CHIVAS BROTHERS APPOINTS M&C SAATCHI AS BALLANTINE’S GLOBAL ADVERTISING AGENCY

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has announced the appointment of M&C Saatchi as the new global advertising agency for Ballantine’s, the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky.

The award-winning agency has been appointed following a four-month review process and is tasked with asserting Ballantine’s position as one of the most dynamic and brave whisky brands in the world to its global audience. New activations will have a particular focus on Spain, France, Russia, Poland, Latin America, China and Korea.

M&C Saatchi’s central Ballantine’s account team will be based in London with local teams in place in key markets. The agency will take over the Ballantine’s account from incumbent agency, Publicis, who will continue to work with Chivas Brothers on integrated marketing campaigns for Beefeater Gin and The Glenlivet.

Eric Benoist, International Marketing Director for Chivas Brothers commented ‘Throughout the review process, M&C Saatchi impressed us with their excellent understanding and appreciation of Ballantine’s. They demonstrated considered, strategic thinking, an insightful and original approach to creative work and they also showed great passion and commitment to working with us. We are looking forward to partnering with M&C Saatchi and building an ambitious future for Ballantine’s.”

A brand renowned for its dynamic and engaging marketing initiatives such as ‘Leave an Impression’, Ballantine’s is the No. 1 whisky in Europe, and the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky by volume, selling over 70 million bottles a year worldwide.

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 more than 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 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.

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.

The Drambusters Whisky Festival 2012

Last year was our first Whisky Festival and it was an astounding success, both from our point of view, but also from our suppliers (and also those 375 customers who attended)

This year, it is even bigger and better! To date we have sold 440 tickets (and if you’ve not got yours yet, tickets can be purchased on the day at the door). With over 200 products to choose from there will be something for everybody.

On arrival, please hand your ticket (with your name and contact number written on the back) to the staff at the door. This is your entry into the prize draw with the first prize being a VIP trip to Campbeltown to visit Springbank and Glengyle Distilleries and perhaps even a trip round Glen Scotia followed by an evening meal and accommodation.

On handing over your ticket, you will also receive a wristband that you must wear to gain entry to the hall and to taste any whiskies… no wristband… no sampling. You will also receive a carrier bag with a pen, a tasting glass, a bottle of water, and most importantly, your brochure telling you what whiskies are where. There is a full list of the whiskies available and a table plan at the back.

There will be special prices available only at the Whisky Festival on the day, so don’t miss out on these – we will have a shop on site and will be happy to take both cash and debit/credit cards so you can take advantage of these very special offers.

You do not have to carry the bottles away with you on the day, if you prefer, you can pay for them and then collect them from the shop the following week.

There will also be a WORLD EXCLUSIVE launch of a single cask whisky at the Festival!

Finally, we have tried to ensure that we have arranged as many suppliers as possible to enable you to try a wide range of fantastic products, in comfortable surroundings, at great prices and in a secure environment.

All tickets are still available online at www.drambusters.com/drambusters-whisky-festival as well as in store.

As well as a fantastic range of whiskies from all over the world, we also have the following below to choose from… so if your partner isn’t into whisky, there should be something else available that they would love to sample –

KILCHOMAN LAUNCHES MACHIR BAY MINIS IN AMERICA FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!

After a multitude of inquiries from our distributors, retailers and consumers, we have now brought in Kilchoman Machir Bay 50 ml.

We’ve always appreciated miniatures as a they are a great tool for introducing consumers to a product by giving them a chance to sample it before committing to a full bottle.

We are extremely excited to be able to make it possible for this expression.

Machir Bay Minis can be used to fill a well-deserved space in one’s miniature collection and they can be given as a corporate or personal gift to travellers, colleagues, friends or family members.

With the holiday season just around the corner, they couldn’t have come at a better time as they make the perfect stocking stuffer!

Bottled at 46%, unchillfiltered and with no artificial colour, each miniature comes in its own gift box at an RRP of $11.99/btl.

TWE Whisky Show 2012 – Rare & Unusual Islay Classics

After a hectic first day of this year’s TWE Whisky Show had ended with a well-behaved single pint at the egregiously smelly (but comprehensively beer-endowed) Rake Bar before an early retirement on account of toothache, I arrived at Vinopolis on Sunday … Continue reading >>

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks ‘Glenglassaugh 26yo’ and ‘Glenglassaugh Evolution’

Glenglassaugh Evolution

57.2% abv

£49.90 inc vat £41.58 ex vat

…’A cereal swallow (corn flakes)…’

Glenglassaugh 26yo

46% abv

£151.00 inc vat

£125.83 ex vat

…’core of a crunchie bar…’

Best regards,

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

Happy Whiskey Day To You Fellow WhiskyLover

It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and within 24 hours most of us will partake of a feast of exquisite food, great football games, Thanksgiving Day parades and time wonderfully spent with our loved ones.

After hosting 24 people at “Stone Hall” last year, this year I’ll be celebrating at relatives in central NJ. And because of how I spend my working hours, I’ve been asked to provide the “juice for the grown-ups”.

So in additional to a great Zinfandel for the meal, I wanted to bring a nice whisky to enjoy after the meal…a “post-game wind down” for the crowd…most of whom are whisky drinkers.

I thought long and hard, wanting a whisky that would be excite everyone…be a treat…and send everyone home with a new affordable favorite. So what am I taking?

This weeks featured whiskey: The Glenrothes Vintage 1988 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Glenrothes Distillery sits beside the Burn of Rothes in the heart of Speyside, Scotland. Production began at the distillery in 1879. In 1896 the distillery was expanded as demand from blenders grew for this increasingly prized malt whisky. Then, 100 years after the founding, new stills were installed, in 1979.

The water used to produce The Glenrothes whisky is sourced from their own private spring, “The Fairies’ (or Lady’s) Well”, in the nearby Glen of Dounie, and all the land surrounding this vital source is owned and protected by the distillery. Whiskies produced by Glenrothes are found at the heart of some of the world’s finest blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse.

Vintages from the 1970’s and 1980’s are increasingly hard to come by. The Glenrothes Vintage 1988 is of that rare breed. Never before bottled, the Vintage 1988 has benefited from more than two decades maturing in a combination of Spanish and American oak; previously seasoned with both sherry and whisky.

The Glenrothes 1988 vintage is truly a spectacular whisky. It is rich and sweet, with flavors of orange marmalade, fruit compote, hazelnuts, and confectioners’ sugar. The finish is long and lingering, with notes of candied orange peel, vanilla pound cake, and freshly roasted nuts lingering on the palate.

This is the perfect dram to enjoy after a Thanksgiving meal. There is no peat or smoke to this whisky; instead, the Glenrothes Vintage 1988 celebrates the inherent fruit notes that can be found in un-peated whiskies and takes it to an unparalleled level. The Glenrothes 1988 is a masterful dram and a thoroughly enjoyable whisky for fans of great Speyside whisky.

As is the case with most vintage-release whiskies, The Glenrothes Vintage 1988 is a limited production whisky. And so its with great excitement that we’re able to offer you the opportunity to acquire a bottle of this phenomenal whisky for $53.95/ bottle.

If you want a bottle, act fast, because once it’s gone…

Until next week…I wish you high spirits!

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

THE GLENROTHES VINTAGE 1988 SPEYSIDE SCOTCH WHISKY

Distiller’s Tasting Notes

Appearance: Copper gold, clear and bright
Aroma: Rich, spicy: ripe, dark, berry fruits
Taste:Rich, full flavour: candied orange peel, fruit compote
Finish:Very long, medium sweet

Glann ar Mor Distillery appoints importer for Denmark

Glann ar Mor, the artisan distillery from Brittany is delighted to announce it has appointed FC Whisky for the distribution of its whiskies in Denmark.

Jean Donnay, the designer and owner of Glann ar Mor distillery said “We are thrilled to start in Denmark with FC Whisky who share the same uncompromising and passionate attitude about whisky as we do ourselves.”

FC Whisky who are based in Vejle represent some reputed whisky producers such as Kilchoman and Vintage Malt Whisky Co.

Glann ar Mor is a craft distillery producing its whiskies by the seaside on the Northern coast of Brittany in pure Celtic tradition, doing it the old fashion way with live flame heating for its two pot stills, worm tub condensers, wooden washbacks and ultra slow distillation.

The un-peated Glann ar Mor and the peated Kornog are being introduced in Denmark during the second half of November, including a few rare bottles of the the casks strength/single cask Kornog “Taouarc’h an Hañv 2012” @ 58,7%, otherwise now sold out everywhere else.

Both single malts are already well established within the whisky community, having benefited from multiple awards and tasting reviews, including in particular a “Liquid Gold Award” for Kornog in the three latest editions of Jim Murray’s “Whisky Bible”.

For more information contact :
FC Whisky
Email: info@cask.dk
Phone: 0045 26 11 64 90

The Relaxed Whisky Weekend
6 – 8 September 2013

Fellow Whisky Enthusiasts,

Again, just a short newsletter to keep you all posted on the latest developments.

Breakfast by Highlander Inn
It is becoming somewhat of a tradition: Breakfast at Maltstock 2013 will again be arguably the best Scottish breakfast around, Breakfast by the Highlander Inn. They will make sure everybody has the best possible start of the day. The Highlander Inn is a must visit place for every whisky enthusiast. Perfectly located in Craigellachie in the hart of Speyside they provide excellent accommodation, fantastic food, an amazing selection of whisky, and the best service! Visit their website for more details www.whiskyinn.com

Campfire tasting
The campfire at Maltstock 2013 will be the stage for an unprecedented event. Donald MacLellan of Benriach and Glendronach wanted a bigger audience, now he can have one… The first tasting at Maltstock in which all of our guests will be involved at the same time. We are looking forward to this, more details will follow shortly!

• http://www.benriachdistillery.co.uk/
• http://glendronachdistillery.com

Monthly Prize Draw
A new winner has been randomly chosen from the 2013 ticket holders. This month Sebastiaan Meeuwsen is the lucky winner of a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail. If you want to be a winner too buy a ticket and you automatically take part in our prizedraw. For more information about tickets, please contact us at info@maltstock.com

The Hague
This weekend the Maltstock crew will be present at the International Whisky Festival in the Hague. (www.whiskyfestival.nl) This festival is well worth a visit and while you are there, please pay us a visit at our little stand. If you have any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate and let us know in person! We hope to meet you in the Hague!

We will also be present at:
• Hielander Whisky Festival February 15-16 2013
• Whisky Festival Northern Netherlands www.wfnn.nl March 22-24 2013

Hack(ed)
As some of you might have found out our website is not what it used to be. A couple of day’s ago some unknown people used our domain to share their religious believes and thoughts with all of us and the rest of the world. Without asking our permission, mind you… 🙁 Although we found out only minutes after this had happened, and we could have brought our site online again within a couple of hours, we decided against that. We feared that our site could be compromised again, and we do not want to run that risk. We are working very hard at the moment to upgrade our site to the latest techniques, update the content and configure our new shop. But, since we are a volunteer organization, this process is somewhat slower than we would like it to be. At the moment the site is hosted at www.whiskywentwel.nl which is our foundation. We apologize for any inconvenience.

For now…

If you have any questions or remarks, want to purchase tickets or clothing please send us an E-mail at info@maltstock.com

We hope to meet you in the Hague and at Maltstock 2013!

Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun
www.maltstock.com

We have planned a wee whisky trip for you. On the 1st and 2nd December will be going to Edinburgh!

On the first day we are going to visit the Scotch Whisky Experience and Glenkinchie Distillery. In the evening we can maybe take the opportunity and visit the German Christmas Market, which takes place when we will be in Edinburgh before we explore some cosy pubs and whisky bars at night. On the second day you will have free time to explore the city by yourself or with your new friends you made on the trip!

Tickets will be sold before our tasting this Wednesday from 6:00pm in bookends and will cost £ 39 per person.

The ticket price will include, transport, accommodation in a youth hostel, continental breakfast, and entrance fees.

Since we are going on a mini bus, we unfortunately have only 15 spaces available, including the trip leaders and tickets are sold on a first come first served basis, so be there on time to make sure you get a ticket.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email!

________________________________________
For those with tickets for this Wednesday, remember it will start at 6.30PM

Remember you can also hand in your forms for tshirts, hoodies and glasses
________________________________________
ALL members must renew their membership for this year.
Please see details below about how to do this.

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 simple 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.