The Film That Came before “I, Whiskey”

Next Wednesday, October 12^th, CEI will release the new short film I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit. The film tells a story about how commerce creates human connection, using whiskey as an example of how a simple product brings people together. You can watch a highlight clip below.

I, Whiskey, however, is the second in a series. The first film of this kind that we produced was I, Pencil, and it was the visual adaptation of an essay of the same name, famous among economists, written by Leonard Read. That essay described the complexity of the world around us, and made two important points. First, even seemingly simple products have breathtakingly complex origins; and second, no single person has the knowledge or ability to plan that complex process of production. It’s our freedom to interact – to buy and sell, and to compete and collaborate – that makes all of the products and services around us possible. The film version captures that message through animation and voiceover.

The new film approaches these themes in a slightly different way, focusing on the real life whiskey makers (and drinkers) for whom this everyday product has become something very special. We hope that I, Whiskey will capture the imagination of viewers in the same way that I, Pencil did. We also hope that you’ll take the opportunity to watch and share the results with your friends.