Chivas Toasts Opening Night at Cannes as one of the Official Suppliers to The Great Gatsby Film Premiere Party

Chivas Regal 25, the world’s original luxury whisky, has today announced its coveted position as one of the official suppliers to The Great Gatsby film premiere party on the Opening Night of the 66th Festival de Cannes. Marking a fifth consecutive year as official sponsor to the festival itself, Chivas Regal 25 has a heritage of luxury and exclusivity, making it the perfect drink to toast the silver screen legends and the glamour of the world’s most prestigious film festival.  To celebrate the launch of The Great Gatsby at the exclusive Cannes film premiere party, Chivas will serve a bespoke menu of themed cocktails, named after the well-known characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic story. Celebrating the opening of the 66th Festival de Cannes, the event is set to be the pinnacle of the festival program and a sensational night of 1920s glamour.

In addition to this event during the festival, Chivas will also host more than 75 VIPs from around the world as part of a unique 24-hour VIP experience that celebrates the legendary glamour of Cannes and Chivas Regal 25. Guests will enjoy a night at the iconic Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez, a red carpet makeover at the Chivas Regal Salon 25, a view of Cannes from the harbour aboard the Chivas 25 Yacht as well as entertainment at Bar 1909 in Chivas House on the legendary Croisette. Guests will also be treated to a private dining experience at two Michelin starred La Palme d’Or where they will enjoy a bespoke tasting menu, pairing Chivas cocktails with the finest seasonal French Cuisine, created by Chivas Global Brand Ambassador Max Warner and chef Christian Sinicropi.

James Slack, Brand Director, Chivas Regal said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of The Great Gatsby film premiere party at Festival de Cannes as part of our whole program. Our Global Brand Ambassador, Max Warner, has been working to create a bespoke menu of Gatsby-themed cocktails that we’ll serve at the party in honour of this event. As a brand that was born in the time of Gatsby, it is fitting for us to celebrate this look back at a time with the cast of this iconic film. This should be another legendary year at the festival and we are excited to be part of it again.”

Chivas Regal 25 – the pinnacle of the Chivas range – pays homage to the world’s first-ever luxury whisky, the original Chivas Regal blend, shipped from Scotland to New York in 1909. Enjoyed today by elite tastemakers around the globe, it is a unique blend of the finest whiskies, aged for at least a quarter of a century.

Dating back to the 1940s, Festival de Cannes is today considered the most iconic and glamorous film festival in the world.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with A&E Television, a Bazmark/Red Wagon Entertainment Production, a Film by Baz Luhrmann, “The Great Gatsby.”  The film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

Notes

Chivas Regal is now in its fifth year as official partner of the Festival de Cannes – the most exclusive and celebrated international film festival.

About Chivas Regal

Chivas Regal is a truly global brand, selling 4.8 million 9L cases annually in more than 150 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and Americas. The Chivas Regal range is the epitome of style, substance and exclusivity and includes Chivas Regal 12, 18 and 25 Year Old.

To celebrate its fifth year as official partner of the Festival de Cannes, on the 18th May Chivas Regal will launch the world’s first website to take users on a fully interactive virtual VIP journey through the world’s most prestigious film festival. To experience the Legend of Cannes, from the 18th May guests can visit www.chivas.com/cannes

The 150^th Victoria Highland Games Association

***Whisky School***

This past weekend Whisky Intelligence was afforded the opportunity to once again help run the Whisky School at the 150^th Victoria Highland Games Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th of May in Victoria, British Columbia. As an obvious whisky enthusiast this was not something to let slip by, a whisky school held in a tent in the midst of a Highland Games; magic!

HRH the Duke of York was the Chieftain of the Games and was very much in evidence along with his RCMP close protection detail. Some 25,000 people attended the Games over the course of the weekend which was a record crowd. The Whisky School was located in a prime central location with lots of foot traffic.

While the weather was quite good for an outdoor event Saturday it certainly leaned towards the traditional Scottish model (umbrellas part of the day and slightly chilly), Sunday followed the west coast model and was warm and sunny.

Before the action....

The Whisky School was laid out into three classes a day with 44 attendees in each class with a really good variety of whiskies were presented; here are the official class descriptions;

1) Saturday May 18th 12-1:00 PM. The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar with J. Wheelock  

Want to impress your friends at parties? Want to improve your resume? How about… sampling some excellent Whiskies while trying your hand at being a Master Blender? The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar will be conducted by ambassador J. Wheelock and the lucky attendees will nose and sample 5 of the component Whiskies in the Whyte and Mackay Special and then actually blend them together. Participants will then go on to compare with their neighbours as to how well they did compared to the control sample of Whyte and Mackay Special Blend. Seats are limited; don’t miss your chance to have the best bragging rights in town. P.S. We’re just kidding about the resume thing. This only counts as FUN.” (Note: the Saturday & Sunday seminars are identical in format).  

2) Saturday May 18th 1:45-2:45 PM. Scotch & Irish Whisk(e)y 101 with Graeme Macaloney PhD. 

Looking to understand how Scotch & Irish whiskies are made, where their flavours come from, and taste the final product? This Scotch & Irish Whisky 101 tasting session will encompass classic whiskies including blended Scotch, triple distilled Irish whisky, a Speyside single malt and Island Scotch single malts from Edrington and Beam Global. A Scotsman and university trained in fermentation, Graeme Macaloney will take you through an organoleptic tasting experience of these ‘old-country’ whiskies and how they are made. 

3) Saturday May 18th 3:30-4:30 PM.  Around The World in Six Whiskies with Roberto Roberti  

Strap yourselves in for a round the world journey where ambassador Roberto Roberti will show case some exceptional award winning whiskies from a variety of countries. This class will be conducted so that the attendees will not know which whisky is which until revealed by Roberto. Test your skills and see if you can determine from where each whisky is from!  

4) Sunday May 19th 12-1:00 PM. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society with Colin Southcombe  

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the largest private whisky club in the world and it has finally arrived in British Columbia! Society whiskies are by their very nature unique, extremely limited and quite deliciously varied. Colin Southcombe will be leading this class and the single malts being poured will be a revelation! 

5) Sunday May 19th 1:45-2:45 PM. The Independents with Roberto Roberti  

Ambassador Roberto Roberti has reached into his magnificent bag of whiskies to formulate the lineup for this class which will feature two of Scotland’s most famous independent bottlers including some award winning blends, some single cask limited editions and two whiskies from a distillery whose name was only recent revealed.  

6) Sunday May 19th 3:30-4:30 PM. The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar with J. Wheelock  

Want to impress your friends at parties? Want to improve your resume? How about… sampling some excellent Whiskies while trying your hand at being a Master Blender? The Whyte and Mackay Blending Seminar will be conducted by ambassador J. Wheelock and the lucky attendees will nose and sample 5 of the component Whiskies in the Whyte and Mackay Special and then actually blend them together. Participants will then go on to compare with their neighbours as to how well they did compared to the control sample of Whyte and Mackay Special Blend. Seats are limited; don’t miss your chance to have the best bragging rights in town. P.S. We’re just kidding about the resume thing. This only counts as FUN.” (Note: the Saturday & Sunday seminars are identical in format). 

And obviously a condition of entry, as well as being of legal age, was that guests did not drink and drive.

Looking in....

The Whisky School volunteers were from the Victoria chapter of the Companions of the Quaich which has chapters all across Canada and many of them have years of experience volunteering at the Victoria Whisky Festival; they can turn over a class and pour a whole set of samples in minutes.

We volunteers had a myriad of duties that ran the gambit from setting up the tent on the Friday before the event, laying out the tasting mats and glasses, selling tickets for the classes (but not on the day of the event, local liquor regulations forbid that; the mind boggles at the stupidity of it but seriously who comes up with maddening petty regulations?) to pouring the samples, introducing the speakers and checking in the lucky ticket holders to their respective classes. The majority of tickets were sold prior to the weekend and included access to the Highland Games for the day of the ticket so the combination of the Highland Games ticket and the Whisky School ticket provided very good value.

"No Mom, I don't want to leave Whisky School!"

While the classes were in session there was always a steady stream of people inquiring about the Whisky School or eagerly buying engraved Glencairn glasses. There were also lots of people who were greatly dismayed that they couldn’t buy tickets since they had arrived too late; the few remaining tickets for Sunday classes all sold in a short while on Saturday.

Anne and Jim of the VIP hospitality tent sent two of their volunteers to attend a class and they later reported that while the volunteers enjoyed the class their participation in the class had reduced their operational effectiveness in the hospitality tent to zero (for a period)!

When there was an infrequent quite moment there was a chance to wander through the Games to take in all the vendors and the various events from the sheep dogs at work to the massed bands to the heavy events, dance competitions or even a visit the VIP hospitality tent for a cup of tea or a snack. (They seemed to have forgiven us for previous damage done to their volunteers). If more exotic fare was desired then there was a good selection of food trucks and vendors on site. WI was over joyed to find Island Highlander Company’s stand and their excellent Sticky Toffee Pudding(s); two were purchased for quite enjoyment later. Scottish meat pies and HP Sauce are a Whisky School tradition however they must be purchased early since the vendors always run out. Another perk was an occasional dram found its way into a volunteers glass…

Another amusement enjoyed by the Whisky School volunteers was watching the RCMP close protection detail trying to keep up with HRH the Duke of York and he steamed around the Games at full tilt. Happily he didn’t visit the Whisky School looking for a seat since the Whisky School was sold out…

WI managed to secure tickets to J. Wheelock’s The Whyte & MacKay Blending Seminar on Saturday which focused on the constituent malts that make up that blend with a really nice dram of Flaming Heart from Compass Box thrown in for variety.

On Sunday the class of choice was the Scotch Malt Whisky Society class led by Colin Southcombe with 8 very nice samples (121.54 Don’t worry about a thing…, 26.87 Passion-fruit scented candles, 7.77 Elegant ladies taking tea, 16.32 Leather armchairs and old wardrobes, 105.19 ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, 76.92 Ticks all the boxes, 4.168 Gunpowder, treason and plot and 53.162 The Happiness Machine).

Pretty whisky.....and Colin

Roberto, Graeme,  J. and Colin did an excellent job of presenting while pipe bands played just across the field although at times it was best just best to sit back and enjoy your dram and listen to the pipe music. At one point there was even a little cannon fire but none of these distracted from the fine whiskies on offer.

All in all the experience volunteering at the 150^th Victoria Highland Games Whisky School was very enjoyable experience and the team did a superb job of running the school and helping to educate many people in the joys of whisky. The proceeds from the Whisky School support the Victoria Highland Games Association. Thanks to Bev, Glenn, Duncan, Frank, Ann Marie, Clare, Heather, Al, Maggie Warren and Greg for their hard work and sense of humour! Tickets for the 2014 Whisky School will be available on the Victoria Highland Games Association in late March or early April. Don’t miss out!

J. leading the action...

Canadian Whisky Twitter Tasting and Book Review

The Grand Finale of #DavinTT 

A month of discussing Davin de Kergommeaux’s Canadian whisky book on Twitter will wrap up on Sunday May 26, at 3:00 eastern time. Please join us for the final installment of #DavinTT on Twitter.

This week we’ll be discussing Chapters 22 through 25 of Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert while we sip a wee dram of Canadian whisky. If you want to join in, any Canadian whisky will do. However, this week we will discuss Highwood, Hiram Walker, Forty Creek, and Valleyfield distilleries so if you have a whisky from one of these distilleries on hand, all the better.

Go to #DavinTT on Twitter at 3:00 eastern time, Sunday and join in the discussion, add your comments, interact with author, Davin de Kergommeaux, and discuss a Canadian whisky you are tasting.

We invite bloggers to blog about the book, the experience, the whiskies and/or Davin. Let the fun begin!

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me, @WhiskyLassie on twitter.

Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert is available at Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, and many other fine bookstores, or on-line at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks Bunnahabhain BBR 1990 21yo Cask 19

Bunnahabhain BBR 1990 21yo Cask 19

46% abv

£79.00 inc vat £65.83 ex vat

‘…A big, robust sherry cask Bunnahabhain…’

Best regards,

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

www.ralfy.com visits a Canadian distiller and finds out about a unique feature in the warehouse with Whisky Review 363 (4/7) – John’s Canadian Oak casks at 40 Creek Distillery

ISLAY FESTIVAL OF MALTS & MUSIC – SPECIAL FESTIVAL BOTTLINGS ANNOUNCED FOR CAOL ILA AND LAGAVULIN

by Pat Roberts

To celebrate this year’s Islay Festival of Malts & Music, Caol Ila and Lagavulin distilleries have again announced exclusive Festival bottlings for visitors to the distilleries.

18-year old Lagavulin from European Oak

The LAGAVULIN™ 2013 special festival bottling, from whisky distilled in 1995, has been aged in ex European Oak Sherry Butts, and was personally selected by Lagavulin warehouseman Iain McArthur.

Feis 2013 Special Bottlings – Lagavulin

Triple-matured Caol Ila

This year’s CAOL ILA™ special festival bottling  is a little special and unusual, explains distillery manager Billy Stitchell, who personally selected the whisky:

“Spirit distilled in 1998 has been triple-cask matured. For 12 years it rested in a combination of Refill Butts, Hogsheads and Barrels. The vatted whisky was then allowed to mature for several months in active hogshead casks to impart a spicy/oaky note to the existing delicate Caol Ila smoke. Finally it was treated to a final gentle maturation in European oak.”

Feis 2013 Special Bottlings Caol Ila

Volumes and prices

Bottles will be on sale to individual visitors at the distilleries priced  at £99. The Lagavulin festival bottling goes on sale at the distillery at 10:00 am on Saturday 25 May (Lagavulin open day); the Caol Ila bottling goes on sale at 10:00 am at the distillery on Monday 27 May –  in both cases with an allocation of two bottles per customer.

Each release has been bottled at natural cask strength and comes in limited editions of 3,000  individually-numbered bottles.

Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Head of Whisky Outreach, commented:

“We are again delighted to have two exceptional whiskies from Lagavulin and Caol Ila which we have bottled for the enjoyment of those visitors who come to celebrate Islay’s great whiskies and whisky-making traditions with us during the Fèis.

“In the past our special single-cask Festival bottlings have sold out very rapidly, leading to disappointment for some visitors, and unfortunately allowing others to profit from their misfortune by re-selling bottles at inflated prices. This was never our intention.

“So this year we are releasing slightly more generous volumes without compromising the quality of our offering. We hope this  will enable all Fèis visitors who want to buy a bottle as a memento of of their visit to do so.”

Feis 2013 Special Bottlings x2

NOTES

The 2013 Fèis Ìle (Islay Festival) runs from 24 May to 1 June.

See also http://www.malts.com/ and http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/

Global competition launched to celebrate the release of anCnoc Peter Arkle Limited Edition No.3 ‘Bricks’

anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is announcing a new chapter in the collaboration between the whisky brand and a renowned Scottish illustrator based in New York – Peter Arkle. The partnership was launched in April 2012 and involves a series of limited anCnoc expressions presented in packaging designed by the artist. So far the range included two global releases –anCnoc Peter Arkle No.1 ‘Ingredients’ and anCnoc Peter Arkle No.2 ‘Casks’. Today the brand unveiled anCnoc Peter Arkle No.3 ‘Bricks’ and revealed details of a global competition launched to celebrate the partnership and give anCnoc fans around the world an opportunity to participate in this remarkable project.

The Whisky

anCnoc Peter Arkle No.3 ‘Bricks’ was matured in Spanish ex-sherry butts as well as American exbourbon barrels. The resulting whisky is full-bodied and sweet and displays a classic anCnoc flavour profile with notes of perfume, citrus, honey and spice defining its style. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV, non chill-filtered and presented at its natural colour.

The packaging shows a thick dunnage warehouse wall, as drawn by Peter Arkle during his visit to Knockdhu Distillery in 2011. The artist comments on the project and the design:

“I have loved working with anCnoc and am very proud of our latest limited edition. The distillery at Knock is such a great place and I had a fantastic time visiting there. This particular illustration for me really shows a complex thought in a very simple way. On one hand it’s just a drawing of the bricks that make up the walls of the distillery and the warehouses with a yellow sign stuck on. But, on the other hand, those bricks are so old and so soaked with the essences of anCnoc – absorbed over the years – that they are not just any old bricks. They are bricks with real character and history. And the sign is there to remind people that anCnoc is not something you can take for granted. One must handle something remarkable with care.”

Only 1000 cases of anCnoc Peter Arkle Limited Edition No.3 ‘Bricks’ will be available online and from specialist retailers in the UK, USA, Germany, Russia, Japan, Taiwan and Canada. The recommended retail price in the UK is £49.99.

#youranCnoc

To mark this great collaboration ten whisky fans from around the world will see their personal anCnoc experience turned into unique bottle designs drawn by Peter Arkle himself. The competition, called #youranCnoc, will take place on the 17th June and all who wish to participate will be asked to tweet a photo of their perfect anCnoc moment that day. Ten entries selected by Peter will then be hand-drawn, transferred onto individual bottles of anCnoc and sent to the winners. Additionally, one lucky winner will be taken to New York to meet the artist and experience the process of creating his remarkable illustrations first-hand.

Peter further commented:

“I have been so inspired designing for anCnoc and I’m really excited for people to get the chance to be inspired themselves and have their own personal anCnoc moment immortalised onto their very own bottle. It’s such a fun opportunity.”

Gillian Gibson, the anCnoc Brand Manager added:

“anCnoc has long had a close relationship with visual art and we are delighted to not only be continuing with this fantastic series with Peter which we are sure will become instant collectors’ items like its predecessors, but that we can also offer truly personalised art with a mighty fine dram with our #youranCnoc campaign.”

Full details of the competition can be found at www.anCnoc.com anCnoc can be found on Twitter at @anCnoc whisky

Tasting notes

Colour: Bright amber

Aroma: Fresh, fragrant and complex. The signature rich honey and lemon notes are accompanied by freshly cut flowers, juicy green apples and sweet vanilla. A hint of heavy leather adds to the depth while just a touch of ripe orange zest wraps it up in a beautifully balanced composition.

Taste: A full-bodied dram with great texture. The flavour is spicy at first with notes of vibrant citrus, sherry and dark chocolate developing and revealing a mouth-watering burst of hot toffee and honey sweetness.

Finish: The finish is long and smooth with notes of oranges and sherry enveloped in moreish spiciness.

Peter Arkle

Peter Arkle is been a freelance Scottish illustrator, based in New York City. Born in Penicuik he graduated from St. Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, before moving to New York, where his unique style flourished. He has been working freelance since 1993, contributing to books, newspapers and magazines such as The New Yorker, Newsweek and Oprah, in addition to leading global brands and businesses.

Notes

•anCnoc [a-nock] Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced at Knockdhu Distillery in the village of Knock near Huntly

•The distillery was established in 1894 and is now part of the International Beverage Holdings portfolio, alongside Balblair, Pulteney and Speyburn single malt distilleries in Scotland.

• Core expressions of anCnoc include a 12 year old, a 16 year old and a 22 year old

•A super premium anCnoc 35 year old is also available for a limited time across selected markets worldwide

www.ralfy.com introduces a good quality Canadian option with Whisky Review 362 (3/7) – 40 Creek Copper Pot Canadian Whisky

While the history of whisky is long and proud, with legend telling of Saint Patrick bringing the craft of distillation to Scotland, the history of the Quaich is no less long or illustrious.

 The word Quaich comes from the gaelic “cuach” which means cup and they have been used for centuries to welcome or bid farewell to guests, or as a mark of comradeship or friendship. Sharing a dram of whisky from a Quaich has long been symbolic of binding people together in love, friendship or comradeship or to welcome or bid farewell to favoured guests. Today quaichs are often given as a gift to someone held dear.

This two handled Scottish drinking cup may have originated with the practise of drinking whisky from a scallop shell and progressed to forming these shallow cups from wood, stone or horn. Over the years the cups became more elaborate and highly skilled craftsmen fashioned wooden quaichs with beautiful celtic designs. From the 17^th century, as metals came to be more commonly used, quaichs have been made of  brass, pewter, silver or a combination of all three. The original outer shape was retained but the thick bases were thinned to reduce the the weight.

Quaichs originated in the Highlands and weren’t used in Lowland Scotland until the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie when the quaich travelled south in the canteens of the Prince’s army. The quaichs of the army were reputed to have glass bottoms enabling the drinker to keep an eye on those around him; a sad reflection on treacherous times.

Alex Scott & Co Ltd, a long established Aberdeen based company would like to offer you the chance to win a beautiful quaich so you may sup your dram in the traditional way and our gift set even provides a miniature of MacAllan Gold single malt whisky for the first filling.

To enter simply email the answer to the following question along with your name and address to sales@kiltmakers.co.uk using the subject line Quaich Competition, and we will draw the winner, at random, from the correct answers. Closing date June 19th, 2013…….. Please don’t forget to title your email Quaich competition.

What is the Centenary Quaich?

1. Quaich which resides in the Scottish Parliament building and is used for ceremonial occasions.
2. An international rugby union trophy contested annually by Ireland and Scotland.
3. A annual flat race run at Ayr races each September with the Centenary Quaich also being the name of the trophy.
4. A quaich presented to Queen Victoria by her loyal Scottish Subjects at the turn of the twentieth century.

Terms and Conditions:-  The winner will be notified of their win by email and the prize sent by post. No further correspondence will entered into and the judges decisions are final. The prize cannot be substituted or exchanged for cash. The competition is open to all except employees or relatives of Alex Scott & Co (kiltmakers.co.uk) or employees and relatives of Red Evolution. Important – entries will only be accepted from those who are 18 years old or over. This contest will run until Wednesday June 19th, 2013.

UK vlogger Joe Ellis a.k.a Whisky Wednesday reviews Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky.

http://youtu.be/zlGwAKuYnGk

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