Whiskey & Tariffs Don't Mix
Bloomberg Markets|February - March 2020
The weaponizing of trade isn’t irritating just bourbon and Scotch drinkers. It’s crashing headlong into the interwoven realities of a global industry
Shawn Donnan
Whiskey & Tariffs Don't Mix

Ask Aaron Willett what the future of bourbon looks like, and he’ll take you out onto the floor of Speyside Cooperage’s outpost in Shepherdsville, Ky. There, on a recent winter day, what you’d have seen was a phalanx of 450-liter (119-gallon) Armagnac casks stacked two high. The brandy had been drained. But the oak barrels imported from France were now about to embark on a new phase of their life, poised to lend flavor to a generation of Kentucky’s finest.

Bourbon, the most American of spirits, has for decades been governed by a 1964 congressional resolution requiring that corn make up at least 51% of the mash from which it’s distilled, that it be made in the U.S., and that it be aged in virgin American oak barrels with a charred interior. And through history that’s what Kentucky distillers have done, leaving their bourbons to mature through hot summers and damp winters in warehouses filled with tens of thousands of barrels.

Now a whiskey boom and a new generation of artisanal distillers looking to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded market is changing the business. Tradition and American oak still live strong. But these days a growing number of bourbon makers are following the example set by Scotch distillers and adding an extra step—transferring their whiskeys from those congressionally mandated charred oak barrels to imported brandy, sherry, and port casks that add undertones to the vanilla and caramel notes that bourbon drinkers have traditionally prized.

Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Bloomberg Markets.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Bloomberg Markets.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BLOOMBERG MARKETSSe alt
See Which Countries Are Falling Behind On Climate Change
Bloomberg Markets

See Which Countries Are Falling Behind On Climate Change

Under the Paris Agreement, 190 countries and the European Union pledged to take steps to hold the global temperature rise to less than 2C (3.6F) from preindustrial levels—and preferably 1.5C.

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November 2021
Billionaires Vie for the Future of Brazilian Finance
Bloomberg Markets

Billionaires Vie for the Future of Brazilian Finance

An escalating battle between two billionaires is upending the financial community in São Paulo, Latin America’s wealthiest city.

time-read
8 mins  |
October - November 2021
Ford Foundation's Darren Walker: ‘We Have to Get Uncomfortable'
Bloomberg Markets

Ford Foundation's Darren Walker: ‘We Have to Get Uncomfortable'

DARREN WALKER, 62, disrupted his Wall Street life more than 25 years ago when he left what is now UBS Group AG to volunteer at a school and eventually pursue a career in community development and philanthropy. Since 2013 he’s been at the pinnacle of the philanthropic world as president of the Ford Foundation, created by the family of automaker Henry Ford during the Great Depression to advance human welfare.

time-read
8 mins  |
October - November 2021
Fueling the Ener Transition
Bloomberg Markets

Fueling the Ener Transition

I MAY BE BIASED, but some of the most important research and data on the Bloomberg terminal lies in one of its lesser-known functions: {BNEF }

time-read
1 min  |
October - November 2021
Dig Into Analysts' Estimates for Disruptive Companies
Bloomberg Markets

Dig Into Analysts' Estimates for Disruptive Companies

THE PANDEMIC ERA generated a whole wave of disruptive companies as it accelerated the introduction of new products and services in areas including artificial intelligence, digitization, electronic payments, online meeting platforms, and virtual currencies.

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November 2021
Climate Risks Come for Sovereign Credit
Bloomberg Markets

Climate Risks Come for Sovereign Credit

FOR YEARS climate scientists have warned about the ferocious wildfires and hurricanes that are now overwhelming many communities. Today alarms are ringing about a related financial danger: risks lurking within government bonds, the biggest part of the global debt market.

time-read
7 mins  |
October - November 2021
Responsible-Investing Pioneer Lydenberg Says ESG Needs An Upgrade
Bloomberg Markets

Responsible-Investing Pioneer Lydenberg Says ESG Needs An Upgrade

STEVE LYDENBERG’S passion for social change was inspired by anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, consumer boycotts, and the movement to divest from apartheid South Africa. But he didn’t take to the streets. Instead, Lydenberg turned to the world of finance to help catalyze societal change.

time-read
8 mins  |
October - November 2021
Engine No. 1's Grancio: ‘People Will Appreciate an Economic Argument'
Bloomberg Markets

Engine No. 1's Grancio: ‘People Will Appreciate an Economic Argument'

ENGINE NO. 1 sent shock waves across corporate America in May when the fledgling investment firm won a boardroom battle with Exxon Mobil Corp., securing three seats on the oil and gas giant’s board after purchasing only about $40 million of its stock.

time-read
6 mins  |
October - November 2021
Find Out Which Companies May Ramp Up Payouts After Covid
Bloomberg Markets

Find Out Which Companies May Ramp Up Payouts After Covid

AS THE PANDEMIC DISRUPTED business last year, many companies cut or suspended dividends. Which will boost their payouts when economies pick up again?

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November 2021
Get Into the Minds of Central Bankers as They Navigate Shocks
Bloomberg Markets

Get Into the Minds of Central Bankers as They Navigate Shocks

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how central bankers forecast the impact of shocks on the economy?

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November 2021