuguese Bend Distilling located in downtown Long Beach Adam Smith, vice president of government relations for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, he’s based in Sacramento, California; he tweets @AdamDISCUS Becky Harris, president of the American Craft Spirits Association, a national nonprofit trade group, she’s also chief distiller of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in Virginia; she tweets @beckhar67       

Jay Hibbard, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), and Bob discuss the emerging importance of the U.S. Postal Service to the alcoholic beverage industry. DISCUS is the national trade association representing leading producers and marketers of distilled spirits products in the U.S. Jay and Bob speak about the distilled spirits industry and the U.S. Postal Service Shipping Equity Act, legislation to enable the Postal Service to transport alcoholic beverages through the mail.

Bourbon whiskey is a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name ultimately derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise inspiration for the whiskey's name is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. Bourbon has been distilled since the 18th century. The name "Bourbon" was not applied until the 1850s, and the Kentucky etymology was not advanced until the 1870s. Although bourbon may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the American South and with Kentucky in particular. As of 2014, distillers' wholesale market revenue for bourbon sold within the U.S. was about $2.7 billion, and bourbon made up about two-thirds of the $1.6 billion of U.S. exports of distilled spirits. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, in 2018 U.S. distillers derived $3.6 billion in revenue from bourbon and Tennessee whiskey (a closely related spirit produced in the state of Tennessee) sold in the United States. It was recognized in 1964 by the United States Congress as a "distinctive product of the United States". Bourbon sold in the United States must be produced in the U.S. from at least 51% corn and stored in a new container of charred oak. Help Support our podcast by clicking the link: anchor.fm/uncommonhistoryofthesouth or paypal.me/uncommonhistory If you have a question about a previous podcast or would like for us to cover a topic please select the link below to leave a voice message: anchor.fm/uncommonhistoryofthesouth/message --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/uncommonhistoryofthesouth/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/uncommonhistoryofthesouth/support

Combining a passion for spirits, industry knowledge, and blending expertise, Phenomenal Spirits has released its first whiskey. RY3 Whiskey (Pronounced “Rye 3 Whiskey”) is a rum cask finished whiskey that was carefully crafted from this blending house. Phenomenal Spirits, Karthik Sudhir and Matt Witzig, joins Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey. Karthik is the Founder / CEO of Phenomenal Spirits and drives product development, strategy, brand positioning, market expansion, and investor relations. Matt was the Co-Founder, Master Distiller, and Head Blender at Joseph Magnus Whiskey prior to joining Phenomenal Spirits as Master Blender and COO. You learn more about the origins of the brand and blending house as well as where they wish to take this brand next.   We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podcast.  If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your podcast app, leave us a review, or tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show. Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at TheBourbonLens@Gmail.com. Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt. Cheers,Scott, Michael & JakeBourbon Lens   Phenomenal Spirits Press Release: Phenomenal Spirits announces the release of RY3 Whiskey, the craft spirits company’s third ultra-premium spirit introduction in the US in 2020. RY3 is a distinct blend of 3 extraordinary whiskeys, 3 carefully handpicked mash-bills, and 3 distinctive aged statements, that are meticulously blended with artisanal distinction to create an unparalleled whiskey. The culmination of this exceptionally well-balanced whiskey is finished in vintage rum casks, resulting in a sipping experience of silky-smooth rye with layers of fruity and complex notes from the rum barrels. Phenomenal Spirits Founder & CEO, Karthik Sudhir commented, “Craft whiskey consumers have truly embraced rye whiskey, America’s original iconic spirit. According to Distilled Spirits Council of US, between 2009 and 2019, rye volumes skyrocketed by 1,275%, growing to 1.2 million cases and continue their impressive surge, growing 15% in the past year[1]. With the resurgence of rye whiskey, product innovation has reached new heights, spurring consumer’s curiosity. We developed RY3 Whiskey with these curious consumers in mind. RY3 is one of a few Rye whiskies finished in rum casks, offering drinkers layers of intense flavor and complexity for a contemporary and exciting Rye drinking experience.” Phenomenal Spirits is on a steadfast mission to create exceptionally high-quality brands that fill untapped opportunities in the spirits category. To help guide this mission, Sudhir is partnering with Matt Witzig, Master Distiller and Co-founder of Joseph Magnus Bourbon. An icon in spirits distillation, Witzig is working in concert with Sudhir and his team to build a portfolio of unparalleled brands for the curious spirits consumer and aficionado alike. Since August 2020, the Phenomenal team has launched Ron Izalco 10 Year and Ron Izalco 15 Year Cask Strength Rums and now, RY3 Whiskey. The duo is looking ahead to their next ambitious venture, a Private Release/Cask Strength Whiskey Program, which debuts in December 2020 with more planned in 2021. Phenomenal Spirits operates its own blending facility in Virginia Beach, VA to achieve scale and operational efficiency.  The company is fully functional, allowing the team to control quality and consistency along with all aspects of product development. Sudhir added, “We are thrilled with US consumer’s embrace of our rums in the short time since they debuted earlier this year. With Matt on board, we are very excited to introduce a range of daring new products beginning with RY3 Whiskey, a true gem in the rye category.” RY3 Whiskey sells for a suggested retail price of $54.99/750ml and is available in Washington DC, Maryland, and Delaware through Lanterna Distributors, in Mississippi and Alabama through Mad Vines and Spirits, and nationally through Curiada’s E-Commerce platform. The company plans to launch in Connecticut, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the early part of 2021. To learn more about RY3 Whiskey and Phenomenal Spirits, visit www.phenomenalspirits.com and www.ry3whiskey.com 

Alex Castle is senior vice president and master distiller at Old Dominick Distillery in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the state's first female head distiller, and last year she was elected as president of the Tennessee Distillers Guild. She also serves on the Craft Advisory Council for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and is on the board for The Spirit Hub Independent Distillery Preservation Fund. In this episode, Castle spoke to senior editor Jon Page about her path to distilling (which took root in high school), her move to Memphis, and the product line at Old Dominick, which includes whiskey and gin.

We're kicking off the Holiday Cheers Playlist on Real.Fun.DC. with the support of The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Responsibility.org - CEO Chris Swonger joined us to talk about the challenges the industry has faced this year and the bright side of such a creative and resourceful group helping to solve huge problems. The Holiday Cheers Playlist can be found on "The Real Fun DC APP" via app.realfundc.com our Alexa Skill "Alexa, Launch Real Fun DC" or Google Home "Hey Google, Talk To Real Fun DC" From Real.Fun.DC. “The Tommy + Kelly Show” is produced in Washington, DC providing news, culture, playful conversation, positive energy, and a dose of morning fun any time. Download the Real.Fun.DC. APP to check out our wide array of programming app.RealFunDC.com Follow Kelly Collis Instagram and Twitter: @CityShopGirl LinkedIN: Kelly Collis Follow Tommy McFLY Twitter: @TommyMcFLY Instagram: @MrTommyMcFLY LinkedIN: Tommy McFLY

On November 10, the European Union imposed $4 billion worth of additional tariffs on US goods, including vodka, brandy, rum, and vermouth. In this episode, Rob Maron, Vice President of International Trade at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, goes in depth on why the EU may have chosen these products, how tariffs are impacting the US alcohol industry at large, as well as what trade associations around the world are doing to fight them. Learn more about Park Street: https://www.parkstreet.com/Sign up for our daily industry newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/3ONywJQFollow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkstreetcompanies/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkStreetCompanies/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkStreetNewsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkstreetcompanies/

With more than 30 years of high-level government experience and nearly two decades of work with the Distilled Spirits Council, the Alpine Group's Rhod Shaw dives into the election outcomes and what that means for the spirits industry moving forward. He covers why this election was unlike any others, and what's next for the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, tariffs and cannabis legalization.

With more than 30 years of high-level government experience and nearly two decades of work with the Distilled Spirits Council, the Alpine Group's Rhod Shaw dives into the election outcomes and what that means for the spirits industry moving forward. He covers why this election was unlike any others, and what's next for the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, tariffs and cannabis legalization.

Amy and Joe powwow with Chris Swonger, the President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council who states his case for low taxes on booze and discusses his involvement with Responsibility.org. Amy’s memoir is now required reading at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work. Joe suggests that a certain Florida treatment center renames itself “Insurance Fraud of the Swamp”.

This week we're celebrating the release of the 250th episode of the Association Hustle Podcast. Tune in as JP Moery dives into the lessons learned and what the future holds.             Hello and welcome to JP Moery’s Association Hustle Podcast. President of The Moery Company, JP’s mission is to arm today’s associations with insight and strategy to thrive and a progressively complex and competitive business landscape. 21st century associations must move forward with a little bit of hustle and revenue development at their core. Here’s JP. Hello, my friends, and welcome to Episode 250 of the Association Hustle Podcast. For those of you who have been listening for a long time – thank you, thank you! For those of you who are joining for the first time – thank you, thank you! If you haven’t already, go back and download previous episode, lots of good stuff! On to episode 250. Today, I'm going to let it rip. The title of this one is, "Now, I Really Have Something to Say," because I've learned a lot over the last 250 episodes. One of the things I've learned is the power of podcasting. Friends, it the most positive communication tool I've ever launched in business and I've been in the association space now for almost 30 years. I don't understand any association that does not have one by now. Until recently, we were getting about 400 people listening per month, now we're getting over 4000. Podcasts scale overtime and you have the opportunity to reach people that you've never reached before; the possibilities are endless. Here are some of the other things that we have learned... Virtual programming is absolutely scalable. It's on demand and we embrace the variety of ways that we can use these platforms to connect with multiple audience segments and groups that you've never been able to reach before. If you think about your in-person meetings, it was only getting to a limited amount of people, typically one attendee from an organization. Now, you can reach whole departments, and even companies, with your virtual programs. Meetings and conventions are going to reappear and they will do so with vigor, however, the business model for events will change. Anticipate smaller, more regional events. May be high end, and exclusive ones. I'm concerned about organizations that typically put on large events with thousands of people in attendance. I hope they can figure it out and work through it because they're so important to our business model. In all of these cases, we're talking about a blended and diversified series of programs to reach a larger audience to be more influential and we are able to deepen the bench in our member companies – if it's a corporate membership – and be relevant in the lives of these member companies more than ever. After 250 episodes, I'm also worried about inaction. My former colleague Don Neal, President of 360 Live Media, said recently in a blog post that he was concerned about the cost of inaction, and I am too. Over the last 250 episodes, we talked about a number of ways to embrace new and innovative ways to engage audiences, but I know that there are some associations that really need to check themselves and to see if they're truly helping out their members while the industry they represent is under incredible stress and strain. Now, here's what I'm fascinated by, some associations have absolutely woken up; in some cases, it's new leadership that's catapulting the organization forward. I'm going to name some people today for you: Chris Walker, of the Distilled Spirits Council, this is you. David Long of the National Electrical Contractors Association, this is you. These guys, they're firing so much new! And, I know they've got staff doing it and helping them but these folks are leading and they're firing so much new and innovative content, you can't even keep up with it. By the way, they're not clients of mine; they used to be but I'm not getting paid by them to say...

Chris Swonger serves as the President & CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Responsibility.org. The Distilled Spirits Council is the leading voice for distilled spirits in the U.S. market and serves as the industry’s advocate in state capitals, the nation’s capital and foreign capitals around the globe. Responsibility.org is a national not-for-profit organization funded by the nation's leading distillers that aims to eliminate drunk driving and work with others to end all impaired driving, eliminate underage drinking and empowers adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices as part of a balanced lifestyle.

We talk with the President of the Distilled Spirits Council Chris Swonger about the Council's efforts during the COVID19 crisis.

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States President and CEO Chris Swonger discusses impacts of COVID-19 with Bob Dorfman, director of Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services. Specifically, Bob delves into the creative solutions his team has used to ensure business stay operational while protecting consumers and employees.

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States President and CEO Chris Swonger discusses impacts of COVID-19 with Bob Dorfman, director of Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services. Specifically, Bob delves into the creative solutions his team has used to ensure business stay operational while protecting consumers and employees.

Hundreds of distillers in all 50 states are now producing hand sanitizer to help fight COVID-19. They've chosen to step up to create a product most of them knew nothing about, and it happened fast.   This week's guests are: Eral Gokgol-Kline - Founder + Managing Principal for The Vale Fox Distillery - a small batch distillery that is just under a year old and located in the Hudson Valley in New York State.   Becky Harris - Founder and Chief Distiller of Catoctin Creek Distilling out of Purcellville, Virginia. Chris Swonger - President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States - DISCUS. Bit by a Fox Links: Blog Instagram Facebook Twitter Podcast Music

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods' Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa interviewed Lowell Randel from the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) about the latest developments regarding COVID-19's impact on the cold foods supply chain. Hear what on-the-fly adjustments the industry is making in response to crushing demand for retail refrigerated and frozen foods, plus the innovations that have been developed to move inventory faster, and help protect truck drivers in the current social distancing climate. Also, find out how the GCCA and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States partnered to quickly create and distribute hand sanitizer to those that need it.

Chris Swonger President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of The United States joins the podcast for an appropriately socially distanced conversation about the new normal of COVID19 and the state of the distilled spirits industry.

Tune in to BTN Weekly News for news and updates straight from the heart of the beverage industry. In today's episode hear more about: * Distilled Spirits Council of the US launches a new marketing campaign in Europe * Diageo talks about profits being hit off due to the Coronavirus * Amazon launches its cashier-less store * Prosecco at a rise in France * VIDE Beverages debut new packaging with Southern Glazer’s * Pernod Ricard’s flavoured gin pulls in customers * Prowein 2020 postponed Sources: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/ https://www.bevnet.com/ https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/ www.beveragedaily.com

There's an old saying that "sometimes, you choose the whisky business...and sometimes, it chooses you." That could be said for Victoria Eady-Butler, who retired last year after 31 years in federal law enforcement. As it turns out, the great-great granddaughter of Nathan "Nearest" Green inherited some of her ancestor's talent. She was the first member of the Green family to pick barrels for the Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch whiskey last year, and was so good at it that she's started a second career as the master blender for Uncle Nearest. She's also made a place for herself in the history books as the first African-American woman to serve as master blender for an American whiskey brand. In the news, another milestone in whisky collecting has fallen with the first million-dollar bid for a whisky in an online auction. We'll have the details, along with highlights from this week's World Whisky Forum in Seattle, the Distilled Spirits Council's conference in Louisville, and a bunch of ba-a-a-ad puns around Ardbeg's latest limited edition release. Yes, we're a bit sheepish about that!

Edra Soto is a Puerto Rico born, Chicago based, interdisciplinary artist, educator and curator whose architectural projects connect with communities. Soto's temporary modular SCREENHOUSE pavilions are evocative symbols of her cultural assimilation that we can enter and share. Each free-standing structure functions as both sculptural object and social gathering place. Couched in beauty, her ongoing OPEN 24 HOURS project offers a different visceral encounter — with evidence of displacement and want. The aesthetic display of cast-off liquor bottles culled from steadily accumulating detritus in the historically Black neighborhood she now calls home suggests that we consider the personal and communal impact of poverty and racism. During a studio visit with the artist in Northwest Chicago, we talk about recent iterations of these projects. In concert with the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Millennium Park Foundation commissioned the artist to produce a temporary gathering place in one of the park’s outdoor galleries. Only steps from Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, she worked with a team to construct SCREENHOUSE. The 10-foot high pavilion made of 400 charcoal-hued, 12-inch cast concrete blocks is part of an ongoing project, an architectural series inspired by iron grills and decorative concrete screen blocks found throughout the Caribbean and the American South. New versions of OPEN 24 HOURS are on view in two 2020 exhibitions. One appears in Open House: Domestic Thresholds at the Albright-Knox Museum, in Buffalo, New York. Cognac bottles carefully arranged on shelves with decorative panels reveal the artist’s connection to two places she calls home. More liquor bottles command attention in the three-part installation she designed for State of the Art 2020. Featuring work by artists from across the United States, the exhibition celebrates the opening of The Momentary, a new contemporary art space at the Crystal Bridges Museum, in Bentonville, Arkansas. Sound Editor: Anamnesis Audio  Related Episodes and Photo Features: Architecture with a Sense of Place, Views—Chicago Architecture Biennial 2019, Fresh VUE: Chicago Art and Architecture 2017 Related Links: Edra Soto, The Momentary, State of the Art 2020, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Knox-Albright Museum, Millennium Park, Chicago Architecture Biennial 2019 About Edra Soto: Born in Puerto Rico and based in Chicago, Edra Soto is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, curator, and co-director of the outdoor project space THE FRANKLIN. She is invested in creating and providing visual and educational models propelled by empathy and generosity. Her recent projects, which are motivated by civic and social actions, focus on fostering relationships with a wide range of communities.  Recent venues presenting Soto’s work include Chicago Cultural Center (IL), Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (KS), Pérez Art Museum Miami (FL), Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (PR), Hunter EastHarlem Gallery (NY), UIC Gallery 400 (IL), Smart Museum (IL), Bemis Center for Contemporary Art (NE), DePaul Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago (IL). Soto was awarded the Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, the DCASE for Individual Artist Grant from the City of Chicago, the 3Arts Make A Wave award, and 3Arts Projects grants, and the Illinois Arts Council grant.  Soto holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts from Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico. She teaches Introduction to Social Engagement at University of Illinois in Chicago and is a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  About SCREENHOUSE: Decorative screens, known as rejas and quiebrasoles, are ubiquitous in Soto’s birthplace in Puerto Rico. In her SCREENHOUSE series, Soto transforms the quiebrasol form from a planar screen that divides public from private into a nearly fully enclosed, free-standing structure that functions as both sculptural object and social gathering place. About OPEN 24 HOURS: Witnessing the excessive accumulation of litter and detritus in the historic African American neighborhood of East Garfield Park where she lives motivated Edra Soto to initiate this ongoing project. Since December 2016, Soto has been collecting, cleaning and classifying cast-off liquor bottles to create installations that display the impact of racism and poverty on this marginalized community in Chicago. Bourbon Empire, the book quoted below, recounts the historic connection between African Americans and cognac from its genesis in the 1930s to contemporary repercussions instigated by hip-hop and rap culture. “Cognac’s relationship with African American consumers started later, when black soldiers stationed in southwest France were introduced to it during both world wars. The connection between cognac producers and black consumers was likely bolstered by the arrival of black artists and musicians... France appreciated these distinctive art forms before the U.S. did, continuing a French tradition dating back to Alexis de Tocqueville of understanding aspects of American culture better than Americans did. For African Americans, the elegant cognac of a country that celebrated their culture instead of marginalizing it must have tasted sweet ... During the 1990s, cognac sales were slow, and the industry was battling an image populated by fusty geriatrics. Then references to cognac began surfacing in rap lyrics, a phenomenon that peaked in 2001 with Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy’s hit “Pass the Courvoisier,” causing sales of the brand to jump 30 percent. During the next five years, other rappers teamed up with brands, and increased overall sales of cognac in the U.S. by a similar percentage, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.” —Reid Mitenbuler, author of Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey

Craft Brew News 11/8/19Federal Judge: MillerCoors Withheld Marketing Materials in Stone Brewing LawsuitA federal magistrate judge last Thursday filed a report and recommendation order largely siding with Stone Brewing’s claims that MillerCoors did not provide all available marketing materials for its Keystone brand during the lawsuit’s discovery phase.Although U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Lopez declined to impose sanctions requested by Stone against MillerCoors, she did grant a partial award of monetary sanctions to the San Diego-headquartered craft brewery.Stone Brewing filed the lawsuit against MillerCoors in February 2018 in response to new Keystone Light packaging and advertising that featured the words “Key” and “Stone” separated in prominent, capitalized letters. MillerCoors has maintained in its defense that it has used “Stone” and “Stones” in reference to Keystone products dating back to the brand’s debut in 1989.In light of this finding, Lopez recommended that Stone receive a partial payout of its $420,476.63 in legal fees, and Stone be allowed to update its expert reports to include the additional evidence.Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act Reaches Record 315 Co-SponsorsA bill to extend federal excise tax (FET) relief has garnered a record number of co-sponsors following a day of action coordinated by the Beer Institute (BI), Brewers Association (BA) and other alcoholic beverage trade groups.The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) reached 315 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives and 73 in the U.S. Senate; In addition to the BA and BI, the bill’s other supporters include the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, American Craft Spirits Association, Wine Institute, Wine America, the U.S. Association of Cider Makers and the American Mead Makers Association.BA president and CEO Bob Pease said in the release “The widespread bipartisan support the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act has received to date is amazing and America’s craft beer industry is grateful to our many champions in Congress,”. “This legislation has played an integral role in providing financial certainty to more than 7,700 small and independent brewers coast to coast since its enaction in 2017.” Brewers who produce fewer than two million barrels annually pay $3.50 per barrel for their first 60,000 barrels and $7 per barrel after that. Of the bill’s 315 co-sponsors, 159 are Democrats and 156 are Republicans, nearly a 50/50 split between the parties. These 315 co-sponsors make up 72% of the House’s 435 members.Russian River Brews Sonoma Pride to Support FirefightersRussian River is brewing a Sonoma Pride IPL after a wildfire forced the evacuation of the popular Windsor, California, craft brewery last week.Russian River co-founder Natalie Cilurzo told Brewbound that Sonoma Pride will be available next month at both the Windsor and Santa Rosa breweries and proceeds will support a yet-to-be-determined charity that supports firefighters. The beer will be on draft and in bottles with commemorative labels, which will also adorn T-shirts.The Kincade Fire started on October 23 near Geyserville, about 15 miles from Russian River’s Windsor location.Russian River was closed after the towns of Windsor and Healdsburg were evacuated on October 26. The brewery was closed for eight days while evacuation orders were in place, and gas to the property was shut off. The brewery finally reopened on October 31, although staff was unable to brew or operate its kitchen until gas was restored.The Kincade Fire was 80% contained as of Monday, after burning nearly 78,000 acres and claiming 374 buildings, according to NPR.In a video on Facebook, Russian River co-founder Vinnie Cilurzo announced that he and his team brewed a new version of Sonoma Pride.In 2017, the Cilurzos worked with 50 other breweries to raise more than $1.1 million for wildfire relief efforts in Sonoma and Napa counties.(Allo Gilinsky The Craft Beer Concierge – Russian River Tour Guide)Four Loko’s 12% ABV Hard Seltzer Hits Retailers; Anheuser-Busch to Launch Bud Light Seltzer in Q1Phusion Projects officially rolled out its first Four Loko branded hard seltzer to retailers today, after going viral on social media over the summer.Four Loko Hard Seltzer’s first flavor, black cherry, checks in at 12% alcohol by volume (ABV) and is sold in 23.5 oz. single-serve cans. More flavors will launch next spring, a spokeswoman said. Phusion Projects touted the product as “the hardest hard seltzer in the universe,” according to the company’s website and the caption of the Instagram post announcing its debut.On the other end of the spectrum, Craft Brew Alliance’s pH Experiment launched Pacer, a 2% ABV hard seltzer, over the summer.The hard seltzer category has generated $1.2 billion in sales year-to-date through October 5, according to market research firm Nielsen. The category crossed the $1 billion threshold in August. Hard seltzer sales could be triple that size over the next three years, according to a report from Rabobank beverage analyst Jim Watson.A-B announced today that Bud Light Seltzer will launch in the first quarter of 2020 in four flavors: Black Cherry, Lemon Lime, Strawberry and Mango. Each flavor checks in at 5% ABV and contains 100 calories, 2 grams of carbs and fewer than 1 gram of sugar. The product was teased during the world’s largest beer manufacturer’s third-quarter earnings call on October 25.Bud Light Seltzer will come in variety 12-packs, single flavor 12-packs and 25 oz. single-serve cans.Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to Michael@craftbeerstorm.com Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2Support ACS In NYC MarathonI signed up for the NYC Marathon through the American Cancer Society and I am aiming to raise $32,000 ($3,200 Minimum X 10X) - please follow link below to donate what you can - $25, $50, $30K! - Onward... - Here is link –http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=94035&pg=personal&px=49477898&fbclid=IwAR2mBEvhF1wMA_BbHPhkavichNSFrE9Y9gi2RVZzfQ_4Da5Sht7gvH9rY_k*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***Michael Potorti is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faebMichael PotortiFounder/BrewerHost of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcastmichael@craftbeerstorm.commichael@bearairishbrew.com*** Come visit our brewery for some delicious local craft brew! ***Beara Brewing Co.2800 Lafayette RoadPortsmouth, NH 03801Tel. 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Chris Swonger is the President and CEO of Distilled Spirits Council and Responsibility.Org. Swonger most recently served as senior vice president for global government relations at Smiths Group, a diversified global technology company with interests in homeland security, defense, aerospace, energy & environment, and medical devices, among others. Previously, he spent 15 years in the spirits industry, during which he led government affairs for Beam and Allied Domecq, two spirits industry giants. Distilled Spirits Council of the United States is the leading voice for distilled spirits in the U.S. market and serves as the industry’s advocate in state capitals, the nation’s capital and foreign capitals around the globe. Responsibility.org (Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility) is a national not-for-profit , funded by distillers, that leads the fight to eliminate drunk driving and work with others to end all impaired driving, eliminate underage drinking, and empowers adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices as part of a balanced lifestyle.

Chris Swonger and Frank Coleman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States join the podcast for a briefing on how Trump administration tariffs are hurting America's spirits industry.

In this episode of the distillery nation podcast we had the absolute pleasure talking with Chris Swonger. Chris is the President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org. We chatted about his history with distilled spirits, his current role and responsibilities, talked about the inaugural Distilled Spirits Council Conference. Hot topics like the FET expiration that will affect craft distilleries here in 2 months, and more importantly what we can do to help raise our voice. Spirits United, which is a new platform that can help and focus on raising awareness on critical craft spirit issues. We talked about the Whiskey tariffs with the EU, and his thoughts on the influx on alcohol related campaigns that are surfacing over the last few days. Please visit this podcast at http://www.distillerynation.com/ and view all of today's show notes.

Whisky has been a part of politics since the monks were working their stills in medieval times, helping opposing sides bridge their differences over a shared dram. It's also been a political football, too - from the Prohibition Era to the trade disputes making headlines today. Chris Swonger has been in the middle of a political hurricane in the 10 months since he became CEO and president of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. He's facing trade conflicts, the potential impact from Brexit, and even disagreements over pending deregulatory action in Washington. We'll talk about all of these issues and more with Chris Swonger on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky firefighters kept a brush fire from becoming a disaster Friday after it came within 100 yards of warehouses full of Heaven Hill and Maker's Mark bourbons. An Irish whiskey maker wants to make filmmaker Martin Scorsese an offer he shouldn't refuse, and we'll have details on the week's new whiskies.

We speak with Chris Swonger, the President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. and Responsibility.org Also what's the best way to cut citrus garnishes at the bar?  I co-authored a book!  Cocktails Made Simple is available on Amazon.

It takes a lot to drag distillers away from their stills, but when the stakes are as high as the current debate over extending a federal excise tax cut for craft distillers - that's enough to put them on a plane for Washington. More than 150 distillers from around the country converged on Capitol Hill this week for the annual public policy conference sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council and the American Craft Spirits Association. It also gave them a chance to put some pressure on their representatives in Congress to extend that tax break currently scheduled to expire at the end of this year. We'll talk with ACSA President Chris Montana of Du Nord Craft Spirits in Minneapolis and several of his colleagues about the politics of making whiskey on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo now faces strike votes by both unions representing workers at its distilleries and bottling plants in Scotland following a breakdown in contract talks. Beam Suntory is reviving an old name for its flagship Jim Beam Distillery in Kentucky as part of a $60 million dollar expansion plan that will include a new craft distillery named for master distiller Fred Noe. We also have a bunch of new whiskies to talk about, and we'll also look at whether it's possible to distill whisky in space on Behind the Label.

You can't discount the impact marijuana is currently having on states that have legalized recreational use. There's now more research and funding looking at the impact of marijuana not only from a medicinal use, but also economic footprint that funds many city and state government initiatives. Of course, liquor industries are curious and want to make sure this doesn't hurt sales. Will it? I don't know, but today's guests do. David Ozgo, Chief Economist at Distilled Spirits Council and Clay Busch, Vice President of Heavy Grass join the show to talk from their respective sides. Those advocating widespread legalization helps everyone, and those taking precautions for its hurting sales of the spirits business. Show Partners: Batch 016 was a project that took Barrell Craft Sprits over a year. They selected 9 to 15 year old barrels with similar profiles from different distilleries. It’s deeply concentrated, but not too oaky and finishes with a toasted orange note. Find out more at BarrellBourbon.com. Use code "BOB2019" for discounted tickets to Bourbon on the Banks in Frankfort, KY on August 24th. Visit BourbonontheBanks.org. (Offer good through 6/30.) Aged & Ore is running a special promotion on their new Travel Decanter. Get yours today at PursuitTravelDecanter.com. Receive $25 off your first order with code "Pursuit" at RackhouseWhiskeyClub.com. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about Kentucky state pride. What's your connection to bourbon? Give us some background on your organizations. Do you encourage smoking weed to harness creativity? Is there a concern from the Distilled Spirits Council with the combination of marijuana and spirits? Let's discuss consuming responsibly. Should brands try to align themselves with marijuana? Tell us about the research the government is doing on marijuana? How would spirit companies use marijuana in their portfolio? What is CBD compared to marijuana? Do you think marijuana has an impact on the spirits industry? Are people worried about marijuana impacting spirits? How do national companies handle marijuana use with employees that live in legal states? What do you think about experimentation of marijuana in spirits? What is your goal in regards to marijuana? What are your thoughts on hemp? Are they worried about the spirit or their pocket books? How can you pair marijuana with whiskey? 0:00 Well now my fire alarms going off. You hear it? 0:04 It's all good. 0:06 Unless he's burning. For God's sake, Kenny. Yeah, I know. 0:08 This podcast was so hot guys, we torched the apartment. 0:24 This is Episode 206 of bourbon pursuit. I'm one of your host Kenny. And as usual, a little bit of news. We've announced here on the podcast of all the distilleries on Kentucky having multiple million and billion dollar expansions because the bourbon boom isn't stopping, it's not slowing down. And in 2016, Buffalo Trace began making their progress on its $1.2 billion infrastructure investment. This started off with four new barrel warehouses and a $50 million bottling hall that is now nearing completion. New barrel warehouses double a double will be double See, and Double D have been built and are filled with barrels that will continue to age which will eventually fill around 70 million bottles of whiskey. Now this is all located on what's called whiskey farm, which is a 200 acre plot of land adjacent to Buffalo Trace. The fifth new warehouse double E is taking shape with constructions of number six and seven that every plan for the end of 2019. Each of these warehouses are unique because they are heat cycle during the winter months, even with its limited stock and having to wait for age do its thing. Buffalo Trace is committed to not raising prices or diluting proves to fill more barrels. Last week on the roundtable we discussed would you ever drink a marijuana infused bourbon? Well, this show takes it kind of in a whole new direction. You can't discount the impact that marijuana is currently having on states that have legalized recreational use. There's now more research and funding, looking the impacts of marijuana not only from a medicinal use, but also its economical impact. Of course, liquor industries are curious, and they want to make sure that this isn't going to hurt their sales. But will it? Who knows? But I can't be that expert. So we're going to find out from our experts today. So we have David Ozgo, the chief economist at the distilled spirits Council and Clay Bush, Vice President of heavy grass, they joined the show to talk from their respective sides of the table. So those for its widespread use. And those look at the precautionary look at the potential impact of marijuana on the spirits business. Now with that, let's hear from our friend Joe over a barrel bourbon. And then you've got Fred Minnick with the above the char. 2:45 Hi, this is Joe Beatrice from barrell bourbon. batch 16 was a project that took over a year, we selected nine to 15 year old barrels with similar profiles from different distilleries. It's deeply concentrated, but not too oaky and finishes with a toasted orange note. Find out more at barrel bourbon.com. 3:02 I'm Fred Minnick, and this is above the char. My wife held her belly and said, Freddie, it's time we jumped in the car. I drove 90 miles per hour to the Clark County Memorial Hospital. And nearly 24 hours later, our first son Oscar Leo was born. He was a complicated birth. And we chose this hospital because it specialized in natural birth, even though we didn't mean to end up having a natural birth. That's a whole other story. Why am I telling you this because I regret falling for that hospitals marketing plan, as my son does not have Kentucky on his birth certificate. Don't get me wrong. I love Indiana, the people the food, the cities, but work and tuck ins and there's something special about being born and raised in the state. And while I love my home state of Oklahoma, I'm a proud Oklahoma State Cowboys, Kentucky and bodies of state pride you cannot find anywhere else. It's an every cask of bourbon horse scalping in the metals. The state is an amazing state. And when you travel outside these borders, folks look at you as if you know something, because you live in Kentucky. If you're bred born and raised here, that's like an extra 10 points are cool. I think there's even a T shirt for that. But for bourbon in particular, being from Kentucky gives you more cachet. And if you're from Bardstown especially, it's as if you were baptized from the holy barrel of Booker and Parker beam was your Godfather, the gravitas is real. And if you ever drank with the Kentucky and bards tab, you know why it's our Mecca, our holy place of American whiskey. And it's important to me that my sons live and love the Kentucky pride. After all, as my wife says, they're the sons of bourbon. And that's this week's above the char. Hey, do you have a cool take on Kentucky? Let me know. Love the state, as you know, I'll retweet it or share it on Instagram. Hit me up at Fred Minnick. That's at Fred Minnick. Until next week. Cheers. 5:12 Welcome back to bourbon pursuit the official podcast of bourbon, Kenny and Fred here in attendance today, talking about a subject that is I don't know it's a little little bit hot, a little bit a little bit tipsy because it is two controlled substances and figuring out exactly where do the legalities sort of fit in? Where do one compete with one another to because this is a this is a market after all? And I don't know Fred, do you think this is just considered the the all out sin podcast? 5:45 Well, if we had beer, yeah, we would we can be able to throw that on there. And big, big beer is not a fan of cannabis growth. And so when we look at when we look at marijuana, and American whiskey, the seem to be a lot more compliments, then competition. In a lot of cases, you know, from a lot of consumers do both. And then, you know, the distillers don't seem to be as afraid of the introduction of marijuana legally as beer companies do, and wine and wineries. But at the same time, you know, here in Kentucky, we still have a lot of dry counties. And you know, in some in some districts, you smoke weed, you're going to the devil so and so we see a lot of like Prohibition era mindsets when it's applied to marijuana. 6:42 Yeah, I typically tend to agree with that. However, the one thing that we have seen within the changing laws of marijuana is that it's it's starting to break down barriers a lot faster than probably what she's seen a lot of things in regards of alcohol to from California and Colorado and the whole entire nation of Canada is now recreational. So you're starting to see these these things coming. And it's I think it'll be harder for entities to try to stop slowing its role because it's a, I guess it's a product that is probably going to eventually make its way out and marijuana in general recreational marijuana to the vast majority of United States over the next few years. And that is why we have brought in our guests today to talk about this and what could the potential impact be on bourbon? So we have got David Ozgo. David is the chief economist of the distilled spirits Council, as well as we have Clay Bush, who is the vice president of heavy grass. So Gentlemen, welcome to the show. 7:43 Thank you very much. Good. It's good to be here. 7:45 Yeah. Thanks for having us. 7:47 Yeah, so Clay I'll kind of go with you first. You know, this is a bourbon podcast after all. What's your sort of tie in with with bourbon? Do you drink it? You have a few bottles as a cocktail guy what's what's sort of your your Avenue 8:01 and a previous in a previous life? I actually used to help produce beer bourbon festivals, which is how I met Fred. I've always been a traditional Tennessee whiskey jack daniels guy just growing up naturally and in college jack and coke was always my go to that's how I was introduced to whiskey. But as I did more shows in Kentucky's in Louisville, specifically med debt, you know, with Danny Wimmer presents and the festivals that we did there because I used to be a promoter with Danny Wimmer really got to know and educate ourselves in the bourbon. So I'm a bourbon fanatic. I had a good collection. But being in California, it's hard to find the good stuff. So it's going it's running out. But a big Blanton's fan, he is probably my go to if I if I could ever, like have a you know, one sip of one thing, Blanton would be my my go to. 8:49 Nice. 8:49 What about you, David, do you have a particular bourbon that you gravitate towards? or anything like that? 8:55 Oh, gosh, that's always a loaded question. When you're talking to someone that works for a traders Association. 9:02 Didn't didn't didn't. 9:04 Let me just say there are a lot of really wonderful products out on the market. And I enjoyed most of them. 9:11 It was it was about as generic as we can get. 9:17 You running for Senate in 2022? 9:20 No, but I'd like to keep my job in 9:22 2019. So although I can David, I imagine that your your plank would be pretty good. You would just be talking about reducing excise taxes and reducing tariffs. I mean, you'd have all kinds of people voting for you with that kind of language. 9:38 Well, we are quite popular with a good portion of the public. And we're just hoping to bring the Congress around along as well. So yeah, we've had some tariff issues, but we're hoping to get past them so that the Europeans can enjoy our fine bourbon products. 9:56 Absolutely. And I think we should also let people get a little bit more familiar with with your organizations that you belong to. So David, if you could give a little bit of color and background on what is the distilled spirits Council. 10:09 Sure, the distilled spirits council we represent most of the large, distillers, distillers and importers of distilled spirits in United States. So that means we represent the suppliers either the people when it comes to bourbon, the people that are actually making the bourbon or we also represents scotch rum, gin, vodka, all the distilled spirits. So if it happens to be an import will will represent the importer as well. And we have an organization here in Washington DC, we have a public affairs staff, we obviously have a number of government relations people. We have a science office general counsel office, and my office is the economic and strategic analysis office. So we do a lot of economic analysis. So we will represent the industry both here in Washington, DC, but then at the state level as well, where where there's oftentimes a lot going on. 11:08 And then I don't know if heavy grass really needs an introduction, but I want you to do it anyway. 11:13 Well, heavy grass is a we like to call ourselves more than just a cannabis company. We're a lifestyle brand. You know, we we think we're amplifying to everyone's experience. I mean, cannabis has been amplifying, you know, creativity. Other experiences throughout history since been introduced to the market. So we are a rock and roll aggressive brand. We are a recreational brand, we do not take a medical stance, we're not here to say we're our stuffs going to help treat arthritis or influenza, it's an anti inflammatory, we're here to say, you know, if you want to go to a concert, smoking, a heavy grass product is going to help amplify your experience. But more than anything, we're a community. We're super serving the rock and roll and metal community, we're all inclusive, even if you don't consume our products, we want you to be a part of our events, and just be a part of everything we're doing. So we're constantly out especially in Los Angeles, where I'm based in the company's based and we're out for helping, you know, support bands predict producing events and activating other music festivals, but also, you know, being a being a an additive and amplifying experience for bands in the studio, when they need that that creativity or some way 12:18 so so you're you're you're supplying bands with heavy grasses, they go into the studio, is that what you're saying? 12:24 Yeah, sometimes you had you needed to write a really great solo. And then a lot of times instead of, you know, this is what they use as their outlet to get creative and they smoke cannabis. But another thing that we utilize cannabis for is the relaxation part where a lot of these guys are using it to go to sleep like myself. I've been an active cannabis user since I was 12 from Colorado, and cannabis has always been my go to to help relax and go to bed and my mind's constantly racing our car or going to school or playing football or whatever was in Canvas was always that, you know, allowed me to kind of relax and go to bed and start my day over. 12:59 Alright, so you have you're not a you're not a medical cannabis. But let's say that I'm a 65 year old heavy metal fan, and I have glaucoma. Can I enjoy your product at a concert and maybe have some side benefits of the medicine? 13:15 I'm sure I'm sure you could but we're not going out there basically tell you that this is going to help a block home if you're smoking cannabis in that realm we're expecting you to go out it's adding to your you know, I'm a big we call whiskey and weed pairing. So I constantly like pairing my whiskey with my jack and cokes and I'm going to a concert. So that adds to my experience, it creates a different euphoria for me. And that's always been a part of my culture in the way I've experienced live music. So I think for a 65 year old heavy metal fans going and Ozzy Osbourne concert, he's probably has a cannabis alternative that's helping with his golf glaucoma. And he's a part of our community just to hang out and enjoy the enjoy the concert with us. 13:51 So David, you heard that side of things, and you know, the spirits community, you know, it's very, very much about drink responsibly consuming responsibly. Is there a concern from the distilled spirits Council, you know, that the the connection that combination of, of marijuana and spirits, you know, could lead to a non responsible experience? 14:18 Well, obviously, any product can be consumed responsibly, and any product can be consumed. non-response and responsibly. You know, we, you're right, we discourage, we encourage responsible drinking. If you think you have a drinking problem, or if you think you're going to have a few drinks and drive we are we, we discouraged that. Uber is a wonderful lifesaver for a lot of people. So you have a lot of options today, in order to keep your consumption of anything responsible. 14:52 And now Klay, let's go back, Sammy said You said you started smoking at 12. Now, yeah, even by today's standards, that would be pretty, pretty well illegal. 15:02 I mean, yeah, I mean, very much illegal. And even in Colorado, during that time, it was illegal. I still remember, this is not the way you're supposed to consume and introduce yourself to a product just like when you're drinking whiskey for the first time, you're not going to the backyard moonshine, or, to try it for the first time to get the ultimate experience and really get the benefits benefits of what you're looking for. I know alcohol is a slippery slope, when it comes to that the cannabis kind of falls into a different category in our eyes, you know, to David's point, we're about healthy consumption as well and safe consumption. You know, medical drugs have do not drive warnings on their on their bottles. You know, we have warning labels on ours, the alcohol industry costly, does great advertisements, pushing saved tapes, save consumption and driving and drinking and driving responsibly or calling Uber like you mentioned. So we're just a little different when it comes because we pair and I know when you don't want to pair with alcohol with traditional prescription drugs. But I think, you know, when you look at cannabis and data kind of kind of kind of shows the story where there isn't really any data show correlating a cannabis consumer to a death in the history of the product, there's plenty of correlations that kind of could bring other products into it, especially the prescription drug business, the fat and only and like the oxy Cotton's and, and the different types of opiates. That's an epidemic. And that's really why I think cannabis is kind of coming as an alternative. Now with the way technology is caught up, people are educating themselves and saying, hey, this may have been a prohibition product for so long, because it may be a mess with so many other categories, like the paper industry in the logging industry at the time. And and now the prescription drug business. So it's it's an exciting time, it's all about education, that's what we're all about is just educating people on our product at the same time. We're not a medical, we're not a medical product. 16:49 Now, to be clear, there have been according to the DEA, there's not there's not reported overdose deaths in marijuana, but there are deaths are linked to, you know, over use and driving. The Arkansas Department of Health just issued an advisory on cannabis, you know, so there are there are some things there are over consumption can be, you know, can be fatal. And there's also some studies that show that marriage, you know, the use of marijuana at a certain age can you know, trigger, schizophrenia and some people I mean, David, when you see those things, and when the spirits industry hears those things, and they hear the discussion of it, there's not as No, marijuana is not as fatal as alcohol. Is there a sense of, I don't know, pushback from the alcohol industry to you know that because at the end of the day, a lot of these marijuana when you're talking about marijuana, they lot of times push down on spirits. 17:59 I you I mean, let's be clear. Obviously, impaired driving is a big concern of ours, because what tends to happen is right now we have a breathalyzer out there with a breathalyzer technology has been around for I don't know, 5060 years now. In fact, it was the distilled spirits Council and some of its predecessors, they actually invested the money that developed the original breathalyzer, what tends to happen now is if you have if you're, if someone is pulled over with a suspicion of DUI, you can do the breathalyzer fairly quickly, if they test positive for alcohol, all automatically becomes an alcohol impairment, you know, because they simply don't have the ability to test for anything else. We think that's an important issue from a public policy standpoint, not just from the fact that we don't want to take all the blame for impaired driving, if it's not our products that are causing the real impairment, but we just think from a public policy standpoint, you need to know what people are doing. You need to know, in order to because so much of trying to reduce abuse of drinking or your abuse of consumption of anything, is to know what people are doing, and then you can properly educate them. So from that standpoint, we we need to we need to know what's causing impairment. And I, everyone I've talked to that's in the marijuana industry now is really on board with that notion. And, you know, they're advocating for research that could develop the for lack of better term marijuana breathalyzer. 19:39 Let's go to some mail set Klay brought up because he said he was a big proponent of pairing marijuana with whiskey as a as an enjoyment. Where did I slit Yeah, yeah, like Ferris. So hey, so good at my coconut 19:55 got my chocolate got 19:57 my memory marijuana? 19:58 Maybe it's a coconut milk? Wanna? Or maybe it's a coconut chocolate cannabis cookie? No, 20:04 it'd be that's it. That's an aggressive cookie. 20:08 So where does the distilled spirits council stand on the pairing of spirits and marijuana? 20:18 Well, right now, we haven't taken a position really. But in general, we would discourage you, particularly if you're going to be driving from using both products. You know, ultimately, let's 20:34 say you're, let's just say you're in your apartment all by yourself, you got a little something here, and you got a little something there. And they want a pair, both of them Does, does the distilled spirits Council have a position on that? 20:47 We don't have an official position on that, you know, we in general, discourage the use of both of them, if you think you're you're going to be driving at all, a lot of this is an matter of personal preference. You know, ultimately, you, you have to know what your limits are. You have to know how you can consume any product responsibly. 21:13 David, I got another kind of question for you, too, because Clay brought up a good point. And you know, he he's the proponent of the whiskey and spirits pairing. However, you don't see anything out there on the spirit side of the house that are saying like, Oh, yeah, like, we are going to embrace a lot of things that's happening inside of the cannabis world. You don't see, I'm not even to put a name out there of saying they're doing this. But should there ever be? Or is there? Is it just bad juju all around to actually have a brand say we're going to try to align themselves with, with marijuana? 21:45 Well, we're still doing a lot of research. I mean, obviously, this is a relatively new field, the federal government is finally starting to do more research into impairment levels. We're going to wait until the sciences in before we really been any kind of recommendation on that. 22:03 And it's important to note that every everybody reacts to these things differently. You know, the most of the studies that most of the studies that are out there, you know, basically have that kind of caveat is that not everyone responds to weed and, and booze the same way. And I kind of want to have a kind of, I want to know, you'd mentioned you guys are studying this What? What are you all looking at? From a as it as a trade organization? 22:38 Well, we're we're not the ones doing the actual research. It's really the federal government that's, that's doing the research. So, you know, ultimately, what we hope to find out is, you know, just what the various level impairments are, what level of consumption is safe, what level of is not safe, those sorts of things that, you know, you're you ultimately want to look at. 23:06 And I'll say this to constellation brands, which, you know, is a multi billion dollar company, it has interest in wine has interest in beer. And it's been making a heavy play into the American whiskey scene with the purchase of high West investments in Nelson the Greenbrier and Bardstown bourbon company, among others, they have bought stakes and marijuana companies. So that kind of tells you that the writing's on the wall, that these spirits brands support this now. So let's talk about how this is going to look when they get when this becomes federally legal. If it becomes federally legal. Well, how will the spirits companies use marijuana in their portfolio? David, I'll give you the first crack at that in terms of what you might think, 23:56 oh, gosh, well, you know, we don't make the bond decisions the purchasing the investment decisions for our member companies. So that's, that's really a question that you would want to address to them. You know, 24:10 certainly Ronnie I 24:12 asked several of them to come on, but none of them would come on, they all said you so wonderful. So they said you talk to you 24:21 you know, right now from what we seen, however, with regard you know, any company is always going to look for new products to sell and if a company believes that you know, a cannabis based product will fit into their portfolio whatever it might be. You know, that's that's ultimately up to them. We obviously because we are the distilled spirits council we concentrate on distilled spirits so yeah, very much aware of that the that constellation is made a rather large investment I think it was $4 billion and they're they're looking to develop that that side of their business 25:05 Klay What do you think what is what does 25:09 what does a spirits and marijuana product look like? As we see these investments coming in from larger companies? 25:17 I think it's not even about the current spirits in the current portfolio. I think they're looking at a category and being first the party before a lot of their competitors are and saying, Hey, you know, we all kind of fall in the same category, which in the wreck category, which is social, you know, social gatherings use for social purposes, at times, you know, or sitting at home to relax in the wine industry is very similar to how cannabis, some of the cannabis companies are operating not a heavy grass, per se, we I think we operate more like a whiskey company would. But I think constellation going and looking at it as they were going to go in and be first the party where they can own a category and leverage what they already know. I mean, these companies have no massive distribution, they know how to market brands, they know how to deal with content, clients issues, and we're worried about legalities. So I think they're just getting prepared for all 50 states to open up and then it can be really game on for these brands. I think with CBD and the Farm Bill passing and all these things that are just happening now recently with legislation I think you're going to see not a lot of infusion products and spirits industry because they haven't I don't think they're going to allow that to be legal yet with I think there needs to be more research done. 26:26 Asians You mean like a cannabis flavored whiskey you know think that'll have 26:30 CBD infused whiskey. You know, there's ways to do it still I mean, there's books out there teaches you how to infuse your whiskey with cannabis or any any spirit or beverage I but I think it's not going to be necessarily that coming first, I think they're going to introduce a new product through the through the umbrella somehow, which could be different than you know, another constellation wine product 26:52 if they allow you so you think the play is not necessarily to combine the two but to have a stake in the category as they would anything else. 27:01 I think these companies know distribution better than anybody and big business like that, especially the tobacco business as well. They're going to come in and put real infrastructure on a mass scale once all 50 states open up and ultra just invested on the opposite end on the tobacco side not to jump around it's a different conversation. They're doing the same thing in Canada as well getting prepared we're it's a very unique time to see those two companies go up there and throwing down billions of dollars into the category 27:29 Clay there's another kind of thing I want you to really touch on just a little bit because we are really an education program and I'm sure there's a lot of people that are going across you 27:39 know we were on PBS and all these other 27:45 iTunes the new home of PBS the but there's no I walk around downtown. It can be in Kentucky you could be in states that aren't legal yet you see signs it says like a we now carry CBD oils. people an idea of like, what does it stand for? And really, what is that? What is that product versus the traditional? You know what people really think what marijuana is 28:10 a difference is is basically the psychoactive CBD has zero psychoactive properties. So it can be used strictly for the health benefits side of cannabis than the product and the cannabis. So you know, there's different cannabinoids that go into the plants and different plants out there that do different things and provide different relief so the CBD can be extracted and it's not necessarily a smoker but I mean you have CBD vape pens out there for people that want to consume it that way. But a lot of its going into topical creams you know more health and wellness side A CBD pill for example can help you stay focused and help with anti anxiety at the same time so but without you feeling like you're quote unquote stoned right? The THC side which is still federally illegal is the psychoactive side and that's the stuff that makes you feel high. So I guess that's the best way easiest way I can determine you know, help your audience you know signify the split between the two this THC which is still federally legal. My company have you grass is a THC driven company so we we go on feeling the effects of using cannabis. CBD is the other side where it can help with the anti inflammatory it's used for more of the health and wellness side and the prescription benefits 29:24 and so you know, your uh, your your your spirits, drinker as well, kind of talk about what you think that your business has had on you. And if you think it actually has an impact on the spirits industry as well. I mean, when people have a choice, they're gonna go to the store and they're going to see two things on the shelf. Or they're going to choose one of the other Do you think there's still room for both of these that it's really not going to inhibit any sort of growth? 29:51 I mean, me personally, I don't think it really inhibits I know that for some people, they'll use cannabis and only consume cannabis that night drink, but those people are trying not to drink. So those people already understand and, and the big thing is understanding educate ourselves on consumption, which we've talked about a lot. David brought it up. You know, some people know they can't drink whiskey, so they drink clear liquor. And some people can't drink liquor at all. Some people can't drink beer. So I mean, I think it's understanding how to how to use it. Some people can't smoke weed and drink whiskey. I think I'm I think I just under over over time and learn how to pair it properly without me getting completely blown out of my mind. But it goes back 30:29 to education. It's your Viking jeans. 30:33 Nobody goes back to education and understanding Hey, if you know and I had to learn the hard way, I'm not gonna lie just like I had to learn the hard way. And when I first drink tequila for the first time, I drank too much and I threw up. You know, I smoked too much. And I passed out while I was drinking whiskey. So I think it goes back to healthy consumption. If you're going to smoke and pair you're definitely not driving. And we're not trying to advocate for that either. But we also create a strain of weed that pairs well with whiskey or blackjack straight. Which for your audience that doesn't know what cannabis looks like. This is what cannabis looks like. Is it pairs well with bourbon and whiskey because it's a spicier flavor when you consume it and out pairs, well, the openness of the barrels. So So we've pulled a strain out specifically because we understand that our cannabis community is already a member of the whisk community, and they're going to engage with both. So to answer your question, I think it's going to be case by case I think sometimes they're going they're just going to want to grab a bottle Blanton's or they're going to go in and say, Hey, I'm hanging out with my boys. I'm going to roll a joint. I'm going to get an eighth of heavy grass. I'm gonna get a bottle of, I don't know, patties and let's let's go let's go have a good time with my boys tonight and play some cards. 31:43 All right, David, what are the numbers say? 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Because I know that you're you're in the spreadsheets in the database. And so what what does that look like? 34:29 Yeah, well, it's a sad commentary on my life, I think, but 34:36 you know, we obviously, we have followed those with great interest for a number of years now. And we've looked at the three states that have the longest history of recreational legalization, namely, Oregon, Washington State, and of course, Colorado. And in all three of those states, we see no impact on our product. In fact, we took a look at the only way you could really determine what's happening to spirits, beer or wine volumes, for that matter, is to look at the excise tax collections, because that's really the only source of data that's going to include the entire market. And when we've done that, we see that well gee, distilled spirits consumption on a per capita basis since the legalization of recreational marijuana in those three states is up a little bit. And then when we you know, we've been gaining market share from beer for God, nine out of nine, the last nine years and probably I don't know 15 out of last 16 or 17. When we look at total beverage, alcohol consumption in those states, we see that on a per capita basis, it's either roughly flat or up slightly. So there's really just no evidence industries, three states that marijuana legalization has has had an impact on us whatsoever. 36:07 Okay, well, I guess we can just end the podcast now. And we got our answers. 36:12 But to that point, I like to blame it. The I know, the craft beer industry is one of those categories on a national scale. And David, you know a lot more about this than I do. If that numbers falling. I can blame craft beers because they're cannibalizing themselves. You know, there's too many options out there. There's no brand loyalty. And when you have that it's the Wild West. And it's segmented. And that's just my opinion. But you can probably talk better to that. 36:40 Yeah, well, you know, I mean, obviously, I've counterparts that do the same thing that I do for the craft beer industry, as well as for regular beer. And they say the same thing that Yeah, beer is down. But when we look at the states that have legalized marijuana, we don't see results that only different from states that don't have legalized recreational marijuana. So as a result, they they don't tend to really be so conservative. They haven't seen any impact from the legalization of marijuana, they the results are always the same, regardless of whether or not it's legalized or not. So I know that a lot of people claim that marijuana is supposed to have this massive impact on beverage alcohol, who knows maybe one day it will but you know, again, when you look at the states with the longest history, it is not and, you know, particular with Colorado. Wow, when you look at the Could you imagine a product becoming more socially acceptable than marijuana in Colorado right now? You know, it's no one has a problem with you using marijuana in Colorado. So, you know, I think we're getting some wonderful data from Colorado right now, just because it's in my mind, it's it's almost a fully developed marijuana market. When you look at the the rate of growth and whatnot in retail sales, it's, it's declined, or it's not that the rate of growth is slowing fairly dramatically, which is more or less to sign up a developed market. And, you know, pretty clearly it's not had any impact on beverage alcohol sales. 38:25 David, kind of another question about that, you know, you had talked about claims and what people say, what are some of those claims that maybe people were worried about that they want you to lobby against to say that marijuana could impact their their their distilled spirits? sales? 38:42 Yeah, well, first off, there has never been an effort, at least on the part of the distilled spirits council to try to hinder in any way shape or form. In marijuana legalization, we typically don't take a position on it. You know, we we do have several recommendations, which the marijuana industry agrees with the you know, we want fair taxation, we'd like to make certain that there are, you know, we have an advertising code, we advocate for sensible advertising code, and, you know, we advocate for, you know, keeping it out of the hands of, of younger people, just really sensible regulations that be honest with you. From what I seen, most of the people advocating for legalized marijuana agree with So, you know, from that standpoint, we've never there's never been? I know, I've I've heard rumors about big alcohol, trying to stop marijuana. Well, I guess you can consider me part of big alcohol and we've never had any such effort. 39:46 And I haven't heard that either to counter that. I haven't heard about big alcohol or really the spirits industry trying to handcuff our growth. It's really been the prescription drug industry, handcuffing US and other categories. Outside of I've heard rumors, a certain craft beers and certain big beer business. But it's really, I haven't heard much of it. I've heard it all. On the other side on the prescription drug side? 40:08 Well, there's been there were 40:12 I can't remember the exact story, but it was when Bernie Sanders was running. And there the there were some distribution companies that were that their emails became public or something like that. And that's, that's really where the big alcohol against marijuana came in. You know, 40:33 David, you remember that? You know, 40:37 I do know that the distributors, from time to time have voiced their opinion that, you know, you have a three tier system for beverage alcohol wouldn't be great to have a three tier system for marijuana as well. I think that might be really what you're getting at. And, you know, it's it's the only natural that's, you know, they would want a piece of the business. 41:05 And I'm trying to find it here. And this was not something that I had added top heavy. 41:11 Well, while you look for that, I'll throw another question to David, because there's a question that came up in the chat. You know, you talked about Colorado and how it's been sort of sweeping, and it's just part of the culture, and it hasn't really had a whole lot of impact on the economics of spirits themselves. There was a question that says, but if you if you work for a national company, it could actually prohibit them from utilizing drugs within sir sorry, marijuana with inside of their state because it's against the corporate drug policy. So 41:40 I have no idea really what the the demographics are of big companies that are based in Colorado, if there's the workforce works for national companies that wouldn't allow that. So how accurate Do you think that that data really is? Real quickly, it was a part of the WikiLeaks dump. And there was evidence in there that they were trying to undermine marijuana legalization, and it was largely connected to Bernie Sanders his belief in ending prohibition on marijuana. So yeah, so that is accurate. It was and it was the people linked to it was the wine and spirits wholesalers of America. So go ahead. 42:20 Well, what was the question again, 42:22 about the data accuracy of Colorado Raza residents? You know, 42:28 if if you're a corporation, and particularly if you're operating heavy equipment, or something of that sort, you know, you have the right to protect yourself. I mean, you're out there, you have potential huge liability. You know, Is it right for them to have a zero tolerance policy? Well, you know, that's, that's a difficult question. You know, if if they are going to be working, if you're going, you're working for a company, and there's the potential that, you know, you could potentially do some sort of physical harm. You know, 43:10 that that's every corporations worst nightmare? 43:15 No, absolutely. And there's another question that came in the chat. And this one is, is more more directed at Klay? Here? And there was it was talking about kind of like experimentation and figuring how are you mixing or infusing and he said that there is a blueberry weed infused vodka that's out there. He's got one that's a nightcap that has a relaxing CBD oil, and is brandy. Do you sort of see this as as the future of what people can experiment with kind of using their own oils and their own stuff? 43:47 I don't know legally, where you could sell that. I mean, it sounds like that's a black market product. I mean, that's kind of our problem right now is we deal with black market where legally you can't buy that market and in store because you can infuse a little liquor, liquor and alcohol have to be in a separate wall with cannabis, we're not allowed to coexist together still. So people are going to do that there's that you can google it right now and teach yourself how to make it. You know, you're going to find products out there that are going to hit the market and their stores are going to sell them. You know, we I live in Venice Beach. And there's a ton of black market products out here that are just normally sold down the street that are in regular stores, just because it's the part of the culture here. So I think it's until we get a real full legislative kind of structure around it just like the ABC laws and all that you're going to have the Wild West with us for the moment until more states open up and the government kind of create some structure with us. 44:44 What is that? What is that goal? To sit there and try to move this across more state lines for your business or for the industry in general 44:54 goals, education, and then in the stigma. The problem is you have stoner stigma and the teachings young moments and all that stuff, which is which is a part of it. You know, 45:03 they said reefer madness, reefer madness. That's what I remember. It's 45:06 funny because our company we take reframe reefer madness, and we use that as our advertising campaign. So we've kind of flipped it where Yeah, it's good. It's bad, dangerous, stay away. It's cannabis, it's going to ruin your life like, no, it's it's education and understanding the the incredible benefits of the plan depending on who the user is. And if he's properly educated can find it so you can find something that may and our battles never been with the spirits and beer industry. At least on my side, our battles 100% been on the prescription drug side. So, you know, for us, it's just ending the ending the stigma, where I can call my homies at any of these whiskey companies and saying, hey, let's do an incredible collab together. Let's bring in some artists, let's do some art. Let's Fred, you know, I'll bring some Fred. Fred comes in, he does a whiskey tasting and, and I can bring a cannabis expert, and we do a canvas tasting and collide them. That's the ultimate goal is where these worlds can come collide for me. Because Because the whiskey culture, especially in my world, the whiskey culture, and the cannabis culture kind of coexist together at all times, just like beer. And I think there's ways of us helping each other grow through education. But our big problem is stigma. And people thinking that this is you know, the old This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs, commercial. Any questions? Well, I Fred's point, smoked weed. 12, for the first time did not become a stoner went to college, played college football have been on my own since I was 18. And it's funny, I'm from Colorado, so I'm a little different. So move from Colorado to California. So I'm a little bit fortunate in that. And and, and so it's never fully affected me, it's only helped me control things without me taking a pill. 46:41 Yeah, I will say, I was just at a conference in Washington, two weeks ago, where at least the short term political goal for the marijuana industry seems to be to get expensive, be able to deduct this expenses. You know, that's, that's a big concern right now. Also, they said, they would really like to get off of marijuana off of schedule one. So that you can make it easy to do research and then it also financially, they can start using the banking system. So they do have a number of short term political goals. 47:23 But it goes back to education. And then before before these politicians that are kind of driving the ship here, they've got to be educated on the benefits or the we've got to create change. And that's that's where our big Hancock has always been with prescription drug lobbyists. And then that and before then the paper industry and the logging industry because with have been legal, you're going to see a big change in that world very quickly. 47:47 What do you mean by the way, there's with me in legal how, what what sort of big changes do you think? 47:52 Well, hemp is a very, very strong structure, very similar to what you would get with wood and paper. But it grows from faster, it's it's cheaper to make it's it's, it's, it doesn't take up the same amount of land. It there's a lot of different usages for it as well. So there's, it doesn't make stronger rope can make your paper can it can kind of replace other things that have been big industries in this country for a while that aren't necessarily great for the environment at the same time have provides an alternative that 48:26 and by the way, there are hemp Bourbons that will be hitting the market soon and be rolling has took the hemp seed and added to a mash bill. And they are resting in their warehouses right now. 48:41 But the big thing you got to understand is what I was talking about infusion hemp and cannabis are not the same thing. They're been declassified. They're separate. That's where the Farm Bill allowed the hemp to come in. David, I think you're about to say something. 48:54 No, I was just gonna say the hemp does not have the THC in it. Yeah, there's no psychoactive properties. So 49:01 it's not it's not necessarily CBD either. So it's coming from that cannabis plant. So it's, it's just a different, it's just different. It's it and that's where they separated allowed it to be used in all 50 states now. 49:14 So for it, you know, I kinda want to get your take on this, you know, we've got we've got David's take that it's not going to have any sort of effects and in the broader market, I know that you are well connected to other distilleries and people that have, you know, that their financial stake is in is in their their spirits? Have you have you talked to any of them not without naming names or anything like that, where where they could potentially see that this is a future risk for their, their products. 49:43 Yes, I know, one in particular, who is not a distilled spirits council member who is adamantly opposed to only legalization of marijuana based solely on the fact of what he believes it will do to spirits. And this is a this is a, you know, a company that will put up a big fight, when that when the time comes, and we'll do everything it can to block people from infusing marijuana and alcohol, you know, because this is a, I would say, a very conservative thinking company that still still looks at the 1930s, you know, saying like, you know, they still try to be they try to do things that that would, you know, that could fly even under in the blue states, you know, so they're overly conservative and fear that, you know, there may be regulation put upon them. And, and the fact is, is kind of a lot of what David said, there's still still more studies to be done and everything I hear Klay advocating for are things that he would not necessarily I don't I don't think anybody what once once the marijuana is in someone's head, and once the spirit of someone's hand, you know, that then becomes an individual responsibility. I think what you're going to see the spirits community do is I think you will see a rift between the combination of those two things in a bottle, and that is that the marijuana and fleet fused bourbon, the marijuana flavored vodkas and stuff, I think that's where you will see more of the fight go on within the spirits industry. 51:28 And and I guess the question for you is, is it really a question of the spirit in general and the category classification, or is it a pocket book? Because as as Joe goes to the store to figure out what he wants to do this Friday night, if you got a bottle of bourbon or you got it out, or an eighth of we what's what's what's the choice? Is that what they're really worried about? 51:51 I that's a good question, David, go ahead. You know, 51:54 I will say oftentimes, when you look at survey data, indicates that you know, yes, these cannabis and alcohol are very much substitutes. However, when we've done focus groups, and you ask people who are marijuana users about their use of alcohol, oftentimes they're confused by the question because I say well, you know, cannabis marijuana's marijuana and alcohol is alcohol and we use them on different occasions Now obviously, there's always going to be some overlap you know, without a doubt, but I think perhaps the instances of overlap and therefore the substitute ability are a little bit overblown and you know, they're just not what people actually thought that they were 52:42 so he said occasion so like a three year olds birthday party is that now the 52:47 ripping Jays where you should be using either one of them but yeah 52:52 he's like I don't know about that 52:55 blows my mind because this is the category it's the data is out there this is this is good gonna be federally legal at some point, like more of the majority of the states in the union right now or at least in a medicinal state right now. This is going to happen if I was an alcohol company just like constellations doing I'd be learning everything I would about it so I can be be the go to of these cannabis consumers. You know, if there was a brand out there that said, Hey, Perrier whiskey with us and it competed with my my go to, I would give it a serious consideration because they're, they're connecting with me on a personal level now. And to me, that's how you can connect to a consumer. 53:32 Yeah, absolutely. With that, I think we'll we'll start wrapping up and Fred, unless you had any other questions that you kind of want to 53:38 tell her I wanna I wanted, I want to delve into this pairing a little bit more, because I think for a lot of people who regularly pair their stakes with bourbon, they're having a hard time figuring out how the hell do you pair smoking some pairing smoking weed, with? With whiskey? Because these are you smoke a cigar? Well, that's you said a cigar has flavor on the cigar has a flavor on the leaf. Are you suggesting that you guys have flavor on on that 54:07 the plant is a flavor. So every you know, we all have unique flavors, you have the strains, right? So the big thing in cannabis right now is we're trying to get away from the whole, if you don't know it into coast TV, I mean, you know, into cause more of the relaxation kind of put you to sleep strain. And this is more of an upbeat, creative, keep up thought process control. And then you have these hybrid strangers or more body highs and they can, you know, lean one way or the other. But there's flavor profiles in these cannabis strains. So there's, you know, there's just like when you taste bourbon Fred, you get tense of cinnamon or chocolates or something like that, you know, will get fruity flavors will get taste of orange and citrus and lemons and, and blueberries. And because the process of the cloning of these things now is there's flavoring starting to go on organically through other things, especially if you go to the extraction market. And we're pulling flavors out of the plant that organically in the plant that make it taste like juicy fruit. Now I know that's a problem with, you know, attaching yourself to a younger audience. But from me being a gum consumer, the only flavor I can consider it it's a tropical fruit flavor. But those are all natural flavors being pulled out through science. So yeah, there is ways of pairing so one of the reasons we chose our blackjack strain for heavy grasses, one of our first strains is that it has a spicier taste to it, which like I mentioned earlier, goes really well with with a bourbon on the you know, a bourbon neat, and that was the whole way of I could have a conversation with that. There's all their ways of flavor Rolling Papers all day. Full of pesticides too. If you really go through it I mean backwoods gets hit for pesticide problems. In the Rolling Papers. You know, Cannabis, the wonderful thing about cannabis is we're the most controlled industry from from from an agricultural standpoint. So there's so many rounds of testing going in and making sure it's clean. From the moment it leaves are the wherever it's been growing at to the moment consumers hand. 56:00 So there's not a barrel broker market for weed at this point is I trying to say there's there's 56:07 everyone's looking for the right strains. I mean, this is another obviously a, someone should write a book on this and there might be one out, but there's these legacy strains, legacy seeds that people are always looking for. And every strain of cannabis that's out right now kind of derived from 30. I think it's 13 or 14 original plants. So if you can find one of those plants is called Durbin, Durban poison. I think it's what it's called. But, you know, everyone's on the hunt for those because those are like legacy strains. So that's our Pappy, I guess. 56:34 Interesting. So Fred, you know, what this means is that you've just got more research to do to figure out if you can start doing these pairings. And you gotta be, you gotta be ahead of it. So when Kentucky gets the green light, you're the first one to capitalize on it. 56:46 Yeah, I knew you'd say that. 56:51 It's all it's all research and development. Yeah. But yeah, with that, gentlemen, I want to say thank you, again, for joining the show today. This was a fun conversation, because like I said, we're hitting on all the sins today. And and being able to figure out what what the impact of really what this means, especially to the bourbon consumers out there. And I think not even that maybe the consumers, maybe it's the audience that are the distributors and the distillers out there, and they can start taking this is a fresh nugget of information on how do they either adapt to the business, or do they capitalize on the business one of the other. So with that Clay I want you to give an opportunity just to let people know where they can find you either on social media or how to get in contact with you or anything like that. 57:35 Yeah, I mean, heavy grass, we're on Instagram, I think the best thing to do is go to our website, the heavy grass calm. That is our official website, you must be 21 and up to enter. So please make sure you're only 21 up I just liked I think the people listens. podcasts are required. But you can go there and find everything you can about get heavy grass, our lifestyle is a different websites get heavy.com that's where you can really get into the music and everything else we have going on. And then personally, you can always follow me on Instagram. That's where I'm most active at Clay Busch spelled like the beer, not the president. And, and that's how you can keep up with everything. I'm pretty active for everything we do. On my social. So where can is your is your product available in California, Colorado? Where is it available? Right now we're only in Los Angeles for a California Southern California, we're going to be here, you if you really want to get to know us, you got to come out to us. And you can come to one of our stores in Los Angeles, if you come out to take you to a show is fantastic whiskey bar called seven grand down here. We do our own pairings, and we have a good time. 58:41 Fantastic. We'll put that on the TripAdvisor reviews. 58:44 And David, go ahead if there's any way that people either want to get in contact with you or just learn more about the distilled spirits Council. 58:51 Sure you can find us at our website. It's the distilled spirits council.org. And there's information on there as to how to contact us and you know, just send a email to our public affairs department. And they'll be happy to get in touch with me. 59:05 Thank you everybody for joining in that we had a few people here on the chat giving some some information. We had some people that were joining us for the live. That's one of the great aspects of joining our Patreon communities that you can get early access to all these podcasts and everything else that we're doing before them. But make sure you also following us on social at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at bourbon pursuit as well as also follow Fred Minnick on all those channels. And I'll let Fred plug everything because his list is never ending about everything that he's doing. 59:35 He's the busiest man I've ever met, by the way. 59:39 I don't know about that. Listen, I've worked with these festival promoters and they I don't know how they sleep because they always are putting out fires. So I would not compare what I do least bit to anybody who promotes some music festival. But you can find me on amazon prime. My show is bourbon up. I've got a YouTube series now called the curation desk, goes to subscribe to my magazine bourbon plus, find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Just search my name. Fred Minnick. 1:00:06 Awesome. And what that will see everybody next week.

Whether you are planning on starting a new importation and distribution company or if it already exists, it is important to address some key business matters to ensure it is successful. Join Donna as she discusses important topics every business owner should consider and understand when working in the beverage alcohol industry. ***About Donna H. Hartman*** Donna focuses her practice on the representation of companies in the alcoholic beverage industry. In her more than twenty years of experience, she has worked with numerous preeminent brands. Her areas of expertise include corporate legal affairs, general corporate, commercial transactions, due diligence, acquisitions/dispositions, legal and regulatory compliance, employment law, and intellectual property management. Donna represents suppliers, producers, importers, and distributors both domestically and internationally in the beverage alcohol industry. Previously, Donna was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to Rémy Cointreau USA, Inc., a global industry leader of premium beverage alcohol products. Donna is actively involved in the beverage alcohol industry, and has held various leadership posts at the National Association of Beverage Importers, Inc. (NABI) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). Know more about Donna: http://abidconference.com/en/conference-speakers/2018/donna-h-hartman-esq-715.htm ***Subscribe to our Channels for more: *** ► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BEVERAGETRADENETWORK ► iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bevcast/ ► Stictcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=233919&refid=stpr ***About ABID Conference*** The Alcohol Beverage Importers & Distributors Conference (ABID Conference) is a business conference dedicated to small and medium wine, beer and liquor importers and distributors of United States. It consists of TEDx-style short talks with real insights on solutions - that importers and distributors can apply in their business and achieve profitable growth. In short, ABID has been designed to help small and medium wine, beer and liquor distributors and importers of the United States grow their bottom-line. If you are an importer or a distributor, ABID offers you educational and networking opportunities which will help you grow your business. Don't miss the only conference dedicated to small and medium Importers and Distributors in USA. Know more about ABID Conference: http://abidconference.com/en/ ***About the Organisers: Beverage Trade Network*** Beverage Trade Network is one of the world's leading networks for beverage, wine, spirits and beer importers, distributors, producers and related companies. Our database and directory listing of the world's leading beer, wine, spirit and non-alcoholic drink producers provides our importers and distributors an advantage to source and innovate their portfolios. Know more about BTN: https://beveragetradenetwork.com/

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today's show: • We welcome Haidar Karoum (formerly of Proof, Estadio, Doi Moi), here to talk about Chloe, his first solo restaurant, at the Navy Yard, along the Southwest waterfront; • Whisky Live is back. It's the annual event with unlimited tasting OF 150+ whiskies and more. We'll be talking to the event's mastermind, Dave Sweet; And, speaking of whiskey, we'll also speak with David Ozgo of the Distilled Spirits Council the U.S. about a powerful new program rolling out in partnership with Whisky Live to encourage responsible drinking; • Spark at Engine Company 12 is a new, Caribbean-inspired smokehose in Bloomingdale. Executive chef Peter Prime is in to introduce us to this new venture; • And it wouldn't be a proper Foodie and the Beast show without … alcohol! Morris American Bar is the snazzy first concept exclusively from master cocktail craftsman David Strauss. He's in to mix up some of his signature cocktails.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • We welcome Haidar Karoum (formerly of Proof, Estadio, Doi Moi), here to talk about Chloe, his first solo restaurant, at the Navy Yard, along the Southwest waterfront; • Whisky Live is back. It’s the annual event with unlimited tasting OF 150+ whiskies and more. We’ll be talking to the event’s mastermind, Dave Sweet; And, speaking of whiskey, we’ll also speak with David Ozgo of the Distilled Spirits Council the U.S. about a powerful new program rolling out in partnership with Whisky Live to encourage responsible drinking; • Spark at Engine Company 12 is a new, Caribbean-inspired smokehose in Bloomingdale. Executive chef Peter Prime is in to introduce us to this new venture; • And it wouldn’t be a proper Foodie and the Beast show without … alcohol! Morris American Bar is the snazzy first concept exclusively from master cocktail craftsman David Strauss. He’s in to mix up some of his signature cocktails.

Get the featured cocktail recipe: We The Spirit One should never doubt the ability of a thoughtful and committed group to change the world. So on the episode, we learn all about the positive, mind-opening and palette-enhancing changes happening in the distilled spirits industry. Meet Kelley McDonough, the Director of Public Relations for the Distilled Spirits Council, a trade association for the spirits sector. In her role, she's champion spirits trends, industry heritage and cocktail culture, all the while traveling the world hosting special events and media tours. She also works closely with the media to disseminate the latest industry data and category statistics. Talk about a dream job!

Philadelphia has a long history of whisky distilling dating back to Colonial days, and craft distillers are reviving some of that history that died out several decades ago. During this week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the Distilled Spirits Council arranged a tour of local craft distilleries for reporters covering the convention. We'll take a non-partisan tour with them on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Diageo's CEO wants UK politicians to protect Scotch Whisky interests during Brexit negotiations, and we'll find out who won this year's Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship. We'll also help a listener draw up his whisky shopping list for a friend visiting Tokyo, find out what whisky William Shatner last tried, and taste whiskies from Japan, Islay, and Minnesota!

There are lots of whiskies to choose from, and there's a story behind each one. This time around, we'll talk with the entrepreneurs behind two vastly different whiskies: Florian Passera's Vicomte French single malt and Frank Maestri's Throttle to Bottle - an all-American Canadian whisky. We'll also taste three whiskies from entrepreneurial craft distillers for this week's tasting notes. In this week's news...the UK's new government won't seek an immediate hike in post-Brexit whisky taxes, while attendees at the US political conventions are vying for spots on the guest lists at the Distilled Spirits Council's parties in Cleveland and Philadelphia over the next two weeks.  

Dewar's was forced to remove an online video promotion from the Internet this week after a social media-fueled protest campaign over the portrayal of women in its "Meet the Baron" video. Canadian whisky blogger Johanne McInnis was one of the leaders of the protest, and joins us to discuss the controversy in this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. McInnis has filed a complaint against Dewar's with the Distilled Spirits Council accusing the ad of violating the group's Code of Responsible Practices, and Frank Coleman of DISCUS will explain just how the code works. In the news, Kentucky distillers are working through a weather-related shortage of barrels, we'll have the latest on new whiskies, and Ardbeg's hitting the road with a new three-wheeler.

It's been a big week for Barry Crockett. Midleton Distillery's Master Distiller was named this year's Lifetime Achievement Award winner by The Whisky Advocate, and just a couple of days later, announced his plans to retire next month after 47 years at Midleton. We'll catch up with Barry on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Maker's Mark makes the first major change in its whisky in five decades to meet demand, the Distilled Spirits Council releases 2012 economic data on whisky sales, and there are new whiskies ranging from a case full of Bourbons to single casks.

Guest: Raymond Scalettar, MD Host: Bruce Japsen So just how can the medical community prevent and reduce underage drinking? Is it even a doctor's responsibility? Dr. Raymond Scalettar, a former Chairman of the American Medical Association and an adviser to the Distilled Spirits Council, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about what physicians may encounter and how they can help in dealing with adolescents with drinking problems.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Raymond Scalettar, MD So just where are teens getting their alcohol and what can the medical profession do about it? Dr. Raymond Scalettar, former chairman of the American Medical Association and adviser to the Distilled Spirits Council, tells host Bruce Japsen about a new national study showing parental influence on how children get alcohol and how physicians can help the situation.