And because we (and King Charles) have his ear Donald Trump is rolling out Kentucky barrels for Scotch whisky.
The US President is the toast of his late beloved mother Mary’s Scots homeland today after lifting prohibitive tariffs on uisce beatha.
Because he told us of ‘Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon.
‘In that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used.’
A toast to Trump
All very timely too as Favourite Cousin, New York Kath and Kentucky Cousin-in-law Mark fly in to see us in North Berwickety.
And we will be breaking out the Woodford Reserve he first introduced me too, and in front of tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby too.
The truth is that almost everyone who has enjoyed a drap of Scotch will also be drinking in the best of Kentucky too.
Because ex-bourbon barrels are used to mature over 90% of all scotch whisky today.
We have, of course, the half-Scottish 45th and 47th President to thank for cutting the cost of our national drink.
A New Deal
But it his predecessor, the 32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt who made it all possible.
When he stipulated as part of his New Deal that all bourbon whiskey barrels must br single-use barrels.
Which created a supply of barrels for Scots to pounce on to store their liquid gold.
And so Kentucky barrels became the standard containers for Scotch ever since.
Gracias amigos
Enhanced further by Spain’s decision in the Eighties that all sherry must be bottled on home soil, taking their casks off the market.
The rest as they say is history and science.
And for that bit we’ll turn to the whisky attraction experts this week.
The distilleries, the Scotch Whisky Experience on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and the Johnnie Walker Experience, on the capital’s Princes Street.
And now that The Donald is channeling his Scots half we humbly implore that he looks again at the ban on Scottish sheep lungs.
An integral part of our national dish haggis.
Because we know he takes calls from journalists… and reads Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel.com.
SLÁINTE AND MEET YOU IN THE BAR