Yesterday I walked a little over three miles to my local Laphroaig supplier in hopes of obtaining a pre-tariff supply. I was successful and bought two bottles for $50 each which has been the usual price in San Diego. In Evanston, a bottle only costs $40. Score one for the flatlands.
The 25% tariff will have no significant impact on my life, but it will on thousands in Scotland where exports of scotch whisky are worth 4.7 billion pounds, or about 5.9 billion dollars, and account for 70% of Scotland’s food and drink exports and 21% off Britain’s.
More than £1 billion pounds of scotch goes to the US.
I do not know for certain, but I expect that the tariff will apply to the wholesale price of single malt scotch, not the retail, but even if it does apply to retail, it would mean a bottle of my favorite liquid will cost $62.50 in San Diego instead of $50. I don’t want to pay the higher figure, but I can and I will. I stand beside you Scotland. I will buy as much 10 year Laphroaig as I always have. I may even increase my consumption to assist you in your time of need. One has a duty to stand by friends in troubled times and I will, however difficult, do my duty.
Peculiarly the duty applies only to single malt scotch, not blends. I smell a lobbyist and probably blend drinking politicians. All politicians are bad and most are worse.
The NY TIMES has an article about the world’s biggest sailing regatta, which takes place off Trieste, Italy, and is further superfluous proof that we are herd animals. Or most of us are.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/world/europe/italy-trieste-barcolana-regatta.html
The photos are of birds in the flood control channel of the normally non-existent San Diego River which runs just south of Quivira Basin and the entrance channel to Mission Bay. Here at the mouth it is tidal and frequented by hundreds of birds and people and dogs using the designated dog beach. Two or three times in most winters storms drop enough rain on the coast and the 5,000’ mountains forty or fifty miles inland to cause the river to flow and even sometimes flood nearby Mission Valley.
The lower photo is natural color. The top one Apple Photos ‘Silvertone’. In this case I like the artificial better.
