Whisky Lost and Found

1983 was a very bad year to be in the Scotch Whisky business.
Sales had dried up in the face of changing consumer tastes and
economic woes, and the industry was sitting on a "whisky loch" of
millions of gallons of whisky no one wanted to buy. That led to
the permanent or temporary closings of 14 distilleries, along
with blending and bottling plants throughout Scotland. 40 years
later, the industry has recovered - but have the lessons from
1983 been remembered? We'll talk with historians Charles Maclean
and Dr. Nick Morgan about the circumstances that led to mass
closings back then, and what's different today.


In the news, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has slapped Scotch Whisky
with a 10.1% increase in excise duty, and industry leaders are
fighting back claiming broken promises. Kentucky state lawmakers
are trying to get a bill passed in the next few days that would
phase out the state's barrel tax on maturing whiskey, and David
Beckham is reported to be stepping away from his bespoke whisky
brand.