The fifth generation: Grant’s Chairman Peter Gordon and Master Blender, Brian Kinsman.

GRANT’S TAKES TO THE GLOBAL PODIUM

Oldest family owned Scotch becomes world’s third largest

Grant’s world famous blended Scotch whisky has turned a new chapter in its 124-year success story as it takes to the podium of standard Scotch whiskies, becoming the world’s number three in retail value.

The move onto podium, confirmed by IWSR results released last week, reaffirms Grant’s’ credentials as a key player on the world whisky stage.  Over the last five years, Grant’s has consistently grown ahead of the category, achieving in 2010 worldwide sales of 4.8 million cases and retail value of over $1bn.

A £35m Grant’s global investment package was announced in 2008 by independent, family-owned distillers William Grant & Sons, comprising new packaging, an up-weighted global marketing campaign and investment in the company’s production facilities in Girvan, Scotland. The brand, which includes Ale and Sherry Cask Editions  as well as aged 12, 18 and ultra premium 25 year old variants, has continued to enjoy rapid growth, outperforming competitors in both emerging whisky markets such as Russia and amongst established drinkers in markets such as France and the UK.

Kate Athanasi, Grant’s Global Brand Director comments: “This is a very exciting time for Grant’s. Just over a hundred 100 years ago William Grant’s son-in-law first took his family’s blended Scotch to the world. Today we’re the top selling family blend thanks to our multi award-winning whisky and our rich family heritage, which resonates with whisky drinkers across the globe.”

The Grant’s story started when founder William Grant’s distillery produced its first golden drop of spirit in 1887. Today, crafted by Master Blender Brian Kinsman, Grant’s is the oldest family owned blend in Scotland, built on five generations of heritage, expertise and passion for whisky-making. 

The fifth generation: Grant’s Chairman Peter Gordon and Master Blender, Brian Kinsman.

Notes

• Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons, an award-winning family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by his direct descendants.  The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including Grant’s, the world’s favorite single malt Glenfiddich, and the handcrafted range of The Balvenie single malts, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s Gin.

• Grant’s range of cask finished and aged blended Scotch whiskies include Grant’s Family Reserve, Grant’s Ale and Sherry Cask Editions, created by ‘finishing’ Grant’s Family Reserve in either ale or sherry casks; Grant’s 12 Year Old – the only blend to spend an extra finishing period in American oak cask, producing a full bodied Scotch of exceptional richness; the multi award-winning Grant’s 18 Year Old and the recently released ultra premium Grant’s 25 Year Old.

• IWSR (International Wine and Spirit Research) data focuses exclusively on the global alcoholic beverage market and covers all the major wine and spirit categories with a database of over 14,400 brands in 220 countries and territories worldwide. For more information see: www.iwsr.co.uk  

• 2010 was a record year for Scotch whisky exports, according to Scotch Whisky Association figures released in March. The performance confirmed Scotch whisky as one of the UK’s top exporting industries, increasing exports by 10% to £3.45bn in 2010 and delivering £109 a second to UK exports.  The latest IWSR figures show The Scotch market is 89,056 000s 9L cases in volume and has grown by 3.2% VYA and by 1.1% CAGR 2005-2010. Blended Scotch accounts for 92.5% of the total Scotch volume and 87.6% of the total Scotch value and has increased by 4.5% VYA and 5.4% CAGR from 2005.

• The deliciously complex and smooth taste of Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky is down to the way it is made from a recipe created more than 100 years ago by William Grant. Passed down from generation to generation, today it is the expert skills of the Grant’s Master Blender, along with a team of craftsmen, who keep alive William Grant’s pioneering spirit and his passion for blending the finest whisky.

• For more about Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky and for our latest news visit: www.grantswhisky.com
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… need to know more about your nose ? Whisky Review 209 (3/7) – Whisky Masterclass (Nosing) … another flawed nugget from www.ralfy.com

True Tales In Toronto

Hello everyone,

True Tales events are proving increasingly popular around the globe. After Bulgaria, Portugal, South Africa, Russia and the US, Canada was the latest country to host an evening of whisky tasting and storytelling.

The format for the evening was similar to our event in Philadelphia as around 60 people joined us for dinner in Toronto.

As…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/07/true-tales-in-toronto/

Kind regards,
Ludo

Whisky Intelligence has added a new category called ‘Vignettes – Moments in Whisky’ which will feature whisky moments as experienced by the readership. If you have a whisky moment please feel free to submit your moment and we’ll do our best to publish it.

Voyage of discovery for Amrut Herald

Amrut Distilleries is once again pushing back boundaries in the whisky world. For its latest offering it has chosen a beautiful, but remote, island as the place to mature four barrels of its Bangalore-distilled single malt whisky. For a project like this, one might have expected Amrut to pick an island in the whisky heartlands, but the Indian distillery has once again opted for the unconventional and chosen an island 45 miles off the north German coast.

Helgoland is an unspoiled unique environment with dramatic red sandstone cliffs and sensuous sand dunes. Not only is it free of traffic and low in pollution, but it also enjoys a gentle climate thanks to the Gulf Stream which allows exotic plants and wildlife to thrive at its relatively high latitude.

From Bangalore, itself known as India’s “garden city” due to its lush tropical environment, the casks of malt whisky were shipped to Germany before being transferred to a boat for the two-and-a-half-hour crossing from Cuxhaven to the northern island idyll.

There, Amrut’s German importer, Prineus, had arranged for the barrels of the malt to mature further. Not only was the Helgoland climate a big contrast to tropical India, but the barrels were stored close to sea level. In Bangalore the Amrut distillery is at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The outcome is the stunning new Amrut Herald.

Keeping in tune with the pure unspoilt atmosphere of Helgoland, the whisky was bottled in as simple a way as possible. It was not filtered or diluted and in fact you will notice sediments in the hand-filled bottles.

This is the first time that any whisky has been matured and bottled on Helgoland and the bottles from one of the casks will be retained on the island, which is a duty free haven. Like Amrut’s previous limited edition malts, Amrut Herald will only be available in small quantities in certain locations and it is sure to become a popular bottling.

Gerd Schmerschneider of Prineus is delighted with the collaboration. “The result is a fantastic whisky, one of the finest examples you can get out of a Bourbon cask. It is clean, powerful and holds loads of vanilla and sweetness. It was a great honour for me, on behalf of Prineus, to work with Amrut. Neither maturation nor bottling of whisky has been done on the island of Helgoland before, but millions of litres of alcohol have been sold there. The environment is perfect for maturing whisky as it is 70km away from the mainland, no pollution is evident and cars aren’t allowed on the island.”

“Making this malt whisky was a real adventure,” said Ashok Chokalingam of Amrut Distilleries. “It travelled 5,000 miles to the edge of mainland Europe. Then we were able to mature and bottle whisky on Helgoland, for the first time in the island’s history. And in Amrut Herald we have created another unique malt whisky which will satisfy the connoisseurs who have come to expect the best from us.”

Notes

Further information: Amrut Distilleries

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3000ft.

Amrut Distilleries was named a Distiller of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2011 and was crowned in the Rest of the World category by the independent judges of the prestigious awards, which are organised by Whisky Magazine. The award was made to Amrut “for raising the profile of Indian whisky across the globe and its innovations in the production process”. The Rest of the World title meant the Bangalore distillery was also one of the four contenders for the Icons of Whisky Distiller of the Year title.

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the word this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.”

Fusion – which brings together two barleys: Indian and Scottish, with the latter being peated – was named the Best Natural Cask Whisky in the Daily Drams Category at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2009. It picked up the award for the best whisky matured exclusively in “untreated”, regular cask(s) in the category for whiskies with an average street price of up to 50 euros. It was also awarded a silver medal.

One of the Amrut Single Malt Whisky bottlings by Blackadder International won “The Best Daily Dram” category of Malt Maniacs 2008 Awards. All the Amrut brands entered into the same competition won silver and bronze medals.

Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008.

Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain), Canada, South Africa, Australia and the United States.

Auchentoshan launches new expression

After the release of the Auchentoshan 1975 35 Year Old Bourbon Cask Matured and Auchentoshan Valinch last month, the Lowland distillery announced it newest expression on 5th July 2011.

They did so in avant-première through the social network site FACEBOOK at 6pm sharp (well, a few minutes after, but who’s counting?).

The Auchentoshan 11 Year Old 1999 Bordeaux Cask Matured is non-chill filtered and bottled at an ABV of 58%. It was matured solely on French Bordeaux casks.

The open grain of French Oak helps develop a full oaky character in this cask strength, non chill-filtered release. The result is pleasantly sharp, countering the sweet Auchentoshan style. Autumn sunset to the eye, the aroma is citric sharp balanced by lingeringcreamy sweetness. On the tongue there’s vanilla with layered fruit andwood spices – then a long, lingering finish. It will hit the shelves soon at a RRP of £46,99 (UK). Inside sources tell us that it will be available in the States as well as European markets soon.

Enjoy!

Mark Dermul
A Toshan Man
http://www.markdermul.be/toshanman

Kentucky Cooperage Tours

Mon.-Fri. ♥ 9:30 a.m. & 1 p.m.

712 E. Main St.

Tel. 270.692.4674

marcia.morgeson@kentuckycooperage.com

Kentucky Cooperage makes the charred oak barrels critical for the production of bourbon. See how “charring” is done, how staves are shaped, how hoops are put in place and how barrels are made leak proof without manmade sealers.

Find out more about Lebanon Kentucky at www.visitlebanonky.com

Dalmore Masterclass Tickets for Saturday 24th September 2011

With much anticipation The Midlands Whisky Festival Masterclass tickets go on sale this week opening with a chance to assist at a Dalmore distillery treat. After an exuberant sales period for initial entry tickets to the main festival it is expected to be followed now by quick sales of masterclass tickets .

First up for grabs are tickets for the Class presented by David Robertson, director of rare malts at the Dalmore distillery. David has pursued an illustrious career at top end distilleries around Scotland. and we are all very much smiley faced to receive his person for this fantastic opening gig. And here’s what he will be bringing with him :

Dalmore 15 YO

Dalmore 18 YO

Dalmore Castle Leod

Dalmore King Alexander

Dalmore 1981 Matusalem

Dalmore 40 YO

+ Mackinlay’s Shackleton Limited Edition.

Tickets are on sale now for a miniscule £10 each. Start time 12:30pm, duration 45mins. NB: To purchase this ticket you must already hold a Midlands Whisky Festival entry ticket.

You can buy both these now at www.whiskyfest.co.uk  and by contacting Julie or David on 01384 394518.

The Midlands Whisky Festival Saturday 24th September 2011

Venue : Stourbridge Town Hall
Market Street
Stourbridge
West Midlands

www.whiskyfest.co.uk

Contact : David@nickollsandperks.co.uk

Where to stay :

The Talbot Hotel
High Street
Stourbridge

Macallan Lalique 55 Year Old Crystal Decanter

Macallan Lalique 55 year old is an exceptional malt whisky that has matured for 55 years in Spanish oak, Sherry casks.

This beautiful Lalique decanter draws its inspiration from Macallan’s natural colour, with the design based on a perfume bottle design by René Lalique from the early 1900’s.

Only 420 crystal decanters of this exceptionally rare malt have ever been released.

£15,000

www.abbeywhisky.com

enquiries@abbeywhisky.com

07890 983 844

MASTER DISTILLER ANNOUNCES GLOBAL FINALISTS FOR ‘WHISKEY WORLD GAMES’

Colum Egan, Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, has today announced the eleven pairs of friends who will represent their countries at ‘Bushcamp’, the global final of ‘Make it 2 Bushmills’, a competition hosted by BUSHMILLS™ Irish Whiskey.

The eleven pairs will be taking part in the final, dubbed the ‘Whiskey World Games’, on Ireland’s north coast this August. The competition offers two friends the chance to win two weeks working at the world-famous Old Bushmills Distillery, where they will make their own unique blend of BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey, live in luxury penthouse accommodation and get £5,000 spending money. Then, the winning friends will get VIP access to the ultimate BUSHMILLS party back in their home country.

The Bushcamp finalists are:

· Representing Belgium – Johan Lolos, a Student (23) and Mathias Gilles, a Student (24)

· Representing Bulgaria – Marin Aganderov, a Student (22) and Kiril Todorov, a Student (22)

· Representing Czech Republic – Ondřej Šimeček, a Hospitality Product Manager (27) and Jiří Tlach, an Insurance Officer (28)

· Representing Germany – Patrick Seidel, a Bartender (27) and Andreas Andricopoulos, a Bartender (27)

· Representing Great Britain – Keeley Sutcliffe, a Junior and Infant School Midday Supervisor (34) and Tom Lawrence, a Telesales Manager (39)

· Representing the Netherlands – Richard Beatty, an IT Consultant (36) and Michael Weijzig, a Social Worker (36)

· Representing Northern Ireland – Richard Roberts, a Customer Service Assistant (59) and Carol Roberts, a Home Care Worker (55)

· Representing the Republic of Ireland – Peter Majernik, a Hotel Concierge (32) and Vladimir Majernik, a Hotel Porter (31)

· Representing Russia – Nikolay Fedoseev, a Graphic Designer (28) and Ilya Rybalsky, a Chemical Engineer (26)

· Representing South Africa – Sean Tickner, a Orthotist and Prosthetist (30) and Jonathan Oliff, a Brand Strategist and Marketing Consultant (27)

· Representing the United States of America – Curt Neeb, an Inventory Specialist (40) and Paul Kowalski, a Graphic Design Business Owner (49)

The duos were selected to represent their countries by public vote on Facebook and will compete against each other in a number of challenges to find the ultimate winners of Make it 2 Bushmills. Some of the challenges they can expect to face include barrel-rolling, coopering and beach golf.

The final will be judged by the BUSHMILLS Master Distiller Colum Egan and some famous fans of BUSHMILLS, including Kevin Baird of Two Door Cinema Club, Jonathan Galkin of DFA Records and Rob Allanson of Whisky Magazine.

Colum said: “Bushcamp is going to be the World Games of Whiskey, played out in true Bushmills style. Kevin, Jonathan, Rob and I will be challenging the finalists to try out some of the things that the team at the Old Bushmills Distillery do on a daily basis as well as some of the things that we like to do in our spare time…all with a Bushmills twist.

“But of course, being the Old Bushmills Distillery, we’ll not be forgetting the whiskey itself. A couple of the challenges will test how passionate the friends are about BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey. All will be revealed when we welcome them here in August!”

Bushcamp will take place from 16th – 18th August at the Old Bushmills Distillery, in Bushmills village and the surrounding area, with the winning pair of friends being announced on the evening of the 17th.

Visit facebook.com/bushmills1608 to follow the finalists’ progress and for more information on Make it 2 Bushmills.

Notes

Colum Egan Biography

Colum has been Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery since April 2002. He’s responsible for all the critical stages of whiskey production – all of them carried out at the distillery itself. That’s very handy when your job is to ensure that the production of the whiskies is done to perfection – as Colum likes it to be. It is Colum’s knowledge of whiskey and his attention to the finest details that makes BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskies consistently the best. Colum lives in the little coastal town of Ballycastle with his wife and two sons and says that he has found his dream job.

Kevin Baird Biography

Kevin is the bass player and vocalist in Northern Ireland indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club. Their debut album Tourist History has gone Gold in the UK, selling over 100,000 copies and recently they’ve made a splash by picking up both the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year and the award for Best New Band at the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards. Kevin is a big Bushmills fan and is looking forward to meeting some others at Bushcamp.

Jonathan Galkin Biography

Jonathan Galkin is the co-founder and head of operations for DFA Records worldwide, an independent record label that he launched in 2001.

Rob Allanson Biography

As the Editor of renowned Whisky Magazine, Rob a vast knowledge of all things whisky, from the science to the romance. He travels to distilleries and major whisky conventions around the world, reporting on the latest news in the industry on his blog and in the magazine, which is published worldwide eight times per year. In his spare time, Rob is a keen biker, charity advocate, husband and dad.

About BUSHMILLS

BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey is made at Ireland’s oldest working distillery in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. The brand portfolio includes six multi-award winning whiskeys: BUSHMILLS Original, BLACK BUSH, BUSHMILLS 10 Year Old Single Malt, BUSHMILLS 16 Year Old Single Malt and BUSHMILLS Malt 21 Year Old Single Malt and BUSHMILLS 1608. BUSHMILLS is the only distillery in Ireland to make triple-distilled Malt Whiskey. This is at the heart of all BUSHMILLS Whiskies and creates a unique combination of smoothness and richness.