Greetings Whisky Drinkers & Enthusiasts of the UK,

Hope this email finds you all well and that you’ve all had some fine drams over the summer. With only one festival left this year this is your last chance to immerse yourself in an all things whisky environment. If you can’t make it, don’t panic, we’ve got some great tastings lined up and they’re taking place at a venue near you soon. Here’s an update on all activities and tastings we have coming up over the next few months.

Festivals…

The 10^th York Whisky Fest.

I’m sure most of you know by now how good a day at a Whisky festival is, but for those who don’t let me explain. Around 150 whiskies available to try for £25!!! Yes that’s right no catches, no extra costs, no tokens to deal with, no messing about. We give you a nosing glass, a festival programme and a bottle of water and that’s it, you’re free to explore a galaxy of amazing whisky. All whiskies on show are accompanied by their Brand Ambassadors and leading industry experts, meaning you have around 1000 years of combined whisky knowledge and expertise under one roof to help you along the path to whisky Valhalla.

This will be a fantastic day and we’re working on a few surprises given the gravity of the occasion. The venue is only a short walk from the train station and easily reached from further afield. Click here to find out more and to book for the last Whisky lounge festival of 2012.

Tastings…

Cask Series 4

If you visited the The Whisky Lounge stand at any of our festivals this year there’s a good chance you tried at least one of our single cask releases. Now being single cask these bottlings are never around for long, a few months at best, so as we wave goodbye to the summer and Cask Series 3 we say hello to the brand new Cask Series 4. Click on the city closest to you to be taken straight to the booking page.

Tickets are £20, with £5 off any bottle bought on the night. Bargain!

Manchester – The Britons Protection. Friday October, 19th

Newcastle – Blackfriars Restaurant. Saurday October 20^th

London – The Red Lion, Crown Passage SW1, Tuesday October 23^rd

Sheffield – The Broadfield, Abbeydale Road, Friday October 26^th

Islay Blind Fury – Redux

Back by popular demand and for the third yearin a row Islay Blind Fury returns. It seems that no matter where this tasting takes place it’s always a sell out, so don’t hang about click on your nearest city for more info and to book. Six of Islay’s finest served up blind and guaranteed to take you on a peaty rollercoaster ride that you’ll never forget. 

Tickets are £20

York – The Brigantes, Micklegate, Saturday November 10^th

Newcastle – Blackfriars Restaurant, Friday November 16^th

Manchester – Britons Protection, Saturday November 17^th

Sheffield – The Shakespeare Pub, Wednesday November 21^st

London – The Red Lion, Crown Passage, SW1, Tuesday November 27^th

Brighton – The Hilton Metropole, Kings Road, Wednesday November 28th

Leeds – The cross keys, Water lane, Wednesday November 28^th

Liverpool – To be confirmed

Movember Tasting – York

It’s here again. More ridiculous moustaches and whisky tasting are lined up in the name of Movember. A chance to raise a glass for a good cause while contributing some much needed funds to prostate cancer research. Taking place at the Brigantes in York on the 23rd of November, tickets are £15 click here to get involved. (Growing a moustache is not compulsory for this event).

Whisky Schools…

The UK’s first whisky schools start rolling out in January. This is a totally new project and has never been done before. The course is a full day of dramming and all things whisky at various Hotel Du Vin and Malmaison hotels in York, Harrogate, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Brighton. We ran the first whisky school in Newcastle this weekend and it was a great day. We tapped up the crowd for some glowing testimonials which will be on the website soon.

The course costs £70 and is designed for those who enjoy whisky but would like to learn all of the in’s and out’s. Now, this isn’t a dusty classroom with textbooks and tests, this is a full day of all things whisky, going right through all aspects of the worlds most amazing drink. Essentially you’ve got FOUR of our regular tastings rolled into what will be a jam packed day of whisky enlightenment. Now i’m sure many of you are well versed in the language of whisky but this event is tailored to all level of whisky drinker and will offer you an industry level of knowledge, you’ll be armed to the teeth with whisky ammo, you’ll be like the whisky equivalent of Rambo.

Grant’s in Russia

Hello all,

Last week I was in Russia for the domestic launch of Grant’s 25 Years Old and the increasingly popular Moscow Bar Show. Up until now, our 25-year-old blend has only been available in the country to travellers going through local airports, but as of today, it will start appearing in top hotels, restaurants and specialist…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,
Ludo

 How are you?!

 Thanks to EVERYONE who came to our first event last week!  It was our busiest/biggest yet! : )  As you know we ‘officially’ meet every 2nd Wednesdy but we do like to meet up on the other Wednesdays to have a dram too!  Here are our plans for this week:  Wednesday 3rd October: Whisky Drinking in St Machar Bar! (7pm in St Machar Bar, On campus!). Come along to our first “un-official” whisky tasting event of the year.  We’ll be in the Machar drinking whisky 🙂

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Discounts for Memebers!!

Date: Wednesday 3rd October
Time: from 19:00
Where: St Machar Bar, (click here for a map!)
What to bring: Money so you can buy whisky (beer/food)

It will probably be quite busy in the pub but it has a great cosy atmosphere!

Come along to the St Machar Bar on campus next to the book shop!  We’ll be there trying a few of their wonderful whiskies! When I was in first year they only had 4 bottles of single malt whisky! They now have over 100!!!! Also, you shuold try their excellent food and wonderful beers : )

See you there tomorrow!

And we’ve been told their will be discounts/special offers for members!  So bring your membership card/follow the instructions below to become a member.  We will be giving out membership cards there if you have signed up!

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HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

We also need to get EVERYONE to become a member of the Malt Whisky Society.
To do this follow these steps:
1. Go to www.ausa.org.uk
2. Register a new account
3. Search for “Malt Whisky Society”
4. Add “Malt Whisky Society Student Membership” (£2) to your basket (like amazon.com)
5. Go to your basket – you MUST add “Societies Union” membership (£1) before you can pay
6. Follow payment instructions – you NEED a credit/debit card to pay.
7. Bring along your reference on a bit of paper/your mobile phone to the next whisky event and we will give you your membership card.

Yes, we relise that this is INCREDIBLY stupid/inefficient/difficult/unnecessary but it is THE ONLY WAY that you can become a member. This also includes previous members.

CASH PAYMENTS
It is possible to pay for membership with cash at the Butchart Recpetion desk during opening hours.

 and bring your friends!

 Our mailing address is:
University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
United Kingdom

Ballantine’s Adds BMW Masters to Global Golf Platform

Ballantine’s, the No 2 Scotch whisky in the world, is reinforcing its commitment to golf with a sponsorship agreement with the BMW Masters for the next three years. The inaugural US$7million tournament, sanctioned by the European Tour, will take place at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai from 25 – 28 October 2012.

As the official Scotch whisky, Ballantine’s will be highly visible at the tournament, both on the course and through a dedicated VIP hospitality area. Each day, the players scoring the lowest round of the day will be awarded with a bottle of Ballantine’s 17 Year Old, while the tournament winner will be presented with a rare bottle of Ballantine’s 30 Year Old.

Sponsorship of the BMW Masters further enhances Ballantine’s impressive track record of support for European Tour golf events both in Asia and in its homeland, Scotland. Since its founding in 2008, the Ballantine’s Championship has become one of the most prominent events on the professional golf calendar. The Scottish Open, where Ballantine’s is an official sponsor, continues to attract world class talent to its links course at Castle Stuart, just miles away from the spiritual home of Ballantine’s, Glenburgie Distillery.

The BMW Masters is an excellent opportunity for Ballantine’s to support China’s golf boom. The brand continues to support China’s No 1 player, Liang Wen Chong, who in 2007 co-founded the Ballantine’s Golf Fund which aims to boost the development of professional golf in China by supporting emerging talent.

In December 2010, Ballantine’s also established the Ballantine’s Dragon Team, China’s first team of professional golfers who are offered team training with leading golf coaches, full sponsorship of members’ participation in high level tournaments as well as sponsoring their attendance at the annual Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, comments: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the BMW Masters and are very proud to be associated with such a prestigious tournament in China that will welcome the stars of world golf such as world No1, Rory McIlroy, No3 Luke Donald and No4 Lee Westwood. Our sponsorship investment, both at the top of the game and at grass roots level, marks our deepening commitment to world class golf in China.”

Notes:

About Ballantine’s
Ballantine’s is the No 1 ultra-premium whisky in Asia Pacific and the No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe, selling over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won over 80 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the iconic 30 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.

Ballantine’s association with golf can be traced back to at least 1960 when the Ballantine’s Tournament took place at Wentworth golf course. More than fifty years later, Ballantine’s is the title sponsor of the high-profile Ballantine’s Championship, Korea’s first and only European Tour event and the country’s largest golf tournament, to which the brand is committed until at least 2013. Ballantine’s has been official supplier to the Scottish Open since 2007. The first Ballantine’s sponsored golf tournament was played in 1960 at Wentworth Golf Club, England, and Ballantine’s has been an Official Sponsor of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in 2009 and 2011.

About Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information visit www.chivasbrothers.com

When Austinites came up with the slogan “Keep Austin Weird,” they probably didn’t expect it to be taken so literally. Progressive and vibrant, Austin is known for having more festivals, shows, and other types of gaiety per capita than any other city in the U.S. But until recently, it was missing something… A WoW show!

With one month left to go, the First Annual Whiskies of the World Expo Austin promises to be as progressive and vibrant as the city itself. With over 170 expressions (and counting), six ongoing masterclasses (including one with the iconic Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie and another with Olivia Cigars), new releases, and new distilleries launches; they will all be there to keep Austin “whiskied” if not weird!

If you’re still working on your vacation plans, or are available November 2nd 2012, come and join us for a night of spectacular whisky celebration. New territory, new whiskies, new people: what a wonderful way to commemorate the passing year, and reenergize your spirits before the holidays!

Two nice hotels will provide WoW guests with discounted accommodation for November 2:
 
Holiday Inn Austin Lady Bird Lake -$139 plus tax. (A 15-minute walk to the event and the only Austin hotel with an airport shuttle.) Please call the hotel directly to reserve your room: (512) 634-1275, valid until October 17, 2012. Don’t forget to mention WoW to receive a special rate!

Hyatt Regency Austin-$185 plus tax.(A WoW host) Please book reservations here by October 2, 2012

A message from Jennifer Nicol at J&W Hardie – Tomatin Distillery;

“We have created an events calendar to let fans of Tomatin know when and where they can next meet one of the team or sample Tomatin all over the world. The calendar can be accessed via our website or our Facebook page (links below).”

FACEBOOK

TOMATIN EVENTS NEWS

The “all time” Whisky Design Awards status at kickoff on September 1st 2012

This is the status of the nominees in the four categories at the kickoff for the final voting on September 1st, 2012. Category 1 – Bottle, less than € 250 1 – Bruichladdich Octomore range 2 – Bruichladdich Micro Provenance-Series … Continue reading →

Sullivans Cove, Tasmania’s multi award winning luxury single malt has arrived in the USA with the official launch to take place at Whisky Fest San Francisco on the 5th of October.

Chief Distiller Patrick Maguire will be touring the USA with local distributor Purple Valley Imports and will be visiting San Francisco, Seattle, LA, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York.  Please contact Raj Sabharwal for itinerary details and to arrange interviews with Patrick.
 
Sullivans Cove is currently available in California, Minneapolis, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington DC and Massachusetts. Other States will follow shortly.

Purple Valley Imports USA has recently been awarded the Icons of Whisky America 2013 “Whisky Importer of the Year” and the team at Sullivans Cove are very excited to be in such good hands. (Well done Purple Valley! – WI)