| 30 Dec 06 | Dram fine stuff ROSE MURRAY BROWN Fancy a glass smelling of burning heather or tasting of flapjacks and vintage marmalade to help you see in the New Year? Here are my top ten best value whiskies which score high in the flavour stakes. Under £20 HIGHLAND 12-YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT (£14.99, Waitrose own-label) Competition is fierce in the supermarket whisky aisles but, tasted blind, Waitrose's 12-year-old Highland malt clearly outdid them all in flavour with its quite sweet, medium-bodied and slightly sherried, honeyed finish. A perfect whisky for beginners or those who just want an easy-quaffing, inexpensive malt in their glass to toast with. Excellent value. 16/20 SMOKEHEAD SINGLE MALT (£18.95-£19.95) Funky modern packaging for this un-named single malt made in a smoky Islay style. Pleasantly fudgey, smooth and toffee-like. A hefty heady mouthful with 43 per cent ABV. 15.5/20 Under £30 OAK CROSS (£24.95) John Glaser of Compass Box has reassembled barrels with French and American oak and popped in some sweet Teaninch malt, with fruity Brora and weightier Carron to create a vanilla, cinnamon, oaty, honey and spice experience. 16/20 THE ONE (£25, www.woodwinters.com) Light and honeyed with creamy velvet texture; very soft and easy for a cask strength 15 year old Longmorn, but watch the alcohol at 54.2 per cent. 16/50 GLENROTHES SPECIAL RESERVE (£28.99) A light fruity citric flavoured after dinner dram, with mixed peel and vanilla. 15/20 Under £50 Under £50 GLENMORANGIE ARTISAN CASK (£30) Nothing too heavyweight or threatening here, in this subtle peach and pear-toned whisky. 15/20 BALVENIE ROASTED 14-YEAR-OLD (£45) This strange malty monster is made using dark roasted malted barley, usually used in stout, making a fleshy voluptuous flavour. Made for the purist. 17/20 ARDBEG UIGEADAIL (£38.50) A delicious blend of older malts matured in a mix of Bourbon and older Fino sherry casks. Richly sweet, intense and powerful, with heather, raisins and treacley flavours. 17.5/20 ARDBEG 16-YEAR-OLD AIRIGH NAM BEIST (£43.95) A fierce, wild-tasting malt smelling of pine forests, pepper and smoky bonfires. 16.5/20 HEDONISM (£33.99) Made from ten to 23-year- old casks to create this toffee, cocoa and fudgey blend. Beautifully packaged. 15.5/20 Source: http://living.scotsman.com |
| 28 Dec 06 | Niche whisky firms feel nip in air KRISTY DORSEY December 28 2006 With roughly one-third of all whisky purchases falling in the final two months of the year, the Christmas holiday season is crucial to the industry. While the sector's behemoths keep a close and concerned eye on their respective tallies, pressure is all the more intense among the growing band of niche players in Scotch whisky, where cash for marketing budgets is generally in short supply. Douglas Davidson, managing director of the Isle of Arran distillery, has been on the road nearly non-stop since the beginning of September. His director of sales, Euan Mitchell, and sales manager Jaclyn Kelly have also spent much of their time abroad for the last three months or so. "As a small, fast-growing company that has to be financed on very little money, we have to do a lot of tastings," Davidson said. "Without a lot of money, what we have to give is a lot of our time, and we do that in markets all over the world." Arran's only distillery began production at Lochranza in 1995, four years after its founders raised £1.2m from some 2500 individuals who paid £450 each for 10 cases of the distillery's eventual output. Separately, the operation's 90-odd shareholders – including a number of well-heeled individuals – have provided substantial additional capital. Even so, it remains a tightly-run ship, and Davidson says Isle of Arran will be looking to raise up to £2m of funding in the coming year to support further growth and boost marketing efforts abroad. While the company made a loss of some £114,000 in 2005, Davidson says it is now running at a profit, although whether that will be the case for the whole of 2006 depends on seasonal sales. "You tell me how the end of the year is going to go," he quipped. In this sense, Isle of Arran is by no means unique. The cost of kitting out a new distillery, getting it into operation and then letting the stock mature for years before it can be sold puts whisky ventures at the bottom of any short-term investor's hit list. Smaller and newer ventures than Isle of Arran have come up with a variety of creative ways to address this problem. Blackwood Distillers in Shetland has pre-sold some of its single malt, the first of which will not be available until 2010, but augments its coffers with some £3m in annual sales of vodka, gin and similar spirits that do not require maturation. In Perthshire, the consortium that bought Tullibardine out of mothballs in 2003 has built a retail and tourism complex around its distillery along the busy A9. Meanwhile, the Ladybank Company in Fife, which only began construction of its distillery earlier this year, continues its application drive for what has been labelled as the first ever members-only distillery club. Apart from Ladybank, these and scores of other niche players in Scotch whisky face the daunting prospect of getting name recognition in a market where some 2500 malts and blended brands are sold around the world. A quick check of one popular internet site throws up more than 100 malts for sale, most of which come in several "expressions" – different ages and finishes. The challenge for the tadpoles is to find a foothold in a market where global distribution is dominated by the likes of Diageo and Pernod Ricard. Whisky advocates say that as ownership has consolidated, opportunities have been thrown up for those who can provide a more personal touch. "The important thing is that this is an industry selling into 200 markets, so you can find a niche out there," said David Williamson, public affairs manager of the Scotch Whisky Association. John Glaser left his job as a marketing manager for Diageo to set up specialist independent whisky bottling company Compass Box in 2000. He believes the industry has turned a corner, with a new wave of entrepreneurialism washing through the tradition-drenched sector. "I think the trend will continue," said Glaser, whose business will sell a mere 100,000 bottles of its hand-crafted malts and blends this year. "You will see more distilleries opening, and more niche players entering. "It's a risky business, but it's also a viable business," he adds, noting that rising global wealth and increasing awareness of unique and one-off bottlings will continue to drive the sector. Although still dwarfed by sales of bottled blends, single malt exports notched up double-digit percentage rises in both 2003 and 2004. This eased off to a rise of 8% last year, with values reaching £381m, but the upward trend looks set to continue in 2006. As a result, many niche distillers are reserving most or all of their production for sale as single malts, rather than for use in blended brands. At Benromach in Speyside, all but a small single-digit percentage of the distillery's 150,000 litres of annual production is bottled as single malt. Purchased in 1993 by independent whisky bottling specialist Gordon & MacPhail, the distillery, which had been closed for 10 years, underwent a further five years of refurbishment before it resumed production in 1998. Ian Chapman, marketing controller at Gordon & MacPhail, said the company spent a "very significant" sum returning Benromach to production. After nearly 100 years as successful independent bottlers, the purchase fulfilled an ambition of the late George Urquhart and his successors to control a source of single malt whisky. "We were very keen to produce the amount of spirit that we could sell as a single malt," Chapman said. "All the statistics have demonstrated over the last few years that the single malt category is growing." Alan Gray, whisky analyst at Sutherlands in Edinburgh, says the emergence of smaller operators has rejuvenated interest in the sector as a whole. Although the quoted Scotch sector has dwindled from a dozen pure whisky concerns some 30 years ago to just a couple of mega-drinks companies today, Gray says there are opportunities for newcomers. "The niche players fill a very valuable role," he said. "They are adding significantly to the enjoyment, the knowledge and the excitement around single malts. "It is a very healthy situation because this sector is growing. There is enormous potential – single malts have a long way to go." Source: http://www.theherald.co.uk |
| 28 Dec 06 | Thailand: Public Health minister seek tax hikes on whisky and beer In a bid to control alcohol consumption, Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla will propose nine national measures - including a tax hike on rice whiskey and beer - for Cabinet approval next week. Following the third meeting of the Alcohol Consumption Control Committee Thursday, Mongkol said the ministry would also launch internal regulations to have its offices alcohol free nationwide and set up regional centres to gather complaints and train some officials to act as a "mini FBI" to ensure regulation enforcement. The nine national measures included a push to hike the tax on rice whiskey and beer, a prohibition on duty-free alcohol drinks and a separation of alcohol drink products from the Free Trade Agreement list, according to Mongkol. Source: The Nation |
| 24 Dec 06 | VIJAY Mallya, the Indian drinks tycoon, and Vivian Imerman, the chairman of Whyte & Mackay, are closing in on a deal which sources believe should see the distiller change hands as early as January. Mallya is understood to have balked at a £600m price tag slapped on Whyte & Mackay by part-owner Imerman. The Indian tycoon originally valued the maker of Dalmore whisky and Vladivar vodka at about £400m, and upped his bid to £473m in November. Now sources in India say the two sides are homing in a deal which would value the distiller at over £500m, representing a handsome profit for Imerman, who took control of the company with his brother-in-law Robert Tchenguiz last year. Mallya, who is keen to get hold of Whyte & Mackay's stocks of aged Scotch whisky, plans to borrow cash against United Spirits' balance sheet to finance the transaction. Company sources say his UB Group may raise further funds by placing up to 18% of its stock on the market. Vijay Rekhi, managing director of UB's United Spirits division, told reporters in India: "We are working on various options with Whyte & Mackay and all of you will hear the news one fine day." Sources in India say the deal should be complete by the end of next month. One said: "UB sees the value in the business - price is not really an issue." UB, which dominates India's spirits market, is looking to boost its presence in the international drinks industry. In July, it made its first direct investment outside Asia with the acquisition of Bouvet-Ladubay, the French wine producer. Buying Whyte & Mackay would enable UB to use its sales network in India to sell its own Scotch whisky, which is increasingly valued above domestic brands by the country's emerging middle class. Failure to agree a deal would open the door for a rival distiller such as William Grant & Sons, which is thought to be interested in Whyte & Mackay's own-label whisky business. Source: http://news.scotsman.com |
| 22 Dec 06 |
Worldwide Whisky Winner Whisky lovers from 142 countries from Belize to Bangladesh and Mongolia to Mariana visited a web site and had the opportunity to vote on their favourite whisky. Votes for the 2006 “Drammies” were cast on-line by members of the public and the industry alike at The Scotch Blog – the No 1 whisky web site. Four great distilleries (two of them from Islay) were nominated for Distillery of the Year 2006 which was ultimately won by the privately-owned Bruichladdich Distillery. The site is dedicated to online news and commentary focused solely on the Scotch whisky industry’s controversial topics under the by-line “Pleasingly Irreverent”. The awards are hosted by New Yorker Kevin Erskine, author of "The Instant Expert's Guide to Single Malt Scotch" a book written for the novice. Erskine is not paid to mention whiskies consequently his refreshingly independent viewpoint on controversial whisky topics and industry gossip is widely respected. CEO Mark Reynier: “We admire Scotch Blog which dares to raise controversial issues the consumer needs to know about – and the industry prefers to dodge.” “There are many awards but this is the first where folk from all over the globe have an equal chance to vote. It is all the more satisfying knowing the result is what the public and industry really thinks – rather than influenced by money or advertising.” |
| 22 Dec 06 | The whiskyfair has updated their bottlings-section is as well featuring quite some new entries, i.e.: - Tomintoul 1966, 40 y.o. - Glenglassaugh Fino Sherry Wood 1965, 40 y.o. - „Speyside Single Malt“ Sherry Wood 1971, 35 y.o. - Ledaig 1973, 33 y.o. - Glenglassaugh Sherry Wood 1978, 28 y.o. - „Vanilla Sky“ 1992, 14 y.o. - Springbank Sherry Wood 1968, 38y.o. Source: http://www.whiskyfair.de |
| 17 Dec 06 | Whisky world on the rocks as blend beats malts to best nip TOBY MCDONALD CONNOISSEURS of the water of life may need a stiff drink: the prestigious title of the world's best whisky has been won by a blend. Old Parr Superior 18 Years is the first blend to have been judged ahead of more distinguished malts. It sells for less than £20 a bottle online and is almost exclusively exported to the Far East. Another Diageo blend, White Horse 12 Years Old, also picked up the Scotch Blended Whisky of the Year (8-12yrs). Old Parr Superior, which is bottled by MacDonald Greenlees Distillers, Edinburgh, beat more than 3,600 drams. Jim Murray's Whisky Bible - the world's best-selling and most influential whisky guide - has a devoted international following. But the author warned that Scotch drinkers were being sold short. "To be honest, British drinkers just don't have a good enough choice when it comes to blended Scotch. "We are going through a golden age for blends right now but, for the majority of drinkers here, you'd never know it. "I think both these whiskies have core markets in Japan. The truly classic blends like Old Parr Superior and White Horse 12 are export brands and you have to travel a long way to savour them. "It's time the marketing people - and whisky retailers - were a bit braver and made them as mainstream as the single malts which are flooding the shelves." Scotch whisky is one of Britain's top five export earners, with exports currently representing 90% of all Scotch whisky sales annually and worth approximately £2.5bn per year. Scotch whisky is exported to 200 different markets worldwide, with the European Union, the US, Japan and Asia being the most important. China, in particular, has become the world's fastest growing market. Jim Murray awarded The Old Parr 97 points out of 100, equalling the highest-ever score in the Whisky Bible. It racked up 25 out of 25 points for both nose and taste, another 24 for overall balance and 23 for the finish. He said: "The Old Parr Superior was in a taste-off with three other whiskies: two single malts and a bourbon. "On the second round I realised that the Old Parr was actually the only whisky that showed the finer qualities over all three rival whiskies. It had astonishing complexity and that is what a blend should be all about. "Because of the single malt revolution of the last decade, people had begun to turn their backs on blends, which is a shame. "Theoretically, they should be better than a single malt because you should be able to incorporate many characteristics into the whisky and forge something unique. Old Parr has done exactly that. The latest bottling is nothing short of exquisite." Peter Smith of Diageo said: "To get recognition from an expert like Jim Murray is just great news, particularly for blends that perhaps haven't been as well known by the public. It's good for Scotch and good for Scotland. "Blends traditionally have been the powerhouse of the industry and virtually every single-malt distillery is there to create whisky to go into the blends. "It has only been in the last 30 or so years that single malts have come into their own as people have realised they are a great spirit in their own right. "Malt whisky has a long way to go to have the same volume as blended whiskies because they are very much constrained by the limit they have on production. "Old Parr is made for the gifting market in Japan, where it has a tremendous following. It sells only a few thousand cases." The Whisky Bible awarded Single Malt of the Year to Brora 30-years-old Fourth Release. Taste notes Laura Hay, in-house taster at Scotch Malt Whisky Society: "I've tasted so many whiskies but this is different with an amazing explosion of flavour on the palate." Whisky Magazine reviewer Arthur Motley: "It's delicious. Sweet, complex but balanced, with mandarin vanilla, wood, smoke and grass." Craig Johnston, Scotch Malt Whisky Society barman: "I'm surprised that a blend has so much character; they tend to be lighter." Source: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com |
15 Dec 06 |
Ardbeg has released a Single Cask Christmas 2006, drawn from cask number 1375 from the year 1975 at 54.2%. There are just 522 of these rare and smoky sweet bottles available at a price of £399 each including postage. Source: www.ardbeg.com |
| 13 Dec 06 | Beam Global Spirits & Wine India Introduces DYC, the Whisky Made in India, for India Beam Global India ventures into IMFL segment New Delhi, Delhi, India, Wednesday, December 13, 2006 -- (Business Wire India) Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., the fourth largest premium spirits company in the world, today entered a new category in the Indian spirits market with the introduction of an ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ {IMFL} brand, Whisky DYC. Whisky DYC is an established brand in Europe that has been adapted exclusively for the Indian market. A blend of premium Indian grain and imported aged malts, DYC will be blended and bottled in India. With this launch, Beam Global is addressing a gap in the market between the premium and semi premium IMFL price segment. The move represents an opportunity to leverage an untapped sector and propels Beam Global into the largest whisky sector in India. Positioned as an ‘affordable luxury,’ the rare crafted Whisky DYC offers premium quality with world-class packaging at an affordable price, making it desirable and accessible to aspiring Indian consumers. Priced around Rs 370, the brand will be available at leading outlets across the country. The launch of DYC will contribute to the expansion of the Beam Global India portfolio and add distribution strength to the company’s flagship brand Teacher’s as well as to the Company’s international portfolio of brands. Similarly, Beam Global expects DYC to benefit from its association with Teacher’s, the number one Scotch whisky brand in the “bottled in India” Scotch segment. Under the leadership of an experienced team, Teacher’s has achieved strong double-digit growth in India during 2006. Raising a toast to India at the launch was Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. president & chief executive officer Thomas J. Flocco. Beam Global is part of Fortune Brands, Inc, {NYSE: FO} the USD 8+ billion company, that acquired more than 25 former Allied Domecq spirits and wine brands in July of 2005. “The acquisition, of brands including Teacher’s whisky, propelled Beam Global Spirits & Wine onto the global stage,” said Tom Flocco, president and ceo of Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc. “One year later, we have a meaningful presence in one of the fastest growing economies in the world and it is a privilege to be here in person to explore this exciting market. “I am proud of the fact that our team in India has accomplished so much in such a short time with the introduction of Jim Beam, the world’s number one premium bourbon, Sauza tequila, the world’s number two tequila, Laphroaig single malt Scotch, the world’s number one Islay whisky, and today - the launch of Whisky DYC - which enables us to compete in a new and expansive category. We are enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead for our company in India and intend to realize the full potential of the Indian market,” said Flocco. India is a focus market for Beam Global and the launch of DYC is the first of many initiatives designed to tap the potential of the Indian market. Elaborating on Beam Global’s foray into the IMFL segment, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. senior vice president & managing director (International) Donard P. Gaynor said, “It is an exciting prospect to be involved in the IMFL whisky segment which has a volume of 65 million cases per year, and is growing at between 6 and 8 percent per annum. Equally exciting is the fact that we are shaking up the category with an offering that we believe is more exclusive, more distinctive, and more premium in its quality and its image, than anything else that is out there.” Harish Moolchandani, managing director, Beam Global Spirits and Wine, India, described the launch of DYC as “a milestone, as Beam Global clearly steps up its commitments in India by entering the IMFL sector. Beam Global has long been the leader in the Scotch segment in India with our flagship brand Teacher’s. Now we are ready to lead in other segments. With DYC in the IMFL segment, Sauza in the tequila category, and Jim Beam in the bourbon market, we are well-positioned to leverage our market position to propel growth.” The latest to join the Beam Global portfolio in India, DYC is priced at Rs 370 in Delhi for a 750-ml bottle. Featuring premium imported malts and locally sourced premium grain spirits, the blend promises to offer a luxurious experience in IMFL. Designer packaging denotes a vintage, aspirational, image benchmarking the best. The distinctive glass bottle comes with Guala closure with front and back labels and will also be available in special gift cartons. The launch of DYC follows the recent launch of Jim Beam in India, the world’s best selling bourbon and Beam Global’s flagship brand. Source: http://www.businesswireindia.com |
| 11 Dec 06 | Seen today on http://www.fineexpressions.co.uk/
ADULTERY |
| 10 Dec 06 | Borders cheered as drinks chiefs target region's first whisky distillery WILLIAM LYONS SCOTCH whisky is about to conquer its final Scottish frontier. Plans are in place for the first distillery in the Borders. A consortium of former drinks industry chiefs, headed by former Diageo director Alan Rutherford, together with the Earl of Haddington, have identified three potential sites and are negotiating with Scottish Borders Council to draw up a feasibility study. It is understood the favoured site is a substantial stone building on the Earl of Haddington's Mellerstain Estate. The consortium says it could be producing Lowland whisky by 2008. Rutherford, a former director of the Scotch Whisky Association and production director at Diageo, said the project was now waiting for a substantial backer to inject around £1m. He said: "We have had detailed discussions with the Scottish Borders Council, who are very keen to create a distillery to aid tourism in the area. We have visited a number of sites but the one we are currently hoping to get the green light on is the site at Mellerstain. The local landowners are enthusiastic." The distillery, which has not yet been given a name but would probably be called Mellerstain, would produce a single malt as well as blended whisky. Plans are also in place for a shop and visitor attraction to be attached to the distillery. Mellerstain represents the latest attempt to open a distillery in the Borders. Six years ago Tom Renwick, a Peeblesshire farmer who masterminded the construction of Cardrona, the first new village in the Borders for 200 years, planned to extend the site with a new distillery, shopping complex and a primary school. The project never got beyond the planning stage. The latest news follows the establishment of new facilities for producing whisky, including Ladybank in Fife and Blackwood Distillery on the Shetland Islands. Two years ago Tullibardine, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries, reopened for business 10 years after it was closed down, and next year work will begin on a new £1m distillery in Barra. The trend has been led by a resurgent export market. Last year the industry had its third best year in its history, with remarkable growth especially in Asia, led by the emerging Chinese market. Figures from the SWA show that, in 2005, exports of both malt and blended Scotch rose 4% in total, reaching a combined £2.36bn, the industry's third best annual export performance after 1997 and 2002. Source: http://business.scotsman.com |
| 09 Dec 06 | Nice girls drink scotch Dark chocolate and ginger ale help LEAH McLAREN discover a taste for the hard stuff The clinkity-clink of ice cubes being plopped in a tumbler is a more vivid childhood memory than the sound of a Big Wheel or the theme to Polka Dot Door. My mother drank scotch before dinner most nights. And my grandmother imbibed until only recently. I grew up, like many women of my generation, thinking of scotch as an old person's drink. The beverage of grownups and grandparents. A drink to be consumed in a tufted leather chair with a copy of the evening paper on one's lap. In other words, a drink that was not for me. But the major scotch makers are aiming to change that. From the Liquor Control Board of Ontario's Whisky Rocks ad campaign directed at the youth market to Dewar's recent tasting event at a trendy Toronto bar, scotch is getting an anti-aging makeover. The product: high-end blends and single malts in all their smoky, peaty glory. The target: women in their 30s. The result: whisky breath and wobblier-than-usual high heels. It is with this goal in sight that Johnnie Walker has invited me and three other women to Maro, a new Toronto eatery, to enjoy a flight of scotches and learn more about the world's top-selling whisky. While my girlfriends, Erin and Jenn, are both enthusiastic drinkers, neither claims much of a taste for scotch. "I never think of it," Jenn says. Erin says that even though her boyfriend enjoys a stiff snort every once in a while, she herself is not a whisky fiend, preferring to sip tequila or an ice-cold beer instead. Both, however, are open to change. So along with my mother, Cecily, a seasoned connoisseur, we are about to have a three-hour crash course in scotch appreciation. The evening begins with the house label, Johnnie Walker Red, a barroom stalwart. Stuart Brown, our "brand ambassador" (which is sort of like the scotch version of a sommelier), whets our appetites with a cold fizzy cocktail consisting of Red Label and ginger ale on the rocks. I am shocked. Isn't it bad form to mix whisky with pop? Apparently not. "You drink it the way you want to. In Jamaica, they drink scotch with coconut juice," Brown says. He then goes on to add, "I didn't think much of it, but to each his own." The drinks are sweet and light and we slurp them back without effort. Next up is the Black Label, which, Stewart informs us, is the top-selling deluxe whisky in the world. Blended from up to 40 whiskies, each aged 12 years or more, Black is meant to be sipped, not sucked through a straw. Brown surprises again by encouraging us to water down our drinks. "That's actually acceptable?" Erin asks. "Absolutely," he says, "but I wouldn't add more than this." He scoops a teaspoon of water into his glass and takes a sip. By this point, the appetizers have arrived, an East-meets-West assortment of the chef's specials. The scotch is flowing, though not too liberally: Brown is careful to ration our alcohol to avoid predinner tipsiness. We are now onto the Green Label, which is blended entirely from single malts and has a shorter finish. As my mother holds her glass out for another slug of the good stuff, I am tempted to do the same. I control myself. It's a marathon, after all, not a sprint. Over our French/Asian main courses (lamb, beef, duck and lobster are each prepared two ways), we are introduced to the deeper notes of Green. And while it's certainly tasty stuff, I'm longing for a big glass of Amarone to go with my beef. Dessert is a different story. We are served great wedges of dark chocolate cake paired with Johnnie Walker Gold. The trick? It's frozen. Not solid, of course, but chilled below zero so that when it pours it travels slowly. It's easier on the nose and smoother on the tongue -- an elegant alternative to dessert wine. Jenn decides that she will give her newly married friends a bottle as a wedding gift -- along with a slab of dark chocolate. After dinner, we retire to the lounge. Brown warms our cockles with a touch of Blue Label, the rarest of all the Johnnie Walker blends. We bask in its gorgeous caramel glow, but not for long. The grand finale is now upon us: Johnnie Walker 1805. A limited-edition anniversary blend estimated to be worth $27,000 a bottle, it comes in a cherrywood box and is, according to Brown, "rare beyond compare." This is bottle number 76 of 200. Brown pours and we imbibe, imagining hundreds of dollars tumbling down our throats. The scotch is good, but if there is anything earth-shattering about this blend, I can't taste it. As the glasses are cleared away, my gal pals and I agree: We have acquired a taste for scotch. We might not choose it, but we will be less likely to decline it when offered -- especially if it's frozen with chocolate. Now, all I need is a tufted leather chair. Source:http://www.theglobeandmail.com |
| 07 Dec 06 | Whiskey Distillery in Muslim World Defies Prohibition The dusty, traffic-choked streets of this sprawling Pakistani metropolis are a world away from the crisp mountain streams and heather-covered glens normally associated with single-malt whiskeys. But it's here in dusty Rawalpindi that the only malt whiskey distillery in the Muslim world is preparing to launch its newest product - a 21-year single malt that it claims will rival the best Scotch whisky. "Very few distilleries anywhere in the world, even the high-end ones in Scotland, produce ... 21-year old malts," said M.P. Bhandara, chief executive of the Murree Brewing Company, announcing the launch of the new product, which goes on sale in January. The new spirit, Murree's Millennium Reserve, will only be available to a small clientele of expatriates and non-Muslims in a land where prohibition has been enforced for 30 years. The distillery's product lines - including 8- and 12-year-old single malts - cannot be sampled abroad because Islamabad bans the export of alcoholic beverages. There are only three licensed producers of alcoholic drinks in Pakistan: the Murree Brewery, and distilleries in the cities of Quetta and Karachi. Largely because of the strong religious lobby that opposes sale and consumption of alcohol, the government has granted only one new producer's license - the Karachi distillery's - since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. The other two were set up before the partition of the subcontinent independence from Britain. Legally, only Pakistan's non-Muslim minority, 5 percent of its 150 million people, can get a permit that allows them to buy liquor for home consumption. But alcohol is available to Muslims in secret black-market sales with a significant markup. This can be risky business, because drinking alcohol is punishable by caning and three years in jail. The Murree Brewer is a legacy of British colonial rule, set up in 1860 in the hill station of Murree to provide beer for the British troops. Since then it has shared the subcontinent's tumultuous history. In 1935, a branch in the city of Quetta was flattened by an earthquake, and in 1947 production ceased completely after rioters burned down the historic compound in Murree during the subcontinent's violent partition into Pakistan and India. The company's head office in Rawalpindi - across the road from the brewery - was taken over by the government in 1959 and now houses the army chief, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. In 1979, U.S.-backed military dictator Gen. Zia ul-Haq hanged the prime minister he ousted, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, just a few hundred yards from the brewery's front gate. The company not only survived against the odds, but with a work force of more than 400 people - mostly Muslims not allowed to sample their own products - it has become one of Pakistan's best-performing stocks. In the 1960s, Bhandara decided to investigate the possibility of producing a high-grade whiskey. "We went to Scotland to enlist their help in distilling our own whiskey, but they said it was impossible because we needed special water quality," said the soft-spoken Bhandara, a member of Pakistan's parliament. "But we decided to try, and concluded that this water business was nonsense. Our whiskeys compares well with Scotch malts of equal age." Nowadays water is pumped up from deep underground aquifers and barley malt is imported from Britain because it is not grown in Pakistan. The distilling process still employs the traditional way of spreading malt on the floor of a huge warehouse for processing, rather than using modern mechanical malting systems. Two giant cellars beneath the brewery contain hundreds of old oak casks where whiskey is awaiting bottling. Experts say the result is a light spirit the color of old gold, with a balanced, pleasant taste and fragrant, oaky aroma. In his monograph "The Complete Book of Whiskey," author Jim Murray says that Murree's 12-year Malt Classic not only compares favorably with Scottish versions, but "is much better than a number of lesser Scotch malts which come nowhere near in matching this whiskey's crisp and delicate maltiness." The enthusiastic review says it "would not be out of place in Speyside," referring to the region of Scotland where most malt whiskey distilleries are located. Single malts are prepared in one distillery from malted barley and are often favored by connoisseurs over blended whiskeys, which are made from a mix of malts and grain whiskies distilled from wheat or corn. Bhandara is especially irked by the export ban, saying he is trying to get parliament to revoke it because sales to Pakistanis and Indians living in Britain could enable the company to expand operations and employ hundreds of new workers. "The government is very sensitive when it comes to Islamic edicts, and it would look very peculiar for an Islamic country to be exporting alcohol," explains Bhandara, who describes his own religious affiliation as "nothing." Source: http://www.wjla.com/ |
| 07 Dec 06 | Glengoyne Launches Repackaged Core Range The launch of the repackaged 10 and 17 Year Olds will be followed by a repackaged 21 Year Old early next year. The new packaging of the core range is designed to give consumers a greater understanding of the differing ages of the Single Malts. As well as greater prominence of the age statement on the labels, the packaging becomes progressively more premium with age. The super premium 21 Years Old will be presented in a high quality gift box. Glengoyne launches four new Limited Editions Glengoyne will officially add three new 70cl Limited Edition Single Cask malt to their award-winning whisky portfolio, as well as their first ever 5cl Single Cask bottling. The Mashmen's Choice |
| 06 Dec 06 | President's whisky tax threatens £74m trade and launches demands for an EU investigation HUGO Chavez, the left-wing Venezuelan president, has sparked anger by threatening to impose a 15 per cent luxury goods tax on Scotch whisky. The industry is also being hit by punitive foreign currency restrictions put in place by the Chavista government that have seen the price of imports of the spirit to Venezuela grow by up to 50 per cent. Concerns are growing in Westminster that the measures break world trade laws. The cost of whisky has soared since the Chavez government stopped allowing importers to use the official exchange rate to exchange bolivares in June, forcing them to buy euros at a much less favourable rate. The market is worth £74 million to Scotland and Venezuela is the biggest consumer of whisky in Latin America and the seventh-biggest buyer in the world. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, exports to Venezuela could double this year as the world's fifth-largest oil exporter benefits from an economic bonanza thanks to high oil prices. Now the organisation has asked the European Commission to investigate. Traditionally the drink of the oligarchs, whisky has become the latest target in Mr Chavez's "Bolivarian revolution". During a reception held in honour of foreign VIPs including Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP, who was visiting Venezuela to observe Sunday's presidential elections, elegantly dressed waiters poured glasses of whisky, stunned when anyone requested a different drink. However, the flow of spirit is under threat since Mr Chavez unveiled his plans for a 15 per cent tax that would be applied to whisky imports. Jose Luis Betancourt, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce, told The Scotsman this measure will almost certainly be implemented, although it is unclear whether it will be in the form of a luxury tax or another type of taxation. In 2005, an EU-Venezuela agreement allowed access to foreign exchange for imports of EU spirits and wines at the official rate, provided they had a particular certificate. The authorities have recently limited these certificates, in terms of both quantity and time. The Scotch Whisky Association and other European spirits manufacturers believe this is a violation of both WTO and IMF rules. A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association said: "The discriminatory foreign exchange control system is restricting market access contrary to WTO rules, denying consumer choice and unfairly preventing Scotch whisky sales reaching their full potential in Venezuela." Mark Pritchard, vice-chairman of the all-party Venezuela group and a Tory MP, had expressed concerns to visiting MPs from the country about the looming tax. "This is a serious issue for the Scottish whisky industry which employs 41,000 in Scotland. The new tariffs must not be part of Chavez's crusade on capitalism." John McFall, the Labour chairman of the all-party whisky group, said the measure was "punitive". "The Venezuelan government is going against all the multilateral agreements." he said. TRADE WAR IS A RUM DO VENEZUELANS drink whisky in golf clubs and slums alike, despite the country producing excellent cheaper rum. Whisky has become a sign of distinction, equivalent to owning a car or a TV set, with a good bottle costing 100,000 Bolivares (£24) - or around a quarter of the local monthly minimum salary. The effects of the trade measures could be limited thanks to Venezuela's boom - the economy grew by almost 10 percent last year - which would allow increasing prices without reducing demand. Venezuelans' habits could also help. "Whisky is part of our lives. We'll complain but I'll still drink it, maybe slightly less than now," said local businessman Jose Márquez. Nearby, Luis Altamirano, a bartender working in an American-style restaurant located in an upmarket area of Caracas, said: "I don't care if prices increase, I'll drink whisky anyway." Source: http://news.scotsman.com |
| 29 Nov 06 |
Islay Runs Dry The whisky island of Islay is running on empty. The stills are being turned off as distilleries end whisky production for the foreseeable future. The oil has finally run out. The cause is a piece of well-meaning European legislation that requires that enlarged, double skin tankers are used exclusively by 2008 to prevent spillage of oil at sea. Bruichladdich Distillery Managing Director Mark Reynier: |
| 28 Nov 06 | Beijing whisky summit seeks to scotch local imitations COLIN DONALD TRADE and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling met Chinese government and industry officials yesterday in an attempt to secure protection for Scotch whisky against Chinese imitations. Darling, along with Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), met yesterday in Beijing with vice-minister Jiang Zengwei of the Chinese ministry of commerce. They were to address a spirits industry forum examining ways to protect drinks companies and consumers from "unfair competition" - meaning fake Scotch. In addition the SWA is pursuing about 40 incidences of "locally produced misleading labelled" whisky in China - spirts that are labelled with "geographical indications" such as tartan and bagpipes that falsely imply Scottish origins. Hewitt said yesterday: "Co-operation between the industry and UK and Chinese governments has led to good progress being made towards ensuring there is strong protection for Scotch Whisky from counterfeit and unfair competition in this important emerging market. "Today's meeting shows that China is determined to implement and enforce appropriate legal protection for Scotch Whisky and other spirits with geographical indications. We welcome this commitment, as well as UK government support, and hope that the necessary legal protection can be implemented in the near future to the benefit of both consumers and distillers." Hewitt went on to offer Beijing the benefit of the SWA's "considerable experience" in protecting key products overseas. A spokesman for the SWA said that whisky sales to the Chinese market totalled £46 million in 2005, an 84 per cent increase on the previous year. He added: "We are delighted that at this early stage the Chinese government is taking steps to ensure that Chinese consumers actually get what they think they are buying." China ranks as the 15th biggest export market worldwide for Scotch. The drink is sold in 200 markets worldwide, the top five being the United States, France, Spain, South Korea and Greece. http://business.scotsman.com |
| 27 Nov 06 | Spirit of the age WILL LYONS SCOTCH whisky is booming. Never since the years immediately after prohibition in America has worldwide demand for our national drink been so high. From Moscow to Madrid and Shanghai to Seattle, everyone seems to want to drink Scotch. Macallan, the most royal of Speyside malts, is so popular in the bars and nightclubs of New York that a few years ago there was a very real possibility that its makers, Edrington, just might run out. Last year the industry body, the Scotch Whisky Association, reported that exports of malt and blended Scotch rose 4%, reaching a combined value of £2.36 billion, which was a record. Driving the growth is increased consumption in south-east Asia, eastern Europe, China and America, not to mention a pretty healthy domestic market. Yet amid all this euphoria it is worth bearing in mind that Scotland isn't the only country in the world that produces whisky. Furthermore, we can't even claim to be the oldest-producing whisky nation - that particular honour goes to Ireland. America, Canada, Japan, India and New Zealand have all joined the ever-expanding whisky club. On the continent, distilleries are being built in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Finland, while production is now going ahead in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain and Turkey. Closer to home, Wales produces a flowery, honeyed whisky in the Brecon Beacons, and even England has joined the party with plans for a distillery in the Lake District. And why not? The Pennines are particularly suited to whisky production. There is an abundance of natural, fresh mineral water, a damp climate and, with Norfolk just a few hours' drive away, an almost unlimited acreage of barley for malting. Richard Forsyth, managing director of the Speyside-based Forsyth Group, which builds and manufactures whisky distilleries, says he has seen a marked upsurge in the number of orders from abroad. The group has built distilleries in Sweden and Finland, and is currently taking orders from Australia, California and China. "The market is definitely growing," he says. "Everyone is trying it. In the past ten years we have built distilleries all over the world, in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and have shipped pieces to South America, Venezuela and Uruguay." South America aside, some of the whisky found outside Scotland is rather good. Japan is a case in point. Whisky has been distilled on its islands since 1923, and the country now produces very credible brands - including Suntory, Yoichi and Hakushu. Canada produces mostly blended grain whisky, but since 1991 Glenora, a small, privately owned distillery in Nova Scotia, has been producing a single malt whisky, Glen Breton Rare. It has a heathery, creamy style not unlike that of a Speyside. In India the spicy, sweet flavour of Amrut, with a little water, makes a delicious aperitif. Source: http://news.scotsman.com |
| 27 Nov 06 | The biggest whisky and cigar event of Switzerland, the Whiskyship was held between the 23-26 November in Zürich. A review of the event will be posted within the next two weeks in the Report section. Expect news from Benriach, Springbank, Glenfiddich, Highland Park, Signatory, MacArthur, Edradour, Laphroaig and many others. The report will also contain some news from the Arran distillery. |
| 24 Nov 06 | Valt, Vodka Goes Single Malt Vodka plus single malt scotch equals what else? Valt. The Evening Times reports on the new vodka which is produced and distilled in Scotland. The vodka is distilled using Scottish malt barley and soft Highland water from the River Spey and is distilled five times in traditional copper pot stills. The whisky will be launched throughout the world next year but it might be a while before it hits the States. No word on taste but I am guessing that it will be promoted as having a taste that is smooth and perhaps also soft. While I do feel that there is a distinctive taste difference between grain-based, potato-based and grape-based vodkas I am not sure how different this one will be from other grain-based vodka offerings. http://www.luxist.com |
| 23 Nov 06
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Laddie Celebrates Duke’s 50th |
| 20 Nov 06 | Bowmore open dram good visitor centre Dram good Bowmore, the award-winning Islay single malt whisky, has unveiled its new visitor centre - part of a £20 million investment programme being rolled out over the next five years. Iseabail Mactaggart, Bowmore operations manager, said the centre "showcases the distillery's rich history" while making the most of the "stunning" lochside setting. Source:http://news.scotsman.com |
| 20 Nov 06 | INDIA TO FACE WTO OVER WHISKY DUTIES Scotch Whisky distillers today warmly welcomed the EU’s decision to request World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks on India’s failure to reform its discriminatory tax treatment of imported spirits and wines. A recent EU investigation into the Indian regime found ‘blatant violations’ of WTO rules. The system unfairly distorts competition by subjecting Scotch Whisky and other imported spirits to a much higher tax burden - of up to 550% - than faced by Indian distillers. Following further talks between the SWA and Indian Government officials in Delhi last week, Gavin Hewitt, the SWA Chief Executive, said: “The EU’s determination to ensure a level playing field for spirits and wines in India will be warmly welcomed by Scotch Whisky distillers, who continue to face a longstanding discriminatory tariff and tax regime that has been found to be in clear violation of WTO rules. “It is time for India to implement its international commitments and allow fair access for Scotch Whisky, just as Indian spirit drinks have free access to the European market. We fully support referral of the matter to the WTO for formal consultations and hope that India will take this last opportunity to agree reform to its discriminatory duty arrangements for whisky, without the need for a dispute settlement panel being set up. Source:http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/ |
| 19 Nov 06 | Mallya's offer for Whyte & Mackay is a short measure to the tune of £100m WILLIAM LYONS VIJAY Mallya, the Indian billionaire attempting to buy Whyte & Mackay, has put a price tag of £473m on the Glasgow-based company. Speaking at a leadership summit in New Delhi, the flamboyant tycoon confirmed negotiations were ongoing but said his bank had valued the company more than £100m short of the asking price by the whisky firm's boss, Vivian Imerman. The wildly different valuation could open the door to a number of rivals, including William Grant & Sons, which is understood to be interested in the own-label part of the business. Imerman has told Scotland on Sunday that he values the Glasgow-based company at £600m, including up to £400m of stock. Speaking in India, Mallya said: "The enterprise value of the company is £473m. We are only negotiating and nothing has been finalised. It is worth that much. I have a big gap to fill. I can't make Scotch whisky, that is why I am eyeing a large acquisition." Although the UB Group dominates India's liquor market, it is facing growing competition in the whisky segment. With rising incomes, India's middle class is increasingly switching to Scotch whisky. By acquiring Whyte & Mackay, which owns Isle of Jura single malt and Dalmore Scotch, he would have two premium Scotch brands that could be distributed through his UB Group in India. He is also known to want to buy a UK distiller to use its distribution network to sell his whiskies in Europe. Mallya added: "I think more and more people in India are going for Scotch whisky. I also concede that Scotch whisky should be made in Scotland." Sources say if Mallya is unable to get hold of all the company for the price he wants, he would consider a distribution and licensing deal with the Glasgow-based firm which would allow him to tap in to Whyte & Mackay's large reserve of stock. Yesterday Imerman refused to comment in detail, saying only: "Whyte & Mackay is in continued negotiations with a number of parties and we can only confirm that we are still in talks with Mr Mallya. We have signed a confidentiality agreement which bars us from saying anything more. "We continue to execute on our strong vision for the company and its core brands Whyte & Mackay, Vladivar, Jura, The Dalmore and Glayva." Imerman and his brother-in-law, the property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz, last year bought out WestLB, the last external shareholder, to take control of Whyte & Mackay. Since then Imerman has invested £100m in the firm, switching the focus away from bulk and private-label business to its own brands. He has also relaunched its flagship Whyte & Mackay label along with Vladivar vodka and Jura single malt. Earlier this year, the UB Group withdrew from a bid to buy French champagne maker, Taittinger, because of consternation among wine growers in the Champagne region. Source: http://business.scotsman.com |
| 19 Nov 06 | EU launches spirited fight to cut India's 550% whisky tax WILLIAM LYONS THE European Union is expected to report the Indian government to the World Trade Organisation over the country's prohibitively high tariffs on Scotch whisky. Officials in Brussels are seething that India has missed an EU deadline for cutting import duties and will file a formal complaint tomorrow. They are angry with the way the Indian Treasury allows high regional tariffs on Scotch whisky, French wine and other European drinks. Scotch whisky accounts for less than 1% of the 100 million cases of spirits sold annually in India. Tomorrow's referral in Geneva follows a high-profile visit to India by EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson and a team from the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA). In July, the EU said India's import taxes of up to 550% on Scotch whisky were in "blatant violation" of two WTO rules. It argued the "Indian market has remained essentially closed for imported wines and spirits". The Indian government now has 60 days to resolve the issue before a panel of trade experts is created to ascertain how to take the case forward. A spokesman for the SWA said: "We welcome the EU's determination to ensure India's discriminatory fiscal regime is brought in line with WTO rules. "Fair market access would offer Indian consumers more choice at a reasonable price and, during talks with the Indian government this week, the SWA urged it to reform the system, without the need for WTO dispute proceedings." Source: http://business.scotsman.com |
| 17 Nov 06 | Whyte & Mackay Ltd. Continues to Evaluate Multiple Bids; Company Has No Further Comment with Regard to Proposed Sale to United Breweries GLASGOW, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whyte & Mackay’s Vivian Imerman, Chairman and Chief Executive today made the following statement with regard to recent articles in Dow Jones and Associated Press featuring Vijay Mallya. "Whyte & Mackay is in continued negotiations with a number of parties and we can only confirm that we are still in talks with Mr. Mallya,” said Mr. Imerman. “We have signed a confidentiality agreement which bars us from saying anything more. “We continue to execute on our strong vision for the Company and its core brands Whyte & Mackay, Vladivar, Jura, The Dalmore and Glayva.” Source: http://home.businesswire.com |
| 15 Nov 06 | American Icons of Whisky 2007 The first American Icons of Whisky awards were handed out during a prestigious lunch in Louisville, Kentucky recently. The international awards recognise the very best people and places in the whisky industry. This year the judging process changed, with regional heats in the US, Japan, Ireland and Scotland. Each regional heat will be voted on by industry members only in that country. Several of the bourbon industry’s greats attended the awards presentations at the sumptuous Seelbach Hotel on November 9, including the Van Winkles, Woodford Reserve’s Chris Morris, Four Roses’ Jim Rutledge and Heaven Hill’s Larry Kass. The winners from the American Icons, who faced tough competition, will now go forward to a final vote together with the regional winners from Japan, Scotland and Ireland. This will be held in London on the eve Whisky Live of Whisky Live London on March 1. There were two awards in each category, an Icon and a Highly Commended. See the full results here - http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/icons_of_whisky/usa_2007/index.php Source: www.whiskymag.com |
| 15 Nov 06 | Rare cask of Glenfiddich triggers scotch collectors' pilgrimage to Calgary The Canadian Press JAMES STEVENSON November 15, 2006 (CP) - The fact that an extremely rare cask of Glenfiddich whisky will be enjoyed first on the Canadian Prairies would have undoubtedly given Peter Gordon's forefathers more than a wee bit of surprise, since the world famous single malt was established years before Alberta even existed. "I'm sure they'd be very proud of us," said the director and owner of William Grant & Sons, the family-held distillery that still produces Glenfiddich, as he arrived in Calgary Tuesday. "And at the prices that we will have achieved." Indeed, those seeking one of the 280 bottles produced from the cask of 1975 Glenfiddich must be ready to overcome the $599 sticker shock. Simple math shows that the 31-year-old cask will fetch nearly $170,000 from scotch lovers who will travel from as far away as South Africa to procure a bottle. For a bottle that rare, not only are such costs understandable, but usually will be doubled, said Dave Mason, president of the West Coast Whisky Society. "When we buy the stuff, we usually buy more than one - one for immediate drinking and one to follow," he said. "The whole intent is to drink them. We're collectors to a point in our crowd, but we all end up drinking them at some point." Mason's Vancouver-based group will be joined by a sister organization called the Victoria Single Malt Club and others from across North America for a pilgrimage to Calgary on Wednesday to enjoy a wee dram - or two. It will be part of a major convergence of scotch aficionados including upwards of a dozen "distillery masters" from Scotland, including Gordon. The event is held by a Calgary-based private liquor store called Willow Park Wines and Spirits, and draws a crowd of about 700 annually to sample whiskies all night long for a mere $75 cover charge. Last year was the first time that Willow Park undertook to buy a full cask of rare Glenfiddich - something normally reserved for the maiden voyages of the Queen Elizabeth II, the Concord or the nuptials of the Prince of Denmark. All 220 bottles for $595 each were sold within a month. "Scotch is a very unique product in that it has this following of collectors, and people look for scotches that have gone out of production, that are no longer bottled, and they cellar them. It's a showpiece in their home cellars," said Willow Park spokeswoman Peggy Perry. Part of what makes this bottling so rare is not just its age, but the fact that the whisky comes from a single cask and is not blended with others. Single malt buyer David Michiels said he chose this year's cask because of what it isn't supposed to be. That includes hints of both nuts and citrus. "I loved the citrus because it was so well balanced - from the oranges to the raisins and everything else . . . and it was so unusual because you don't get this with any other scotch that I've ever tried." The fact that Alberta's economy continues its unprecedented boom awash in petro-dollars doesn't hurt the sale of high-end liquor worth hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars per bottle. "People are feeling fairly flush in Alberta, and a $600 bottle of scotch is not beyond their means," said Perry. And while Gordon agrees that such costs are quite reasonable for one of the rarest scotches around, he said it's not the first bottle to pull out when friends or in-laws show up uninvited. "You've gotta have some pretty good occasions to save up for this." Source: www.cp.org |
| 13 Nov 06 | Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R) Opens Museum Doors and Broadens Access to the World of Art Through Its New Art-Based Marketing Platform NEW YORK, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The makers of Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R) today announced plans to bring contemporary art to the public through a new multi-million dollar integrated marketing campaign that uses contemporary art to reinforce Blue Label as a luxury brand. The centerpiece of the campaign is the first in a series of works of art featuring Johnnie Walker Blue Label by Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton- Jones, two of Britain's leading creative artists. The artists use a combination of photography and digital imaging to create a luxuriously abstract visual that reinforces the rarity and exclusivity of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The stunning and innovative work of art engages consumers and challenges them to discern the image; a point that is driven home by the tagline, "For those who know what to look for." "The world of contemporary art is a metaphor for the rare, exclusive Blue Label experience," said Chris Parsons, Vice President, Scotch Marketing, Diageo NA. "The contemporary art we've created with these talented artists becomes a visual link to the space that our target consumers want to occupy. As portrayed by the works of art, Johnnie Walker Blue Label belongs in a luxury environment, so too does our consumer." The works of art convey a broader umbrella theme of art that will be used in an integrated campaign consisting of print and out-of-home advertising, Public Relations activities and Point of Sale and Merchandising Displays. The print campaign, created by BBH-New York, will begin running in December issues of publications such as New York Times Magazine, GQ, Esquire, Robb Report and Travel & Leisure; and in daily newspaper ads in the New York Times. Other highlights of the marketing initiative include: Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R) Provides Extended After-hours Art In celebration of the new campaign, and compliments of Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R), the hours of two well known art museums are being extended in New York City and Miami. On November 15, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami will remain open until 10:30pm. On Thursday, November 16, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City will keep its doors open free to the public from 6:30 - 10:30pm. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Traveling Art Gallery New York City residents will get a glimpse of some well known contemporary art through The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Traveling Art Gallery that will appear in key locations throughout New York City on November 14, 15 and 16. Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R) Bottle Engraving for the Holidays Beginning November 15th in the center atrium of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, consumers will be able to have their unopened bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky engraved for the holidays free of charge. The Johnnie Walker Blue Label engraving kiosk, which will also feature the artwork, will engrave personal inscriptions on unopened 750ml or 1.75L bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The inscriptions can be engraved in multiple languages, including English, French Spanish, Korean and Chinese. The kiosk will be open Monday - Saturday from 10 am until 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11am until 8 p.m. through January 4th, 2007. Johnnie Walker(R) Blue Label(R) presents "Blue [Scrubs]" at the Esquire House, Los Angeles On November 15th, in honor of the sixth season premiere of NBC's hit comedy "[Scrubs]", the makers of Johnnie Walker Blue Label will host an exclusive party where the show's stars will decorate pairs of blue hospital scrubs to be auctioned off online to raise funds for the New Orleans Museum of Art's (NOMA) Katrina Fund. Still on its way to recovery following Hurricane Katrina, NOMA houses nearly 40,000 pieces ranging from 16th century European painting and sculpture to modern American art including works from Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Tony Smith. The auction will begin on November 28th and run through December 6th and can be found at www.ebay.com/jwbluescrubs. Source:http://www.bevindustry.com/ |
| 13 Nov 06 |
Glenfiddich Ads campaign The pitch for the £1.75m business follows a restructuring of the marketing team, and the completion of a global advertising review by the brand. Last month Glenfiddich appointed 180 Amsterdam to handle its global advertising, following a five-way pitch. The whisky brand has already invited a number of media and creative agencies to pitch for the account, which will involve creating a range of TV and print campaigns. Last month, Glenfiddich promoted a limited-edition Toasted Oak variant with a mailing created by Presky Maves. It included a whisky sample and the campaign will feature press ads showing what appears at first glance to be a classic Christmas moment, but on further examination things are not necessarily as they seem. Readers are encouraged to find hidden festive clues online, which highlight the hidden parts of the pictures. Entrants will register their answers and go into a draw for one of 1887 prizes, including a trip to the Glenfiddich Distillery for two. As well as the ads in national press, in-store magazines and outdoor media, the campaign will cross radio, advertorials, and trade and consumer PR. Below-the-line activity includes an email campaign to Glenfiddich.co.uk -registered members and a specially tailored direct mail version of the prize draw Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie lead the UK single malt whisky market, which accounts for 11% of whisky sales, according to Nielsen Media Research. WM Grant is also preparing a “brand experience” campaign for its second product, The Balvenie. Source: www.brandrepublic.com |
| 11 Nov 06 | New Glengoynes. Glengoyne has launched the mashmen limited edition: 20 YO Peter`s Choice 51% 15 YO Jim`s Choice 57% 17 YO Charlie`s Choice 56% 36 YO 1969 45,9 % 29 YO 1977 50,7 % 21 YO 1985 |
| 08 Nov 06 | From wine barrels, out pours Scotch BEHOLD the eternal Scottish Highlands — green woods, gray skies, a touch of mist. Glenmorangie Distillery is way out here, 40 miles north of Inverness, overlooking the lonesome waters of Dornoch Firth. By Charles Perry, Times Staff Writer BEHOLD the eternal Scottish Highlands — green woods, gray skies, a touch of mist. Glenmorangie Distillery is way out here, 40 miles north of Inverness, overlooking the lonesome waters of Dornoch Firth. And in one of its stone buildings, distillery director Graham Eunson is showing off four bottles labeled Port, Madeira, Sherry and Burgundy. More precisely, Port, Madeira, Sherry and Burgundy Finish. The bottles actually hold single-malt Scotch, but the Glenmorangie in each has been "finished" for two years in barrels that once held wine, after aging 10 years in the traditional secondhand Bourbon barrels. "We can't reveal which wineries we get our barrels from," Eunson says slyly, "but there are hints on the labels." The result is called wood-finished whisky, because it picks up distinctive flavors from the barrel wood. Wood-finishing has been the hottest trend in Scotch for the last few years. Often the results are sweeter and fruitier than traditional Scotch and more appealing to people who are new to its craggy style, but connoisseurs also are attracted by wood finishes because they can show a surprising new side to a well-known brand. Some of the busiest experimenters are small distilleries such as Edradour and Isle of Arran. On the other hand, a lot of big names are doing wood finishes as well, including Glenfarclas, Bowmore, Macallan and Springbank. So far, at least 33 of the 80-odd malt distilleries in Scotland have issued one or more wood-finished whiskies. The germ of the movement sprouted in the 1970s, when Scotch distillers had concluded that sherry barrels overpowered some of the natural flavors of Scotch, so they'd switched almost entirely to Bourbon barrels. "However," recalls Glenmorangie master distiller Bill Lumsden, "it was still felt that some desirable flavors could be had from used ex-wine seasoned wood, so a series of experiments were tried." (...) Source (and full article):www.latimes.com |
| 07 Nov 06 | Dram fine move THE Macallan single malt has officially unveiled a £1 million development on its Speyside estate. The centrepiece is a visitor facility dedicated to explaining the importance of oak wood, cask seasoning and cask management in delivering the distinctive styles of The Macallan. The investment also includes the refurbishment of the Jacobean manor, Easter Elchies House, to allow guest accommodation on the estate for the first time. Ian Good, chairman of parent company Edrington, conducted the official opening ceremony. Source: news.scotsman.com Comment: See photos 150 to 154 of the Sep-Oct 2006 slide show |
| 07 Nov 06 | Woodford's special issue a great way to get four grains By Ross Werland Chicago Tribune Woodford Reserve is a creditable bourbon found on most any liquor store shelf, but occasionally the Kentucky distiller turns out a small batch for its Master's Collection, and sometimes they can knock your socks off. Well, it's happened again. Fresh from Woodford County is the 92-proof Master's Collection Four Grain, which goes for about $90 a fifth. The bourbon was distilled in 1999. We didn't bother comparing it with anything; we just tasted it. And seven out of seven palates_including some of the Chicago Tribune's most educated_wanted to get way past the flirting stage with this one. Some comments: "nice and smooth," "wow," "no bitterness and no harsh aftertaste," "works straight up as a sipping whiskey," "very woody in the best possible way." For the record, the grains are corn, malted barley and both rye and wheat. Whisky Magazine touted "its chewy granola mouth feel, a lot of caramel from the wood, violets from the rye and something on top that tastes like chives." The one complaint among our tasters was that the bottle is nothing fancy. Guys who want a circus display on their bar will have to pick an artsy vodka bottle instead. Source: http://www.fortwayne.com/ |
| 07 Nov 06 | Pernod shareholders approve anti-takeover defense
PARIS: Shareholders at Pernod Ricard SA voted Tuesday to approve "poison-pill" measures designed to allow the drinks group's management to fend off a hostile takeover bid. |
| 06 Nov 06 | William Grant MD quits ahead of restructuring WILLIAM LYONS THE managing director of William Grant & Sons, the distiller of Glenfiddich whisky, has left amid the latest upheaval at the family-owned company. Simon MacDonald, is understood to have joined the UK arm of technology company Kabel-X, paving the way for a new management structure that will see the creation of four divisions along geographic lines, with a managing director for each. It is understood that the four new managing directors will now report directly to chief executive Roland van Bommel. A spokesman said: "It's more about re-organising the structure of the company in line with its aspirations to take greater control of its route to market." Mark Teasdale is now managing director for North America, while Gordon Dron becomes managing director for Europe. Kevin Fong takes over as managing director for Asia Pacific and James Doherty will take on the role for developing markets and Latin America. Steven Sturgeon remains global marketing director. Van Bommel joined William Grant in 2004 from Maxxium, the drinks marketing group. Last week, the 120-year-old company, which makes Glenfiddich, the world's best-selling single malt whisky, as well as Grant's, The Balvenie and Hendrick's Gin, revealed an 8.1% leap in pre-tax profits to £77.3m for the calendar year 2005. Turnover climbed to £352.6m, compared with £339.5m previously. The firm is currently on the prowl for more acquisitions. Last year it moved into the brandy business by buying the Cognac-based Raynal & Cie, the French firm behind popular names such as Three Barrels, in a deal thought to be worth £50m. In October it was linked with a possible move for Invergordon Distillers, the Whyte & Mackay business that produces mainly own-label Scotch.http://business.scotsman.com |
| 04 Nov 06 | Mature and evolving tastes in India Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi November 4, 2006 If you thought it was an "old" drink, think again. The single malt is getting popular again. Did someone say that whisky is a thing of the past? Or that vodka and other “young” drinks have upstaged the old stalwart. Check out the growing number of single malts available and how they are selling in India and you will have your answer. Malt lovers in the country have never had it so good. Brands like Glenmorangie, Dalmore, Laphroiag and Glenfiddich, not to forget good old Johnnie Walker, are slowly finding their way to whisky drinker’s cellars. Says Harish Moolchandani, managing director, Being Global, the company that markets Laphroiag, “People are gradually moving towards single malt from blended scotch.” While vodka still remains a favourite among young drinkers, there are many who are diversifying to single malt from scotch, and even from vodka. The shift is partly to do with the fact that people are now able to appreciate and buy expensive brands. Consumer education about single malts on a continuous basis has to play an important role in making potential customers more knowledgeable and eager samplers. Laphroiag, which sells at a retail price point of Rs 3,500 for a 750 ml bottle and $52 at duty-free, has been in the country for over three years now. Though Moolchandani is not expecting a big rise in the number of malt drinkers, he is confident that more and more people will move to malt whisky. “You can’t have people sipping and appreciating single malt in one day, it takes time to develop and enjoy the taste.” Whyte and Mackay’s Dalmore is one of the most expensive single malt whiskies available in the country. It costs Rs 9,000-14,000 and apparently undergoes several stages of maturity over 21 years. The whisky is available at select retail points in the country and is sold by Kyundal India. Moet & Hennessey also has Glenmorangie, which is one of the most popular single malts in the country. It is priced at Rs 3,000 for a 750-ml bottle. Glenmorangie has been available in India for some time now but was available only at duty-free shops and five-star hotels. But Moet Hennessey brought six variants of Glenmorangie — mainly a 10-year-old, a 15-year-old and four wood finishes. The price of Glenmorangie goes up to Rs 12,000. Glenfiddich is also one of the most prominent single malts and has become a favourite of many malt lovers. “Glenfiddich is one of the most popular malts on our menu,” says Rishi Raj Singh, the beverage manager of Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton. Maurya, which has one of the largest collection of malt whiskies, gets customers from the age group of 30-45 asking for malts. “A good malt should not be swallowed but slowly sipped.” There is a malt you can order at the Maurya bar for Rs 7,500 — that’s what you pay for a 30 ml shot! The price of a 750 ml bottle? A cool Rs 2 lakh. Diageo’s Talsiker is another malt which is distilled using water from 14 underground springs and is available in various ages. Says Santosh Kanekar, V-P, marketing, Diageo, South Asia, “It is powerful and smooth in taste and has a distinctly peppery character.” It is priced at Rs 4,000. While Talsiker remains one of the flagship brands for Diageo, it also has another malt called Clynelish. Priced at Rs 3,500, it is one of the lesser known brands, though its sales are picking up. Glenmorangie Margaux is another rare malt which was recently brought to the country. Only 3,500 bottles have been produced in total, 100 of which were received in India. The whisky is made using a small number of rare barriques, which previously held wine from vineyards in France. Priced at Rs 38,000 for a 750-ml bottle, it apparently combines the taste of French vineyards and Scottish maturity. Moolchandani is confident of getting more people hooked onto single malt. “Maturity and taste is a must for single malt drinkers and with the kind of brands in the country, it is a matter of time that the market grows.” Kanekar shares this view. “With lifestyles getting more chic and urbane, malts will become very popular.” So pick up a bottle of single malt and prove the truth of Winston Churchill’s old saying: take more out of alcohol than alcohol takes out of you! Source: http://www.business-standard.com |
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