North British 50 year Old – Douglas Laing’s Directors’ Cut

North British distillery has been in the news recently and unfortunately it’s not been due to whisky. Happily it was announced last week that the distillery’s cooling towers were not the source of a Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak that recently hit … Continue reading >>

Red Stag by Jim Beam® Launches National Food Truck Tour with Adam Richman

Red Stag by Jim Beam® is teaming up with food explorer and star of the popular Travel Channel® show “Man v Food,” Adam Richman, to bring the unexpected combination of Jim Beam’s newest flavor innovations and food to fans 21 or older across America through the “Track the Red Stag Food Truck Tour” this summer. Pairing his signature ‘no holds barred’ personality with a flavorful kick, Richman worked with Jim Beam to create unique menu items inspired by and prepared with the Red Stag expressions – Honey Tea, Spiced and Black Cherry.

“My partnership with Red Stag has been an opportunity to explore the innovative and delicious Red Stag bourbon expressions from Jim Beam, while tapping into some different culinary traditions to create some really unexpected dishes, like Kentucky Honey Tea Sliders,” said Richman. “I can’t wait to hit the road with the Track the Red Stag Food Truck Tour and introduce people to something different and unexpected with my signature Red Stag-infused fare.”

The Track the Red Stag Food Truck Tour hits the road in June, visiting three pre-determined cities – Tampa, Indianapolis and Chicago – and one that Jim Beam Facebook fans can help choose by voting online through June 15. In each city, food truck patrons 21+ will get a one-of-a-kind opportunity to taste Adam Richman’s unique Red Stag inspired recipes and get their photo taken in front of the truck to share on Facebook with their friends who are 21 or older. People who are 21 or older can even taste the new Red Stag by Jim Beam® expressions at participating bars in each area.

In addition to voting on the final Track the Red Stag Food Truck stop, fans can follow the Food Truck on the Jim Beam Facebook page as it makes its way through all four cities via an interactive geo-targeted map and find out where to taste the new Red Stag by Jim Beam® expressions by checking out the sampling tab. The Jim Beam Facebook page also offers access to all of the Red Stag inspired recipes Adam Richman created so fans can bring a taste of the Food Truck home. They can even check out the exclusive Red Stag by Jim Beam® cocktails created by Jim Beam mixologist, Bobby “G” Gleason, to complement each Food Truck dish.

“I love to cook and I love bourbon, so I am thrilled to launch a Red Stag-inspired food truck,” said Fred Noe, Seventh-Generation Jim Beam Family Distiller and great-grandson of Jim Beam. “Bourbon is such a versatile spirit, particularly our Red Stag portfolio of bourbons infused with natural flavors – Honey Tea, Spiced and Black Cherry – and this just shows how accessible it can be to all kinds of different palates, whether you’re a seasoned bourbon drinker or just whetting your appetite for the category.”

Red Stag Honey Tea, Spiced and Black Cherry are expertly crafted with four-year-old Jim Beam® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – the world’s number one bourbon – as a base and infused with natural flavors through a unique artisanal process. All three expressions are authentic 80-proof bourbons that are perfect for those who haven’t considered bourbon before – or those who simply want to add a little flavor to their flask.

Red Stag by Jim Beam® is now available for a suggested retail price of $17.99 for a 750ml bottle. For more information about Red Stag by Jim Beam® or the Track the Red Stag Food Truck Tour, go to www.jimbeam.com/red-stag, visit us at www.facebook.com/JimBeam or follow us on Twitter at @JimBeamOfficial.

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, EFFEN Vodka, Pucker Flavored Vodka, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC, DeKuyper Cordials, and Skinnygirl Cocktails. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2011 sales of $2.8 billion, volume of 34 million 9-liter cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit http://www.beamglobal.com/ and http://www.drinksmart.com/.

Maker’s Mark Wins Trademark Protection for Signature Red Wax Seal

Loretto, Kentucky, – The United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit today upheld a U.S. District Court ruling protecting the registered trademark for Maker’s Mark’s signature dripping red wax seal. The ruling is a decisive victory for Maker’s Mark (NYSE: BEAM) in a trademark dispute dating to 2003, and upholds an injunction prohibiting Jose Cuervo International, Inc., its affiliates and Cuervo’s United States distributor Diageo North America from the use of a dripping red wax seal on any Cuervo tequila product. The appeals court ruling also upheld the lower court’s ruling in awarding costs to Maker’s Mark for its pursuit of the injunction.

“This decision is a resounding affirmation that our unique dripping red wax seal is a trademark of Maker’s Mark and is off limits to competitors,” said Rob Samuels, chief operating officer of Maker’s Mark. “My grandmother dipped the first bottle of Maker’s Mark in red wax, and it’s been our signature trademark ever since. We’ve been confident in our position all along, and today’s outcome confirming that our unique trade dress cannot be infringed is great news for fans of Maker’s Mark, those who handcraft our bourbon, and those who individually dip each bottle every day.”

Today’s appeals court ruling upheld an April 2, 2010 opinion by Federal Judge John G. Heyburn II of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Maker’s Mark was represented in this litigation by a team from the law firm of Kenyon & Kenyon of Washington, D.C. led by Edward T. Colbert.

About Maker’s Mark® Bourbon

In 1954, at a small Victorian distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, Bill Samuels, Sr., made the first 19 barrels of a totally new whisky, using pure, iron-free, limestone spring water and a mash consisting of yellow corn, barley and red winter wheat that, when aged-to-taste over the next six years, would become Maker’s Mark bourbon. Mr. Samuels created a bourbon that brought “good taste” and “taste-good” together for the first time and, in so doing, heralded the modern era of bourbon. In 2010, in tribute to his father’s spirit of innovation Bill Samuels, Jr., unveiled Maker’s 46, a totally new bourbon which reflects the distinct character of Maker’s Mark but has a bigger, bolder and full bodied taste that is luscious without any hint of bitterness. Today, Maker’s Mark continues to hand make its bourbon exactly the same way Bill Samuels, Sr., did almost 60 years ago, in small batches by skilled craftsmen who hand-cut each label and hand-dip each bottle. Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky (45% alc./vol.) and Maker’s 46 (47% alc./vol.) are distilled, aged and bottled by the Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., in Loretto, Kentucky. In 1980, the distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark, becoming the first distillery in America to be so recognized, and has also been decreed as the “world’s oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery” by Guinness World Records. The Maker’s Mark Distillery is one of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year. For more information, please visit the Maker’s Mark website (www.makersmark.com).

Maker’s Mark® Bourbon Whisky, 45% Alc./Vol. © 2012 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc, Loretto, KY MAKER’S MARK MAKES ITS BOURBON CAREFULLY, AND PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY.

This news was released in early May 2012 and appears here for historical interest only. – Whisky Intelligence

Jim Beam® Partners With Six Bold Artists to Launch the 2012 Live Music Series in Support of Military Musicians

This summer, Jim Beam® is building on its bold music legacy while continuing its ongoing commitment to our nation’s troops with the 2012 Live Music Series. The Jim Beam® Live Music Series is a string of six live concerts, each featuring one of six artists who has partnered with the world’s No. 1 bourbon to bring bold music experiences to fans across the country – Kid Rock, Daughtry, David Gray, Darius Rucker, Bush and Train. Extending the program beyond live concerts, Jim Beam is offering bold, legendary cover songs recorded by the Live Music Series artists on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries*.

Together with Rolling Stone, Jim Beam is leveraging the publication’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Each of the six Live Music Series artists have chosen and recorded a song from Rolling Stone’s historic list and are offering it to fans exclusively on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries during the promotion period. Beginning in June, specially marked bottles of Jim Beam®, Jim Beam Black®, Red Stag by Jim Beam® and Devil’s Cut® bourbons will be marked with offer details and instructions on how to download tracks from the six artists on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries. Fans across the country can also join the Live Music Series experience by visiting the website to view portions of the live concerts that will be streaming online. Additional content – including exclusive artist interviews – will also be available on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries.

“I’m proud to extend my relationship with Jim Beam for the second year of their Live Music Series. We’ve had a great time celebrating with fans of both music and bourbon, and I am excited to continue the party for another year,” said Kid Rock.

2012’s Live Music Series builds on Jim Beam’s tradition of groundbreaking music programs. In 2010, the world’s No. 1 bourbon launched a breakthrough consumer program for both the spirits and music industry by offering exclusive Kid Rock music downloads on specially marked boxes of Jim Beam® and Red Stag by Jim Beam® bourbons. And last year, in 2011, the company boldly expanded the Jim Beam music platform by launching the first Live Music Series, offering fans a wide array of live performances throughout the year as well as giving fans a wider selection of exclusive content. The 2012 Live Music Series furthers Jim Beam’s rich heritage in music and expands the program this year to benefit U.S. troops.

Supporting our Troops through Music

Jim Beam is continuing its commitment to the troops through a partnership with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and Wounded Warriors. As part of the 2012 Live Music Series, the world’s No. 1 bourbon will donate more than $100,000 to the organization, a portion of which will be used to purchase musical instruments for soldiers both in the U.S. and overseas who have a passion for music. Jim Beam will present Operation Homefront with a check for $100,000 onstage at Kid Rock’s concert in Boston on June 1 – the first show in the Live Music Series. Fans across the country can join in and show their support by texting the word SALUTE to 27722 to add $5 to their phone bills as a donation to Operation Homefront . Jim Beam will also be contributing to the troops and military musicians by matching the number of Live Music Series downloads redeemed on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries and donating those to soldiers 21 years of age or older through Operation Homefront.

“For more than five years, Jim Beam has supported the troops and the families they leave behind through Operation Homefront,” said Rob Mason, Senior Director, US Bourbon, Beam Inc. “The Live Music Series is the perfect way to build on that commitment and give back to the soldiers who have a passion for music.”

VIP Sweepstakes

In addition to the live concert experiences and exclusive content available at JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries, including the artists’ cover tracks from Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Jim Beam is supporting the 2012 Live Music Series with advertising, media, PR and social media. Jim Beam is also hosting trivia nights in each of the concerts’ cities and hosting a nationwide sweepstakes** for a chance to win a VIP experience at the final 2012 Live Music Series concert event.

Fans 21 years of age or older can join the Live Music Series experience by entering for a chance to win a VIP trip to the final Live Music Series concert on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries. The grand prize includes backstage access; a meet-and-greet with the band; an autographed Live Music Series customized guitar and the opportunity to be the Jim Beam® Live Music Series blogger for the day.

For more information on the Jim Beam music experience, including, upcoming concerts and exclusive downloads, visit www.JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries or www.facebook.com/jimbeam.

Live Music Series 2012 Concert Schedule

Kid Rock: Friday, June 1, at the House of Blues in Boston
Daughtry: Thursday, June 7, at the Temple Hoyne Buell theater in Denver
David Gray: Saturday, June 30, at the House of Blues in Chicago
Darius Rucker: Tuesday, July 24, at the House of Blues in Dallas
Bush: Thursday, Aug. 2, at The Ritz theater in Tampa
Train: Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Mann Theater in Philadelphia
*Must be 21 or older to participate in the download offer, see full offer details on specially marked bottles of Jim Beam®, Jim Beam Black®, Red Stag by Jim Beam® and Devil’s Cut® bourbons, where legal.

**Text LMSVIP to short code 66937 now or go to www.jimbeam.com/livemusicseries to enter online. Standard text messaging rates apply.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. (except CA) and 21 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited. Subject to complete official rules, available at www.jimbeam.com/livemusicseries. Sweepstakes begins on June 1, 2012 at 12:00:01 a.m. ET and ends on July 30, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m.

$5.00 donation to Operation Homefront. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 21 years of age to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 27722 to STOP. Text HELP to 27722 for HELP. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: mGive.org/privacy

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, EFFEN Vodka, Pucker Flavored Vodka, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC, DeKuyper Cordials, and Skinnygirl Cocktails. The Beam portfolio includes 10 of the world’s top 100 premium spirits brands and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2011 sales of $2.8 billion on volume of 34 million 9-liter cases.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit http://www.beamglobal.com/ and http://www.drinksmart.com/.

About Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone has been the leading voice of music and popular culture since its inception over 40 years ago. The magazine features the latest in music reviews, in-depth interviews, hard-hitting political commentary and award-winning investigative journalism. Rolling Stone provides all the news that fits to 12 million readers every two weeks.

About Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront® provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and Wounded Warriors. A nonprofit 501(c)(3), Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with nationwide presence, and has taken care of more than 590,000 needs for military families since its inception in 2002. Operation Homefront is a four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, and 94 percent of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes directly to support military families. For more information, please visit http://www.operationhomefront.net/.

Jim Beam® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 40% Alc./Vol. ©2012 James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, KY. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Happy 4th of July to our friends in the United States of America!

Refurbished Tomatin Distillery is Preparing for a Bumper Summer Season

Tomatin Distillery is looking forward to welcome in excess of 20,000 visitors to its Visitor Centre this summer, following a £150,000 investment in upgrading the popular tourist attraction.

As well as extensive refurbishment and brand new facilities, an exciting new feature within the Visitor Centre is the ability to pour and label your own limited bottle of Tomatin whisky. There will be two Distillery Exclusive casks at any one time for visitors of the distillery to choose from and when the cask is emptied it will be replaced with a new selected cask.

The distillery tour has also been improved, so much so that the distillery is also celebrating its upgraded VisitScotland rating to 4 stars, awarded in June 2012. While the tour previously offered limited access, visitors will now – for the same price – see more of the production areas of the distillery, including the Malt Bins, Mashing, Fermentation, the Stillhouse and one of the traditional Dunnage Warehouses.

Marie Macleod, Visitor Centre Manager, is delighted with their new look: ”Following the refurbishment, the Visitor Centre now looks much brighter and more inviting. We’ve had great customer feedback since we started the new tour, which was emphasised with the great result following our mystery guest visit from VisitScotland!

Our Distillery Manager, Graham Eunson, also had the great idea of opening up the side of one of our disused Mash Tuns to let visitors see the inside, an added extra which is unique to Tomatin Distillery and has also been a wonderful success so far.”

Tomatin continues to push its award winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky range, along with its Blended Scotch Whisky brands, all of which are available to purchase from the Distillery Visitor Centre Shop. Details of Visitor Centre opening times and tours are available from their website: www.tomatin.com

Notes
 Tours cost £3 per adult, kids go free.
 The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
 Website: www.tomatin.com 
 Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897 Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897
 The distillery was established in 1897, and while historically the whisky produced was primarily sold for use in other brands of blended whisky, the company is now very focussed on growing the Tomatin single malt brand in its own right.
 The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’.
 The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo: http://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/index.htm

Kilchoman NAS Single Sherry Cask Release KWM (60%, OB, C#322, D’ 15/11/2006 B’13/09/2011)

A single cask bottled for Kensington Wine Mart in Calgary Alberta from Islay’s newest distillery. And bottled at a prodigious 60% ABV; on the nose there is a very good richness but also a very big presence of peat smoke and some nice influence from the cask (chocolate and mocha) as well as some slight green or vegetal notes. The sherry influence shows as rich maple syrup which is a welcome addition to the mix. The undiluted taste is very strong with an aggressive peat some attack as well as an assault by the high alcohol but it’s manageable but just. Some good fruit. With water it’s significantly richer and rounder and oily and chewy and all very good. It handles water very well which improves the taste significantly and quite shockingly brings out even more of the very rich peat smoke and chocolate. These two momentarily obliterate the sherry but really, who cares? The finish is strong and very malty chewy with more peat smoke in the back ground and then more of the grain, like chewing on peated malt straight from the kiln.

Amazingly good. Amazingly big and a stunner.

$115 exclusively to Kensington Calgary

Score 88 points

WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR EXCEPTIONAL 50 YEAR OLD MACALLAN AT BONHAMS EDINBURGH

The highest price ever paid for a bottle of The Macallan 50 year old, distilled in 1928 and bottled in 1983, was achieved when it sold for £17,500 at Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 27 June.

Estimated at £10,000-12,000 the bottle, bearing a label in particularly fine condition, came in its own wooden presentation case. The Macallan 1928 was one of the first 50 year old malts to be released and is regarded as a key part of any serious whisky collection. Only 500 bottles were released, and as they rarely come onto the market they have become increasing difficult to find.

Bonhams Whisky specialist, Martin Green said, “This is acknowledged as one of the greatest whiskies ever and it is not surprising to see it attracting a record price.”

The previous highest price for the The Macallan 50 year old was £13,500.

The sale made a total of £200,000 with 87% sold by lot and 90% by value.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks, ‘Caol Ila Moch’

A refreshing alternative for a peaty Islay whisky fan. (So says the Joynson)

A cleaner, fresher, sweeter, peaty dram that I certainly will be pouring in the shop for a recommendation. Moch is Gaelic for Dawn that, while quite tenuous, is a good name for this bright dram; imagine dawn after the rain, a flat loch, you just godda get out on the water!

Moch is livelier than the OB standard 12yo Caol Ila, the peat and lemon characters sound an awful combination but is has a delicious charm; there is more malted barley and the peat is light but intense.

A very enjoyable dram, someone compared it with one of the young Ardbegs but I was not a fan of Very Young, I am of the Moch.

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

AIR FRANCE KLM toasts increase in market share with special dram from Aberdeenshire distillery

AIR FRANCE KLM Group is market leader in Scotland, flying over 1.2 million passengers last year. To celebrate this, KLM – de facto carrier of Scotland – has teamed up with one of the intrinsic elements of Scottish culture, a Scottish whisky distillery, to pick its own cask of single malt whisky.

Following a strong increase in market share over the past year, the Air France KLM Group now transports 1 in 4 long-haul passengers.

KLM recently expanded their Scottish service by adding Inverness to its Scottish network following a new partnership with Flybe. Air France KLM now offers up to 38 flights a day from its five airports in Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

To reaffirm KLM’s commitment to serving the needs of Aberdeen and Grampian’s business community, the airline teamed up with local Aberdeenshire distillery, Glen Garioch, to pick its own cask of single malt whisky.

Senior KLM staff visited the Glen Garioch distillery earlier this year to hand-select a non-chill filtered single malt preserved at cask strength from North American oak, which has been quietly maturing at the distillery since 1998. It was specifically chosen by KLM for its sweet roasted almond notes mixed with intense dark chocolate and wood spice, finished with smooth and creamy hints of vanilla and coconut. Bottles of the single malt will be distributed to business and leisure customers.

Henri Hourcade, General Manager of Air France KLM, UK and Ireland, said:

“To highlight KLM’s commitment to Scotland, we have teamed up with Glen Garioch, where staff from KLM picked its own cask of single malt. Investing in local businesses and people is important to KLM and we wanted to mark our continued success in Scotland by partnering with a distillery with such a rich history and beautiful whiskies.”

David Wilson, Sales and Marketing Director at Morrison Bowmore Distillers, said:

“We were delighted to team up with KLM to pick a cask at the Glen Garioch distillery earlier this year. The KLM staff picked an excellent 14-year-old with wonderful sweet roasted almond notes and a lovely smooth vanilla finish. This is sure to be an excellent dram to be enjoyed by KLM customers.”

Notes

Images of whisky launch at Aberdeen Airport attached. In picture 002 L-R: Gail McParlin, Air France KLM, Phil Nickson, Morrison Bowmore and Don Jacobs, BAA Aberdeen Commercial Director.

AIR FRANCE KLM, the result of a merger between AIR FRANCE and KLM in 2004, is one of the leading European air transport groups. Its main activities are the air transport of passengers and cargo as well as aircraft maintenance. In 2011, AIR FRANCE KLM carried 75.8 million passengers and 1.1 million tonnes of cargo. The group’s fleet comprises more 586 aircraft, including 173 regional aircraft operated by its partners Brit Air, City Jet, Regional and KLM Cityhopper. Its network covers 230 destinations in 113 countries from its hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. The Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is leader in Europe and has over 20 million members.

With their partners Delta and Alitalia, AIR FRANCE and KLM operate the biggest transatlantic joint venture with more than 250 daily flights.

AIR FRANCE and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has 16 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 14,700 daily flights to 958 destinations in 173 countries.

About Air France

Air France currently offers flights from 13 airports in the UK: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London Heathrow, London City, Newcastle, Manchester and Southampton.

For more information on Air France, visit www.airfrance.co.uk or call 0871 66 33 777.

The AIR FRANCE KLM Group was voted Airline of the Year 2012 at the Business Travel Awards.

About KLM

KLM offers services from 16 airports in the UK: Aberdeen, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Durham-Tees Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds-Bradford, London City, London Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton.

KLM flies via the multi-awarding winning Amsterdam Airport Schiphol whose wealth of accolades include Business Traveller’s ‘Best Airport in Europe’ award 2011.

For more information, visit www.klm.com  or call 0871 222 747.