“Banks – a confidence trick that works… most of the time” – at the Weekened of Mistakes in Hay-on-Wye
This was one of three sessions that I did on banking and financial “errors” at the Library of Mistakes’ inaugural […]
Scotch whisky: the hangover year
Following the great export binge of 2022 when Scotch was surfing the Covid super-cycle, there was bound to be a
A Postcard from Japan
By volume, Scotch whisky’s main role in Japan is as an ingredient in ‘Japanese’ blended whisky. But, as Ian Fraser
Malt’s playful side
Ian Fraser chronicles the rise of a Scotch whisky category that has become one of its most dynamic, innovative and
Premiumisation: slowed but unbowed
Given all the economic headwinds out there, can the industry’s favourite buzzword really survive? Having weighed up the arguments for
Future packaging: naked and unadorned
A packaging revolution debuts on Islay. As bottles of Bruichladdich appear without their tins in pursuit of the distillery’s green
Indie bottlers fight back
It’s not just the music industry where corporate giants and small indie labels rub shoulders – it also happens in
A Postcard from Australia
Despite ferocious competition from American, Irish and home-grown whiskies, Scotch whisky shipments to Australia have proved remarkably strong. But as
Distell International reinvented as CVH Spirits
A clutch of single malts and a couple of blends, once known as Burn Stewart Distillers, now has a new
Ardnamurchan Distillery: a dram with Alex Bruce
Brimming with joie-de-vivre, Alex Bruce is a great ambassador for the fun side of Scotch whisky – an industry that
The shrinking UK market: whisky’s £1.7bn home front
The UK market remains critical for Scotch, but creating value and building brands is tough right now. And the UK
Recycling: Bottle bank blues
The SNP-Green coalition in Scotland appears determined to press ahead with its highly-contested deposit return recycling scheme. The Scotch whisky
Sustainable Production
Efforts to decarbonise the production of Scotch whisky by 2040 are well underway and distillers are now seeking to make
Venture capitalists reap the fintech whirlwind
The two years of ‘crazy time’ are at an end and fintechs will find less investment money floating around in
Poverty in Plain Sight – review of Darren McGarvey’s ‘The Social Distance Between Us’
Darren McGarvey’s The Social Distance Between Us is a wake-up call for Britain. It isn’t always an easy or comfortable
My appearance on the Two Bulls In A China Shop stock trading podcast
It was a great pleasure to appear on the Two Bulls in A China Shop Stock Trading podcast with Kyle
The non-corporate world of Ian Macleod Distillers
Life for independent, family-owned Ian Macleod Distillers hasn’t always been easy amongst the big corporate beasts that dominate the industry.
Inside Iceland’s probe into the 2008 financial crash – review of Jared Bibler’s ‘Iceland’s Secret’
In Iceland’s Secret, former lead investigator for the Icelandic regulator shares his insights into how fraud was unearthed and bankers