Oh oh Spaghettio!!

When oil prices go up so do gas prices, even though the gas in the pump came from cheaper oil. I can see the whisky industry doing that even though the spirit they make from the expensive barley will be sold when barley is cheaper.

And I bet they will try to sell it high because of the price of barley today...

I doubt the price of inputs has a significant effect on prices. Prices are set at the maximum that people are willing to pay, not "production costs + 10%" or anything like that.

As a total SWAG (thanks, @Victor, for that term!), I'll guess that a $50 bottle of whisky reflects something like $5 of input costs. If those input costs rise to $6, that doesn't mean the price will rise to $51.

If they thought we'd pay $51, then it would already be priced at $51, irrespective of input costs.

@MadSingleMalt With exception to Sweden, where they recently released an expression for €300 which fetches €4000 on the secondary market already. A consequence of the monopoly's strict requirements for mark-ups etc etc. 48 happy campers got that one (but don't ask what it was, because media wasn't allowed to report the name as ALL alcohol 'advertising' is strictly banned)

@MadSingleMalt But I have to wonder if the rise in the price of barley gives some corporate mega-giants an excuse to say “look, our production costs are skyrocketting, we have to increase the price”. I wonder if they think they can get $121 now instead of $120. (Prices adjusted for Ontarians).

@OdysseusUnbound, to whom would they plead that excuse?

@MadSingleMalt You’d see “whisky outreach” specialists talking about it on blogs that give these people a platform without ever challenging them. I stopped following one whisky blog when the author argued the doubling in price of A’Bunadh (in the UK) was justified because it’s popular, so why not? I’m convinced this blogger is remunerated by the industry as he never gives any whisky a less than stellar review, and he defends every single industry practice and decision.

@OdysseusUnbound whisky.com?