President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would impose a 200% tariff on wine and other alcoholic beverages from the 27 countries that make up the European Union if it did not &#8220;immediately&#8221; remove a 50% tariff on whiskey. 
“The European Union, one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World, which was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States, has just put a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114155003492555395" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social. “If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, &amp; ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES. This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.”
Trump&#8217;s announcement comes after the European Union rolled out a <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plan</a> on Wednesday to put tariffs on up to $28 billion worth of U.S. exports in response to the 25% tariffs Trump imposed on global steel and aluminum imports. The European Union tariffs, which will go into effect in two stages, beginning on April 1 and then sometime in mid-April, could hit a wide variety of American products, including poultry, dairy products, spices, chocolate, wines, whiskey, and fruits. 
“The trade relations between the European Union and the US are the biggest in the world,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “They have brought prosperity and security to millions of people, and trade has created millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. As of this morning, the United States is applying a 25% tariff on imports of steel and aluminum. We deeply regret this measure. Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers.”
The European Commission said the tariffs could be “reversed” at any time if a “solution” was found. 
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer slammed the European Union over their tariff announcement. 
“The EU’s punitive action completely disregards the national security imperatives of the United States — and indeed international security — and is yet another indicator that the EU’s trade and economic policies are out of step with reality,” Greer <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-tariffs-donald-trump-diplomat-eu-war-defending-nation-bloc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
The tariffs on steel and aluminum first went into effect on Wednesday after Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-restores-section-232-tariffs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> them in February, arguing that they were necessary to strengthen the domestic economy and for national security reasons. 
“Foreign nations have been flooding the United States market with cheap steel and aluminum, often subsidized by their governments,” Trump said in February. “A report from the first Trump Administration found that steel import levels and global excess were weakening our domestic economy and threatening to impair national security.”

President Trump Delivers Remarks From The Oval Office

Trump Threatens To Impose 200% Tariffs On EU Wine And Champagne

Donald Trump

European Union

Steel industry

Tariffs

Trade War

Whiskey

Brown-Forman Corp., the company that makes the iconic Jack Daniels whiskey, has reportedly decided to terminate Jack Daniels&#8217; diversity, equity and inclusion program after a boycott was threatened.
On Wednesday, the Jack Daniels company issued a letter from its Executive Leadership Team. They announced, “[W]e launched our diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019. Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States. With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.”
The letter added that the company would be “removing our quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions; ending participation in the Human Rights Campaign&#8217;s Corporate Equality Index survey; and reviewing training programs for consistency with an evolved strategy,” as conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who had planned to launch a boycott, reported.
Starbuck revealed that the letter came from a “screenshot of one of the multiple folders we have on them. Overall we had well over 15GB of files, photos and videos.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Big news: The next company we were set to expose was <a href="https://twitter.com/JackDaniels_US?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackDaniels_US</a>.
They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages.
They just preemptively announced that they’ll be making these changes:
• Ending participation in the <a href="https://twitter.com/HRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HRC</a>’s Corporate Equality… <a href="https://t.co/0O1DkkIKrO">pic.twitter.com/0O1DkkIKrO</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1826432179661889899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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On Monday, motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson announced that it was backing away from diversity, equity, and inclusion policies after facing criticism from conservative customers in the last few months.
In an open letter to the public, Harley-Davidson said it was no longer implementing DEI policies and would enact strict protocols for future corporate sponsorships and affiliations. The announcement comes as other companies like Tractor Supply have moved away from DEI after conservative customers spoke out.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
&#8220;We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community. As a Company, we take this issue very seriously, and it is our responsibility to respond with clarity, action, and facts,&#8221; the company <a href="https://x.com/harleydavidson/status/1825564138032234994">said</a>.
The company said it no longer had a DEI office and would no longer be participating in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) scoring program going forward.
The changes at the company took place after the company received sharp criticism from conservatives back in July when Starbuck highlighted many of the company’s LGBT-focused initiatives, including training employees to be “allies” and promoting the work of Critical Race Theory proponents.
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this article.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harley-davidson-becomes-latest-company-to-back-away-from-dei-policies">Harley-Davidson Becomes Latest Company To Back Away From DEI Policies</a>

Stolen Jack Daniels, Empty Bottle, Security Tag still attached

Now It’s Jack Daniels Getting Rid Of DEI Initiatives

Business

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Jack Daniels

Social Issues

It has not been a great year so far for beer giant Anheuser-Busch or its conservative customers. Bud Light, one of the company&#8217;s flagship brands, ignited a national firestorm after it partnered with transgender activist and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney back in April. Since the boycott began, Anheuser-Busch has reportedly lost almost $16 billion in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-inbev-market-value-has-plunged-staggering-15-7-billion-since-mulvaney-fiasco-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">market value</a> as cases upon cases of the once-iconic beer languish on store shelves across the country. The situation is so bad that the company is practically <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/23/bud-light-giving-away-free-beer-for-memorial-day-following-dylan-mulvaney-disaster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving away</a> 15-packs for Memorial Day in an effort to unload product.
Molson Coors, the producer of brands such as Miller Lite and Coors Lite, has profited significantly from Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s plummeting sales, but the company also suffered backlash after a feminist commercial, released in March to honor Women&#8217;s History Month, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/miller-lite-responds-to-backlash-over-woke-feminist-beer-commercial-appreciate-the-humor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resurfaced</a> online.
In response, many conservatives have switched to a less publicly woke brand of beer such as Yuengling, the nation&#8217;s oldest operating brewery, or to a different kind of alcoholic beverage entirely — liquor.
Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s parent company, AB InBev, and Molson Coors own the top 10 best-selling beer brands in the country, and a similar situation exists in the liquor market. You may see hundreds of different brands on display if you walk into a relatively large liquor store, but odds are the vast majority of them are owned by five companies.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, the biggest liquor companies in the world have used their brands to push transgender ideology and promote drag queens.
<h2>Diageo</h2>
Diageo, a British company created in 1997 by the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, is the largest liquor company in the world not owned by the Chinese Communist Party. It produces 40% of the world&#8217;s Scotch whiskey and owns the world&#8217;s best-selling vodka (Smirnoff) and liqueur (Baileys Irish Cream).
One of Diageo&#8217;s top scotch brands, J&amp;B, <a href="https://www.out.com/transgender/2022/12/21/whiskey-viral-commercial-trans-acceptance-video-watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> an ad in Spain around Christmastime last year featuring an elderly man who secretly learns how to apply makeup. He then uses his newfound skills to make up his trans-identifying grandchild. The grandfather then shows off the now-feminine grandchild to the rest of the family, who happily embrace the two and celebrate by imbibing J&amp;B.
A message in Spanish at the end of the commercial read, &#8220;The magic is not only in Christmas. It&#8217;s also in us.&#8221;
Another massive Diageo brand, Smirnoff, bragged about its &#8220;decades of commitment to the LGBTQUIA+ community&#8221; when it <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smirnoff-calls-on-kings-queens-and-every-drag-performer-in-between-to-show-up-for-its-most-inclusive-drag-celebration-ever-301577247.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> its &#8220;Show Up. Show Off!&#8221; drag queen competition in June 2022. Shea Couleé, described by Smirnoff as &#8220;drag royalty,&#8221; kicked off the competition in Chicago, and the winner received a $50,000 talent contract with the brand as well as an invitation to serve as an ambassador at Smirnoff Pride 2023, according to the press release.
One participant in that competition, drag queen and transgender activist Maxine St. James LaQueene, <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/09/smirnoff-drag-queen-partner-flashes-bystanders-at-texas-capitol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protested</a> in the Texas state capitol earlier this month against a bill that would ban transgender surgeries for minors. LaQueene allegedly exposed his backside and genitals to bystanders as he was being taken into custody for disrupting the legislature. Smirnoff <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/smirnoff-vodka-partners-trans-woman-recently-disrupted-texas-legislature-anti-trans-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> any official partnership with LaQueene in an email to Fox News.
Transgender actor Laverne Cox has also <a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/laverne-cox-smirnoff-womens-history-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> in multiple Smirnoff ads over the years.
Diageo also <a href="https://www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/stories/2022/baileys-puts-inclusivity-at-the-heart-of-a-global-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> &#8220;three of the UK’s most popular drag queens&#8221; as part of a Halloween ad campaign for Baileys Irish Cream.
Some of Diageo&#8217;s <a href="https://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/1/26/10830410/liquor-brands-hierarchy-diageo-beam-suntory-pernod-ricard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best-known brands</a> include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Johnnie Walker scotch, J&amp;B scotch, and Crown Royal Canadian whiskey</li>
<li>Vodka: Smirnoff, Ketel One, and Cîroc</li>
<li>Rum: Captain Morgan</li>
<li>Tequila: Don Julio</li>
<li>Gin: Aviation Gin, Gordon&#8217;s, and Tanqueray</li>
<li>Liqueur: Baileys Irish Cream</li>
</ul>
<h2>Pernod Ricard</h2>
Pernod Ricard is a French company founded in 1975 and second only behind Diageo based on overall production. Its premium vodka brand, Absolut, has frequently partnered with drag queens, including an annual event in Canada called Empire&#8217;s Ball <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/absolut-empire-s-ball-celebrates-toronto-pride-with-showstopping-grand-finale-881403065.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featuring</a> drag queens from around the country. In the press release for the 2022 Empire&#8217;s Ball, the Absolut brand was described as a &#8220;long standing LGBTQ2S+ ally,&#8221; and the brand promised to donate money to LGBT organizations.
Pernod Ricard even <a href="https://www.just-drinks.com/news/pernod-ricard-releases-drag-queen-documentary-for-absolut-vodka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produced</a> a documentary film in 2021 about the drag queen ball, entitled &#8220;Underneath the Empire.&#8221;
Absolut also collaborated with &#8220;drag icon&#8221; Tayce for a fashion campaign designed to create &#8220;a world where what you wear isn’t tied to the binds of gender, seasonal trends, religious expression, or function,&#8221; <a href="https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en/locations/uk/media/fashion-trio-serve-first-borntomix-collaboration-absolut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a press release from Pernod Ricard.
Absolut has also <a href="https://toronadosd.com/absolut-vodkas-surprising-decision-to-stop-sponsoring-rupauls-drag-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> several seasons of the popular drag queen competition show &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race.&#8221;
Some of Pernod Ricard&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Chivas Regal scotch, Glenlivet scotch, Jameson Irish whiskey, Redbreast Irish whiskey, and Jefferson&#8217;s bourbon</li>
<li>Vodka: Absolut</li>
<li>Gin: Beefeater and Seagram&#8217;s</li>
<li>Rum: Malibu and Havana Club</li>
<li>Liqueur: Kahlúa coffee liqueur</li>
</ul>
<h2>Beam Suntory</h2>
Johannes &#8220;Jacob&#8221; Beam began selling his homemade whiskey in 1795 and became one of the earliest bourbon distillers in the U.S. The whiskey brand went through several names until it settled on Jim Beam in 1943 in honor of James Beauregard Beam — who led the company through Prohibition. Meanwhile, Suntory was founded in Japan as a wine shop before its founder opened the country&#8217;s first malt whiskey distillery in 1923. Beam Suntory was created after Suntory Holdings purchased Beam Inc. in 2011.
In 2020, Jim Beam <a href="https://www.iheartradio.ca/virginradio/kelowna/contests/bring-it-to-the-ballroom-1.13871131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertised</a> an event called &#8220;Bring It To The Ballroom!&#8221; that featured several drag queens, including &#8220;Jimbo the Drag Clown,&#8221; according to a post from iHeart Radio. The event was ultimately postponed due to concerns over COVID.
Beam Suntory brand Hornitos tequila <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lgbtq-activists-awarded-grants-from-hornitos-tequila-to-amplify-advocacy-work-301573280.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> a series of grants to LGBT activists in June 2022, including one to Maria Louise Roman-Taylorson of the TransLatin Coalition. Each of the grantees received $10,000, and Hornitos noted that it had already given over $100,000 to the LGBT advocacy group GLAAD.
Suntory hosts several Pride events around the world every year for Pride month, <a href="https://www.suntory.com/topics/2022/08/007901.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> Drag Trivia Quizzes in its Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, offices last year.
Some of Beam Suntory&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Jim Beam bourbon, Maker&#8217;s Mark bourbon, Old Crow bourbon, Basil Hayden&#8217;s bourbon, Knob Creek bourbon, Ardmore scotch, Laphroiag scotch, Suntory brand Japanese whiskeys, and Canadian Club whiskey</li>
<li>Tequila: Sauza and Hornitos</li>
<li>Vodka: Pinnacle</li>
</ul>
<h2>Bacardi</h2>
Bacardi is the largest family-owned liquor company in the world. Founded in Cuba in 1862, Bacardi fled the country after communist guerrillas led by Fidel Castro overthrew the government in 1959. The executive of the company at the time, Jose Bosch, became an ardent <a href="https://businessinsider.mx/57-bacardi-and-the-long-fight-for-cuba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opponen</a>t of the Castro regime.
Nevertheless, the company has become the proud sponsor of leftist social policies in recent years.
Chris Cabrera, a transgender activist and bartender who also identifies as nonbinary, <a href="https://www.liquor.com/inclusive-space-award-2022-6363120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became</a> the New York City brand ambassador for Grey Goose vodka, owned by Bacardi, in 2018. Cabrera facilitated Grey Goose&#8217;s sponsorship of the annual drag queen pageant at the Stonewall Inn in 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Bacardi then promoted Cabrera to the position of national LGBTQ+ ambassador in 2020.
Bacardi <a href="https://bacardilgfevents.com/e/bacard%C3%AD-inaugural-drag-ball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> its inaugural drag ball in New Orleans in July of last year, and the company <a href="https://m.facebook.com/events/582366663403012/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> another drag queen event in Canada back in February dubbed &#8220;Cowboys Bacardi Carnival.&#8221;
Bacardi, along with Diageo, is one of the biggest <a href="https://www.drinkstrade.com.au/bacardi-diageo-proud-supporters-of-sydneys-big-gay-celebration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsors</a> of Sydney&#8217;s annual Pride celebration, with the main Bacardi brand and the company&#8217;s gin brand, Bombay Sapphire, hosting several drag queen events.
Some of Bacardi&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Rum: Bacardi and the U.S. rights to Havana Club</li>
<li>Whiskey: Dewar&#8217;s scotch</li>
<li>Tequila: Patrón</li>
<li>Gin: Bombay Sapphire</li>
<li>Vodka: Grey Goose</li>
</ul>
<h2>Brown-Forman</h2>
The Brown-Forman Corporation was founded as a whiskey company in 1870, but only became one of the world&#8217;s largest liquor companies after it acquired Jack Daniel&#8217;s Tennessee whiskey in 1956. More than the other companies in this article, Brown-Forman depends on a single brand for its high position in the liquor market — Jack Daniel&#8217;s is the second best-selling whiskey in the world after Diageo&#8217;s Johnnie Walker.
However, the company received increased scrutiny after a Jack Daniel&#8217;s ad campaign <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jack-daniels-drag-queen-campaign-faces-renewed-backlash-after-bud-light-and-dylan-mulvaney-brand-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featuring</a> drag queens resurfaced in the wake of Bud Light&#8217;s Dylan Mulvaney debacle. Two years ago, the whiskey brand partnered with three drag queens for a series of videos promoting its Tennessee Fire brand. The partnership, referred to as “Drag Queen Summer Glamp,” showed the drag queens plan a Pride celebration.
“Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire is honored to partner with Bebe, Trinity, and Manila on a campaign that reaffirms our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” Jack Fire Brand Manager Lauren Richmond said in a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jack-daniels-tennessee-fire-and-rupauls-drag-race-alums-celebrate-pride-301314390.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “This series demonstrates our brand’s holistic approach to engaging the consumers we serve through culture and unexpected partnerships.”
One of the drag queens, who performs under the moniker Trinity the Tuck, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/jack-daniels-whiskey-boycott-calls-lgbt-campaign-1792890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Jack Daniel&#8217;s gets drag culture—which is all about celebrating individuality and inviting others to accept you as you are.&#8221;
Jack Daniel&#8217;s Canadian branch also partnered with a drag queen to promote its apple-flavored whiskey.
Brown-Forman&#8217;s vodka brand, Finlandia, <a href="https://louisvilledowntown.org/event/drag-queens-on-ice-december-4th-7-to-9-p-m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> a December 2022 event in Louisville, Kentucky titled &#8220;Drag Queens on Ice,&#8221; according to the Louisville Downtown Partnership.
Some of Brown-Forman&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Jack Daniel&#8217;s Tennessee whiskey, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Old Forester bourbon, and GlenDronach scotch</li>
<li>Vodka: Finlandia</li>
</ul>
These are by no means exhaustive lists of the brands owned by these companies or the trans- and drag queen-themed events they&#8217;ve sponsored. Well over 100 different brands are owned by these five companies combined.
There is slightly more competition in the liquor market compared to the beer market — just two companies own the top 10 best-selling beer brands in the country — but it is evident that there is no ideological competition in the alcohol industry. Practically every major company has expressed its support for transgender ideology and hosted drag queen events through one or more of its brands.
And while discerning consumers can turn to microbreweries as a non-woke substitute for corporate beer, the home production of liquor is still strictly illegal <a href="https://www.ttb.gov/distilled-spirits/penalties-for-illegal-distilling#:~:text=While%20individuals%20of%20legal%20drinking,26%20United%20States%20Code%20(U.S.C.)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Treasury Department&#8217;s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Producing your own liquor can result in a prison sentence of up to five years and a hefty fine.
The dominance of the liquor companies by a handful of firms ensures that consumers have only the illusion of choice in the market and that their dollars will go to supporting leftist social policies.

Bottles of Scotch Whisky brand, J&B, rare blend label seen

Trade Bud Light For Bourbon? Well, Odds Are Your Favorite Liquor Brands Also Support Trans Activists, Drag Queens

Bud Light

Drag Queens

Dylan Mulvaney

Readers Pass

Transgender

U.S.

A number of top officials in charge of regulating alcohol in the state of Oregon may have drunk themselves under the table — and out the door.
According to an internal investigation, at least six members of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), including the agency&#8217;s former executive director, used their authority to divert rare and expensive bourbon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/whiskey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whiskey</a> so they could buy it for their personal use. The officials allegedly used their connections to push the rare spirits to a particular store where they could be kept away from the public.
“After requesting the head of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s resignation, my administration became aware that leaders within this agency, including the director himself, abused their position for personal gain per their own admission in an internal investigation,” Oregon Governor Tina Kotek wrote in a letter to the commission. “This behavior is wholly unacceptable. I will not tolerate wrongful violations of our government ethics laws. I urge the commission to install new leadership and remove the managers and executive leadership who have taken advantage of their access and authority to benefit themselves.”
The investigation found that OLCC Executive Director Steve Marks and at least five other officials used their knowledge and connections at the commission to obtain the expensive whiskey. Local news outlet <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/08/kotek-demands-house-cleaning-at-olcc-citing-alleged-ethical-violations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willamette Week</a> notes that when manufacturers set aside rare bottles of their products for customers, the OLCC has the authority to determine where those bottles go. Some are distributed to retail stores, some to bars and restaurants, and others given away by lottery.
According to <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/08/tina-kotek-oregon-olcc-liquor-commission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oregon Public Broadcasting</a>, Marks told an investigator that he requested agency staff to divert some liquor to a specific store where he could buy it away from the public. Other bottles were also set aside by the agency so that managers could buy them. The officials paid for the spirits, but using their connections to obtain them may violate Oregon laws prohibiting officials from using confidential information for personal gain.
Marks reportedly denied breaking Oregon laws, but he did admit to receiving preferential treatment &#8220;to some extent&#8221; because of his position. “I don’t know, a few times for my personal use,&#8221; he reportedly told investigators. &#8220;Pappy’s 23 is remembered in the last few years.” Pappy Van Winkle&#8217;s Family Reserve 23 Year is an extremely rare and expensive bourbon. A <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=pappy+van+winkle+23&amp;sxsrf=AJOqlzWrjGyfT97MqdcoWNuQCV8UBbvdSQ:1675982578956&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=shop&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjiv5LSwYn9AhXUFlkFHc6NDn4Q_AUoAXoECAIQAw&amp;biw=1452&amp;bih=679&amp;dpr=1.32" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google search</a> reveals that the whiskey costs $5000 a bottle or more. One bottle of the 2008 release sold at a December auction for <a href="https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2022/12/pappy-van-winkle-23yo-sells-for-52000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$52,000</a>.
Other officials said during the investigation that the practice of setting aside rare bottles was widespread and had been going on for years. OLCC Director of Distilled Spirits Chris Mayton said he served as a &#8220;facilitator&#8221; for customers, employees, and even state lawmakers, hundreds of times, and considered it part of his work duties, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Nikki Leslie, an employee in charge of distributing the liquor, said that the practice had been going on since she took her position some eight years ago. She told investigators that often she was asked to direct the bottles to a specific store in the city of Milwaukie, near the agency headquarters, and tell employees when the spirits would arrive, so they could buy the bottles ahead of the general public.
“This incident underlines the importance of having public accountability,” agency spokesman Mark Pettinger told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-039dcfabbd07682ee2b0597c4518e9e8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. “The OLCC will need to work on rebuilding and restoring our public trust &#8230; and adhere to Oregon’s ethics laws.”

Still Life of Bourbon Whiskey on Bar

Oregon Alcohol Regulators Used Their Power To Get Their Hands On Rare, Ultra-Expensive Bourbon, Investigation Finds

Alcohol

Corruption

Crime

Oregon

<div class="paragraph">
Forget about real estate or tech stocks: The best investment is in Scotch.
A forgotten cask of The Macallan from 1988 just sold at auction for a record-breaking sum of nearly $1.3 million. The cask was initially purchased some 34 years ago by an absent-minded drinker who paid $6,275 for it, yet never turned up to collect it. The distiller sold it Sunday to an unidentified American buyer through the online auction site Whisky Hammer.
&#8220;When this cask was listed in our auction, we knew it had the potential to make history,&#8221; said Daniel Milne, Whisky Hammer&#8217;s founder. &#8220;To come across a cask of this age, quality and size is extraordinary in itself, enhanced by the fact the liquid was distilled at The Macallan which is reflected in the global attention the cask has attracted.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/WordsmithSaxon/status/1519658025518342151?s=20&#038;t=_MtC4We26QhRooT_hYh2KA
The cask holds about 534 bottles&#8217; worth of whiskey, which works out to $2,426 apiece. That breaks the per-bottle record for a cask, topping a smaller Macallan barrel auctioned in 2021 for $572,000, according to <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/forgotten-macallan-whisky-cask-auction-record">Food &amp; Wine</a>.
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_3865/fw.mdp.com/ntv1_0__container__">Last October, a cask of Macallan 1991 sold at auction for $2.33 million, but the sale included a commissioned NFT from artist Trevor Jones.</div>
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Whisky Pour from a bottle into a cut glass tumbler

Cheers! Long-Forgotten Cask of Rare Scotch Sells For Mind-Boggling Sum

A Forgotten Cask Of The Macallan Scotch Sold At Auction For Record $1.3M

History

Scotland

&#8220;Dirty Jobs&#8221; host Mike Rowe has rolled out his very own Tennessee Whiskey named Knobel, complete with a memorable sea shanty that will have you singing along by the end.
The TV host posted a message <a href="https://mikerowe.com/2022/04/the-knobelman/">on his website</a> over the weekend sharing details about the release of the whiskey named after the man he called &#8220;Pop,&#8221; his grandfather Carl Knobel, and how his little sea shanty came to be.
&#8220;What the world needs now is a parody of The Wellerman, the ancient sea shanty that went viral when Nathan Evans turned it into a music video,&#8221; Rowe explained. &#8220;Or maybe, the world just needs a drink? This (sic) a version of the earworm I first heard during the lockdowns, reimagined to reflect my current frustration with a broken supply chain, a crumbling infrastructure, rising energy costs, and various other obstacles that have complicated the important business of shipping my grandfather&#8217;s delicious Knobel Tennessee Whiskey to your doorstep.&#8221;
&#8220;This is for all of you who have waited, patiently,&#8221; he added.
WATCH:
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In a longer message on the <a href="https://knobelspirits.com/our-story/">whiskey&#8217;s website</a>, Rowe talked about how he never planned to have a &#8220;career in television&#8221; and instead was always planning to &#8220;follow in the footsteps&#8221; of his &#8220;grandfather,&#8221; Knobel, a man he said who &#8220;worked with his hands, not his voice.&#8221;
&#8220;A man who went out of his way to avoid the spotlight,&#8221; Rowe shared in part. &#8220;A man I called pop. &#8220;An electrician by trade, he went on to become the kind of indispensable handyman who could fix or fabricate pretty much anything. To me, he was a magician.&#8221;
&#8220;As his would-be-apprentice, I mimicked Pop&#8217;s every move, tagging along on countless construction jobs, trying to absorb all the mechanical knowledge he possessed,&#8221;  he added, as he explained how he took the shop classes and applied himself but nothing &#8220;worked out&#8221; the way he planned.
The Discovery Chanel host said one day his grandfather gave him the &#8220;best advice&#8221; he&#8217;d ever received.
&#8220;God gave me a toolbox, Mike,&#8221; Rowe shared. &#8220;He gave you one too. But he didn&#8217;t give us the same one. Have a look inside your own toolbox.&#8221;
So, the host said that&#8217;s exactly what he did that led him to host &#8220;Dirty Jobs&#8221; where he said he highlighted the &#8220;expertise of the workers&#8221; profiled, &#8220;people like &#8220;Pop.&#8221; And that he said is for the &#8220;same people that Knobel Tennessee Whiskey is dedicated today.&#8221;
In the three-minute plus clip shared on YouTube, Rowe sings impressively in his sea shanty about how it&#8217;s made in his grandfather&#8217;s honor.

Celebrities Visit People Now – January 9, 2020

‘Dirty Jobs’ Host Mike Rowe Rolling Out Own Tennessee Whiskey Line Complete With Memorable Sea Shanty

Mike Rowe

Tennessee

Novelist Raymond Chandler once said, “There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren’t as good as others,&#8221; and boy was that ever the case for a British whiskey auctioning company that just made history by selling the most expensive cask of whiskey ever.
On Sunday evening, Whisky Hammer, a British-based whiskey auctioning company, sold a 374-liter cask of whiskey for £1,017,000 — $1,295,459.68 — that was originally distilled at The Macallan in 1988.
&#8220;To come across a cask of this age, quality and size is extraordinary in itself, enhanced by the fact the liquid was distilled at The Macallan which is reflected in the global attention the cask has attracted,&#8221; Daniel Milne, co-founder and managing director of Whisky Hammer, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10752171/Rare-forgotten-cask-whisky-sells-1million-auction-new-world-record.html">told</a> The Daily Mail.
The cask was reportedly purchased and left at The Macallan Distillery for maturation. The buyer forgot about it for 30 years and decided to recently sell it at auction.
&#8220;When this cask was listed in our auction, we knew it had the potential to make history,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s been incredibly exciting for everyone at Whisky Hammer to have represented what has become the most expensive cask ever to be sold at auction.&#8221;
The liquor was reportedly purchased by a private individual in the United States.
While historic whiskey fetches a pretty penny at auction, pro-capitalism groups have argued in recent years that the drink should be known as &#8220;the spirit of the free market&#8221; as well.
In 2016, The Competitive Enterprise Institute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Texnh1f4vMA">released a documentary</a> titled, &#8220;I, Whiskey,&#8221; which explained how the beverage was only made possible thanks to capitalism and the freedom to fail.
Former CEI president Lawson Bader <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2015/07/27/cei-film-credits-free-market-with-whiskeys-endurance/">told</a> The Daily Caller in 2015 that the documentary was made after Milton Friedman&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67tHtpac5ws">iconic</a> &#8220;I, Pencil,&#8221; which explained how the pencil was only made possible thanks to the innovative system of the free market.
“‘I, Pencil’ was much a clearer example of free enterprise, but alcohol is not a perfect example,&#8221; Bader said at the time. &#8220;It is a highly regulated product. Despite government attempts to squash it out, the drink survived through out the years because of human spirit that binds people and countries together.”
Whiskey, according to Bader, offers a perfect example to illustrate how capitalism is not merely about profits.
“The biggest misconception about the free market is that it is focused on solely monetary profit,&#8221; Bader told The Daily Caller. &#8220;Free enterprise is about choices, and experimenting, risking and benefiting from that risk through innovation.&#8221;
“It’s a voluntary system of exchange,” he added. “One person voluntarily hands something over, and another person takes something. It doesn’t have to be money either. You’re better off with the freedom to exchange. Heavy government regulation and involvement takes away our ability to choose, which damages the market and final product.”
Bader also explained that failure, and subsequent attempts at success, were necessary to create the actual taste of whiskey that drinkers experience in the modern world.
“Government regulation is essentially trying to protect against any risk at all, but there’s a grave danger in that. With whiskey, craftsmen failed numerous times, but human ingenuity preserved and created the tastes we have today. Failure rewards the individual because they can improve on their mistakes.&#8221;
If the individual purchaser of The Macallan 1988 were to share the taste of that cask by reselling it in smaller batches, it could yield 534 bottles of single malt whiskey at 70 centiliters a bottle, the Mail noted.

Whisky

Rare Whiskey More Than 30 Years Old Sets Record Profit At Auction

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday joked and denied any knowledge about the disappearance of a $5,800 bottle of whiskey gifted to him by Japan during the Trump administration.
The rare bottle was apparently given to Pompeo in June 2019 at the Group of 20 summit, which took place in Japan.
On Thursday, the State Department confirmed in a <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-16751.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">filing</a> posted in the Federal Register that it is investigating the disappearance of the bottle, marking its current disposition as &#8220;unknown.&#8221;
“The Department is looking into the matter and has an ongoing inquiry,” the State Department wrote in a footnote to the filing.
Pompeo was asked by Fox News anchor John Roberts whether he had any idea where the expensive gift could be.
&#8220;The great case of the missing whiskey bottle,&#8221; Pompeo joked. &#8220;Look, a couple facts, I have no idea. I assume it wasn&#8217;t ever touched. It never got to me.&#8221;
Pompeo added that he had witnessed a large amount of &#8220;incompetence&#8221; at the State Department during his tenure, appearing to suggest that could be the reason for the bottle&#8217;s disappearance.
&#8220;I have no idea how the State Department lost this thing although I saw enormous incompetence at the State Department during my time there,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Had it been a case of diet coke I would have been all over it,&#8221; the former secretary added. &#8220;I had no idea that this was missing, that there was an investigation I hear about. This is all just crazy talk. I have no idea where this thing is. If they want to give me a holler I&#8217;m happy to try and help them find it.&#8221;
&#8220;Sadly I wouldn&#8217;t know the difference between a $58 bottle and a $5,800 bottle,&#8221; Pompeo said.
Pompeo was traveling in Saudi Arabia the day Japanese officials presented the gift to the State Department, so it is not clear whether the bottle made it into Pompeo&#8217;s possession.
U.S. officials are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/04/us/politics/pompeo-japan-whiskey.html">not permitted</a> to keep gifts with a value of $390 or more and can face civil penalties if they do so. If they are still in office, they can also face impeachment. Officials are, however, permitted to purchase high-value gifts for themselves by reimbursing the Treasury Department, or they <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/state-dept-sleuthing-whereabouts-5-800-whiskey-bottle-given-pompeo-n1276016">may donate</a> the gifts to the National Archives.
“He has no idea what the disposition was of this bottle of whiskey,” Pompeo&#8217;s lawyer William Burck <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/04/us/politics/pompeo-japan-whiskey.html">told</a> The New York Times, saying that Pompeo also did not remember ever receiving the bottle.
The State Department&#8217;s filing outlined many of the gifts given by foreign governments to former President Donald Trump, former first lady Melania Trump, and U.S. officials from 2017 to 2019. The gifts, which included statues, paintings, a cashmere blanket, binoculars, firearms, diamond earrings, a clock, a silver candleholder, flower vases, and a bench carved to resemble a jaguar, were all donated to the National Archives.

pompeo

Pompeo Jokes, Denies Knowledge Of Missing $5,800 Whiskey: ‘The Great Case Of The Missing Whiskey Bottle’

Mike Pompeo

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