Venezuela Whisky Mad

Venezuela produces some of the Caribbean's best rum, but go to any bar, party or beach and you see that the national drink is imported Scotch whisky. Invariably served with lots of ice, it outsells other liquors by a ratio of about two to one, making Venezuela one of the world's biggest markets.

Ask Venezuelans why a tropical country in the midst of a socialist revolution should drink so much - more than 3m boxes a year - and the answer is simple: because we like it, and we can.

It has been thus for decades since oil turned this corner of south America into a dysfunctional petro-state which can afford to import luxury cars - Ferraris and Hummers bounce over Caracas potholes - and other symbols of wealth and status.

While the super-rich sip 18-year-old blends on yachts off Margarita island, the poor opt for cheaper brands, which you find passed around at family dinners, roadside bars and domino games.

"Ever since I can remember whisky was the thing. Rum is for when you can't afford the good stuff," says Freddy Afanador, 62, the driver of a battered taxi. Tequila, vodka and gin are exotic curiosities that tend to gather dust on liquor-store shelves.

President Hugo Chavez has assailed his compatriots' taste for alcohol in general and imported Scotch in particular. "Is this the whisky revolution?" he once thundered.

Whisky sales are growing fast across the region of Latin America, especially Brazil, making it one of the most important markets.

Rory Carroll from the The Guardian,

Posted in: Whisky Industry News

Tags: whisky industry news