Diageo

[ratcheer]

Greg,

That was a well thought out answer. And I do understand what you're saying.

I simply regret that small/medium businesses can no longer compete with the huge conglomerates. It causes severe loss of individualism and heritage and unique products.

The same thing is happening to farms and ice cream makers and pharmacies and department stores and ....

I don't know what else to say.

Tim

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Pardon me once again Tim. Greg is a super guy. Very cerebral - he knows his stuff, and he's a lot of fun at a party! No wonder he's a Professor of Marketing at the University of Indiana.

At least Charles Medley has been able to buy back his family's distillery from Diageo. Buddy Thompson was just heart broken over the rape of Glenmore, but they were offered two and a half times what it was worth, and they took it. Greed is a very powerful force.

Where would Stitzel-Weller be today if Julian P. Van Winkel III were running the show? One taste of his bourbon will tell you it wouldn't be the ghost distillery it is now.

The Browns are still in firm control of Brown-Forman Corp. No danger of them falling into Diageo's diabolical hands.

In fact Diageo has probably done as much damage to bourbon as they possibly could already. Only Dickel remains in their dastardly clutches. It may already be a dead distillery. We just can't be sure yet.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

[jbutler]

Linn,
Here's a subject that's noteworthy; If you take a look at David Sherman's web site <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.davidsherman.com>http://www.davidsherman.com</A>, it indicates that they own the Wathen's label.


Cheers,

Jim Butler
Straightbourbon.com

[**DONOTDELETE**]

N-N-N-NO Say It Ain't So Joe Demagieo! Joe's wife [Marilyn Monroe] showed her under-alls to an entire lustful nation now Charles Medley has sold out to Bobby Sherman?? No I mean David Sherman! Stop me before I commit a crime! ( I don't have the bail!)

David Sherman has always been listed as the 'bottler' of Wathens. Don't you believe it! Charles and his son Sam along with a small handful of other fine folks bottle up the Wathen's Single Barrel Bourbon as if it were formula for their children.

All this Bobby 'David' Sherman crap is just that - crap!

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

[kitzg]

Don't lose heart, Tim. Remember Sam Walton was a little guy who got laughed at. Wal-Mart is now the world's largest retailer. Bill Gates was once a little guy. In fact a lot of innovation does come from the 'little guy.' And often the little guy becomes the big guy. But it is also true that sometimes the little guy is so successful that he/she (let's not forget some of the little 'guys' are gals) gets bought out. And indeed it is often greed that allows the buyout.

But it is also true that the big corporations can screw up businesses as easily as they can make big brands grow. They also can make it very tough on little guys who won't sell. And that IS a sad part of life. But it has been like that for a lot of years.

And thanks, Linn, for your nice words.

And as Linn points out, since the bourbon industry is still a bit down home (everybody knows everybody) there are a lot of nearly incestuous deals. Like who stores barrels in whose warehouses and who might get barrels from whom.

One more thing. Happy New Year and thanks to all of you who contrbute here for the good of us all. The sharing of information here is great.

-- Greg
kitzg

[ratcheer]

Thanks, Linn. I hope it is apparent that I am not criticizing Greg or what he is saying. I am only lamenting what is going on in the world of bourbon.

I hope Greg hasn't taken any offense from my remarks (and I didn't detect any in his reply). None at all was intended.

Tim

[kitzg]

Tim, rest assured I took no offense nor thought any was intended. You asked a question and I tried to answer it based on my experience and my observations in the spirits industry. I hope the exchange was helpful to us all. And of course, I don't have all of the answers but I have opinions

:-)

Greg

[cowdery]

Sherman's web site indicates that they distribute Wathen's, not that they necessarily own it. In fact, there is no reason to believe they own it. I'm confident the brand is still controlled by the Medley family, so settle down, Linn.

There's nothing wrong with David Sherman. They are a bottler, marketer and rectifier. They are a niche player and God bless them, because they are keeping several venerable brands alive. No one will say on the record, of course, but they probably get their whiskey (aside from Wathen's) from Heaven Hill.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://cowdery.home.netcom.com>--Chuck Cowdery</A>

[jbutler]

It's fairly hard to argue with Rebel Yell for <$10 for 750ml as well. I've paid twice that for lesser bourbons. That alone gives them the thumbs up in my book

Cheers,

Jim Butler
Straightbourbon.com

[ratcheer]

Great. Thanks, Tim