Maker’s Mark Bourbon Memorial Day Recipes for the Grill and Backyard Bar

It’s time for barbeques, beaches, backyard dinner parties, and poolside cocktails. Yes, spring is here and summer is just around the corner! Whether grilling this Memorial Day or just taking some time to sit on the porch and enjoy the warm weather, Maker’s Mark has just the thing to delight and refresh. The Maker’s Mark Spring-Time Manhattan cocktail will wake up those taste buds with a classic drink adapted to melt away the winter blues. And, when entertaining lots of guests, try whipping up a batch of Maker’s Mark Fancy Bourbon Punch. It’s easy to make and pairs well with Maker’s Mark Kobe Beef Burgers. These delicious burgers created by Frites n’ Meats, the acclaimed New York-based food truck, puts a gourmet twist on everyone’s favorite Memorial Day meal.

Spring-Time Manhattan

Recipe Created by Josh Lewis, General Manager and Mixologist , Blush (Santa Barbara, CA)

1 ½ parts Maker’s Mark

½ parts Maurin Quina Liqueur

1 bar spoon Stirrings Ginger

4 dashes Peychauds Bitters

1 heaping bar spoon of Orange Marmalade

Method

1.    Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.

2.    Fill with ice and shake until frost forms on the tin.

3.    Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

4.    Garnish with a fresh orange twist.

Fancy Bourbon Punch

Recipe by Matt Wallace, Mixologist, Seven Grand (Los Angeles, CA)

1 liter Maker’s Mark

1 cup granulated sugar

Peels of 3 lemons and 1 orange

Juice of peeled fruit

1 liter of strong tea (preferably green tea)

250 ml champagne (club soda can be used for a less fancy version)

Freshly grated nutmeg

1.    Combine sugar and citrus peels in the bottom of a punch bowl. Muddle together until sugar starts to clump together. Let sit for about 2 hours, (while not necessary, this does add a little complexity).

2.    Brew the tea for about 30 minutes, remove loose tea or tea bags, and allow to cool.

3.    Add the juice of the peeled fruit, tea, and Bourbon. Stir.

4.    Top with Champagne just before serving and stir gently. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

Hiassam and Ali Beydoun Recipe by Owners and Chefs, Frites N’ Meats

Prep Time: 4 hours.  Cook Time: 3 hours. Level: Easy.

Maker’s Mark Kobe Beef Burger

Serves 4

4 six-ounce Kobe beef hamburger patties (regular ground beef can be substituted)

½ cup plus 2 teaspoons Maker’s Mark

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 pieces plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced with the grain

Salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

4 soft hamburger buns, brioche preferably

1.    Marinate the burger patties; Place them in a shallow baking dish and pour a ½ cup of Maker’s Mark over the burgers. Sprinkle the patties with ¼ of the minced garlic. Refrigerate for two hours, then flip the patties; sprinkle with another ¼ of the garlic. Refrigerate another two hours.

2.    While the burgers are marinating, preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the cut tomato halves on a parchment lined sheet tray, cut side up. Brush the tomatoes lightly with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, the minced thyme, and the remaining minced garlic. Place in the oven and allow the tomatoes to slow roast for about 1½-2 hours until they are slightly dehydrated and begin to color. Once the tomatoes have cooled, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Maker’s Mark over the tomatoes. Refrigerate until needed.

3.    While the tomatoes are cooking, caramelize the onions. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil and onions to the pan. Season the onions with salt and cook until they begin to soften, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes more until they begin to break down more and color slightly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for roughly 2 hours, or until the onions caramelize deep golden brown. Add water to the pan as necessary if the onions begin to stick to the pan. Once the onions are cooked, transfer to a small container and stir in 1 teaspoon of Maker’s Mark. Refrigerate until needed.

4.    Heat the grill, grill pan, or griddle to high heat. Remove the burgers from the marinade, lightly brush both sides with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook your burgers to desired doneness.

5.    To assemble, lightly toast bun if desired. Add the burger patty and top with caramelized onions and two pieces of tomatoes. Enjoy!

Tim Forbes of the Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is quite excited about their latest masterclass named “Sherry Heaven” Full details can be read via Sherry Heaven

They have just added Kilchoman, Berry Bros, Glenfarclas and Springbank to the exhibitor list.  The full list may be viewed via http://www.whisky-show.com/exhibitors

GLENDRONACH LAUNCHES NEW 15 YO TAWNY PORT FINISH
 
GLENDRONACH’S burgeoning reputation for producing innovative, richly-sherried expressions is boosted this month with the launch of its new 15yo GlenDronach Tawny Port finish.
 
This unique expression was initially matured in European oak and thereafter finished its maturation in a very small batch of Tawny Port casks, which have given the final whisky its own range of idiosyncratic flavours and aromas.
 
The 15yo is non-chill-filtered, of natural colour and is bottled at 46% abv. Released independently of any other wood finishes, only one thousand cases will be available in over twenty export markets, and in the UK through independent, specialist whisky retailers, as well as at the GlenDronach distillery shop.
 
The tasting notes make it clear that the rich infusion of port helps create a warming, sweet and satisfying dram.
 
Appearance: Prominent rose-wine hue, built around a light copper orange core.
 
Nose: Stewed damsons and plum conserve. Raisins, sultanas and fine grand cru chocolate provide lovely depth and structure.
 
Palate: Fruit shortcake drenched in vanilla custard, with a scattering of dried figs, dates and wild strawberries highlight a wonderfully long finish.
 
Finish: A fruit-laden whisky to enliven the taste buds.
 
Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “Last year we launched the first of our four wood finishes which included a 20yo Tawny Port finish. This whisky was a great success and sold out very quickly, so we decided to release a second bottling again this year. The new 15yo Tawny Port maintains our tradition of releasing wonderful non-sherry wood finishes of the highest quality.
 
“We have carefully selected whisky that has been gently maturing in lighter casks so that aficionados experience the full impact of the port. The very pleasing result contributes extra depth and concentrated stewed fruit flavours.”

The Whisky Pod Lands at Glengoyne
 
Glengoyne: Following a successful debut at The Whisky Show and Whisky Live London, connosr.com, the social network for whisky lovers, took their video review booth – the WhiskyPod – on the road for an exclusive event, hosted in partnership with Glengoyne distillery. A lucky group of 25 Connosr members were treated to a VIP visit to the distillery and a tasting of some very special whiskies.

The tasting was the first time that a Connosr event has been hosted in partnership with a distillery and to celebrate Glengoyne provided some of it oldest, rarest and most special bottlings including the Glengoyne 40 Years Old. The VIP guests also tasted, amongst others, the award winning 17 Years Old and 21 Years Old from the core range and the 23 Year Old Single Cask.

Each of the guests were then asked to review the drams in the WhiskyPod to create a special collection of video tasting notes which can be viewed online. Glengoyne WhiskyPod videos

Reviewers included Gavin Thompson who commented: “The Glengoyne 40 Years Old is unadulterated pleasure, absolutely gorgeous. It’s not just that though, the whole night has made it for me, on my first ever distillery tour, to actually have a 40 year old whisky in my hand is a real pleasure.”

Pierre Thiebaut, founder of Connosr.com said: “Glengoyne has been a loyal supporter of Connosr since it was created, spotting the potential of the online whisky community early on, so it seemed fitting that our very first exclusive event was in partnership with Glengoyne and its team.

“We knew that, while they are quite traditional in the way they make whisky, they are very forward thinking in they way they communicate. As such we thought they’d make an excellent partner for the first bespoke WhiskyPod event. And we weren’t wrong, they pulled out all the stops and it was a great evening.

“Our members who attended on the night thoroughly enjoyed the event and the feedback we had was excellent – there was a real buzz about the evening. Everyone was blown away by the selection of whiskies. The response since has been terrific, the videos from the night are a high traffic area for us at the moment so, all in all, it’s been an unqualified success.”

Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Glengoyne said: “Online communities have become such an important place for whisky fans to gather in order to share news, views and opinions so we are always looking for new ways to reach out to them and reward them. We are currently in the process of updating our website to make it more accessible for social media users and are always looking for innovative groups and events like Connosr to work with, both on and offline, in order to reach new audiences.”

For more information on Glengoyne and future events see www.glengoyne.com Follow @TheGlengoyne or visit the Facebook page. www.connosr.com

For more information and to become a member visit

The Glenlivet Comes To Dundee
 
Dundee Dell
5007 Underwood Ave
Omaha, Nebraska 68132
 
Hello Scotch Afficianados,

Please join us Thursday, May 12th at 8:00 PM for The Glenlivet Tasting. 
 
The Glenlivet Tasting

Universal Glenlivet Ambassador Winston Evans will be at the Dundee Dell next week. Winston is renowned throughout the known galaxy as well as more unexplored areas we don’t want to know about. But seriously folks.

Winston wouldn’t be The Glenlivet Ambassador without some serious chops. So join us Thursday, May 12th at 8:00 PM and let’s see what he can tell us about the benchmark of all Malts. And, as always let’s ask him some really tough questions, about decaliters and mash tuns, shape of stills versus quality of barrels used. you know the stuff we really want to know about.

As you know ther are only about 35 spots available so let us know ASAP if you will be here or not. When we are sold out we are done.

Oh yeah it’s $50.00 a person.

12 year old, 15 year old, Nadurra, Nadurra Triumph and just maybe Pat will let some of those Cellar Collection Malts out of the basement (was that a 38 year old I saw?).

Should be lots of fun.

Pat Gobel
 
Where & When
Dundee Dell, 5007 Underwood Ave.

Thursday, May 12th 2011, 8:00 PM

Visit the Dundee Dell at www.dundeedell.com

Another month and a few new casks. These include 5 hogsheads of Aberlour 4/2011, another 5 barrels of 1998 Bowmore, 5 hogsheads of 1996 Dalmore (a mature and very drinkable whisky), 2 more hogsheads of March 1991 Cragganmore. These Cragganmore casks are excellent and previous examples have sold well. Possibly the pick of the bunch, 2 hogsheads of 1974 Inchgower.  Anyone bottling these should be able to make a decent profit.

The paperwork and uplifting of casks usually takes a few weeks and to reduce transportation costs, which can be significant, I try to ensure that most deliveries involve at least twenty casks. If there are just a few casks and they are located in the Glasgow/Edinburg area, then I find it cheaper just to pick them up in a sealed Ford Transit. You can learn quite a lot through visiting Bonded Warehouses and it offers a chance to see what’s available. Whilst it’s nice to visit the Central Belt, I think when it comes to choosing a place to live, it will probably be the more remote but beautiful Dumfries and Galloway for me.  

As most readers will be aware the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 prohibits the export of whisky in casks so quite a lot of whisky now leaves Scotland in a plastic drum with the empty oak barrel usually strapped to the pallet. From 2012 it will only be possible to export Malt whisky in bottles.

For any of you reading these brief monthly newsletters and buying casks from me, you should know that your purchases are contributing to the start-up of a small whisky business. Six months after commencing I’m reasonably confident that over the next few years the business will grow. It is also encouraging that I’ve received a lot of help from whisky enthusiasts and clubs in almost every country in Europe….. So watch this space and it may give a little insight into the delights and the difficulties of building a small business in the wonderful export driven world of Scotch whisky.

With less than 2 weeks to go until my wedding on the 21st May, if any of you want to buy a cask or indeed have your cask bottled, please get in touch with me as soon as possible. I’ll be back from my honeymoon on the 7th June. It’s doubtful if my new boss will allow me to check or reply to emails while away!

Casks Currently Available:

Bottles Currently Available:

Distilled at  Price (not including postage)
 
Caol Ila 27 year old, 70cl, 53.1% £49
 
Cragganmore 20 year old, 70cl, 54.2%  £37
 
Glen Grant 17 year old, 70cl, 55%  £40
 
“Mystery Whisky”, 20 year old, 70cl, 55.8% (label gives clues to distillery name)  £36
 
Bottles available at www.whiskybroker.co.uk/acatalog/shophome.html

Trade prices for bottles are available upon request.

If there is anything you would like to see available, please let me know and I’ll keep an eye open for it. Please write a comment on the guestbook of my website, especially if you have purchased a cask. Finally, if you have any website related suggestions, don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Regards,

Martin Armstrong
www.whiskybroker.co.uk
info@whiskybroker.co.uk

Loch Fyne Whiskies stocks a new item, ‘an Cnoc 1996’

anCnoc 1996 46%
Bottled 2011
£35.30 inc vat
£29.42 ex vat

An Cnoc OB 1996 46%alc.

Official Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft, very aromatic with a hint of honey and lemon in the foreground.

Colour: Amber with a slight yellow hue.

Taste: Sweet to start with an appetising fruitiness and a long smooth finish.

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

“On the 14th we will be having a celebration of the three closed Inverness Distilleries with ex-distillery employees. You can come along and find out about these lost distilleries, look at saved artefacts from them and taste the whiskies they produced. The tasting will culminate with a tasting of the Shackleton Whisky which contains a certain proportion of Glen Mhor Malt”.

http://www.fiddledrum.co.uk/whisky-fest-2011.htm

WHISKY SECTOR DOMINATES THE POWER 100, 2011 SURVEY OF WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL DRINKS BRANDS

• Scottish brands dominate global whisky sector

• Johnnie Walker remains world’s most dominant whisky brand

• America contributes five whisky brands to The Power 100

• Jameson is the only Irish whisky brand to feature

Whisky brands continue to dominate the annual The Power 100 table of the world’s leading alcoholic drinks brands, published this week by brand valuation and strategy consultancy Intangible Business, contributing more than a quarter of the brands in the survey.

Whisky has retained its sector dominance in the global alcoholic drinks industry, ahead of vodka, rum/cane, flavoured spirits, and still light wine. There are 26 whisky brands included in the table, with six brands – Johnnie Walker at 3, Jack Daniel’s at 6, Chivas Regal at 8, Ballantine’s at 10, Dewar’s at 14 and Jim Beam at 19 – in the overall Top 20. 

Johnnie Walker posted an impressive performance this year with volumes growing by a striking 11%, due in large part to its penetration of Far East markets, Korea and China in particular, whose economies were less affected by the recession. This is a complete reversal of its performance the previous year where volumes fell by 11%. Because of this change in direction and improvement in the brand score by 4%, Johnnie Walker managed to grow its total score.

The Power 100 includes 16 Scotch whisky brands, five American brands and four Canadian brands. Jameson is the only Irish whiskey brand in The Power 100, at number eight in the sector and at number 22 overall, on the back of a 2% rise in its overall year on year score. The most improved whisky brand in this year’s The Power 100 is Clan MacGregor at number 82 overall and number 25 in the sector, having posted a 12% improvement in its brand score.

Intangible Business, which works extensively in the drinks industry, researched nearly 10,000 spirit and wine brands across the globe to produce The Power 100, now in its fifth year.

The league table, which assesses both the financial contribution of each brand alongside its strength in the eyes of the consumer, has been compiled by combining scores from a panel of some of the world’s leading drinks industry experts with hard data. The brands are rated according to share of market, future growth, premium price position, awareness, relevance, heritage and brand perception.

Rank Brand Overall Rank Total score 2011 Change Brand score 2011 Change
1 JOHNNIE WALKER 3 75% 1% 83% 4%
2 JACK DANIEL’S 6 39% 1% 81% 2%
3 CHIVAS REGAL 8 31% 2% 73% 5%
4 BALLANTINES 10 25% -2% 65% 0%
5 DEWARS 14 18% 2% 53% 2%
6 JIM BEAM 19 16% -3% 60% -4%
7 CROWN ROYAL 21 14% 1% 60% 4%
8 JAMESON 22 13% 2% 70% 5%
9 GRANT’S 23 13% 3% 50% -1%
10 J&B 27 12% -3% 55% -2%
11 FAMOUS GROUSE 40 8% 0% 58% 0%
12 SEAGRAM’S 7 CROWN 54 6% 1% 40% -3%
13 BELL’S 55 6% 0% 47% 0%
14 CANADIAN CLUB 59 5% 0% 55% 1%
15 MAKER’S MARK 62 5% 0% 63% 2%
16 TEACHER’S 63 5% 0% 51% 0%
17 GLENFIDDICH 65 5% 0% 64% 2%
18 BLACK VELVET 66 4% 0% 42% 0%
19 WILLIAM LAWSON’S 71 4% 0% 43% 0%
20 CLAN CAMPBELL 72 4% 0% 40% -2%
21 CANADIAN MIST 73 3% 0% 38% -3%
22 100 PIPERS 75 3% -1% 38% -1%
23 CUTTY SARK 79 3% 0% 50% 4%
24 THE GLENLIVET 80 3% 0% 63% 3%
25 CLAN MACGREGOR 82 3% 0% 51% 12%
26 WILD TURKEY 100 2% 0% 53% -2%

Overall, Smirnoff tops The Power 100 table again having achieved an overall score of 88.9%, giving it a significant margin over the other brands that make up the top ten.

Bacardi, the number one rum brand and number two in the overall The Power 100, edged Johnnie Walker into 3rd place, but was comfortably ahead of Martini Vermouth in 4th place and Absolut in 5th place.

The USA is the country with the most brands in The Power 100 with 17 brands, led by Jack Daniel’s, Gallo and Jim Beam; Scotland has 16 brands in The Power 100, led by Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s, and France with 14 brands, led by Hennessy, Moet et Chandon and Ricard. 

Stuart Whitwell, Joint Managing Director of Intangible Business, comments: “The whisky industry has posted another strong performance this year with more than double the number brands in the top 100 than any other category and continues to connect to new and existing audiences, particularly in emerging markets, with innovative and relevant marketing.

Whitwell continues: “Although not in the top ten in the sector, it’s great to see brands like The Glenlivet among our overall star performers this year.”

About The Power 100

Methodology

Nearly 10,000 brands in the spirits and wine sectors were researched to derive a list of the 100 most powerful spirits and wine brands in the world.  Power is defined by a brand’s ability to generate value for its owner.  Value is classified by a series of measures as identified below.  The population for the research is all current and potential users of alcoholic drinks.

Scoring

Hard Measures
Share of market:  volume-based measure of market share Brand growth:  projected growth based on 10 years’ historical data and future trends Price Positioning:a measure of a brand’s ability to command a premium Market Scope: number of markets in which the brand has a significant presence

Soft Measures
Brand Awareness: a combination of prompted and spontaneous awareness Brand Relevancy: capacity to relate to the brand and a propensity to purchase Brand Heritage: a brand’s longevity and a measure of how it is embedded in local culture Brand Perception: loyalty and how close a strong brand image is to a desire for ownership

A panel of 10 leading experts in the drinks industry independently ranked each selected brand out of 10 on the above measures (10 = high, 0 = low).  The scores given by the individual panel members were aggregated and averaged to reach a total score for each brand.  A total score was achieved by multiplying a brand’s weighted volume by its brand score, within a defined range.  The weighting is designed to adjust the volumes to a comparable level.  Brand score is a derivate of the 8 measures of brand strength.  This results in a ranking of the world’s most powerful alcoholic drinks brands.

About Intangible Business

Intangible Business was established in 2001 to provide an independent approach to brand valuation, brand strategy and brand development. As well as experts in brand valuation, Intangible Business is now an internationally recognised leader in all IP valuation, including copyright valuation, trademark valuation, valuing websites, valuing databases and software.

Brand value, along with other intangible assets such as patents, copyrights, licenses and intellectual property, is often a company’s most valuable asset. Given this importance, a brand valuation is critical to fully understand and monitor brand equity and to identify opportunities to realize growth potential. In legal issues, such as trademark disputes, or brand transactions such as M&A and licensing, a sound brand valuation can also help you make more informed decisions or negotiate better deals.

What qualifies Intangible Business in brand valuation is its global network of people who all focus on brand valuation from various complementary angles – brands and marketing, finance and accounting, brand management and brand strategy. This focus draws on many years’ experience, both in business and as brand consultants and has been of measurable benefit to some of the world’s biggest brands.

Dates: Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th August, 2011.
Times: Friday 3 – 7pm, Saturday & Sunday 2 – 6pm
Venue: Mansfield Traquair church, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/viewindex.asp?article_id=WF_11

This year is the 10th Anniversary of Royal Mile Whiskies, Whisky Fringe.

From humble beginnings in Edinburgh City Council Chambers Rooms, just down the road from our shop on the Royal Mile, Whisky Fringe has grown into a successful, highly regarded and relaxed celebration of whisky.

Apart from the venue, little has changed over the years in terms of the set up. As with most things in life, a policy of keeping everything as simple as possible, letting the whiskies do the talking, has seen the event attain a respected word of mouth reputation. Tickets always sell out fast and as with any popular show, some people will unfortunately miss out. However having been based in such a tremendous venue as the Mansfield Traquair for the past 6 years, it is difficult to think of moving to an alternative nondescript larger venue. We would be extremely hard pressed to top the stunning setting of this beautifully restored former church.

With this partly in mind, we have extended the event this year to include the Friday afternoon for the first time. This will be a combined on-trade and general public day, allowing exhibitors to promote their brands to an even wider audience of both trade customers, in addition to actual consumers. The product focus will also be broader, with more than just whisky being available to sample. Other high quality spirits such as gin, rum, mezcal, tequila, and vodka, as well as some wines and beers, will all be on show for the Friday only. Saturday and Sunday will revert to the tried and tested format and the focus will return primarily to whisky.

Each year approximately 26 stands are taken by a huge variety of whisky producers and independent bottlers. These range from the big drink companies such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Moet Hennessey, to the more compact distillery companies such as Benriach/GlenDronach, Auchentoshan/Bowmore/Glen Garioch and An Cnoc/Balblair/Old Pulteney, right down to the most recent and newly established small scale operations such as Kilchoman. In addition Independent bottlers such as Adelphi, Compass Box, Douglas Laing, Duncan Taylor, Gordon & MacPhail create a lot of interest amongst the attending whisky enthusiasts. On average well over 200 whiskies are available to sample each day, including an exclusive one off ‘Half Time Orange’ dram! (exhibitors bring a bottle of something extra special and attendees can choose one of these exclusive drams to sample at the designated ‘half time’midway point of the day).

All attendees are also encouraged to vote for ‘The Spirit of Whisky Fringe’. This is an annual award given to the most popular spirit over the three days as voted for by all visitors. The winning spirit is then crowned ‘The Spirit of Whisky Fringe’ and is placed on display in the trophy silver coaster on display in Edinburgh shop until the following year.

A Few Quotes:-

Exhibitor quote: “We really enjoyed being involved and would love to be back again next year. It really is brilliant to see so many whisky enthusiasts in the one place, all of them on their best behaviour as well.”
 Martin Grant 2009 (Moet Hennessey – Ardbeg & Glenmorangie Whiskies)

Blogger quote: “…still setting the standard by which all UK Shows are judged”.  Ralfy Mitchell 2010 (Whisky Blogger extraordinaire! www.ralfy.com)

Punter quote: “I still wouldn’t miss it for the world!! (Shame it’s my wedding anniversary on the 16th…still, she’ll understand!!!)”  Mark Appleton 2009 (frequent Whisky Fringe goer and still happily married!)

www.royalmilewhiskies.com