12/28/2025: Wood to Whiskey, The Tequila Heist, The Mezcaleros

60 Minutes

CBS News

News, Tv & Film, Society & Culture

4 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With a history spanning 2,000 years and still playing a vital role in global commerce, the oak barrel, as correspondent Bill Whitaker discovers, is much more than just a container. Barrels are a vital ingredient, especially in the production of Bourbon whiskey – giving it all of its distinctive color and much of its taste. Whitaker takes us inside the largest maker of wooden barrels to glimpse the magic and mystique of this essential tradition. International crime groups are finding new, sophisticated ways to infiltrate the global supply chain online, stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of goods per year. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports on the growing threat of cargo theft and how 24,000 bottles of Guy Fieri’s tequila vanished on their way to the warehouse. Mezcal is having its moment. This handcrafted Mexican spirit, made from agave, has seen exponential growth in popularity and production. Correspondent Cecilia Vega travels to Oaxaca’s countryside and meets the mezcaleros laboring to quench the world’s thirst for mezcal. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Shopify. With Shopify, 2026 is the year you make it happen. It gives you the tools to build your dream store, online and in person. Plus with marketing built in, it'll help you reach exactly who you need to. Join the millions who've already made the leap, like Jim Shark and all birds, and ring in the new year with Shopify.
0:23.3	Sign up for your £1 per month trial at Shopify.com.uk.
0:27.7	At Radio Lab, we love nothing more than nerding out about science, neuroscience, chemistry.
0:37.0	But we do also like to get into other kinds of stories.
0:40.2	Stories about policing or politics, country music, hockey, sex, of bugs.
0:46.6	Regardless of whether we're looking at science or not science,
0:50.0	we bring a rigorous curiosity to get you the answers.
0:53.4	And hopefully make you see the world anew.
0:55.0	Radio Lab, adventures on the edge of what we think we know.
0:58.8	Wherever you get your podcast.
1:02.2	On this special edition of 60 Minutes Presents, Cheers.
1:08.2	Tonight, we explore the fascinating life of the whiskey barrel, an ancient product that still
1:14.2	plays a vital role in global commerce.
1:17.5	Millions of new oak barrels are built in America every year, fired up and then filled
1:23.1	with what will become bourbon through years of aging, as the wood delivers magic to the whiskey.
1:32.2	This story involves a celebrity chef, a rock star, and a highway heist that even Hollywood couldn't dream up.
1:39.5	Well, when the president of your company calls you, says, you're not going to believe this, but
1:42.8	lost two truckloads
1:44.5	of Santo Tequila. Lost. I said, well, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, is this a hijacking? Not quite.
1:50.8	International cyber criminals have found new ways to steal hundreds of millions of dollars of goods.
1:56.9	It looks like a Costco in here. You've got everything. Yes.
2:05.6	Artisanal mescal resists machinery. The agave is roasted in underground pits for days.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CBS News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CBS News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.