NOM 186 & Mezcal

[Josh]

All of the Tequila/Mezcal-oriented parts of the internet are up in arms about NOM 186, which (correct me if I'm wrong) would seem to favor large makers of Mixtos over small artisanal Mezcal producers. More info here:

http://www.tequilainterchangeproject.com/stop-nom-186.html

Thoughts?

[wadewood]

https://twitter.com/#!/Bobby_Heugel

Bobby Huegel, a bar owner from Houston, is at the meeting in Mexico and spoke to committee voting on this today. It was streamed on the internet. He is posting constant updates on his twitter account.

[wadewood]

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ii-national-meeting-on-agave-distillated#utm_campaign=t.co&utm_source=11039547&utm_medium=social

stream from meeting - live now with english translation

[Josh]

Bobby's tweets have been great. Anybody with a remote interest in this should follow him.

[unclebunk]

Very interesting, indeed!

[Max Power]

I have no idea why anyone would be in support of this.

[White Dog]

I have no idea why anyone would be in support of this.

If you were a suit at Diageo, I can see why you'd support it.

[Max Power]

If you were a suit at Diageo, I can see why you'd support it.

Yes, of course. :smiley_acbt:

[wadewood]

I'll try to put NOM 186 in a bourbon perspective.

What if all the majors (Beam, 4 Roses, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Brown Forman) got together and decided they didn't like competing with the little artisanal distilleries making other types of whiskey than bourbon. So they strong armed the US government into redefining bourbon as made from greater than 51% corn and that corn could only come from KY. Also, the corn strain had to be a particular variety. Also anyone making any whiskey outside KY with corn as grain could not call their product whiskey and they could only sell this other spirit at 70 proof lower. Then they said this was all done to protect the consumer.

[unclebunk]

I'll try to put NOM 186 in a bourbon perspective.

What if all the majors (Beam, 4 Roses, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Brown Forman) got together and decided they didn't like competing with the little artisanal distilleries making other types of whiskey than bourbon. So they strong armed the US government into redefining bourbon as made from greater than 51% corn and that corn could only come from KY. Also, the corn strain had to be a particular variety. Also anyone making any whiskey outside KY with corn as grain could not call their product whiskey and they could only sell this other spirit at 70 proof lower. Then they said this was all done to protect the consumer.

That about sums it up. Really, it's hard to even imagine this proposal gaining any traction at all, but when the biggies talk, government listens. (And who knows what kind of shenanigans might have gone on behind closed doors, with money exchanging hands to grease the skids for its passing. That's the Mexican way!)