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For all you scotch drinkers
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| Yohan |
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=937704
| quote: | Global scotch demand drinking stocks dry
Demand from Russia, China, India forces scotch drinkers to go dry here
Doug Fischer, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, November 06, 2008
OTTAWA -- The insatiable demand for scotch whisky in China, India and Russia has tipped three popular brands from the shelves of Ontario liquor stores, and likely will drive up the prices of popular single-malts in several provinces.
Johnnie Walker Green Label, Black & White Blended Scotch Whisky and Bell's Scotch Whisky will no longer be available in Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) outlets once current supplies are gone, probably by year end, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
The sobering news comes after liquor distributor Diageo Canada, a branch of the world's largest alcohol group, told the LCBO that if it wanted to continue to sell many of its products it would have to pay more to compete with growing markets abroad.
The LCBO agreed to meet Diageo's demands in some cases, but apparently balked when it came to the three brands to be discontinued.
That also means the Diageo-distributed products the LCBO will continue to sell likely will go up in price by amounts that will vary, depending on the brand. Some of those brands include high-end single malt scotches such as Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Gragganmore and Brora, as well as Johnnie Walker's Red, Blue, Gold and Black labels.
Some of the more expensive brands are made by small distilleries that can only produce limited quantities, which drives up demand and prices.
"Essentially it was out of our control," LCBO spokesman Chris Layton said Wednesday. "Diageo came to us and said the demand from places like China, India and Russia was outstripping its ability to supply them."
He said Diageo is simply selling to the buyers willing to pay the most.
It could be worse. In several other provinces, including New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, even more brands no longer will be available. New Brunswick is losing 11 brands, for instance.
The move comes as burgeoning middle classes in China, India, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam look for new ways to spend their money.
According to a British economic analysis published in March, China's spirits market alone is expected to be worth US$50-billion by 2011. India's market is growing by more than 15% a year, and could exceed US$35-billion by the end of next year.
The sheer size of those markets can make it difficult for Canadian liquor buyers and sellers -- even those as large as the LCBO, whose total alcohol sales are worth more than $3.5-billion annually -- to stay in the game.
"It's the bad side of success," Frank Scott, owner of an award-winning whisky bar in Fredericton, told New Brunswick's Telegraph-Journal newspaper. "Scotch has always been seen as a success product and with incomes growing, people want the American dream."
Mr. Scott believes that London-based Diageo, which has been focusing on Asia-Pacific markets for the past few years, eventually will re-offer some of its products in Canada. But he thinks drinkers might have moved along to new brands.
Mr. Layton said that even with the cutbacks, the LCBO will continue to sell more than 200 varieties of scotch, the largest selection in Canada.
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Not a problem with me, because I only drink occassional Drambuie (flaming, of course) and Glenfiddich but eh. Scotch. Puts hair on your balls |
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| The Ear |
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Well, at least the discontinued brands are nothing worth saving/hoarding... so no need for serious alarm yet.
With a little luck, tonight's SC will attempt to come up with a plan to counteract this horrifying trend. Now I'm not saying that it will be 100% viable or even coherent (as many of the previous post SC posts here have revealed a certain trend towards madness of late), but there will likely be some plan.
Gentleman of the SC, I have faith that this can be sussed & sorted, and the matter should certainly have primacy of place on this evening's agenda. |
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| ÖZmözis |
Ugh :(
I'm going to pick up a couple of bottles then. |
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| Adam420 |
| , I better start my single malt collection early! |
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| Moral Hazard |
| whew... none of those are my brands. |
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| ExtremeWays |
"When a good bottle of scotch costs more than a barrel of oil, your in big trouble" - Scottish proverb
This is tragic. Not because I will miss Johnnie Walker (bleh) but because the good stuff is going to get even more expensive.
Scotch clubbers, the time for action is now! |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly... |
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| Yohan |
| lol. i didn't know girls drank scotch. (rye doesn't count) |
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| El K Dee |
| meh...im ok with it...as long as they still have Chivas Regal in stock for me to buy when I want... |
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| gl.tch |
| quote: |
Sobering news for N.B. scotch connoisseurs
Last Updated: Monday, November 3, 2008 | 1:05 PM AT Comments0Recommend16
CBC News
Scotch connoisseurs in New Brunswick may need to find a new drink of choice to wash away the following bad news.
Johnnie Walker, Bell's Extra Special and J&B Rare, along with eight single malt scotches, are being pulled off of New Brunswick liquor store shelves as the distributor is looking to take the products elsewhere.
Dana Clendenning, president and chief executive officer of NB Liquor, said most Canadian provinces will soon be out of these brands of scotch as Diageo, the world's largest spirit supplier, is redirecting its products to more profitable markets in China, Russia and India.
"They advised us that due to limited supply they are reallocating their scotches to other markets that are more profitable to them, including Asian markets and India. This isn't the situation unique to NB Liquor, they are doing it to most, if not all liquor jurisdictions in Canada," Clendenning said.
NB Liquor's spirits sales grew by 3.5 per cent last year to roughly $90 million. So Clendenning said it isn't as if New Brunswickers aren't drinking enough scotch, but the supplier is just trying to capitalize on more lucrative countries.
"There are more profitable markets in the world," he said. "I'm told there is a worldwide shortage of scotch that may be driving up these prices."
A price of a bottle of some of the blended scotches starts at $23 and the single-malt scotches went up to $80.
The single malt bottles that are on their way out of New Brunswick include Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Cragganmore, Oban, Lagavulin, Brora and Clynelish.
Clendenning said the corporation is now replacing the missing bottles with additional brands of Ballantines, Teachers, Famous Grouse, Chivas, Grant's and new lines from Famous Grouse Black, Famous Grouse 30 and Dewar White Label.
Scotch enthusiasts who favoured some of the discontinued brands may be upset, but NB Liquor said the new bottles should help satisfy the average drinker.
However, for those who are partial to one of the brands that will soon be heading overseas, Clendenning said there are about 5,000 bottles still on the shelves across the province and people can find out where those bottles are by checking the corporation's website.
"We don't expect to run out until after Christmas," he said. "The other scotches that are coming in to fill the void will come in January and February."
Clendenning said he expects some people will go out early and stock up. However, he said some others may choose to head to New Brunswick's Spirit Festival in Fredericton on Nov. 20 and 21 to test out some other products that are remaining in the province. |
Ack my home-province! Suffering so that rich bastards overseas can drink!
And the replacement whiskys...
:( |
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| gl.tch |
Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Cragganmore
are all going to be MORE expensive...
, it might be time to bolster our own Glen Breton and take ownership of that middling distiller and force them to put a decent product... |
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