Earlier this year, Knob Creek made headlines with their much-publicized “Thanks For Nothing” campaign, celebrating having run out of their 9yr Old Bourbon. Globally, over the course of the past few years, whisky consumption has risen at a rapid pace, and many suppliers are now finding it increasingly difficult for their supply to meet the market’s demand, without compromising quality.

In February, Spirits Canada announced that, for 2008, Whisky was the largest spirits category in Canada. Of those sales, three quarters belonged to Canadian whisky and Rye, accounting for approximately 3.6 Million cases sold in 2008. These kind of numbers aren’t without their consequences.

Most recently, Canadian Whisky makers “Gibson’s Finest” announced a looming shortage of their 12yr Old product. Shelves across Canada may already be finding themselves light for the holiday season, but supply of Gibson’s flagship “Sterling Edition” Canadian Whisky won’t be affected this year. In an effort to not compromise the quality and flavour Canadian’s are accustomed to, Gibson’s has no desire to rush the next batch of their 12yr Old Whisky. Instead, fans of the product will just have to wait until the whisky in the casks fulfills all of Gibson’s age standards.

What else can we expect? As the whisky market in Asian countries begins to surge at an uncontrollable rate, the demand for 12yr or older whiskies is putting the pressure on distilleries worldwide. In 2007, Singapore alone saw a 121% surge in imports, and as drinks like green tea and whisky become the norm in Chinese and Japanese clubs, we can only expect the demand to surge further. For bartenders, what this means is that, assuming we can get ahold of enough of the product, the prevalence of neutral spirits like vodkas, which once dominated the market, are being forgotten in the consumer’s search for quality within their cocktails.

Viva la revolution!

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