2015年经济学人 威士忌 我的来自英国（在线收听）

Whisky

威士忌

Mine's an English

我的来自英国

Taking on one of the world's most powerful brands

承担一个世界上最强大的品牌

WITH its lofty peaks, peaty water and the steady drip of rain on heather, Bassenthwaite seems an ideal place to make whisky. The nearest Scotch distillery is just 60 miles away. But when the Lakes Distillery, which has just been given planning permission, bottles its first casks of single malt in a few years' time, strict EU rules will make it something quite different. It might look like Scotch and taste like Scotch, but the dram will be English.

凭借着高耸的山峰、泥炭水和石楠花获得的稳定的降雨量，特湖似乎是一个生产威士忌的绝妙之地。最近的苏格兰酿酒厂也只有60公里远。但是几年后当刚被授权的湖区酿酒厂把纯麦芽威士忌进行瓶装时，严格的欧盟法规让事情发生了变化。这些威士忌也许看起来和尝起来像是苏格兰的，但是这一部分可能会更像英格兰的。

“It was a stroke of genius coining ‘Scotch' for a drink that can be made successfully anywhere,” says Andrew Nelstrop, a Norfolk farmer who in 2006 opened England's first new distillery for more than a century. With the help of a former Laphroaig distiller—a contribution more crucial than any amount of peat or rainfall—St George's Distillery now sells its English Whisky Company single malts to supermarkets in England, distributors overseas, and even in Scotland. In December Adnams, a Suffolk brewer, will bottle whisky that has been sitting in casks for three years—the time it takes for the European Union to recognise fermented cereal mash as whisky. The London Distillery Company in Battersea is soon to start barrelling a single malt aimed at young urbanites.

来自诺福克郡的农民安德鲁说到，“在势必会畅销的饮料瓶上印着苏格兰三个字的举动真是神来之笔”，他在2006年经营着英格兰的第一家酿酒厂，这个酿酒厂已经有100多年的历史了。得力于比任何泥炭和降水量更关键的拉弗格蒸馏器，圣乔治的酿酒厂现在把英国威士忌公司的纯麦芽威士忌销售到英格兰超市、海外经销商、甚至到苏格兰。在11月，萨福克的啤酒制造商亚当那姆斯将对储存在木桶有三年之久的威士忌进行瓶装，这三年正是等待欧盟认可糖化发酵谷物为威士忌的过程。位于巴特西的伦敦酿酒公司将迅速开展对以年轻都市人为目标市场的纯麦芽威士忌进行桶装的工作。

When that happens, England will have roughly the same number of whisky distilleries as it did in the 19th century. The reasons they closed are murky: a scarcity of equipment as Scottish whisky took off probably played a part. But the resurgence of English whisky is no mystery. Global demand is surging. In emerging economies it is the high-status tipple for a burgeoning middle class. Growth is strong even in mature markets like America. Over the last decade exports of Scotch have risen by 87%, reaching 4.3 billion ($7 billion) in 2012.

如果这种情况发生，英格兰将基本拥有与19世纪同等数量的威士忌酿酒厂。当年他们倒闭的原因至今仍不清楚：苏格兰缺少酿酒设备很可能是重要原因。但是威士忌的东山再起将是必然的—全球需求量正在不断上升.在经济迅速发展的时代，威士忌是为越来越多的中产阶级所提供的高级饮酒。这个增长趋势甚至出现在市场相当成熟的美国。过去十年来，苏格兰的出口量上升了87%，在2012年达到43亿英镑（70亿美元）。

Progress on free trade could drive sales much higher. In India, which drinks almost as much whisky as the rest of the world put together, tariffs of 150% have long put imported whisky beyond most drinkers' reach. But with the EU hoping to win a tariff reduction under a free-trade agreement with the subcontinent, imbibers of cheap domestic brands such as Bagpiper and Antiquity may soon be able to enjoy whiskies made in, or close to, Scotland.

自由贸易政策的进步促成了更高的销售量。在印度这个威士忌消耗量能和其他所有国家加起来媲美的国家，150%的关税一度使大多数消费者消费不起进口威士忌。但是随着欧盟希望在这个次大陆赢得自由贸易协议下的关税减让，之前饮用国内如风笛手和古物这些廉价牌子的消费者很快就可以享受来自苏格兰或苏格兰附件地区的威士忌。