| More Recent News | |
| 30 Dec 07 | Russian consortium 'in talks' to buy mothballed Speyside whisky distillery The deal, understood to be in its final stages, would be a landmark for the industry as it would be the first distillery to fall into Russian hands. It would come just months after Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya completed the £595m takeover of Scotch whisky distiller Whyte & Mackay. Glenglassaugh, which has been mothballed since the mid-Eighties, has been described by whisky writer Charles MacLean as "the distillery that its owners don't talk about". Built in 1874, the distillery was sold to Highland Distillers but mothballed for a large part of last century. It closed again in 1986 and apart from a short period in 1998 has been mothballed ever since. Last night one industry source, who imports Scotch whisky to Russia, said: "Following the elections there are an awful lot of people in Russia who are wanting to get their money out of the country. It has been known they (the Russians] have been looking for a long time and with demand for Scotch growing this would provide a nice little acquisition." Another source said: "Talks have been ongoing for weeks. It is understood the buyer has interests in cognac." The value of the deal is not known as it is based on the stocks that Glenglassaugh is carrying. If there is a large inventory the price could stretch into tens of millions. Russia is an important emerging market for whisky. In 2005, it was the industry's 25th largest export destination by value, with whisky exports to the market growing from £5m in 2000 to £20m. Last year Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, led a delegation to Moscow to host the country's first Scotch whisky tasting. Although vodka still dominates the Russian spirits market, accounting for well over 90% of sales, whisky has shown extremely strong growth over the past five years. The biggest selling malts in Russia are Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Glenmorangie and Bruichladdich. The news comes after new figures showed that Scotch whisky is the country's leading export industry with sales of £2.5bn representing 12% of total Scottish exports. A spokeswoman for Edrington declined to comment. http://business.scotsman.com |
| 01 Dec 07 | Malt Maniacs Awards 2007. The famous Malt Maniacs have finally released their awards this morning:
Overall winners for 2007: |
| 29 Nov 07 |
St Andrew’s Day launch for social networking site for whisk(e)y Pitlochry, Scotland, 28th November 2007: “Whisky needed its very own space,” says Ian Buxton, founder of thewhiskychannel.com. The latest addition to the social networking phenomenon, which aims to unite whisky lovers round the globe and enable them to blog, post their own video and photos, rate whisky, email, and generally hang out with old and new whisky loving people, will go live on Friday 30th November - St Andrew’s Day. “Whisky enthusiasts are highly engaged,” claims Buxton, a former Marketing Director for a leading single malt and now a whisky writer and consultant. “New users in developing markets are coming to the category looking for knowledge. Globally, whisky has an unrivalled heritage and thewhiskychannel.com will provide a great place for that to be savoured and shared.” A unique feature, developed in partnership with industry news provider just-drinks.com, will give a rolling feed of breaking whisky stories from round the world that’s expected to draw visitors back to the site on a regular basis. thewhiskychannel.com, which will be free to use for consumers, is also packed with features which enable registered members to post their own content (including video), rate other content, share information with friends, advertise their ‘for sale’ or ‘wanted’ whisky or collectibles or just share their passion for the world’s #1 distilled spirit. The founders believe the distilling industry will embrace the site. “The advent of social networking sites like YouTube and FaceBook is transforming the web,” claims Buxton. “Brochure-ware (conventional web sites) are effectively redundant as consumers seek a more interactive and engaging experience. People don’t want a one-sided view and sites like this enable a more open exchange of information.” Discussions are underway with a number of leading brands to place educational content on the site and leading whisky retailer Royal Mile Whiskies has already signed a deal to become the site’s official retailer. “Because this is a community, I want to encourage whisky brands to use the site to share knowledge, not talk down to consumers. Distillers who partner with the site won’t ‘advertise’ in the conventional sense but provide mentoring and share their knowledge in a two-way dialogue, by providing high quality content,” says Buxton. “It’s also an opportunity for distillers to hear directly and immediately what their consumer is saying – like a huge, continuously-running opinion poll.” “Whisky has never seen anything like it!” he adds. Favourable reaction In early testing, thewhiskychannel.com has been praised by leading independent international whisky writers and bloggers. Comments include: Hans Offringa, author of A Taste of Whisky and The Legend of Laphroaig - Holland “The potential to become the epicentre of the whisky social online community.” Further developments planned Looking beyond Friday’s launch of thewhiskychannel.com Buxton also plans the world’s first interactive whisky encyclopaedia on the web. whiskipedia.org offers enthusiasts their chance to write and debate whisky definitions, using a classic ‘wiki’ format, with open editing. The site is a partner for thewhiskychannel.com and will, according to Buxton, “really excite and involve the enthusiast community.” thewhiskychannel.com launches on Friday 30th November and whiskipedia.org will follow before Christmas. Source:www.thewhiskychannel.com |
| 29 Nov 07 | The Marketing of the Ultra-premium Whiskeys
Eric Asimov, the drink writer at the New York Times, takes a look at bourbon and its increase in popularity. |
| 25 Nov 07 | World Record Whisky not as Old as Claimed?
"A new world record was set on 28th September with a bottle of Bowmore selling at auction for a remarkable £29,400. The bottle of single malt is the oldest Bowmore known to be in existence and is believed to have been bottled on Islay around 1850 by W & J Mutter." This story appeared in the Ileach a month ago and was published on this blog. In the meanwhile a story appeared on Andrew Jefford's Blog where serious doubts were raised regarding the real age of the bottle. |
| 25 Nov 07 | Whisky's soothing quality may be well known but it would be rather strange to keep school children warm by using the most popular stimulating liquid. Fortunately, Edinburgh City Council is not suggesting Tynecastle High students to gulp down alcohol to benefit from its heat. However, starting 2010, the replacement building for the existing high school will use waste heat from the North British Distillery nearby. The new school, to be built on McLeod Street in the capital, will use an innovative system to cut its energy bill dramatically. Water supplied from the school will pass through a heat exchanger which will be warmed up by the waste heat produced by the distillery. The scheme will cost 200,000 pounds but is expected to have paid for itself in energy savings within four years. Marilyne McLaren, education convener, called this arrangement a creative answer within a local community. "This agreement demonstrates how a creative answer can be found within a local community through our school working closely with local businesses," the Scotsman quoted him, as saying. A similar project at the Bowmore distillery in Islay heats an adjacent swimming pool. David Rae, managing director of the North British Distillery, considered it as a mutually benefiting scheme for both the school and the distillery. "This is an environmentally responsible project which will deliver benefits to both the school and the distillery," he said. http://www.thelondonnews.net |
| 23 Nov 07 | London, Nov 23 - The high demand for Scotch whisky among India's burgeoning middle classes and the government's withdrawal of additional customs duty on imported wines and spirits this July have led to a 45 percent spurt in the export of Scotch whisky to India in 2007. Latest Scotch industry figures provided exclusively to IANS show that during the first nine months of 2007 (January to September), as many as 1.54 million cases of Scotch whisky were exported to India. Each case has nine litres of whisky. The equivalent figure for the period for 2006 was 1.06 million cases. The main reason for the 45 percent growth in export is India withdrawing the additional customs duty in July, conceding a long-standing demand of the Scotch industry. The exports to India include products of the spirits major Whyte & Mackay, which was bought by Indian entrepreneur Vijay Mallya for 595 million pounds ($1.2 billion) in May. Latest figures show that Whyte & Mackay has a turnover of 160 million pounds with profits forecast to double to 50 million pounds. David Williamson of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) told IANS: 'Since the Government of India's decision in July to remove the discriminatory additional customs duty, the association has welcomed tax-reform moves by a series of Indian states to ensure a more level playing field for imported spirits. 'As a result, Indian consumers are benefiting from the opportunity to enjoy premium imported spirits at a more reasonable price and the grey market is being increasingly undermined.' He said the Maharashtra government had recently moved to amend the tax structure for imported spirits, replacing a straight 200 percent tax on all imported bottled spirits with a banded tax system, with different rates levied according to product value, or at a rate of Rs.300 per bulk litre, whichever is higher. Williamson said: 'We are encouraged that the state authorities have been engaging with the trade on the issue and this move is a step in the right direction. 'However, local consumers in Maharashtra will still not have the same choice of international brands as consumers elsewhere in India and we are concerned at the apparent continued tax discrimination faced by a range of imported products'. The Scotch industry sees India and China as major markets for growth. The demand for imported spirits in India has zoomed as its burgeoning economy increases the size of its middle class exponentially every year. China is a massive emerging market with an expanding middle class of over 200 million that is now developing a taste for Scotch. In the past ten years sales have risen from 700,000 to 5.7 million litres, as China has steadily reduced import tax from 65 to 10 percent. But the Indian market is considered more lucrative and may well be the largest market for spirits in the world. India reportedly consumes over 120 million cases of spirits each year, the vast majority of which are locally produced. Source: http://www.earthtimes.org |
| 19 Nov 07 | New Whiskies from Old Casks Whisky-lovers rejoice! There's a new wave of excellent, aged, high-end single malt and blended scotches hitting the market by Nick Passmore It is a widely held, but erroneous, belief that when it comes to wood-aged spirits such as brandy and whisky, age is automatically a good thing. Each cask of whisky—for whisky is what this article is concerned with, though the general principle applies across the category—is unique. And as it ages it becomes even more distinct from a similar cask filled with the same whisky stored in the same cellar. Small variations in the makeup of the barrel, and a temperature difference of as little as one or two degrees from one part of the cellar to another, have a surprisingly powerful effect over time. As Bill Lumsden, head of whisky distilling and creation at Glenmorangie in Ross-shire, Scotland, observes, "When we do a vatting [blending] for Glenmorangie 25 Years Old, it's trickier than a vatting of the 10 Years Old because there is a lot more variation in the casks of that age." Glenmorangie is owned by French luxury products conglomerate, Moët-Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). THE DELICATE BALANCE OF AGING So time does not treat all barrels equally, nor is it universally beneficial—at a certain point the whisky in a particular cask will reach its optimum maturity and from then on it will decline, loosing freshness and vigor. It becomes tired. And this happens at a surprisingly young age—for a majority of casks, the maximum is 8 to 12 years, and only a small percentage of whiskies are capable of, and benefit from, longer aging. According to Evan Cattanach, master distiller emeritus at Diageo (DEO), at 10 years approximately 60% of whisky casks will have reached their optimum age, and only the remaining 40% will benefit from remaining longer in the barrel. Lumsden is even more emphatic. "Some of the old whiskies that I have tried have been really outstanding, but an equal number have just left me completely cold. I think 'what a shame, that should have been bottled much earlier.' " A NEW INTEREST IN THE OLDER GENERATION In the past, the successful older casks happened almost by accident—they didn't fit the flavor profile the master blender was looking for so they got passed over, or were mistakenly dropped from the inventory list, or were simply hidden behind a large pillar in a dark corner of the cellar—and the distilleries really didn't know what to do with them. But not any more. These days, as the palates of U.S. and European fans of single malts become more sophisticated, there is increasing demand for these special, rare, and often unusual tasting whiskies. And the distilleries are racing to take advantage of this growing market by releasing dozens of new bottlings a year. Figures from the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. confirm this growth. While sales of "value" and "premium" scotch fell from 2005 to 2006 by 6% and 1% respectively, sales of "super premium"—that's single malts and luxury blends—rose 14% by volume, and 15% by revenue to $134 million. http://www.businessweek.com/ |
| 17 Nov 07 | Virtual whisky tasting In Spain, Jameson is online with a video site to introduce visitors to the world of whisky. A bartender explains the differences among Irish, American and Scottish whisky, proposing an interesting experiment of virtual tasting. I can't say the site is exciting nor impressive from a creative point of view, but it offers a good experience, especially to those, like myself, who don't know much about whisky. At the end of the visit you definitely have an idea of the world of whisky and scotch, and I think you will become curious enough to try some the next time you have the chance. So I think the site does its job, it tells a story, and it keeps users watching the video for quite a few minutes. Of course, such a site needs the support of good media plan, but it is a good example of simple but effective online marketing. Not all the brands do have to be strongly creative nor amusing to reach their goals online. In my opinion, being consistent with the brand and deliver a clear message can often be enough, especially in the context of an integrated campaign. The agency behind the action it's Meyer Action. http://www.adverblog.com |
| 12 Nov 07 | Rare, expensive whisky: a better bet than stocks
LEIDEN, the Netherlands (Reuters Life!) - For businessman Michel Kappen, whisky is more than just a drink with a couple of friends to celebrate a deal or to savor in front of a fireplace on a cold night. |
| 11 Nov 07 | Diageo triggers Indian whisky price war WILLIAM LYONS DRINKS giant Diageo has kicked off a price war in India's lucrative Scotch whisky market by slashing prices by more than 30%. The move, which was immediately followed by Pernod Ricard and Glenmorangie-owner LVMH, will see shelf prices of Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal cut dramatically as the drinks giants attempt to get a foothold in India's mainstream retail market. Analysts say the price war aims to increase volume by more than 35% within the next three years and is a direct reaction to Vijay Mallya's acquisition of Whyte & Mackay. In May, the Indian tycoon splashed out £600m for Whyte & Mackay with a view to selling his premium whisky brands such as Dalmore and Isle of Jura through his United Breweries Group. Asif Adil, managing director for Diageo India, said: "These price reductions are a combination of removal of additional custom duty and restructuring of Diageo's internal price mechanism." Simultaneously, Pernod is also reducing prices of its Chivas Regal and Ballantine's Scotch whiskies by up to 30%. Diageo brands are down 38% in some states. In June, the Indian government scrapped the import duty that subjects all imported spirits to an additional duty of between 25% and 550%. The move was heralded as a significant turning point in the fortunes of Scotch whisky, opening up one of the world's largest markets. Despite all the hype surrounding potentially enormous emerging markets in South America and the Far East, they still pale when compared to India.http://business.scotsman.com |
| 08 Nov 07 | Malt whisky society in drive to boost membership past 50,000 COLIN DONALD BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT PAUL Miles, the new managing director of connoisseurs club the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), has set ambitious targets to double the 26,000-strong membership in "two to three years". The SMWS, which is owned by Glenmorangie, part of the LVMH group, is already in the first phase of its expansion drive, having launched its first direct-mail marketing campaign in England, under the title: "The Most Famously Anonymous Whisky Society". The initial phase of the campaign, targeted in the Reading area, is expected to bring in up to 1,000 new members. Miles said: "Previously, we relied on word of mouth to grow membership, the society is a sociable community, accessible to everyone who has an interest in learning more about malt whisky." Miles, a former business director at Glenmorangie, has introduced innovations such as Hogmanay openings of the society's two Edinburgh premises, the Vaults in Leith and 28 Queen Street. But he denied that the recruitment drive threatened the society's traditions. "We are emphatically not trying to change the nature of the society, which has existed for 25 years and has never been static. We want to take it to the next stage. "To the vast majority of our membership, it is a virtual organisation anyway, with most membership contacts coming through the phone or by mail. "One of the main points of the society is to evangelise about the single-cask malt whisky and increasing the membership gives us the opportunity to reach a wider group of enthusiasts." The society selects and bottles over 200 casks a year from a range of 125 malt whisky distilleries, including some from Ireland and Japan. It has about 18,000 UK members, with ten branches globally from Australia to Europe and Asia to the United States. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 08 Nov 07 | Whisky centre nets web prize THE Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile has picked up an award for its website. The attraction won the large company best website award at the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions' Marketing Awards. The judges were impressed by the website's information, ease of navigation, quick downloads and ability to sustain interest. The attraction was also commended in the large company best leaflet category. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 07 Nov 07 | Three new Macallans: The Macallan 1976 Vintage (Cask #11354) $1500 The Macallan Gran Reserva 12 YO 45.6%, 5000 bottles The Macallan 55 YO 40.1% Lalique decanter, 420 bottles $12'000 Source: http://www.maltadvocate.com |
| 05 Nov 07 | Malt Advocate Whisky Awards
Here’s some very valuable information you can only get here! I posted up the Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Award winners this past Tuesday, which were announced at the 10th Annual WhiskyFest New York that same night. It’s public knowledge now. But what were the whiskies that almost won? They are pretty impressive too! Well, here they are. If, for whatever reason, you can’t find an award winner to buy, look for one of these whiskies: |
| 02 Nov 07 | Diageo has launched a £5m pack redesign for its Scotch brand J&B. The global roll-out of the new look bottle is a step towards efforts to reposition the brand as "the world's party whisky", the copany said. The new bottle design has angular shoulders and clean tapered lines. The foot is more pronounced, the neck narrower, the shoulders raised and the eyebrow in synch with the label. "The redesigned pack has a bolder more contemporary look that gives it extra bar and shelf stand-out", said Nik Keane, the global brand director of J&B. "The new pack highlights the brand's role as the ultimate party whisky with an edgy design that will appeal to party goers around the world. Working in synch with our global Start a Party campaign, it will help us achieve substantial growth for the brand during the year ahead." The new label shape mirrors the bottle form and is reinforced by black, gold and white borders. http://www.just-drinks.com |
| 12 Oct 07 |
Scotched Laws New anti-counterfeiting laws announced by the Scotch Whisky Association this week may have more sinister implications. Critics claim a fait accompli by the SWA, which wants to define whisky as ‘single malt’, ‘blended whisky’, ‘blended malt’, ‘single grain’, and ‘blended grain’ Most distillers disapprove of ‘blended malt’ title which replaces the existing term ‘vatted malt’ in use for over a century for a bottling of several single malts together. Bruichladdich Distillery MD Mark Reynier: “We welcome most of the new proposals but experience tells us that changes usually reflect a vested interested of the Big Boys. “The new term, ‘blended malt’, deliberately confuses two older titles, the widely accepted ‘blended whisky’, and the emotive but highly misleading term ‘pure malt. This new suitably bland and innocuous looking term will be a charter for deception. Overseas consumers are less likely to differentiate between the two similar terms. But that appears to be precisely what the SWA’s members want to achieve following the Cardhu debacle. Ambiguity in front of the consumer” Then, Cardhu, a single malt, was to become a vatted malt (whisky from several distilleries – not one) so that the limited supply could be increased at will. But highly misleadingly, the vatted malt was to look almost the same as the prestigious single malt presentation - the general consumer would be none the wiser. This led to fierce accusations by the rest of the industry of bully boy tactics by Diageo, and the SWA risking the credibility of the whole single malt sector. “They were mighty annoyed when they couldn’t get away with it then - so here they are changing the laws instead to suit their marketing needs instead. Source: www.bruichladdich.com |
| That's the spirit... fake Islays and regional whiskies to be made illegal MARTYN MCLAUGHLIN IMITATIONS of Scotch whisky which describe themselves as Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown or Islay, are to be made illegal, it emerged yesterday. The steps to protect the industry against counterfeiting are being put in place by the Westminster government. At present, the brand, Scotch, is protected as a geographical product, but the regional variations and the different types of whisky are not. The tightened legislation would supersede the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 and the Scotch Whisky Order 1990, and allow certain designations of Scotch whisky to be added to an EU list of Geographical Indications, which members of the World Trade Organisation would be obliged to protect. Hilary Benn, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, yesterday announced a consultation will take place on bringing in stricter definitions of Scotch whisky in UK law. Such a move could help support action against counterfeiting in the industry, which has exports worth more than £2 billion a year to the Scottish economy, and employs around 40,000 people. The consultation will take place later this year, and new laws could be in place by the spring. If ratified, and applied in international trade agreements, it would mean products such as Islay whisky would enjoy the same protection under European trade law as Champagne, Parma ham, and Roquefort cheese. The new legislation aims to curb increasing incidences of foreign distillers attempting to pass off inferior products as authentically Scottish, such as Highland Gold Finest Whisky, which is produced in Surinam and the Netherlands, and Islay Whisky Cream, which is distilled in Italy. The need for revised regulation in the area has long been called for by the Scotch Whisky Association. Mr Benn said: "This consultation exercise will take us another step closer to strengthening the UK legislation that the Scotch Whisky Association have been telling us they need to help them protect Scotch whisky in export markets. "The proposed legislation will make special provisions relating to Scotch whisky. The proposals will define tightly the descriptions applied to Scotch whisky - for example 'single malt' or 'blended grain'. They will also tightly define its geographical provenance - such as Highland or Islay - and ensure that if the product uses the name of a distillery then it must also come from that distillery." The proposed regulations will define five different categories of Scotch whisky - single malt, single grain, blended, blended malt and blended grain. They also set out five geographical areas - Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay - with whiskies only being allowed to be labelled as coming from these if they have been made entirely in the region. In addition, the regulations will require all Scotch whisky to be wholly matured in Scotland and will prohibit the export of single malt Scotch whisky unless it has been bottled and labelled. Des Browne, the Scottish Secretary, said: "This is another example of the UK government working in a reserved area to protect one of Scotland's most important exports. "Scotch whisky exports are worth over £2 billion to the Scottish economy each year and the industry needs this proposed legislation to help maintain that figure and defend its high-value product from imitation in some overseas markets. "The Scotch Whisky Association has welcomed our commitment to do this and the UK government has been both committed and responsive to the industry's needs." DEFRA will consult on legislative proposals later this year. Source: http://news.scotsman.com |
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| 07 Oct 07 | Moves to protect Scotch whisky Steps to protect Scotch whisky are being put in place by the Westminster Government. Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced a consultation will take place on bringing in tighter definitions of Scotch whisky in UK law. Such a move could help support action against counterfeiting in the industry, which has exports worth more than £2 billion to the Scottish economy. http://iclanarkshire.icnetwork.co.uk |
| 03 Oct 07 |
The Light of Lochindaal Bruichladdich distillery announce the impending arrival of a new Islay single malt “Lochindaal” - to be distilled w/c 26th October. Lochindaal, the Gaelic Loch na dail means ‘loch of division’, is a large Atlantic sea loch that almost divides the island of Islay in two. The distillery is on it’s shore. It was also a later name for the Port Charlotte distillery when it closed in 1929, 2 miles further along the shore from Bruichladdich. Production director Jim McEwan: “As a distiller, I delight in exploring what can be achieved with different barley types and peating levels. It’s what makes me tick. Lochindaal at 50ppm+ will be more heavily peated than the highly successful Port Charlotte but less so than Octomore, the world’s most heavily peated whisky. The range of new spirit peating levels will now be Bruichladdich unpeated, Port Charlotte 40ppm, Lochindaal 50+ppm and Octomore at 80+ ppm The first 100 casks of the 2007 distillation only will be offered for sale to the public at £1850 a cask. Source: www.bruichladdich.com |
| 01 Oct 07 |
New limited edition release from the Original Islay Distillery Bowmore Distillery, home to the oldest Islay Single Malt Whisky, has released a port matured whisky available from mid-August for £54.99 - the third in its trilogy of limited edition wood matured expressions of Bowmore. This 1991 vintage has spent sixteen years maturing in 24 port casks held safe in the famous Bowmore vaults below sea level, resulting in a Bowmore that is deep ruby in colour. The aromas are big and luscious with rich stewed fruit berries, sweet black cherries and hints of bitter dark chocolate underlined with a light Bowmore smokiness. Glen Moore, Bowmore brand director said: “We have seen increasing interest in limited edition releases and the influence different wood makes to the Bowmore spirit. The influence of the port casks is quite evident on the palate, packed full of brambles and damson jam, but still retaining that earthy, smokey Bowmore signature.” This 16 year old port matured Bowmore follows in the footsteps of Bowmore sherry matured released in 2006 and Bowmore bourbon matured released in 2005. The limited edition bottlings of Bowmore are not just purchased by consumers to enjoy the liquid, many are being snapped up by enthusiasts to add to their Malt whisky collections. Moore commented: “Rare and limited editions of Bowmore are very popular with collectors, at auction we have seen the limited edition Black Bowmore, which originally retailed between £65 and £125, fetch up to £1600.” The 16 years old Port matured Bowmore will be available via whisky specialist retailers at the recommended retail price of £54.99. Source: http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ |
| 01 Oct 07 |
Bottle of whisky sets new world record selling for £29,400 at auction A new world record was set today (28 September), with a bottle of whisky selling at auction for a remarkable £29,400. The Bowmore single malt whisky is the oldest bottle of Bowmore known to be in existence and is believed to have been bottled on Islay around 1850 by W & J Mutter. It was being sold on behalf of a private owner during the fine and rare whisky wine and port auction held at McTears auctioneers in Glasgow. Purchased by an anonymous telephone bidder, lot number 152 was the highlight of the action recommended to reach between £15,000 and 20,000, with the expected crowd bursting into rapturous applause on completion of the sale. The hand blown pale green glass bottle and original cardboard carton in which it has been stored had been in good condition until one week before the sale. The delicate driven cork had dropped from the neck of the bottle into the whisky itself, leaving this extremely rare bottle requiring some renovation for the lucky purchaser. The bidding went down to a two telephone race against Morrison Bowmore Distillers ltd, owner of Bowmore Distillery. Bowmore brand director, Glen Moore, who lost out to the final bid, explained: “We’d known about the sale of the Mutter bottle for some time and had our heart set on bringing it back to its true spiritual home, where it could take pride of place within our new visitor centre. “We bid beyond the value limit we had set ourselves, but unfortunately, the winning bidder went beyond that. There are some serious whisky collectors around the world, and we know Bowmore is incredibly popular amongst them. Who knows, perhaps the new owner might want to have it on display at Bowmore with his name against it!” The bottle was presented to William Mutter in 1851 at the time of him giving up his share of the distillery and has remained in the family for generations. It had been inherited by a family descendent and was accompanied with hand written provenance. Bowmore Distillery is home to the oldest Islay single malt whisky having been founded in 1779. Twin brothers William and James Mutter operated the distillery from the 1850s until the early1890s when Bowmore Distillery Company Limited was formed. Source: http://www.bowmore.co.uk/ |
| 21 Sep 07 | Seen today on the whiskymag forum (www.whiskymag.com): Highland Park is planning to discontinue the Ambassador's casks and will release two new products: A 21 YO cask strength and a 40 YO. The RRP for the 40 YO is £899. Apparently, distillers are still distilling insane prices for their new products. Hopefully, this will stop and they will become more reasonable. We like whisky, but please keep reasonable with the prices! |
| 20 Sep 07 | Crown Royal unveils blend with a flavour of Cognac: Diageo-owned Bourbon brand Crown Royal has unveiled a new whisky with a flavour of Cognac. The ultra-premium offering, Crown Royal Cask No. 16, has been aged in rare Cognac casks. http://www.just-drinks.com |
| 18 Sep 07 | Glengoyne cask ownership is back.
We have a menu of 11 casks for you to pick from, including four types of Sherry Hogsheads. All of them were made specially for Glengoyne to our specifications. We demand they are filled with Oloroso Sherry for around 26 months. We have four types for you because we order them in American Oak (Quercus Alba) and Spanish Oak (Quercus Robur). The European Oak is a softer, more porous wood and will give you more colour and flavour, but will allow more whisky to escape from the cask. The American Oak will still give plenty of colour and flavour but in a less full on way. You can order either type of oak, then specify whether you want a fresh cask or a 2nd Fill cask. The only difference is that the 2nd Fill has held Glengoyne already, usually for ten years or so. You will still get sherry influence using this cask, but in a more understated way. (...) |
| 16 Sep 07 | Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc, the world's fourth largest premium spirits company, is launching the iconic Maker's Mark bourbon in the Indian whisky market for the first time, focusing on a niche clientele. 'India is the second market, next to Japan in Asia, where we are launching this premium whisky,' Ray Radford, senior vice president and director, customer relationship marketing, told IANS. 'The brand is very careful about choosing its market. And India is fast coming up as the most attractive market with a booming economy and a burgeoning class of consumers that is ready to pay any price for super luxury things.' A bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon whisky would cost Rs.3,000 (in Delhi), while in the duty-free outlets it would be available for somewhere between $32 and $35. Based on a 160-year-old family recipe, the bourbon is distilled in Loretto, Kentucky, and made in batches of less than 19 barrels at a time. Each batch of Maker's Mark is carefully handled by human hands and then each bottle is individually dipped in red wax to seal the product. The distillery, which was awarded the status of 'National Historic Landmark' in 1980 - becoming the first distillery in the US to be recognised as a national treasure - produces seven million bottles a year and sells them in 10 countries. Radford, who calls himself the brand ambassador, said: 'It's soft and smooth as it stems from the use of winter wheat in mash based on a delicately controlled ageing process and Indians are the right people to enjoy such a premium quality product.' Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc., part of the $8 billion Fortune Brands Inc., has nine of the world's top 100 premium spirits in its portfolio. 'The whisky would be catering to a very niche high-end clientele and it would be available through the duty-free shops, five-star hotels and premium dining properties,' said Harish Moolchandani, managing director, Beam Global Spirits and Wine (India). The company is targeting a market share of 30 percent and planning to import 7,000-10,000 bottles in the current fiscal. 'In exclusive products such as this it makes no sense to chase the volumes but discerning consumers,' said Moolchandani. http://story.indiagazette.com |
15 Sep 07 |
Seen on the Norwegian website (http://www.onlymalts.com), the new releases from Diageo: Rosebank 25 4710 bottles. ABV 61.4%. RSP £130. From American Oak refill casks. Caol Ila 8 - unpeated 9690 bottles. ABV 64.9%. RSP £33. From 1st fill Bourbon oak casks filled in 1998 Lagavulin 21 years old 6642 bottles. ABV 56.5%. RSP £110. From first fill Spanish Sherry European Oak casks filled in 1985, each 21 years old. Brora 30 years old 2958 bottles. ABV 55.7%. RSP £190. Vatted from a mixture of American Oak and European Oak refill casks, at least 30 years old. Port Ellen 28 years old 5274 bottles. ABV 53.8%. RSP £140. From American Oak refill casks filled in 1979. Glenkinchie 20 5124 bottles. ABV 58.4%. RSP £70. Refill American Oak, then re-racked into former brandy casks, two-thirds refill, one-third rejuvenated, and aged for a further ten years Talisker 25 6894 bottles. ABV 58.1%. RSP £120. From American Oak and European Oak refill casks. Talisker 30 2958 bottles. ABV 50.7%. RSP £180. From American Oak and European Oak refill casks |
| 13 Sep 07 | A website for Ardmore is now available at http://www.ardmorewhisky.com and features the first official bottling from Ardmore distillery, the Ardmore Traditional Cask Highland Single Malt (46%). Ardmore® Traditional Cask is double matured, first in the more usual oak barrels, and then in much smaller "Quarter Casks". No information about its availability are provided. |
| 11 Sep 07 | A new website www.forscotchlovers.com is in preparation an should be available online in the next months. Watch this space for more information |
| 06 Sep 07
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New Balvenie SherryOak 17 YO The Balvenie Distillery matures its whisky in casks from various parts of the world, but this limited edition SherryOak has been matured solely in European oak butts - brought from the bodegas of Spain and previously used to mature rich Oloroso sherries. This limited edition is a rare treat for the Balvenie enthusiast. There exist only a couple of examples of The Balvenie matured solely in sherry casks - most famously Cask 191 - a 50 year old which yielded just 83 bottles in 2002 and - at £6,000 a bottle - has been enjoyed by a privileged few. The Oloroso sherry casks were filled and laid down in Warehouse 21 over 17 years ago. The result pays homage to the casks' southern Spanish origins - a rich and intense single malt, characterised by mixed spice and sweet sherry fruitiness.Retailing for a recommended price of £60 a bottle, at an ABV of 43%, The Balvenie SherryOak 17 Year Old will be available, on strict allocation, in markets including the USA, UK and France. Please note, not available until this autumn. source: www.balvenie.com |
| 05 Sep 07 | Beam Global Launches www.americasnativespirit.com In Honor of “National Bourbon Heritage Month” Company Celebrates Bourbon’s Tradition of Family Heritage, Craftsmanship and its Unique Place in American History DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)], a global leader in premium spirits and wine, commemorates September as “National Bourbon Heritage Month” by launching www.americasnativespirit.com – an interactive tour of America’s indigenous spirit and its unique link to more than 200 years of American history. The “America’s Native Spirit” website features bourbon-inspired cocktail and culinary recipes, tips on how to taste and savor bourbon, and a step-by-step description of how bourbon whiskey is made. Beam Global will announce a number of initiatives throughout September to help retailers and consumers celebrate the history, tradition and American craftsmanship of bourbon. The company has also introduced customized advertising in USA Today and other media outlets, as well as rolled out point-of-sale materials and scheduled educational tastings honoring “America’s Native Spirit.” In honor of the Senate resolution, Beam Global encourages those legal purchase age consumers who enjoy bourbon to do so responsibly and in moderation. “It is a testament to ‘America’s Native Spirit’ that the U.S. Senate has recognized September as National Bourbon Heritage Month. On behalf of the world’s number one bourbon producer, Beam Global is proud of our bourbon portfolio and the unique role bourbon has played in the history of our country,” said Jim Clerkin, president, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, North America. Beam Global, the world’s number one bourbon producer, owns several of the world’s iconic bourbons including: • The number one-selling bourbon in the world Jim Beam® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, • The number one ultra-premium, Knob Creek® Straight Bourbon Whiskey, part of The Small Batch Bourbon Collection®, including Baker’s®, Booker’s® and Basil Hayden’s®, and • Maker’s Mark®, the number one-selling super-premium bourbon brand. In addition, Beam Global’s bourbon portfolio extends to niche brands such as Jacob’s Well®, Bourbon deLuxe, Old Crow®, Old Grand-Dad®, and Old Taylor. As Americans offer a toast to bourbon, there are number of educational materials and iconic American cocktails featured on www.americasnativespirit.com . Source:http://home.businesswire.com |
| 02 Sep 07 | Here's Johnnie WILLIAM LYONS IT WAS a damp, bleak November morning seven years ago when Ivan Menezes, global marketing director for Diageo’s spirits division, unveiled a £100m marketing push for the group’s flagship brand. It was to be the group’s first ever global advertising campaign and came on the back of a lengthy period of stagnation for Johnnie Walker and a fall in sales. The new adverts marked a significant departure from the traditional Scotch advertising that relied on Highland glens, roaring log fires and cut-glass tumblers full of whisky. In their place were images of Harvey Keitel confronting his stage-fright and Ramon Kelvink, a French tightrope walker, crossing from one New York skyscraper to another. Fielding questions from the assembled press pack, Menezes denied that the new campaign, which was to focus on South America, was taking Scotland out of Scotch. “We are losing older drinkers by the bucketful,” he fulminated, “but only gaining new ones by the thimbleful. We will all benefit from everyone focusing on building brands and making their brands relevant to younger consumers. We are going to revitalise the category by relevant brand building.” Fast forward to last Thursday morning and it was very much mission accomplished. Delivering full-year results to the City, Paul Walsh, Diageo’s chief executive, bullishly announced that Johnnie Walker had enjoyed a record year. Exceeding all expectations he told the market that whisky drinkers had spent £3.5bn on more than 15 million cases in the past year. This one brand now accounts for half of Diageo’s Scotch whisky sales and £1bn of £7bn group turnover. At any one time there are seven million bottles waiting to mature at its 27 distilleries in Scotland, making it the third largest spirit and wine brand in the world. To put it another way, 178 glasses of Johnnie Walker are now consumed every second. A day later, speaking by telephone from Amsterdam, Johnnie Walker’s global brand director, Ben Anderson, echoed his sentiments. “It now truly is a global brand. It is drunk in more than 200 countries and is the number one selling Scotch by a country mile. With our sponsorship of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One team we are exposed to more than four billion people around the world every year. It is fair to say Johnnie Walker sits firmly alongside the world’s iconic brands. You see this in people’s reaction to Johnnie Walker from Sao Paulo to Shanghai. It’s just phenomenal; there is a real passion for this brand.” But despite the extraordinary sales figures it largely goes unnoticed in its own country. Enterprise chiefs are constantly calling for Scotland to create new brands when, in reality, the country has its own Nokia and Nike on its doorstep. Perhaps more tellingly some analysts are asking why the sudden surge in Johnnie Walker’s popularity. What has led to this growth and, more importantly, where is it going and can it continue? The main reason for the growth is an expanding consumer market and, in particular, the growing spending power of those in the emerging economies who want to associate with luxury western goods. Walsh told a media conference last week: “Scotch generally is seeing something of a renaissance, particularly as we gain access to the emerging markets. It offers authenticity and quality, and is rich in heritage. As countries become more economically empowered they aspire to these image products.” Not only is Scotch growing, but Johnnie Walker is the “main driver” of that growth. But recognition of its global influence goes largely unnoticed in Scotland. “It is very much the Owen Hargreaves of the whisky industry in that it is more famous outside the UK than within it,” says Rune Gustafson, chief executive of Interbrand, a leading international branding consultancy, referring to the England footballer who until recently played in Germany. “One of its problems is that its sales are constrained by the sector. Certain brands have grown sales because they have diversified into other areas. For example, Apple has moved from computers to music to content. Johnnie Walker does not have that ability. It could expand into other areas like branded bars, but I can’t see this happening. So its potential to grow is conditional on the investment and support Diageo gives the brand.” Johnnie Walker began life in 1820 when John Walker began selling his blended whisky from a grocer’s shop in Ayrshire. The Johnnie Walker striding man, a dandy complete with top hat and swagger, was designed in 1909 and has graced every label since. Its early growth was attributed to the mercantile nature of the British Empire as the liquid was transported with goods to trading posts across the globe. Its breakthrough in North America came after prohibition when it muscled in on the North Americans’ taste for scotch. By the 1920s it was one of the first global brands, selling in 120 countries. “Its growth is down to focus,” says Anderson. “Don’t forget that more than 130 countries were selling Johnnie Walker before Coca-Cola got out of Atlanta. You get the scale we have by having had global ambitions early on. So, as far back as the thirties, the brand was already in most parts of the world.” John Wakely, a former managing director of investment bank Lehman Brothers, who has been analysing the drinks market for more than 20 years and is now a strategic consultant, said: “Ten years ago the brand began to stall because the US Scotch market had been going down relentlessly, Europe also began to slow down and then you had the Asian crisis. “These three things were all going against them and now what has happened is that the situation has turned on its head. There is real excitement out there as the world is beginning to trade up. Asia is rebounding, Latin America is rebounding and even though Europe itself hasn’t got a great deal better, new markets have opened up for it. “Of course distribution is important. You now have a consumer out there who has been exposed to more than a handful of major Western brands and, in that environment, Diageo’s global footprint is a huge advantage. What we are experiencing now is the rise of the luxury consumer.” But what of Johnnie Walker’s profile in Scotland? A quick vox pop by Scotland on Sunday showed that only one person asked knew that Johnnie Walker was the world’s largest whisky brand. Most people thought that it was Jack Daniel’s. “It’s weird,” said one analyst. “But not unknown. If you take Hennessy Cognac it is almost impossible to find it in France.” Analysts say this level of ignorance is due to a decision in 1977 when United Distillers decided to withdraw red label from the UK. At its peak, red label held a 12% share. The move to withdraw it from Britain, which was reversed in 1983, came after an EEC ruling that stated its dual pricing system for domestic sales and exports violated the Rome Treaty. The UK market, it was decided, would have to be sacrificed in order to protect the higher volume and higher prices on the Continent. Since then the focus has always been away from the UK and it has never really recovered. It is frustrating, admits Anderson. “Some wit previously said that Scotland has given two of the greatest gifts to the world: one is golf, the other is Scotch whisky, and we do forget the latter. This is a great chance to call out how good that is. I travel around the world and I see the passion – the growth is unlimited.” Black label contains more than 40 whiskies, the final blend of which is a closely guarded secret. It has two bottling lines, in Kilmarnock and Shieldhall on the outskirts of Glasgow Airport, that work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bryan Donaghey, managing director of Diageo Scotland, said: “It is often forgotten just how big the Scotch whisky industry is up here. It employs more than 9,000 and contributes £800m to the Exchequer every year. We have invested £12m in a new line in our bottling hall that is just going in at the moment. We are increasing our employment in Speyside and building a distillery which will create jobs. Compared to Bell’s, Johnnie Walker is not as big a brand in the UK as would be merited by its heritage. But this will change.” Indeed Anderson points to even more growth in the next decade with the major battleground being China, the one emerging market in which it is second biggest seller. Johnnie Walker has 34% of the Chinese whisky market, behind Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Regal, which has a 50% share. But new figures show a 60% increase in sales this year representing a 200,000-case increase, a 6% catch-up on Pernod. The stakes in China are high. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, whisky exports to China rose from £1.5m in 2001 to £46m last year. As Anderson says: “What are our projections for the next decade? More of the same.” http://news.scotsman.com/ |
| 31 Aug 07 | Johnnie Walker sales surpass 15m cases A MILESTONE was passed in the year by Johnnie Walker, the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, which broke through the 15 million-case barrier. Diageo said that the performance met a target set in 2001 to be achieved in the full trading year to June 2007, and Johnnie Walker had sold 15.4 million cases in the year. A company spokesman said: "The achievement is all the more remarkable in that the 15 million-case ambition was set following a long period of stagnation in the whisky category. "Throughout the 1990s, the industry had been negatively impacted by several factors including the Asian crisis and the growing popularity of white spirits. "By the mid-1990s, its share of total spirits had slipped from 4 per cent to 3 per cent. Growth of the Johnnie Walker brand had been stagnant for several years and, in 1997, its share of the category dropped for the first time in a decade." Diageo said the brand had benefited from its long-standing "Keep walking" advertising campaign and Grand Prix Team sponsorship. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 30 Aug 07 | Read this morning on www.whiskyfun.com that Michael Jackson, the famous whisky writer passed away. I can only regret the loss of the man, who managed to capture my attention in his book, the World Book of whisky, the first book on whisky that I ever read. His most famous book, the Malt Companion, captured the attention of tens of thousands of whisky enthusiasts around the world and can only deplore his loss. Rest in peace, Micheal and enjoy the Angel's share! |
| 29 Aug 07 | Illicit whisky trail walks opened It is hoped visitors will learn more about whisky history The historic illicit trails used to smuggle whisky in Speyside are being opened up for guided walks. It is hoped visitors will learn more about whisky history The historic illicit trails used to smuggle whisky in Speyside are being opened up for guided walks. It is hoped visitors will learn more about the history and importance of whisky to the area. The Glenlivet Distillery and The Crown Estate have taken the step back in time to launch the three historic walks in the Glenlivet Estate. They range in length from a family walk to longer hikes which explore the secret smuggling paths. The Crown Estate Each trail is sign-posted and an accompanying leaflet is available from the visitors centre at the distillery to bring its history to life. Alan Winchester, malt distilleries manager with Chivas Brothers, said: "We are delighted to launch the Glenlivet Smugglers' Trails and we are keen to encourage visitors to try out the walks to get a taste of The Glenlivet's smuggling history and enjoy the fantastic scenery. "These newly created trails enable visitors to Glenlivet to experience how whisky was transported by the illicit distillers of old." 'Truly memorable' Andrew Wells, countryside and forestry manager for the Crown Estate said: "The Glenlivet Estate has a fascinating history, much of which is associated with its past connection to illicit whisky distilling. "This history, combined with a picturesque landscape of wide open spaces and rolling hills, make it a truly memorable place to visit." Moray MSP Richard Lochhead added: "Moray has a wide variety of attractions for visitors and the Glenlivet Smugglers' Trails will add another impressive string to the bow. "Whisky plays an important role in the heritage of Moray and I welcome the work done by the Glenlivet Distillery and the Crown Estate to open these historic routes to the public." http://news.bbc.co.uk |
| 29 Aug 07 | Whisky giant denies strike claim WHISKY giant Glenmorangie has hit back at claims workers at the West Lothian plant had voted to strike. A union member at the Broxburn site had said 19 staff on "old style" contracts had moved in favour of industrial action. But the firm, which recently won a massive deal with US whiskey company Jim Beam, denied these claims, pointing out that only seven of the 19 workers balloted returned their paper in favour of the action. The group of employees didn't want to be moved on to the new deals because they would move from a four-day to a five-day week, but with no extra hours added. No one from the GMB was available to comment. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 25 Aug 07 | Mumbai set to axe 200% tax on Scotch RICHARD ORANGE IN MUMBAI SCOTCH whisky producers are poised to win a significant battle against India's punitive tax regime as the country's biggest city, Mumbai, prepares to drop the 200% tax on imported whisky it imposed in July. The move promises to open up the final 30% of the world's largest whisky market to Scottish producers, ensuring strong demand growth in the coming years. After a month-long campaign from the international spirits industry, the Maharashtra state government has agreed to review the tax, and is expected to announce a decision to replace it by the end of this week. Amrit Kirin Singh, head of Jack Daniels India and chairman of the trade body for spirits importers, said on Friday: "We are hoping to hear some good news. The Excise Department has understood the problem and decided to review the matter. They [the Maharashtra state] jumped the gun initially and now they're ready to make amends. The domestic manufacturers had fed them the wrong information." The breakthrough came in a meeting on Friday with the state's new Excise Commissioner Indrajit Chehal. Mumbai's top hotels groups, the Taj and the Oberoi, joined international spirits producers in campaigning for an end to the tax. The hotel groups, which had delayed ordering new cases of spirits while the tax issue remained unresolved, have this week faced severe shortages of many international brands. Singh said Chehal had now accepted that the tax increase was playing into the hands of the bootleggers who control 85% of India's spirits imports. "What we've told them is that this is the best opportunity to bite into the grey market. We've actually shown them a map of how the illegal stuff comes into the state." Maharashtra imposed the tax after the Indian government bowed to pressure from the World Trade Organisation and slashed tariffs on imported whisky, which had previously been as high as 550%. Whisky producers now expect Maharashtra to impose a flat tax of between 200 (£2.5) and 400 rupees (£5) a bottle, bringing prices roughly in line with those in Delhi, where the local government left taxes unchanged after the cut in national import tariffs. Delhi and Mumbai together account for roughly 70% of the Indian spirits market, with Delhi taking a slightly larger share. The local government in Calcutta has cut taxes on imported spirits, making Scottish imports very competitive with local premium brands. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, India buys more Scotch whisky - one million cases in 2004 - than either China (700,000 cases), Russia and Poland (600,000 each) or Turkey (200,000). http://news.scotsman.com/ |
| 22 Aug 07 | Researchers brew up whisky fuel Beer and whisky waste will be used to create biofuels Cars could be powered with by-products from breweries following research by Scottish scientists. Researchers at Abertay University have been awarded a grant to investigate how to turn residues from beer and whisky into biofuel. They will look into new methods of turning spent grain into bioethanol, which is more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. It is CO2 neutral, and produces 65% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Experts have estimated that about half of the world's oil reserves have been used up in the last 200 years. More environmentally friendly alternatives are being developed, including biofuels. Waste products Brazil and the USA have both been very successful in creating bioethanol from sugarcane and maize starch respectively. However, these methods have been open to criticism because they have created an increased demand for land for growing energy crops. Scientists all over the world have been trying to find a simple and cost effective way to produce more biofuels from waste or low value products. That is the focus of the year-long research project in Dundee, led by Professor Graeme Walker. He said: "Our research will be looking at the far more complicated process of turning waste products from industry into bioethanol as an example of a second-generation biofuel. "These products are currently disposed of or processed for animal feed and turning them into fuel would be an attractive use of the resource. "At the moment many technical challenges remain to converting waste biomass into fuel. "We will focus on finding more efficient and cost effective processes." http://news.bbc.co.uk |
| 19 Aug 07 | Black to the future for Famous Grouse as Edrington challenges Islay malts WILLIAM LYONS EDRINGTON, the privately owned Scotch whisky group, is trialling a new version of its iconic Famous Grouse brand in a bid to take on the popularity of the Islay malts. Famous Grouse Black, a heavily peated blend, aims to tap into the new breed of younger Scotch whisky consumers who prefer the strong, iodine flavour of Islay malts but cannot afford their hefty price. The move, which comes just months after the group cancelled its 17-year sponsorship deal with the Scottish Rugby Union, is evidence that the Perth-based group is repositioning Scotland's most popular whisky brand. Famous Grouse director Gerry O'Donnell plans to roll out the Black variant across the Scandinavian market and then introduce it into the UK. He said: "We're aiming to bring more innovation to the marketplace through expanding the Grouse portfolio. Black Grouse was designed primarily for the Nordic market, where we were quick to spot there was a group of consumers that were a little bit younger than the usual Scotch consumers and who were interested in a fuller flavoured delivery of Scotch whisky. "The traditional Islay malt whiskies are probably out of reach in terms of price. Black Grouse delivers an Islay flavour in a format most consumers can afford as well as carrying the benchmark of Famous Grouse." Famous Grouse is the top-selling blended whisky in Scotland and number two in the UK behind Diageo's Bell's brand. Last year it saw volume sales rise 5% and is now selling more than three million cases for the first time. But the success of its range extensions - such as the blended malt that was introduced into Taiwan and is now the number one bestseller - has encouraged Edrington to extend the range. One industry observer said: "The problem is you can dilute the main brand. People can get bored with their brand and every new marketing director wants to do something different. "Grouse users are getting older and they recruit new people by constantly reinventing the brand. But they have to be careful not to take it so far away from the core values that it becomes no longer Grouse." (...) O'Donnell added: "One of the great phases for Scotch whisky is now on our doorstep. The trick is to withstand some of the pressures to promote and discount in the more mature markets while opening up new, interesting fronts for Scotch." Edrington, which employs around 800 staff, is one of Scotland's largest private companies. Including the Macallan, Highland Park and Cutty Sark sales, the company puts itself at number four in size terms in the global Scotch whisky market, with a 9% share. http://business.scotsman.com |
| 17 Aug 07 | A TOUCH OF SCOTLAND IN DRY PAKISTAN Distilling the Muslim World's First 20-Year-Old Whisky By Padma Rao in Rawalpindi, Pakistan An almost 150-year-old brewery in Pakistan is preparing to bring the Muslim world's first 20-year-old single malt whisky to the market. Murree Brewery, however, can only sell to non-Muslims, who comprise 3 percent of Pakistan's population. The heart of the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi is dotted with paradoxes. Amidst the foliage of the Jinnah National Park, an expansive garden that houses the prison where former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bhutto was hanged in 1979, the giant "M" of an American fast food chain rises like a monolith. Behind it runs the National Park Road, a leafy, residential avenue replete with road blocks and bearded men carrying submachine guns. Hanging over it all is the distinct and unmistakable smell of fermenting alcohol. What, in Allah's name, is going on here? The 150-year-old Murree Brewery is teeming with activity. One of the Islamic world's most successful breweries will soon launch a rare, one-off product of its distillery: a 20-year-old single malt whisky that is the first of its kind in the Muslim world. But the armed police are not here to guard the amber fluid. They're here to protect the brewery's equally famous neighbor on National Park Road and currently the man most wanted by Islamic terrorists in the region: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the country's leader and teetotaller-in-chief. "The irony is lost on nobody," chuckles brewery owner Minoo Bhandara, peering through his glasses at the tall gates of Musharaff's house across the street as he takes a sip of a beer brewed from Bavarian hops. But he insists that the existence of a brewery in a country where the 97-percent Muslim majority is barred from drinking alcohol is not some freak occurrence: "It merely reflects an age-old tolerance which the West is ignorant about." Bhandara's faith in his country's secular credentials is a far cry from Pakistan's post-9/11 reputation as a nest for Islamic terrorists. But if there is anyone who is qualified to comment, it's the 69-year-old brewer. As a member of Pakistan's tiny Zoroastrian minority, Bhandara's own ancestors fled religious persecution in newly Islamic Persia to settle in the pluralistic and tolerant Indian subcontinent thousands of years ago. Along with Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others, the Zoroastrians, known as "Parsi," make up the religious minority of 3 percent who are excluded from Pakistan's rigid anti-alcohol law and allowed to buy beer, wine and spirits from state-owned shops. Throughout the British era and right up to 30 years after independence, Pakistan's liquor laws remained liberal -- just like those in neighboring India. In order to harness some of the growing influence of Islamic fundamentalist parties, though, former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bhutto banned alcohol in the late 1970s. Even today many Muslims continue to enjoy alcohol, albeit at great expense and under cover. Hospitable and rich hosts in the big cities of Islamabad and Karachi ply guests with the finest wines and spirits delivered to their doorsteps by non-Muslim friends or bought on the black market. Of course, the rich aren't the only Muslims who drink here, and tragic deaths from cheap, contaminated bootleg alcohol continue to make the headlines. 'Even in Pakistan, Prohibition Will Not Work' The tendency of upwardly mobile Muslims to occasionally enjoy a tipple is by no means restricted to Pakistan. "Britain's leading gin manufacturer told me that his biggest market is not the United States but the officially dry Saudi Arabia," says Bhandara. "Even in Pakistan, prohibition will not work -- it is just lip service to propriety." Earlier this year, a member of parliament whose party is part of Musharraf's ruling coalition made headlines by asking Pakistan's National Assembly to lift the ban, arguing that the prohibition on alcohol, "a minor evil," was only driving people to drugs. There are also differing views on whether there is a strict ban on alcohol in the Koran. Scholars say that there are at least three references to alcohol in the sacred text: not to pray in a drunken state, to discard what one does not need and to regard alcohol as the work of Satan. But the same fundamentalist Islamic clerics and the stridently oppositional Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal coalition of religious parties who are the most vociferous critics of Musharaff's policies of opening the country and improving its ties with the United States also help to ensure that the alcohol ban remains in place. They routinely hold up the latter Koran reference as ultimate proof of the Islamic ban on alcohol. But Pakistan's Western-educated elite and liberal army officers -- many of whom trained overseas -- would prefer to leave the Koran references open to interpretation. A Matterhorn Climber Opens a Brewery Still, the country's highly restrictive alcohol laws haven't stopped Murree from building one of the most successful breweries in the Muslim world. Murree Brewery was founded in 1860 by relatives of the British mountaineer Edward Whymper, who, five years later, became the first man to scale the Matterhorn. It is named after the misty, western Himalayan town of Murree, located some 50 kilometers away from Rawalpindi and the city in which the brewery was originally founded to quench the thirst of British troops in colonial India. Though the company produces only a fraction of the world's beer -- 30,000 hectoliters out of an estimated 2 million hectoliters globally, according to Bhandara -- it has long been successful in Pakistan. Despite the country's alcohol ban, Murree manages to stay afloat because of huge demand -- among both Muslims and non-Muslims -- and the company's virtual monopoly among beer producers. Of the country's three breweries -- the others are located in Quetta and Karachi -- Murree holds a 70 percent market share. Muslims are allowed to hold shares in the company, which is listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange. In the late 1990s, it twice listed as one of the country's 25 top performing stocks. 'Have a Murree with Your Curry' Bhandara is now eager to set up joint ventures in the mammoth Indian market and also in Europe, where the Pakistani brew will be launched with the catchy advertising campaign, "Have a Murree with your curry." International recognition is nothing new for the company. Murree Beer was awarded a medal for product excellence at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876, and various other international awards over the past 140 years. The company's 8-year-old single malt whisky has already received lavish praise from none less than three-time Glenfiddich Whisky Writer of the Year Jim Murray. "Not only does (Murree whisky) compare favorably, it is much better than a number of less-known Scotch malts," Murray writes in his Complete Book of Whisky. "Crisp and delicate ... so good is this whisky that ... (you) smell a drained glass in the morning and you are swamped by its fabulously honeyed riches." Murree will launch its real jewel, its 20-year-old single malt, as part of a one-time limited edition offer next year. There will be 200 cases of 12 bottles each, priced modestly at 2,500 Pakistan rupees (around $40) a bottle. The brewery is also thinking of selling posters and souvenirs of the original, lithographic calendars and paintings of the Murree hills made by the Whympers family. In the dark, cool cellars of the Murree distillery, many of the employees handling the huge oak casks wear Muslim prayer-caps. Murree can even boast a female bookkeeper. Of course, not all employees drink, but those who do are not afraid to admit it. Perhaps most importantly, none are ashamed of their job, no matter what their conservative neighbors might mumble. "Most people don't really care where we work, but some do," says US-trained brewer and technical manager Mohammed Javed. "There are lots of other, more serious evils which the Koran forbids, like hurt and torture -- why don't they focus on eliminating those?" http://www.spiegel.de |
| 17 Aug 07 | Glenmorangie hopes to bottle bigger market JIM STANTON BUSINESS EDITOR (jstanton@edinburghnews.com) GLENMORANGIE, the West Lothian-based whisky group, has unveiled a new brand identity as part of a "multi-million-pound" drive to boost its global presence and help it capture a bigger slice of the growing worldwide malt whisky market. As part of the initiative, the group behind Scotland's leading and most iconic malt is introducing a new contemporary and stylish look, but still based on the drink's Gaelic roots, including sculpted new bottles, new packaging, a new emblem and a new product range. The whisky's new emblem, the "Signet", has been inspired by the Cadboll Stone, an ancient Pictish standing stone originally sited on the estate of Glenmorangie House in Ross-shire, close to where the whisky has been distilled since 1843. Glenmorangie chief executive Paul Neep hailed the new identity initiative as "great news for the Scotch whisky industry" and "the next stage in the history of Glenmorangie". There has also been investment in a new bottling operation at the group's Broxburn headquarters, where around ten new jobs have been added, taking the plant's payroll to around 290. Taking in its other distilleries in Tain, Islay and Elgin, Glenmorangie - Gaelic for Glen of Tranquility - it employs a total of 400 people. The group, which sells its products in over 150 countries worldwide, has made the investment against a background of growing global demand for malt whisky and is aiming to begin selling its new range from September. Mr Neep said: "We believe the stylish, contemporary look will appeal to a much wider audience at a time when more and more people are opening their eyes to the world of malt whisky. "It's really about giving an extra boost so that it appeals to consumers, not just at home, but in markets such as China, Russia and the US." And he added: "Glenmorangie is already seen as the very best in single malt Scotch whisky and we are confident these changes will further enhance the brand's status across the world. We're very confident about the future." Last year, the Scotch market had one of its most successful years ever, with the malt category growing at a current rate of five per cent a year. Whisky export revenues rose four per cent to £2.5 billion last year, according to figures from the Scotch Whisky Association. Simon Erlanger, Glenmorangie's sales and marketing manager, said malt whisky was one of the fastest-growing spirits categories in the world. "This is a massive commitment by the company," he said. "We want to get more than our fair share of the newer markets but we also want to grow the market share in established markets." Among the new products, Glenmorangie whisky creator Rachel Barrie has helped come up with three new "expressions" of Glenmorangie Extra Matured, including Glenmorangie Lasanta, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Glenmorangie Nectar D'Òr. http://business.scotsman.com |
| 16 Aou 07 | Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the owner of Glenmorangie & Ardbeg, is revamping the Glenmorangie label and packaging, as seen today in the whiskymag forum. This will be a major change and the new prices are not yet known. Apparently, the new 18 YO will be priced at £80+. Isle of Jura, Bowmore, Highland Park, Old Pulteney are just a few examples which underwent similar repackaging excercises.
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| 16 Aou 07 | England's “only” malt whisky distillery is set to become Norfolk's newest tourist attraction tomorrow . Officials at St George's Distillery at Roudham, near Thetford, spoke of their excitement yesterday as they prepared to open their doors to the paying public for the first time. The English Whisky Company has been producing spirits since October, but will begin tours and tasting sessions from 10am tomorrow - despite its main tipple not being ready to drink for at least another two years. Staff were yesterday making the finishing touches to the new £1m distillery building, which includes a café, conference room, tasting area, and shop featuring more than 150 different whiskies, bourbons, and liqueurs from around the world. The new tourist destination, which employs about a dozen people, comes almost two years after father and son whisky enthusiasts James and Andrew Nelstrop came up with the concept of building a distillery on Breckland farmland. Managing director Andrew said he hoped that more would spring up across the country as a result of the opening of England's first registered malt whisky distillery in more than 110 years. “It will be a relief when we open on Friday because it means that we won't have to be here seven days a week, but we will be more relieved in three weeks when we will know if people want to come here. “50,000 visitors a year would be ideal and we have had a lot of phone calls and people coming in the gate before we have opened, but we have absolutely no idea how popular it will be at the moment. The August bank holiday will be the biggest test.” “For the first three to five years, the tourism side of the business is very important and is the only thing that is paying the wages because we have no whisky to sell yet,” he said. Visitors to St George's Distillery, which received a royal seal of approval from Prince Charles in March, will be able to learn how English whisky is made as well as tasting a range of spirits from Scotland and around the globe. Its own produce will not be ready until November 2009 at the earliest, but the company has also made its own range of liqueurs, including Norfolk Nog, Norfolk Blueberry, and Norfolk Blackberry. The site at Roudham was chosen because of its proximity to the clean, clear and hard water of the Breckland aquifer, supply of locally grown barley, and closeness to the A11. Workers are also set to spend more time landscaping the land at the rear of the distillery so that visitors can take walks along the river Thet. Source: http://new.edp24.co.uk |
| 16 Aug 07 | Back to school with Springbank As schoolchildren around Scotland prepare to pack their bags and look out their books after the summer holidays, Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown has announced that it will be offering a unique whisky-making experience to older students later this year. Ever wondered exactly how your favourite dram is made? Fancy getting your hands dirty in the making of one of the world’s best-known single malts? The first ever Springbank Whisky School will give whisky fanatics from around the world the opportunity to do just that. Headmaster and Course Co-ordinator will be Springbank’s Director of Production Frank McHardy, who will be on hand throughout each of the five-day “terms” to pass on the extensive knowledge he has gained during 44 years in the whisky industry. Springbank’s status as the only distillery in Scotland to carry out 100 per cent of the whisky-making process on-site, from malting the barley through to bottling its own whisky, makes it the ideal location to learn the craft which has been practised in Scotland for hundreds of years. Previewing the school, Frank McHardy explained: “We are looking forward to running the Whisky School because it gives us the opportunity to let ‘pupils’ get hands on experience of carrying out all the processes to turn barley into bottles of whisky. After all we are, at present, the only distillery in Scotland to do this. We have a good team at Springbank and our staff are keen to share our combined knowledge, gathered over many years, concerning production methods and the history of the Scotch Whisky industry.” Six five day-long “terms” will be held in October and November this year with places strictly limited to six students per term. Students will work alongside the Springbank staff learning the entire whiskymaking process, from malting through mashing, distilling and warehousing to bottling. As well as the practical work, there will also be theory classes in malting, production and tasting. While the Whisky School promises to be educational and provide a first class insight into the making of single malt Scotch whisky, there will also be an emphasis on enjoyment. “The Whisky School will also be a fun experience and most importantly we will try to ensure that all attendees thoroughly enjoy themselves,” said Frank. Classes will run from 8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, with a written exam on the Friday morning followed by a graduation lunch and presentation with the course tutors in The Tasting Room. Places at the Whisky School cost £875 per student. This fee includes five nights dinner, bed and breakfast in Campbeltown, four packed lunches, a graduation lunch at the end of the course, all class fees and Springbank-branded work wear. The cost of travelling to Campbeltown is NOT included. The first term will run from Monday 8th - Friday 12th October and for each of five weeks thereafter. As places are strictly limited to six per week, prospective students are encouraged to register for the Whisky School as soon as possible. To register, or request an e-brochure, telephone +44 (0) 1586 552009 or email whiskyschool@springbankwhisky.com. |
| 15 Aug 07 | United Spirits will launch some of the brands from the Whyte & Mackay portfolio in India around Diwali this year. By November, brands like Dalmore Single Highland Malt, Fettercairn, Glayva and Isle of Jura single malt Scotch whisky and Vladivar Vodka should be available at distributors across the country, according to UB group chairman Vijay Mallya. The products would also be sold in markets such as China, South Korea and Spain, Mallya said. The Rs 2,965-crore United Spirits will also introduce exclusive distributor-wholesaler arrangements shortly. Such arrangements, which will be entered into across India, could raise the barrier for new entrants into the market. (...) Meanwhile, the management might consider listing Whyte & Mackay on the London Stock Exchange to raise capital, Mallya said. The idea is to repay part of the debt on the books of Whyte & Mackay. He added that if necessary, United Spirits might sell a part of its treasury stock of 10.8 million shares to repay borrowings, currently of the order of Rs 6,000 crore. About Rs 5,100 crore of debt has been taken on to fund the Whyte & Mackay buy and the average cost of the debt is 8.5 per cent. United Spirits, the second largest spirits manufacturer in the world, acquired Glasgow-based Scotch whisky maker Whyte & Mackay for $1.2 billion (around Rs 4,866 crore) in an all-cash deal in May this year. Since the acquisition, scotch prices have risen about 10-15 per cent, increasing the value of the inventory with Whyte & Mackay to about £400 million. Although United Spirits sells close to 60 million cases of spirits a year, its existing whisky brands are distilled from sugar or molasses and not from grain. This had prompted the Scotch Whisky Association to staunchly resist Mallya’s attempts to sell his brews in Europe. W&M, which sold 9 million cases last year, had a global market share of 10 per cent in the Scotch whisky segment. At present, thanks to a high tariff structure, whisky accounts for a mere 1 per cent of the liquor market in India, which stands at 150 million cases yearly. W&M had recently restructured and relaunched its brands, investing $220 million (Rs 892 crore) in the process. The launch of the W&M products would help United Spirits improve its position in the premium spirits segment, analysts said. http://www.business-standard.com |
| 12 Aug 07 | New Black Bowmore, the 2nd edition will be released in October this year at thr price of £1800. Distilled in 1964, this will be a 42 years old Bowmore, from the same batch as the first "batch" of Black Bowmores. |
| 12 Aug 07 | Scotch stays on the shelf in Mumbai after 200% tax halts spirit sales RICHARD ORANGE IN MUMBAI NOT a single case of Scotch whisky has been sold in Mumbai, India's largest city, since the imposition of a devastating 200% tax last month and spirits importers expect the city's bars and hotels to run out of some international brands within weeks. "There has been absolutely no sale of foreign spirits in Maharashtra. Nobody has sold a bottle," said the India chairman of a leading international spirits group. "The only reason that the hotels and bars have not run out is because of what they already had in stock." The imposition of the unexpectedly harsh tax on July 10 by the state of Maharashtra, which includes Mumbai, was a serious upset to Scottish whisky producers, who had only weeks before been celebrating their success in ending India's punitive import tariffs at a national level. Maharashtra represents 30%-40% of the Indian whisky market - the world's largest. The industry has been campaigning for the tax to be cut to a more reasonable level. In a meeting last Wednesday, leading whisky producers Diageo and Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniels, persuaded the Maharashtra Excise Commissioner to put the new tax under review. But that evening, he was transferred to a new role with the Maharashtra government, leaving the companies clueless as to whether any real progress was made. Sunil Mehndiratta, chairman of the International Spirits and Wines association of India, said: "As an industry none of us really know how to take it. We've done good work with the commissioner and we're not sure if we're going to have to completely reinvent the wheel." Scottish whisky producers still expect to see their sales to India increase dramatically in the coming years. Under heavy pressure from the World Trade Organisation, India reduced national tariffs on imported spirits to a flat rate of 150% at the start of July. Previously, the combined tax burden on imported spirits was often as high as 550%. Maharashtra is the only state to have retaliated with higher taxes. Excise bodies regulating taxes in all other states, including the major whisky-drinking areas Delhi, Bangalore and the Punjab, have opted to leave taxes on imported spirits unchanged. Spirits importers argue that Maharashtra's new 200% tax on imported whisky plays into the hands of bootleggers. A bottle of Johnny Walker that costs around 1,800 rupees (£22) for a litre on the streets costs 4,000 rupees (£49) for just 75cl in the shops. Only 10% of spirits imported to India comes in legally, with the rest smuggled in. http://business.scotsman.com |
| 09 Aug 07 | Whisky plan set to raise the roof The pagodas are described as integral to production More than £500,000 is being invested to replace two pagoda roofs at the Highland Park distillery in Orkney. Specialist contractors have flown to Kirkwall for the Grade B listed work. The "intricate" work on one of the pagodas is due for completion in September, while the second is expected to be replaced next year. The pagoda roofs sit high above the kilns and draw the smoke up through the barley, which Highland Park said was "integral" to production. Councillor Stephen Hagan, convener of Orkney Islands Council, said: "Highland Park is one of Orkney's most famous visitor attractions and it's great to see them investing in time-old traditions at the distillery. "The pagoda is a direct likeness of the original, which tourists have come to expect and love, and the council was more than happy to have granted the go-ahead for such a wonderful project." The original pagoda roofing will be kept for display at the distillery. http://news.bbc.co.uk |
| 08 Aug 07 | Morrison Bowmore toasts profit hike IAN McCONNELL, Business Editor August 08 2007 Comment Morrison Bowmore Distillers enjoyed rocketing profits last year as it moved away from low-margin blended whisky business and focused more on its single malts. The leap in pre-tax profits, to £2.65m in 2006 from just £154,415 in the prior 12 months, was also aided by a one-off gain of £1.39m arising from the closure of its final salary pension scheme to future accruals. The buoyant earnings picture is in stark contrast to Morrison Bowmore's losses in 2002 and 2003, which prompted job cuts. The profit leap comes at a time when the Scotch whisky sector has been enjoying a strong run, with particular buoyancy in malts. advertisement In spite of the boost to 2006 profits from the pension fund issue, a leap in the net deficit in the Glasgow-based company's final salary scheme from £7.13m to £15.35m during the year weighed heavily on the balance sheet. Morrison Bowmore, known best for its eponymous Islay malt, closed its generous, non-contributory final salary pension scheme to new entrants on January 1, 2002. Its latest accounts, which have just become available from Companies House, report that the scheme was closed to "future accrual benefits" from September 30 last year. The distiller, which was bought by Suntory of Japan in 1994, reports in its accounts that a full actuarial valuation of its pension scheme had been carried out at January 1 last year and had been updated to December 31 by a qualified independent actuary. Morrison Bowmore says it was agreed that the ongoing contribution to fund the pension deficit would be assessed on a "solvency basis", placing a higher value on the liabilities than the "corporate bond basis" applied in its 2005 accounts. It adds: "To reflect the ongoing funding of the scheme, and on grounds of prudence, the solvency basis has been adopted to assess the scheme deficit under FRS (Financial Reporting Standard) 17 at 31 December 2006. This reflects the agreement reached between the trustees and the company to wind the scheme up either within 10 years or over a reasonable period." The accounts refer to "actuarial losses" of £15.88m relating to the pension scheme. These figure in its statement of total recognised gains and losses and, mitigated by a deferred tax asset of £4.76m, play the major part in driving the profit and loss account reserve in its balance sheet from a £31.5m to a £41.2m deficit during 2006 in spite of Morrison Bowmore's healthy earnings. Explaining the one-off boost of £1.39m to 2006 profits arising from the pension scheme issue, Morrison Bowmore says: "At the end of 2005, the company was still providing a defined-benefit pension scheme and was therefore accruing for this future benefit within the FRS17 pension deficit. Now that the scheme has closed, these future benefit accruals have been reversed as a pension-scheme curtailment credit to the profit- and-loss account." Setting aside this one-off gain, Morrison Bowmore, which enjoyed a 6% rise in group turnover to £31.6m while reducing its cost of sales from £17.59m to £17.46m, emphasises the significant improvement in its underlying performance. It says: "Even without this non-recurring income, profit before tax is showing an improvement of £1.1m against 2005. The improvement in profitability is down to the firm's focus on moving away from low-margin blend business and concentrating on building our single malt brands. This is reflected in the performance of Bowmore, whose sales in 2006 continued to grow." The distiller has made a significant strategic shift. Chief executive Mike Keiller had, in the darker days of 2003, emphasised the company would not be reining back on the likes of supermarket own-label business. He told The Herald in December 2003: "We are going to try and focus and develop more business in that area. Essentially we have got, through our own and our parent company, surplus stocks of whisky for sale. We want to focus in on that area, to liquidate that, and turn it into good cash and, at the same time, develop some of our own blends as a by-product of that." Morrison Bowmore subsequently exited an unprofitable supply contract with Safeway, now owned by Wm Morrison. As well as Bowmore, the distiller's malts include the lowland Auchentoshan and the highland Glen Garioch. The company also produces the Rob Roy blend. The accounts state the average number of employees in 2006 was 170, up from 164 in 2005. Aggregate payroll costs rose from £5.47m to £5.71m. Directors' remuneration rose from £493,336 to £513,420, excluding compensation for loss of office paid in 2005. The emoluments of the highest-paid director rose from £286,371 to £295,985. Net debt rose from £25m to £27m during 2006. Keiller was unavailable to comment on the results. http://theherald.co.uk/ |
| 05 Aug 07 | Roll out the barrels WILL LYONS AT A TIME of day when most of us are just about managing to negotiate a bowl of cornflakes, Mike Ross, the stillman at Benromach distillery, is already at his post, pouring two tonnes of malted barley into a mash tun full of warm water. "We have to be very careful not to get this wrong," he says, staring straight ahead at a small temperature gauge on the opposite wall. Handing the controls over to me, he adds, "A slight miscalculation at this stage and we could end up with either not enough sugar or too much sugar." A strong smell of Horlicks fills the room as I tentatively spin the lever, careful to keep the temperature at 64.5ûC. Beyond the industrial sound of rushing water, the distillery manager Keith Cruickshank paces down the floor. "How we doing?" he asks. "Make a mess of this and you'll throw the whole operation out." Welcome to Speyside - the engine room of the Scotch malt whisky industry. As the three of us peer nervously into a churning mash tun, around us the region hums with the noise of hundreds of distilleries, many of them working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, sweating it out to meet the growing demand for Scotland's golden spirit. These are good times for Scotch whisky. Last year exports of Scotch generated a record £2.5 billion, with nearly 90 million cases exported worldwide. To put that into context, for every second in the day the equivalent of 33 bottles are shipped overseas, earning the industry £78 - or £6,739,200 a day. Laid end to end, those bottles would stretch from Perth, Scotland, to Perth, Australia. Industry analysts say this could be the beginning of something even greater. On the horizon lie India and China, two of the biggest spirits markets in the world. In just ten years, growth in China has risen from 0.7 million litres to 5.7 million litres, fuelled by a burgeoning middle class which has acquired a taste for whisky. In India the potential is even greater. While the Chinese still predominantly drink beer, India is largely a brown-spirit-drinking culture. Attend a dinner party in Mumbai and you are more likely to be served a glass of whisky than wine or beer. The prize is massive. To China and India can be added renewed demand from South America, eastern Europe, Russia and, of course, the United States. Suddenly, owning a distillery doesn't look such a bad investment. Benromach was mothballed in the early 1980s. Back then whisky production stagnated under the twin pressures of the oil crisis and a baby-boomer generation that didn't touch the stuff. On top of this, single malt was seen very much as an old man's pipe-and-slippers drink. It was saved in 1994 when Elgin-based bottler Gordon & Macphail bought it. At the time the distillery was virtually derelict. All the fixtures and fittings had been ripped out and sold by its previous owners. Over a three-year period Gordon & Macphail overhauled the operation, putting in a new mill, mash tun, three wooden washbacks and two brand new copper stills. The result is a boutique distillery inside an ancient shell. It's a bit like a fully refurbished classic car. And, like a classic car, there are no computers, electronic charts or detailed spread sheets. The multinationals may run their hi-tech distilleries with banks of computers and remote controls; in Benromach, there's just Keith, Mike, me and a clock. It strikes 9am - time to empty the mash tuns. Keith and I slowly drain the mashed liquid into the worts receiver. Here, the water is left to cool. (The grain in the mash tun is later removed and sold to a local farmer for cattle feed.) "Can you drink this?" I ask, sticking my head over the top. "At this stage the liquid is very high in sugar," says Keith. "You could drink it, but you would soon feel the effects around your waistline." "It's a bit like an old-fashioned energy drink," adds Mike. The three wooden washbacks loom in the distillery like oversized barrels. Inside these larch containers there's a lot going on as the fermentation takes place. Keith slings me a plastic sack full of a damp, clay-like substance (the distiller's yeast) that I drop into the wort. On top of this I add some brewer's yeast, a dry, finer grain not unlike demerara sugar. Below, the liquid starts to fizz, the start of a centuries-old process that turns the sugar into alcohol. Keith tells me fermentation is a useful tool in determining the flavour and style of the whisky. A long fermentation (100 hours) gives it a rich, fruity, complex character, whereas a shorter fermentation (48 hours) gives it a spicy, nutty flavour. "The flavour of whisky is like a big jigsaw," he says. "Some pieces are larger than others. On top of the fermentation we have copper contact, for example. How much copper you add to your vapour will affect the eventual outcome." In short, the more copper you add, such as the long stills at Glenmorangie, the lighter and more delicate the whisky. The less copper, such as the small, dumpy stills at Macallan, the meatier and heavier the spirit. Fortunately, Keith has a fermentation he prepared earlier which we begin to pump into the two pre-heated pot stills. At about 78ûC the alcohol starts to boil, the vapour is collected, cooled and converted back into spirit known as low wines. Today, most malts are produced by double distillation. So the low wines are pumped into the second pot still for another go. The end result is a clear liquid referred to as new make spirit. Keith hands me a glass. With an alcohol content of between 60% and 70%, I refrain from tasting, opting instead to nose the glass. Despite its disappointingly bland appearance, I pick up a toffee aroma with notes of nail polish, smoked bacon and a hint of peat. Mike grabs it off me and says he can detect bananas, while Keith adds his own notes of bubblegum. This is where whisky appreciation differs from wine. While wine descriptions grew out of the ultra-conservative tasting notes of writers such as Michael Broadbent and Hugh Johnson, whisky has always been more adventurous - and malt whisky even more so. The night before, I enjoyed a malt tasting with the Urquhart family, owners of Gordon & Macphail for more than 110 years. Putting his nose into a glass of Linkwood, Michael Urquhart came up with "fudge, gooseberry, green apples, violets and Deep Heat". It is this type of appreciation that has electrified the industry over the last decade. "When my father was buying Islay malts to bottle back in the 1960s, you couldn't sell them for love nor money," said Michael. "Nobody wanted them. Now we can't get enough of them." He believes the growing popularity of malts is linked to our increased love of spicy, more exotic food. "Everyone is so much more adventurous these days. The proliferation of cooking programmes, celebrity chefs and restaurants from all over the world has really helped. More than ever people are asking, 'Does this whisky offer a challenge? Is it going to make my palate go through the Olympics?'" By far the biggest influence on a whisky's flavour is wood. This is where Gordon & Macphail is a past master. It has been buying malt whisky from other producers and ageing it in its own barrels, bought from Jerez in Spain and Kentucky in the USA, for decades. But this model is under pressure. With sales of malt whisky booming, distillers may be more reluctant than previously to sell their prized stock to bottlers such as G&M - hence the company's decision to purchase Benromach. Back at the distillery, Keith hands me an empty bottle. After a visit to the warehouse we select a cask and I get to fill my very own bottle, which is then signed and dated. Behind, the distillery machinery chugs on; there is the milling for tomorrow's mash to be completed and the washbacks to be filled, ready for another production run. The visitor centre fills up with tourists while the roads outside rumble with the sound of lorries transporting whisky to the port, from where it will be dispatched to the four corners of the world. "The last time we did this - let someone fill their own bottle - it was for two Germans," says Keith. "They were intent on getting a little bit of the charred wood from the cask into the bottle to take back home." With so much of Scotland's manufacturing industry having fallen silent, it's nice to experience a sector booming. It may be our national drink, but it has a truly global appeal. The appliance of science ACCORDING to the Scotch Whisky Association, there are more than 100 stillmen working in Scotland. Many, like Benromach's Keith Cruickshank, worked their way up through the industry, learning the principles of distillation and maturation from their forefathers. In many of today's hi-tech distilleries, most stillmen spend as much time monitoring a computer as they do a mash tun. Heriot-Watt University offers an MSc and diploma in brewing and distilling, the only courses of this type in the UK. Graduates are introduced to the theory and practice of malting, brewing and distilling, and the courses attract students from as far afield as China. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 04 Aug 07 | Scotching industry vultures to rebuild a brand Fraser Thornton SATURDAY PROFILE: FRASER THORNTON WHEN the biggest outlet for your whisky is Asda, and your competitors are faxing the supermarket daily on the disastrous state of your share price, asking if it really wants to be supplied by a 7p-a-share basket case, drastic action is called for. This was the situation that faced Fraser Thornton, now managing director of Burn Stewart, when he joined the then-listed company, run by his father, Bill, in the mid-1990s. Currently owned by the Trinidadian conglomerate CL Financial, the maker of Scottish Leader, Deanston, Bunnahabhain, and Black Bottle, Burn Stewart will this month unveil growth figures that put beyond doubt the distiller's status as the comeback kid of the Scotch industry. With turnover growth in the region of 20 per cent expected, the figures help validate the do-or-die path on which Thornton has taken a company that emerged from the volatile bulk-trading market only to enter stock exchange hell. "When you are dealing with a company that has been through a bad patch, the trick is to stay the course," says Alan Gray, whisky analyst for Sutherlands stockbrokers. "Not only has Fraser encouraged CL to put a lot of money behind building previously underdeveloped brands like Black Bottle and Bunnahabhain, but with Scottish Leader he has taken the hard road of building brands in the generally declining UK market. Given that exports rose at 5.9 per cent last year, and 90 per cent of this business is exports, few bother to do this." The industry view of Thornton is of a convivial, shrewd business strategist, who has expended the shoe-leather and put in the air miles as an international salesman for Scotch and its brand values. It also does not hurt that the world of whisky "kent his faither", though he insists that this has done him no favours within the company. A company that 20 years ago had no distilleries, let alone any brands, has all but completed the strategy - heavily associated with Thornton - to have Scottish Leader taken seriously as a must-stock best seller to match the popular blends Bell's and Famous Grouse. While Thornton is naturally content that Scottish Leader is massive in Taiwan (the fifth biggest international market for blended Scotch and the fourth for malt), and big in Iceland, France and elsewhere, he is not prepared to leave it at that. BS has assiduously worked the on-trade market to set up the bases, and we can expect to hear more about the brand, which has been redesigned at a cost of about £500,000 (see right), in the consumer advertising space in the months ahead, It is Scottish Leader that changed BS's game from one of mere survival. As Thornton tells it: "By the mid-1990s with whisky prices falling and the trading position of Burn Stewart becoming more difficult, it was becoming ever harder to see a way in which the company would be able to raise enough money buy a significant brand or organisation again. "It became clear to me that we were going to have to build a brand from scratch." Ten years later, and Scottish Leader has the respectable home-market presence that allows BS's overseas sales team to look foreign buyers in the eye. Thornton says: "The main question you get in the US or wherever, other than the ones about distilleries and so on, was 'What do you sell in your home country?' "People like to know that a brand has got a strong base in its heartland. It's a slightly weak position, heading out trying to convince a distributor in Greece or Italy or wherever you are, to have to say, 'Well, actually no-one really drinks it in Scotland'." BS's strategy with Scottish Leader could be described as radically old-fashioned: cultivating mutually sweet deals with the independent trade and building trust at the grass roots in a way that bigger players have long since ceased to do. "We felt that if we were going to build a position here the first thing we needed was the support of the Scottish trade. We gathered a small sales team and headed out to the stronger players, saying, 'Here we are, we're a Scottish business. We want to be part of the Scottish drinks trade and we want your support but we are not arrogant enough to think we have all the solutions for you. How can we both make money out of this?' "It was quite a good way to go because there's less and less of that approach, as the major organisations say, 'We have this brand, this brand and this brand - you do X, Y, Z, because if you don't we're not supplying you.' If you don't have that muscle you have to take a different approach, It was quite a nice message for the trade to be hearing." Scottish Leader also brokered sponsorship deals with the Rangers, Celtic and Hearts, whose fan base matches the brand's demographic target. Recently published Neilsen on-trade statistics now put Scottish Leader, which is carefully positioned as representing "affordable aspiration" (i.e. dead centre between the £8 supermarket offer and the £12.50 Bells or Grouse) at No 3 in the Scottish on trade, with sales up 14 per cent on the previous year. In other words, the business is scarcely recognisable from 1987, the year when Bill Thornton bought the company along with fellow directors and venture capital backers. The initial strategy then was to build the bottling side and reduce dependence on bulk trading of whisky to third-party bottlers, which meant dangerously skimpy margins. Whisky prices quadrupled in the late 1980s, and BS, which had struggled to make £500,000 profit, was earning £8 million. Such spectacular growth precipitated a flotation in 1991, which valued the business at £75m, providing a handsome exit for Thornton snr's venture capital backers. The purpose of the float was to raise money to acquire distilleries; Deanston in Doune in 1991 and Tobermoray in 1993. Neither was in top condition - the long-running refurbishment of Deanston has this year been completed, to act as BS's corporate showcase. In between there have been wild fluctuations in BS fortunes as whisky prices entered a depressed cycle, and the company was trapped in an over-reliance on supermarket own-label business. With Walmart's Asda - not known as the supplier's chum - its biggest customer, the company bobbed along on the tide, and BS's share price saw competitors measuring the company for its corporate coffin. (...)This coming-from-behind attention to brand-building was born out of BS's drive to improve the quality and sustainability of its earnings, but there was no guarantee it would succeed, given the difficulty of building brands. Seeing the vultures circling overhead is an experience that Thornton has not forgotten. "Our closest allies in the industry stuck by us, though the attitude of direct competitors ... disappointed me," he says. "I have always thought that you have to fight on the strength of your businesses, not the weakness of others." By 1999, things were improving a bit, the brands were in the early stage of development and the company was over the worst. CL built up its stake in the business before acquiring it in 2003 in a deal that valued the BS at £100m including debt. Now that the company is thriving, the squash-playing managing director's determination is having the laugh on those who kicked the company when it was down. With that satisfaction he must be happy to let bygones be bygones. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far" he laughs. http://news.scotsman.com |
| 04 Aug 07 | Bruichladdich annouces the 6th and 7th releases of the Bruichladdich Links serie The 6th in the Bruichladdich Links, the Carnoustie, has been matured 14 years in a bourbon caks and gave it gave it an additional cask evolution in exquisite French Allier oak from possible the finest chateau in the world. This release is limited to 12,000 bottles. The 7th , the "K Club" was matured for 14 years in Quercus Alba Bourbon casks with additional cask evolution (ACE) in Guigal's French casks from Cotes Rotie and Hermitage. It is also limited to 12,000 bottles. Source: www.bruichladdich.com |
| 31 Jul 07 | Bacardi invests in whisky brand Global demand for whisky is growing Drinks maker Bacardi has said it will invest more than £120m in Scotland to increase production of its Dewar's Scotch whisky brand. The firm is trying to capitalise on emerging markets - especially in Asia and Latin America. Its blending, packaging and bottling operations will see new investment, which will include the building of a new warehouse. In February, Diageo said it was to spend £100m on a Scotland distillery. 'Clear commitment' Sales in Singapore, China and Venezuela are among those surging, prompting the industry to boost production capacity. And demand in India is set to grow after a decision earlier this month to end the massive taxes it imposes on imported wines and spirit. At the moment, Scotch whisky accounts for less than 1% of the whisky sold in India, but the lower tax regime should allow sales to quadruple in the next five years, analysts say. "Demand for Dewar's premium whiskies has grown significantly, especially in Asia and other emerging markets where the brands were launched only in the past three years," said Bacardi's chief executive Andreas Gembler. "This substantial plan demonstrates our clear commitment to Scotland, known around the world for its quality whisky, and to our Dewar's brands, favourites among consumers." The existing Dewar's site at Parkhead in Glasgow will be redeveloped as part of the plan. Bacardi bought the Dewar's brand in 1998 and employs 300 people at seven locations throughout Scotland. It operates whisky distilleries in Aberfeldy, Macduff, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla with blending, bottling and packaging facilities in Glasgow and Coatbridge. Enterprise Minister Jim Mather welcomed the announcement. He said: "It is great news for the whisky industry in Scotland, the east end of Glasgow and for the Scottish economy as a whole. "It demonstrates that whisky is a Scottish product that continues to grow in popularity across the world. The Scottish government will continue to work closely with the industry to ensure a healthy future for a truly global product." http://news.bbc.co.uk |
| 29 Jul 07 | According to the information published on the most famous forum in French language (www.whisky-distilleries.info), the new packaging of the Old Malt Cask range (OMC) will look like that:
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| 27 Jul 07 | Duncan Taylor has annouced the release of a new Springbank 1967, distilled in 1967 at a strength of 43.1% , cask 1945. The retail price is only £750. |
| 26 Jul 07 | 2006/2007 full-year sales : € 6,443 million - Strong organic growth* over the financial year: +9.1% - Continuing premiumisation of the 15 strategic brands: organic growth* of +9% in volume and +13% in value. The 15 strategic brands registered vigorous organic growth*: +9% in volume and +13% in value, in line with the Group’s premiumisation strategy. All of these 15 strategic brands progressed and the following eight posted double-digit volume growth: (...) The Glenlivet (+15%), Ballantine’s (+11%) and Jameson (+11%). sia / Rest of World: € 1,884 million (+9.7%, that is organic growth* of +11.4%) Over the full year, Martell and Ballantine’s were the two main contributors to growth in Asia. • China witnessed outstanding growth by Martell and growth by the whole whisky portfolio in excess of 10% (Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s and Royal Salute). • India continued its spectacular growth, for local brands (Royal Stag, Imperial Blue and Blenders Pride) as much as for imported whisky brands. Americas: € 1,786 million (+5.4%, that is organic growth** of +11.6%) • North America (organic growth*: +9.6%**) - Growth remained very strong in the US, particularly in the 4th quarter. Jameson, The Glenlivet, (...) continued to expand. Chivas Regal registered modest growth. (...) • Central and South America (organic growth*: +20.3%) Chivas Regal (Venezuela and Central America), Ballantine’s (Brazil, Chile) and Havana Club (Chile, Cuba) are the major growth drivers for strategic brands. • Europe: € 2,091 million (+4.5%, that is organic growth** of +6.6%) Over the full year, the business environment remained favourable in most European countries: Germany, Russia, Greece, Ireland and Poland. Italy and the UK stabilised. • Spirits such as Ballantine’s (Germany, Eastern Europe), Chivas Regal (Germany, Russia), (...) are some of the numerous highly dynamic brand/country combinations. A slowdown was experienced in the 4th quarter due to high 3rd quarter sales in anticipation of price increases in the UK, Germany and Spain. Overall, Europe showed renewed vigour with strong and consistent growth in the 1st and 2nd half-years (between 6% and 7%). http://www.pernod-ricard.com |
| 26 Jul 07 | Diageo boss praises Mallya's move for W&M MARTIN FLANAGAN CITY EDITOR (mflanagan@scotsman.com) THE boss of Diageo, Scotland's biggest whisky company with more than 30 per cent of the market, yesterday said further consolidation in the spirits industry was likely and his group would remain a player. It came as Paul Walsh also said Indian drinks magnate Vijay Mallya's £595 million acquisition of Glasgow-based distiller Whyte & Mackay (W&M) recently was encouraging news for the industry generally. Walsh, whose group's main whisky brands include Johnnie Walker, J&B and Bell's, said: "There is an emergence of a super-league in wines and spirits and beer. A few companies are leading the march on consolidation. We have been first-mover and with that comes certain advantages. "Consolidation is going to continue, and we will be participating. The consolidation game is not over." Diageo, which later this year celebrates the tenth anniversary of its creation from the merger of GrandMet and Guinness, is the biggest spirits company in the world, cementing its position a few years ago via the purchase, with Pernod Ricard, of Seagram's drinks business. It also snapped up Bushmills whisky two years ago, as a spin-off from Pernod's acquisition of Allied Domecq, Scotland's second-biggest whisky producer. More specifically, Walsh confirmed Diageo was interested in Swedish vodka Absolut, its owners having appointed advisers to investigate a sale or flotation. The Diageo chief executive, speaking ahead of the group's annual results at the end of August, said he would not rule out a full acquisition of a company. But he acknowledged that, given its size, "acquiring a company that brings a collection of brands with it is going to be more of a [regulatory] challenge". There has been speculation that Diageo had been looking at some sort of joint break-up bid for Britain's leading brewer, Scottish & Newcastle. However, while not commenting on specific companies, the Diageo boss said acquiring beer brands would be "more challenging". Instead, he said Diageo, which owns Guinness and a number of beer brands, was pursuing joint-venture policies in the beer industry, notably with Heineken in South Africa, Russia and Asia. "One of the issues [in buying beer brands] is that many beers in their domestic markets are under some sort of challenge," Walsh said. He cited Guinness in Ireland, where many younger people are drinking lager and spirits instead, and cask ales in the UK. However, Walsh, was more positive about prospects for the Scotch industry, particularly following the recent slashing of import duties by the Indian federal government from up to 550 per cent down to 150 per cent. He said he was heartened by the potential for further cuts in Indian duty, still high compared with 10 per cent in China and 20 per cent in Brazil, following the swoop by Mallya on W&M. Walsh said he believed the acquisition of W&M by Mallya's United Breweries group in India, with which Scottish & Newcastle has a joint venture, showed that the Indian businessman believed his country's duties on Scotch would fall farther. "That's a sign that tariff levels will liberalise [more] in India. He [Mallya] sees that and wants a piece of that market. I saw that as very encouraging. Mr Mallya is a very astute businessman," Walsh said. http://news.scotsman.com |
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The Rosebank 17 YO, Port Ellen 25 YO and Glen Grant 30 YO to be released in the next weeks will have this new attire.