Your Tax Dollars...Not at Work! (Episode 749: January 13, 2019)

The partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government is now the
longest on record, and it is having an impact on the whisky
business. Two whisky makers have whiskies ready to release in the
U.S., but Jim Hough of Liberty Pole Spirits in Pennsylvania and
Louise McGuane of Ireland's Chapel Gate Whiskey Company are stuck
because their federally mandated label approvals are being held
in limbo until the shutdown ends. It's a problem that is
affecting a growing number of whisky makers, and we'll have the
story on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Islay's newest
distillery is days away from going into production, while Suntory
is creating what may well be the first whisky blend spanning five
countries for the Japanese market. The coming Lunar New Year is
also bringing with it new whiskies, and a new study shows
legalized cannabis sales may not be cannibalizing liquor sales as
much as analysts feared.