In Part 1 of my “Three things that really frustrate me” post, I talked about how I feel like we’re in prison here in the U.S. because many great whiskies are not imported to the U.S. One of the whiskies I mentioned was “The Family Casks” line from Glenfarclas, which is not being imported (43 different vintages of Glenfarclas from 1952 to 1994).
This is Robert Ransome’s (of Glenfarclas) response to that posting:
Dear John,
On the day you posted the first ‘Three things that really frustrate me” piece I was in Calgary, for Willow Park’s Whisky Wednesday event. The store has agreed to take three sets of The Family Casks, and Kensington Wine Market, also in Calgary, has also ordered from the range. The LCBO have also offered The Family Casks as a virtual offer. So we are at least sending some of The Family Casks to the right continent!
With no liquor monopoly, and being a market where both 700ml and 750ml are legal, I reckon there is a greater range of spirits available in Alberta than any other province or state in North America. Maybe you should head to Calgary on a shopping trip!
Well, they’re getting closer…
Based on Robert’s assertions about the US market (700 ml not allowed, liquor monopoly), your frustration is caused by protectionist laws and not by the distilleries. I think he’s saying there are structural problems in the US market. However, I’ve never read anything in detail about these problems from spirits writers. Is this a case of not biting the hand that feeds, or is it just too dull to cover? What are your thoughts?
Joe, Europe bottles at 700 ml, while the U.S. bottles at 750 ml. Whisky companies outside of the U.S. must do a special bottling for the U.S. For some smaller companies with small production runs, many feel that it’s not worth the hassle.
The frustration from our standpoint (i.e., U.S. whisky enthusiasts), is that we often miss the opportunity to buy some very exciting whiskies, because the whiskies aren’t bottled at 750 ml and imported to the U.S.
I understand where the companies are coming from, but it is still frustrating. And I do feel that some of the companies could make more of an effort.