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The Bourbon Bubble is Here, but the Real Threat is OzempicBy Gideon P. Tailor, 2027 The bourbon bubble might be swelling, but that’s not the real storm on the horizon. Everyone’s been bracing for a market correction, some overhyped brands falling off, a few distilleries closing shop, the secondary market getting a little less insane. That’s all fine. It’s the natural ebb and flow of an industry that has been white-hot for a decade. But while bourbon lovers have been watching the price of Blanton’s, something far bigger, far more insidious has been brewing. It’s not Prohibition 2.0. It’s not some moral crusade against drinking. It’s pharmaceutical companies coming for your bourbon. Let’s call it the new temperance movement, only this time it’s not fueled by religious zealots. It’s fueled by data, policy shifts, and most importantly, big money. The playbook is unfolding right in front of us. Step one: redefine what it means to have a drinking problem. Step two: push a new pharmaceutical solution. Step three: make a market for it. And we’re already deep into step one. The Bourbon Reckoning: Why the Industry’s Greatest Threat Isn’t OzempicBy Gabriella Paige Trenton, 2/7/2025 For over a decade, bourbon has been on top. Distilleries expanded, prices skyrocketed, and collectors scrambled to get their hands on limited-edition bottles. What was once a working-class spirit became a status symbol. But all bubbles have limits, and bourbon’s is starting to show cracks. Some in the industry are pointing to an unlikely culprit: the pharmaceutical industry. In The Bourbon Bubble is Here, but the Real Threat is Ozempic, my colleague Gideon P. Tailor warns that pharmaceutical companies are driving a cultural shift away from alcohol. He argues that Ozempic and similar drugs are doing more than just suppressing appetite. He believes they are curbing the urge to drink and, with the medical community redefining moderate drinking as Alcohol Use Disorder, pushing bourbon toward decline. It is an attention-grabbing argument, but it misses the real issue. Ozempic is not bourbon’s greatest threat. The real risks come from inside the industry, where overproduction, shifting consumer behavior, and a reliance on hype are far bigger concerns. |
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American whiskey shipments brought forward to protect against tariffs🏗️🥃
Luxco ships early ahead of tariff uncertainty🏗️🥃 Whiskey Tap Economics: Blame It on Ozempic 🥂🤔 Whiskey Tap Expansion: Buffalo Trace Stays the Course 🏗️🥃 Whiskey Tap Loyalty: Forgotten Fans, Bitter Consequences 😤 Bourbon Forecast: A Cloudy 2025 With Silver Linings 🌦️🥃 White Oak Legislation Advances In Washington Greg's Broken Heart Bourbon Song of the Week |
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Bourbon Wars: Canadian Tariffs and Provincial Bans of Red State DramBy Gideon P. Tailor, 2/2/2025 Bourbon just took a hit, and not from a bad batch. In response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, British Columbia is pulling all American spirits from Republican-led states off liquor store shelves. Premier David Eby didn’t mince words, calling the tariffs “a declaration of economic war against a trusted ally and friend” (Daily Beast). Ontario has followed suit, with Premier Doug Ford directing the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to stop selling American liquor entirely (Yahoo News Canada). Nova Scotia has also jumped in, barring U.S. spirits from government-run stores. While these moves have been framed as responses to Trump’s tariffs, they also serve a dual purpose—encouraging consumers to shift their purchases toward Canadian-made spirits. From Rickhouses to Robots: Is Ai the Future of Bourbon or Just a Gimmick?Where oak meets algorithms—can Ai craft the perfect bourbon, or is the soul of whiskey still human? By Gideon P. Tailor, 1/31/2025 Some people think Ai will kill bourbon’s soul. Others think it’ll make the best damn whiskey we’ve ever tasted. The truth? Somewhere between the rickhouses and the robots. You distill, you barrel, you wait. You listen to the whims of nature-the temperature swings, the charred oak’s whisper, the slow dance of ethanol and wood sugars. It’s a process that can’t be rushed. Or can it? Enter artificial intelligence, the modern world’s disruptor-in-chief, now setting its sights on bourbon’s centuries-old traditions. In the clash between heritage and high-tech, distilleries are discovering that Ai isn’t just a gimmick-it’s a tool that might redefine the very nature of whiskey-making. Here. Of All the Drams in All the World: Get Your Hands Off MineBy Gideon P. Tailor, 1/24/24 First they redefined 'alcoholism', next they started promoting LA/NA and 'dry' months, now they are linking drinking to cancer You don’t need an MBA—or even a pulse—to see bourbon’s absolutely crushing it these days. Distilleries are raking in cash like it’s autumn in Kentucky, distributors are swimming in profits, and liquor store shelves groan under bottles priced to make you cry in the parking lot. From Bardstown’s craft makers to corporate titans like Brown-Forman, the bourbon world is riding high. Naturally, someone had to show up and throw ice water on the party. Enter the Surgeon General. Here. The Bourbon Boom Bust: Why the Industry’s Golden Era is FadingAs the whiskey market contracts, can the spirit reconnect with its roots before losing its way?" By Gideon P. Tailor, 1/16/24 Imagine walking into a dimly lit bar in Louisville. The air carries the warm aroma of aged oak mingling with the faintest whiff of char. A bartender carefully pours a gleaming amber dram into a weighty glass, each motion reverent, as if participating in a sacred ritual. Here. Bourbon’s Reckoning: The Boom, the Bust, and the Beauty in the BarrelHow a Whiskey Glut and Industry Reset Are Pouring New Opportunities for Drinkers and Distillers Alike. By Gideon P. Tailor, 12/30/24 Bourbon, that amber-hued symbol of American resilience, is facing a reckoning. The whiskey shelves are groaning under the weight of overstocked barrels, and consumers aren’t rushing to empty them like they used to. MGP Ingredients, one of the industry’s key suppliers and a quiet force behind many smaller brands, is signaling a course correction. They’re cutting back on production and betting big on premium branding. But what does this mean for the bourbon world—and for you, the drinker? Here. Ai IN BOURBON: IS THE SOUL STILL IN THE BARREL?by Gideon P. Tailor, 12/27/2024 Picture this: a lab-coated AI analyzing whiskey molecules while a master distiller side-eyes it, bourbon in hand. Sounds like a scene from a Netflix thriller, right? Except it’s happening now. Andreas Grasskamp and his Fraunhofer Institute team have built an algorithm called OWSum, trained to sniff out the essence of whiskey through data. Scotch or bourbon, smoky or floral—it doesn’t need a palate; just a dataset. And it’s damn near flawless, nailing country-of-origin distinctions with 100% accuracy when armed with molecular profiles. Human tasters? Suddenly feeling less indispensable. That’s human work. Here. Bourbon and Ai: Turning Chaos Into CraftBy Jax Halloway, 12/20/2024 In a quiet Colorado distillery, sunlight filters through charred aspen logs salvaged from a wildfire. A smoky aroma hangs in the air as the wood, once destroyed by fire, now infuses bourbon with its distinctive flavor. Meanwhile, across the globe, a programmer watches chaotic streams of data resolve into patterns, training Ai systems to write poems, compose music, and mimic human creativity. At first glance, these worlds couldn’t be more different, but bourbon and Ai share an essential trait: both turn destruction into creation, transforming the messy into the meaningful. Here. Bourbon’s Bubble and Holiday Cheer: Savoring the Spirit in a Changing WorldBecause bourbon isn’t just a drink—it’s a story waiting to be poured. By Gideon P. Tailor, 12/15/2024 Bourbon isn’t just a drink—it’s a time machine, a warm handshake, and a little rebellion in a bottle. But even the strongest legends hit a tipping point. As we barrel toward 2025, the bourbon industry feels like that guy at the party who won’t stop telling the same joke—still funny, but we’re all wondering how much longer it can last. Yeah, the “Bourbon Bubble” looms, and it’s got distillers sweating and speculators wringing their hands. Me? I’ll keep sipping, because bourbon isn’t about market trends. It’s about moments. Here. 🥃 Bourbon on the Brink: The Bubble No One Wants to Burst 🍾By Gideon P. Tailor, December 7, 2024 The bourbon world is buzzing, but not all that glimmers is gold—or even properly aged. Stoli Group’s recent Chapter 11 filing, dragging Kentucky Owl bourbon into the muck, isn’t just a stumble. It’s a neon warning sign for an industry drunk on its own success. Bourbon has spent the last decade transforming from a humble blue-collar staple to a bloated symbol of status. Every boom has its limits, and this one is wobbling. Stoli’s collapse isn’t a fluke; it’s the canary in the rickhouse. Here. The bourbon world is buzzingBy Gideon P. Tailor, December 7, 2024 The bourbon world is buzzing, but not all that glimmers is gold—or even properly aged. Stoli Group’s recent Chapter 11 filing, dragging Kentucky Owl bourbon into the muck, isn’t just a stumble. It’s a neon warning sign for an industry drunk on its own success. Bourbon has spent the last decade transforming from a humble blue-collar staple to a bloated symbol of status. Every boom has its limits, and this one is wobbling. Stoli’s collapse isn’t a fluke; it’s the canary in the rickhouse. There was a time when bourbon wasn’t complicated. A bottle of brown liquid, a dusty barstool, and an ice cube were all you needed to feel like a king. It didn’t need stories about char levels or long-winded tasting notes. Somewhere along the way, it became a unicorn—a rare, mythical thing you had to chase, covet, display. Kentucky Owl played into that perfectly, a bourbon you didn’t just drink; you bragged about owning. But bourbon that sits unopened on a shelf is bourbon that’s missed its point entirely. Here. |
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