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Drink Up World: The 4 Companies That Control Global Whiskey Production
While there are eighty people who hold half the world's wealth, ten 'people' who run the world, and ten corporations that control nearly everything you buy... these four companies control what is - to some - the most precious commodity in the world... world whiskey production.
h/t @BarbarianCap
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I'm just glad I drink Vodka.
There's nothing like fine distilled spuds.
it's a good thing that private individuals are regulated or prohibited from fermenting and distilling alcohol
the fermentation process happens for free
distillation only requires moderate energy input
if people were allowed to make the stuff to their hearts' content, it would limit the ability of a small number of corporations to develop so much control of the market
A very good point indeed. Long Pruno®
you can legally produce up to 10,000 gallons a year and the license is free. You just cant drink it. So I have a lawn mower that works on burbon.
http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id10.html
Yes - this was the purpose of "prohibition". Wipe out the little guys and swoop in with the majors.
The prohibition was against the production of alcohol for a reason, and it was not to wipe out the little guys so the big guys could swoop in. Until the 20th century, alcohol was a prevalent fuel. Prohibition reigned in the transformative period of getting an entire people to abandon alcohol fuel and switch to oil, namely Rockfeller's Standard Oil (or rather, the companies it split into).
sb, have to disagree with you on that one. It wasn't called the Whiskey Rebellion because Harry's couldn't keep the hors d'oeuvres warm. I like your reasoning though, and it's a rare day that I claim old John D wasn't the cause of something unpleasant, costly, and unreasonable.
Well technically, when they started up the first set of engines, corn was a clear winner for bang for buck, oil was the clear winner for the monopoly slave masters. So either way, the oil pigs are still pigs and for a good reason..
And the One Ring of Power rules (controls) those four companies. Because, you see, it isn't about ownership. These sick fucks crave power above all else, because when you can create money out of thin air, there's nothing else to really covet any more--except power.
If whiskey makes you friskey
And brandy makes you eandy,
What makes you pregnant?
A stiff Johnny Walker
Where's Greece's Metaxa? Or does Syriza own that?
My Bourbon of choice isn't listed. Wild Turkey. Guess that's still independant then?
zhandax, ethanol was supposed to be common man's fuel, not oil. Leftover biomass after harvest, turned to useful energy. Hemp ethanol. The stuff is pretty much free and plentiful, if you allow it to grow. We'll never know what happened, but oil cars became the only cars at some point, and someone had something to do with that...
No doubt, and if ethanol were practical to fuel cars, the logical market would have been the steamers, which could run on anything from premium to last week's garbage. It did not happen. The world speed record was set in 1907 in Daytona in a Stanley Steamer which hit 197mph. The car had a flat bottom and at that speed, left the ground. Fred Marriott, the driver, survived the crash. That car was not running on ethanol. Energy content per unit mass has always been the driver for vehicles until the new normal. But you raise the bigger question; steam cars were far more practical for a sprawling, continent-taming populace, yet they disappeared in the Depression. The reason? Look no farther than the S&P 500 and the gang who drives it.
EDIT; After posting this, I do notice that in the last 30 years history seems to have been altered concerning automobile fuel. Wonder why, Mr. Grassley?
Good points guys.
Hemp and steam; after bong hits we'll all be driving 25 MPH and smiling and waving.
That doesn't fit with the Kleptoligarchy goals of madness, slaving away for them, and fear/guilt/shame.
Man I miss putting crushed ice and filtered water in the bong, eating Chinese food while watching Miami Vice, then having stoned sex with my hot Wife (now Ex.-Wife). *sigh*
Point taken; didn't realize hemp was useful for things beyond rope, seed, and entertainment. It's reputation seems to have been sullied in inverse proportion to the rise of John D's Flexner-inspired pharma industry and the plague of allopathic medicine.
Nobody went 197 mph in 1907. It didn't happen for about 10 more years.
http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Land_speed_record
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Motor_Carriage_Company
Laws of Ph. must be spinning in his small ring over this....
Fastest you could go for a little while was on a bike.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Minthorn_Murphy
Pruno will be only alcoholic drink in FEMA camps
In case you're not sure how to make it:
http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/how-to-make-prison-wine-how-to-mak...
I'll add this since it's the first time it'll be relevant on ZH:
How to make booze, student style (from Latvia)
10 kg sugar
100 gr yeast
3 liters milk
30-40 liters water
Mix all ingredients well and place in washing machine. Set machine to run for at least 2 hours of agitation (obviously not to rinse and empty!). Then leave to settle and distill over a low fire. Mind you, they take for granted that you already know how to distill. If you don't have a still, just ask your neighbor, he will likely have one hidden in the garage or garden shack.
Soon to be the one company...that same "company" you buy everything else you need from.
I have a bottle of Beluga in my fridge since....whell, since 4 years? but I can´t drink it. I can´t drink something that has no taste. On the other hand, I have a bottle of Bowmore 2001, cask No. 703, bottle No. 254 and a Cárn Mór 1995, number 965 from Ben Nevis distillery which is a firework for the palate....delicious :-)
ZH, u could bring some more of these lucullan articles.
Cheers from Vienna
don't worry--when I retire, I start up my own still. THat makes 5.
Make it with a nice charcoal flavor , you have yourself a customer
BTW, I didn't see Blanton's on the list. Does that mean they are actually independent? Knob creek and woodford are on there, damn it.
Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve are probably the two worst bourbons a marketing firm has ever brought to market. Ripping off Lincoln's birthplace for a skanky booze is so poor on so many levels.
I'll take an authentic Kentucky or Tennessee bourbon anyday, you know the ones I'm talking about.
A homie bought me some go-to-the-back-of-the-restaurant-and-the-guy-will-pour-you-some-in-a-bottle Pisco from Peru in '07. It was really good. There's still a big swig left in the cola bottle. Saving it for a rainy day. ;-)
I'll corroborate on the taste, feel, and finish quality of the Peruvian Pisco. My then fiance and I would get it twice a week at Garcia's International in Columbus OH. It had a large bug larvae in preserved in the bottle, if my memory serves.
Probably more enjoyable then and too, and from Garcia's also, was the 5 years basement aged Peruvian "Export" dark beer. Back in the 90's, on a student's budget, 6 bottles, 21$, three times a week with diner. I can still taste it.
You've seen the good stuff amigo, and stateside too. Mine did not come with a bug. ;-)
Thanks for sharing the story. I haven't had Pisco since then - will have to get it sometime again. It's good flask material for backpacking and traveling . Good nightcap while you watch the stars.
You mean like Patron and tequila?
Now this is a topic that interests Jew and Gentile alike!
KILL THE JEWS!
Kill yo momma!
For such a nice, "well rounded" young gentleman, you're really Religionated.
fuck whisky. fuck you assholes that 'love' being snobby about your scotch. you're just as douchbaggeryness as wine snobs. fucking scotchtards.
the only alcohol ANYONE has any business being snobby about is rubbing alchohol. DONT DRINK IT!.
OK Mohammed, calm the fuq down. Your prophet fuqed little boyz.
“Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne.”
- Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions
LOL Julia. Funny how that so closely parallels earth civilization historcal records.
OT: With respect, you guys are all nuts. Give me a few good beers and I'll save the world.
I, with 5 friends make wine. No chemicals, just the grapes. The old school way, taught by an old Italian friend. So there.
If only I could make a good rum. I'd never leave the garage!
distill the wine and have grappa
1. How to make Fortified Wine
2. Aguardente Bagaçeira: Portugal’s Seriously Strong Wine Spirit
where do you get your grapes... better question is... where are you located
Brown-Foreman...recession proof! Wonder why?
I loves me some Diageo. They sends me the dividend check and I takes it to the store to buy they Guinness. Virtuous circle!
The "virtuous" introduction of HFCS into your body.
http://belikewaterproduction.com/2014/04/06/8-beers-that-you-should-stop...
Don't forget to exercise. The table muscle and heart muscle don't get along.
Have you seen what is in the air you breathe? Hell, everything can kill you if you live long enough... he said with not even a smidgen of irony.
What about whale balls? Are they safe?
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/12/iceland-whale-testicl...
Ask me if I GAF. I don't care how much it costs and who is running it. Just keep the flow coming.
Irrespective of global monopolies that I have no control over; I don't have a still in my yard. Having said that, I will pay what it costs. There are very few things I am willing to suffer for. Alcohol is one of them.
You can distill fermented fruit sugar-sourced alcohol with freezing temperatures which January and February provide for free.. the water freezes out as soft ice crystals, leaving alcoholic cold liquid as the residue. Then just let it age.
A old brand of burbon that was killed off by prohibition is being revived here in my town. Wilderness trace. Just built a new rack house. So we shall see if its any good soon. I noticed my usual Evan Williams is not on the list .
Try Buffalo Trace burbon. Very fine. Yep its not on the list above. Guess they are a small brewery.
I don't drink bourbon, but saw the other day that the great-great grandsons of the founder have restarted production of Belle Meade Bourbon, another mark which fell due to prohibition. Interesting story of what today's entrepreneurs face in order to pull that off in a background of 21st century corporatoracy in WaPo..... http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-provenance-of-belle-mea...
It is very good
Drink moar, fuck moar, live moar!
I approve this message
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/energy/helmerich-payne-to-lay-off-emp...
I guess the roughnecks drink a lot of Tulsa's stuff.
Amazing how the world becomes more and more centralized. Fewer and Fewer own everything. Kind of like a Monopoly game where at the end there are just a couple of people owning the board.
The global all-in on fiat currency does bring Monopoly to mind, now that you mention it...
i had a similar thought the other day while playing monopoly. then i moved to Risk.
Wonder why the bothered calling it Monopoly in the depression. The serfs didn’t seem to get it then either.
and to think it's all because many years ago a few folks said, no you can't make ur own. If you do we will kill you, and we let them get away with this.
Whiskey making used to be the common man's right. Think on that.
Learn how to make your own. Screw these guys.
The very best moonshine is made from fermented, distilled peaches, forget all other sources of mash.
Sounds delicious, a friend of mine makes a batch occasionally from honey comb. Kind of expensive, but the result is quite good.
i just drink paint thinner directly.
I prefer gin.
fermented seal oil...
will put hair on the bottom of your feet
I'll take your word for it, and we'll call it even.
I'll stick to Kerosene shots.
JAMAICAN RUM MON!
FUCK DIS WHISKY SHIT~
Fuck you and less than 15 years in Haiti
Some serious family fortunes are tied to booze. Distributors are a license to print money.
Wondering what will happen when the marijuana market goes national. You're gonna have ne hell of a fight between the current small legal guys, the bigger illegal ones, the tobacco companies and the alcohol companies.....
Oh, and whiskey is fer cunts wit 0 imaginatsion.
Breerpfd.
40 Creek Barrel Select, best I've tasted.
http://www.fortycreekwhisky.com/
Gold Medal, Beverage Testing Institute, 2014 - NEW
Gold Medal, Wizards of Whisky Awards 2014 - NEW
Silver Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2013
Silver Medal - International Whisky Competition 2013, Chicago
Best Young Cdn Whisky, Silver- International Whisky Competition 2013, Chicago
Gold Medal, Beverage Testing Institute, 2013
Gold Medal, Beverage Testing Institute, 2012
Gold Medal, Beverage Testing Institute, 2011
Gold Medal, Beverage Testing Institute, 2010
Gold Medal, International Whisky Competition, 2010
Double Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, USA
Best Canadian Whisky, New England Whisky Festival, USA
Highest Award, International Spirits Challenge, England
Gold Medal, The World Selection, Belgium
Editor’s Gold Award, Whisky Magazine
Yespecially it's a fone whiskey alright, but have you ever tried another Ontario whisky by the name of Collingwood?
Shame, cuz that Aberlour 18 is a kickass scotch. One of the best single malts around.
Try a Tomatin. I been drinking whisky since I was 15, and Tomatin's my favorite.
most of those brands are shite these days
Yup. The diageo ones are very average mostly. They sacrifice quality for volume.
Well, I see Yen is on this this thread. I think that Yen and I would have be in agreement. I think Yen would agree that that a 250 pounder will not work. We are both assholes but I'm have a six pack for a stomach. Not sure about him exactly. I do not know that he even has has a woman.
I like him anyway.
Hey mate! :). That reminds me to start exercising again. I usually run and have a bout or two with a friend who does Taekwondo. I don't think I've done anything since winter began. Oh the joys of old age and creaking bones in the morning.
I used to love whiskey, single malt anything smokey and sweet - it's a habit my dad introduced - but one incident during a birthday party put me off the stuff for life. (I drank a pint of the stuff for a bet). A nice cold draught beer is more my thing now.
One day we will talk YHC. Here is my wife's email: smolly1981@yahoo.com. She is the one with skype anyway.
I'll keep it handy. Cheers
LOL. Whiskey has to be treated with respect.
Usually people don't pick up a taste for the stuff until their taste buds mature; 35+
Drank bush orange-gin in Africa
Out-fucking-standing
Hibiki! 17 years single malt.. Japanese whiskey.. owned by Suntory.. not on the infographics.. in my opinion better than almost all the whiskeys on that list..
Buffalo Trace for the win.
very good stuff, but the basil hayden is a bit better.
Dang! Who'd a thunk it? All these years of "When I drink alone....I prefer to be by myself", and it's all for the benefit of a Whiskey Cartel, much like OPEC. Hedgers unite! There is power in numbers! Occupy Jack Daniels! (Maybe we can get some free samples as bribes to go somewhere else?)
Company's motto:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF1E5ZO8Lug
I'll just point out that Scotland has ~400 independent distilleries. They don't have the volume of Diageo but they have quality that Diageo doesn't.
Having said that... And while I'm not a great fan of Diageo whiskies in general. You should try their Singleton of Dufftown (a place in Perth would you believe) its actually pretty good and somethng you might have a chance of getting hold of.
You as a foreign consumer will only ever get to experience these smaller producers if you come to Scotland because the major distributors will simply not carry a brand that can't satisfy the volume levels they need and the production is consumed locally. I happen to know this is true of Cognac brandies in France also. You don't get the good stuff in your supermarket, the domestic market consumes it all.
In the interest of broadening the market, try "Old Pulteney". Their 12 year is as good as most of Diageo's 18 year old stuff. You'll probably have to import it yourself though.
p.s. Bourbon "matured for 6 years"... WTF? Are you kidding? That's for cleaning engine parts.
Why is this news worthy?
I got one of these beheamoths ten miles down the road. Price hasn't changed here is 7 years.
All Coffin Varnish is good for is to get drunk.
"I drink solely for the honorable purpose of getting bagged."
~Jackie Gleason
Knob Creek (Reserve)
funny. They don't control my still in the back shed. Nor do they control the one gallon apple cider jugs of peach tinted hooch I give my friends every Christmas. Obviously they haven't bribed the local constabulary.
+100
they dont control my alembic either. its not hard to make your own, very good, whiskey
What no dewars?
Macallan???
Kountry Kwencher for me. Boones Farm. Not bad for a dollar two ninety eight.
I stick to smooth Canadian (Crown) or Irish (Jacobsons) when I choose whiskey. But Vodka (3x distilled) is all I usually want.
There is a good reason for this consolidation...the capital investment you need to "age" whiskey for the 7-12 years before you can legally sell it as whiskey and something someone would want to drink (the exception being "white whiskey" aka "shine"). The latest "Jack Daniels" storage facility cost over $1B to build -- never mind the cost of the raw materials, barrels, energy (for environmental control), and labor required to fill and maintain it for at least 7 years before the pipeline starts to generate cash.
And a reality check for you lovers of craft whiskeys...they buy the bulk (if not all) of their whiskeys from these big 4 and blend them. Their value-add is selecting the "barrels" from the big distillers wholesale inventory and the overall taste (nothing wrong with that)/ They just don't have the cash or time to wait. That they are whiskey's version of a craft brewer is pure marketing.
I drank so much of the unlisted stuff that I've gone blind and can't read the comments.lol
Interesting. Jameson, Johnnie Walker and Glenlivet are my liquors of choice, and they're all from the same main company. I have to say, in this instance, I have no shame in being a 'company man'.
Where's wild turkey