Robin Robinson, LLC

04/07/2026

Well, this is pretty damn exciting: "The History of Whiskey in 100 Bottles, Barrels and More" is getting its own TV show, courtesy of
Kerry Moynahan, Focal Fire,
1st Reel Entertainment,
Roku and
Amazon Fire TV. The channel is called
SSE TV: SipSavorExplore.
We'll explore the 100 stories about whiskey's history in interviews, bottle shares, site visits...and More! We just shot the first six episodes:
1. the story of
Dewar's and the birth of modern spirits marketing;
2. the rise of vodka and how it practically killed the whiskey industry in the 1970s and 80s;
3. the role of brandy spirits like Armagnac in establishing distilled spirits as the "water of life"
4. the role of Independent Bottlers like Cadenhead's in Scotland in the evolution of smuggling to legitimate retail.
5. How the re-birth of
Bruichladdich heralded the end of the "whisky loch" in Scotland and the beginning of the Scotch whisky renaissance.
6. The impact of the Seagram partnership with
キリンビール / KIRIN BEER on the re-birth of
Four Roses Bourbon and the beginning of the Bourbon revival of the 21st century..and More!
Thanks to MikeVacheresse, Gary Itkin, Phillips Leonard, Scott Asbury, Travel Bar, The Carnegie Club, Ambassador Wines & Spirits and Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit and Phillip Morgan for their time and energy.
Here's the teaser:

04/04/2026

Just in time for the Holiday, my annual rant.
Enjoy!

I don’t have a problem identifying myself as a Christian. I was born into the church and though I’m not as active as I used to be, I foresee a time in the future when I will exit throug…

01/01/2026

Happy New Year to all! And as promised, I'm following up with my account of the situation we all find ourselves currently in the bev-alc space. A couple of things:
1. This is long and complex, as it should be, so if you can't hold more than one thought in your head at a time while reading, skip it and continue doom-scrolling. What we're talking about is a fundamental failure that's inherent in the system. All of these stupid exterior factors that the amateurs are pointing to are but mere flags that pointed to the real issues.
2. This is a personal insight based on reality. I don't need to cite phony stats and irrelevant sources because I lived, worked, taught and consulted in the space for 17 years. I'm an inside player, and this about as educated a perspective as you're going to find.
3. The percentages stated are relative and for illustrational purposes only. I was going to use a tree metaphor, but I wanted to put in some kind of numerical value to make the impact more stated.
4. I'm not interested in your response unless you've read the whole article on my website. I'm following Chuck Cowdery's good advice that anything over 1000 words should be in a publication or a blog, not on FB. Read it there, comment on it here, if you choose.
5. This is supposed to start a dialogue, so please don't bore me with a rebuttal of your "facts" or perspectives. I don't mind if you disagree, in fact, I welcome it, but it better be an educated response, or I'm kicking you out. However, anyone who's been truly active selling in the space are going to find more to agree with than dispute.
My next class is at Moonshine University at the end of January, a 2-day "Route to Market" workshop. I taught this for a few years and it was suspended for the last 2; but the powers that be now see that this is as valuable as learning how to distill. Here's a link to the class if you know of any brands that can benefit from it: https://bit.ly/MoonshineU
Cheers to a brighter future!
https://bit.ly/StateoftheBevAlcBiz2025

My personal view of what’s going on in the liquor industry in the first quarter of the 21st Century.  Strap in, this will take awhile to unfold. My background January 9, 2026 marks my 17th year as a professional salesperson in the liquor industry.  I don’t regard myself as an

11/13/2025

I'll see you at WhiskyFest this Friday. Come find me at the WhiskeyFest booth where I'll be signing copies of "The History of Whiskey in 100 Bottles, Barrels and More"!
Countryman Press

11/05/2025

Please join us in welcoming local author Robin Robinson on Thursday November 6th at 6:30pm as he signs copies of his newest book The History of Whiskey: in 100 Bottles, Barrels, and More.

Explore the people, discoveries, and innovations that created the "water of life" in this compelling, richly illustrated narrative.

In this beautiful volume, renowned whiskey educator Robin Robinson skillfully chronicles the dynamic evolution of whiskey.With gorgeous art, including bottle shots and captivating archival imagery, this is an inviting tribute to your favorite dram.With gorgeous art, including bottle shots and captivating archival imagery, this is an inviting tribute to your favorite dram.
This will make a wonderful holiday gift for any Whiskey fan in your life!

08/29/2025

Sign up today, link below!

It looks like we can't agree on anything these days, and whiskey is one of them. So let's take it to a new level: the US makes a lot of really good whiskies...but so does the rest of the world! We'll take 3 American made whiskies and contrast them with 3 whiskies not made in the US. There will be so...

08/29/2025

Sign up today! Link below.

It looks like we can't agree on anything these days, and whiskey is one of them. So let's take it to a new level: the US makes a lot of really good whiskies...but so does the rest of the world! We'll take 3 American made whiskies and contrast them with 3 whiskies not made in the US. There will be so...