NEW DIRECTION REVEALED FOR WHISKY ENTREPRENEURS FRED AND STEWART LAING

Douglas Laing & Co owners forging new chapters for the next generation of the family

May 1, 2013 (GLASGOW) – The owners of Douglas Laing & Co, the successful independent Scotch whisky blenders and bottlers, have announced that they are to go their separate ways and focus on different projects from today.

Established by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948, Douglas Laing & Co has continued to thrive under the guidance of his sons Fred and Stewart Laing for the last 40 years.  Now, Fred and Stewart are looking to build a secure future for the next generation of their families by concentrating on the industry in their different ways, with Fred continuing to head up Douglas Laing & Co, while Stewart launches a new company, Hunter Laing & Co. Full details of Hunter Laing & Co’s formation are being announced today, as is further detail on Douglas Laing’s development.

The assets of Douglas Laing & Co have been split between the two brothers. Stock, brands and other functions of the business have been divided, giving both brothers equal value.

Stewart will retain Old Malt Cask, the Old & Rare Selection, Douglas (of Drumlanrig) range of Single Malts, Douglas Blend, House Of Peers, Sovereign Single Grain and John Player Special blend as well as the bottling facility in East Kilbride.

Douglas Laing under Fred will continue to offer their Single Cask Provenance range, Director’s Cut, Double Barrel, Premier Barrel, Clan Denny Malts and Grains, Epicurean Blend, the King Of Scots range, McGibbon’s and Big Peat.

In a joint statement, the brothers said: “The Scotch whisky industry is in great shape at the moment and this presents each of us with the perfect opportunity to diversify and explore different projects with the next generation of our families.

“As drinkers around the world expand their whisky repertoire and seek out new flavours, the opportunities for niche players will flourish.  Our commitment is to creating a solid business for the next generation of our families and the business structures now in place allow us to capitalise on the opportunities the market place provides for their long-term benefit.”

High Spirits at Leading Scotch Whisky Firm Douglas Laing as it Welcomes the Third Generation

May 1, 2013 (GLASGOW) – Today, Fred Laing realizes his career-long ambition of taking total control of Douglas Laing & Co. the business his father Fred Douglas Laing established in 1948, which is now regarded as one of Scotland’s most successful independent Scotch Whisky blenders and bottlers. As Fred restructures for the future, it has also been announced that the company will maintain tradition with a senior appointment from the third generation of the family.

Cara Laing, Fred’s daughter, joins the company as Head of Brands Marketing, bringing with her impressive industry experience and proven marketing expertise. She leaves behind Morrison Bowmore Distillers where she led both Bowmore and Glen Garioch Single Malts as Marketing Manager, to take up this role. Specialising in brand strategy and innovation, Cara was previously Global Brand Manager of Jura and also worked on Dalmore Single Malt at Whyte and Mackay.

Fred and Cara now have an exciting opportunity to develop fresh, innovative, new brands for Douglas Laing. The first of these new brands – a premium Single Cask range – for the company is expected to be unveiled in September. Most recently Fred created and launched the Big Peat brand; a modern, quirky Islay malt with a big personality that continues to grow YOY, out-performing the Malt category. It has also won numerous awards, most recently stealing the show at the ISW International Spirits Awards 2013, to win ‘Grand Gold’.

Beyond innovation, Douglas Laing will continue to invest heavily in stocks appropriate to protect their malt, grain and blended core brands such as ‘Directors’ Cut’ and ‘Provenance’ both of which are performing well and out-pacing the Malt category with strong double digit growth.

Douglas Laing brands include:

Single Malt: Provenance, Directors’ Cut, Premier Barrel

Single Grain: Clan Denny Grain

Blended Malt: Big Peat, Double Barrel,

Blended Scotch: King of Scots, McGibbons, Epicurean

Fred Laing said: “This is the start of a fresh new chapter at Douglas Laing with our third generation and I’m delighted to have Cara join the company my father established over 60 years ago. I confess, she brings exceptional and arguably better experience in the industry than I do. She has a great head for business, and an energetic, creative take on what’s needed in the industry; a trait that’s particularly important given our determination to strengthen Douglas Laing’s niche as a progressive, innovative company.  We look forward to developing our current whiskies as well as our new brands, which are already in the pipeline.”

Cara added: “Douglas Laing has a long and interesting history; one that I’m delighted to officially be part of now. The company’s reputation has been built on being individual, never following the crowd and always insisting upon the best quality. Dad has been a massive inspiration to me as the driving force behind Douglas Laing, so I’m looking forward to working with him, strengthening the characteristics and brands that he introduced and emphasising our progressive, original spirit through clever marketing and strategic development.”

As has always been the case, Fred will continue to hand-select all of Douglas Laing’s casks as well as writing the tasting notes in conjunction with Malt Ambassador, Jan Beckers. Fred has also retained other key members of the original Douglas Laing team, including Finance Director Alick Bisset plus Head of Logistics Archie Hamilton and Head of Production Stephen Gardiner who cumulatively bring more than 50 years experience with the company. The 12 strong Douglas Laing team will be expanded on in the coming months with several senior new appointments.

Notes: 

Established more than 65 years ago, Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky blender and bottler specialising in the finest Single Cask bottlings.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and non-chill-filtered to preserve the robust and unique character of the whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

NEW SCOTCH WHISKY COMPANY SET TO BECOME MAJOR FORCE AMONG INDEPENDENT BLENDERS AND BOTTLERS

Hunter Laing & Co Ltd begins trading under the guidance of Stewart Laing and his sons

With the fortunes of the Scotch whisky industry continuing to rise, a new company has been formed by experienced whisky entrepreneurs, Stewart Laing, and his two sons, Andrew and Scott, to capitalise on the opportunity and provide the ever-developing audience of whisky drinkers with new products.

Formed on 11th February 2013 and trading from today at its new headquarters in Park Circus, Glasgow, independent bottler and blender Hunter Laing & Co begins operations with considerable key assets that have been retained by Stewart Laing following the de-merger of Douglas Laing & Co’s ownership, which was also formalised today. These assets include the whisky brands Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Douglas Blend, John Player Special and Sovereign, plus a bottling plant, a workforce of eight (not including shareholders) and three generations of whisky business knowhow.

With a network of importers and retailers stretching across 65 markets, Hunter Laing & Co will be embarking on a strategy of strengthening the position of brands now in its portfolio and developing new products to meet the increasing demands of drinkers in Asia, North America and the Nordics, especially.

Joining the business as shareholders are Stewart’s two sons, Andrew and Scott. Both will be bringing valuable experience to the business – Andrew and Scott were directors of Edition Spirits Ltd, an independent bottler of single malt Scotch whisky. Scott, who has an MBA and a degree in law, is company secretary. Hunter Laing & Co will bring Edition Spirits and its brands into its fold.

Commenting upon the formation of the new company, Stewart Laing, Managing Director, said: “My father provided a sound basis for me to have a very enjoyable 40 years in the whisky business so far and with Hunter Laing & Co we’ll see the family tradition maintained for the next generation of the Laing name. With the industry fast developing, it is important for small players to be flexible, innovate and use their relationships to maximum effect. The structure of Hunter Laing & Co will allow us to do exactly that as we build momentum with our portfolio of much-loved brands.”

Adding to his father’s comments, Andrew Laing, Export Director said: “The whisky industry is in buoyant mood and the future outlook is promising. Being able to join my father in business and glean from him the insight and knowledge that has served him so well will be invaluable as we build Hunter Laing & Co into a major independent blender and bottler.”

“With Edition Spirits, we secured some fabulous casks for bottling and have developed a sound brand. The assets now at our disposal will give us a far greater degree of flexibility to create and bottle some very special whiskies. It’s a challenge that we are all relishing,” said Scott Laing, Business Development Director.

The brands now under Hunter Laing & Co ownership are:

Single malt: Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Douglas of Drumlanrig
Blended Scotch: Douglas Blend, John Player Special, Langside, House of Peers
Single grain: Sovereign

The bottling facility in East Kilbride now owned by Hunter Laing & Co will continue to service third party companies and brands. The new company will be run by its three shareholders, along with David Armour, Finance Director, and a sales, marketing and operations team of seven.

Notes:

• Douglas Laing & Co, the independent Scotch whisky blenders and bottlers demerged on April 30th 2013, with the owners, Fred and Stewart Laing, announcing they are to go their separate ways to focus on different projects from May 1st 2013.

• Fred will continue to head up Douglas Laing & Co, with Stewart launching a new company, Hunter Laing & Co, and the assets have been divided equally between the two.

Canadian Whisky Book Review and Twitter Tasting

Be a part of the world’s first ever whisky book review/twitter tasting. Social media are changing the way we read and the way we taste whisky. We’ve decided to integrate the two! Each Sunday for the next four weeks we will review several chapters from the book Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert and discuss them on Twitter. And we will do this while we taste a representative whisky from that chapter.

If you wish to comment on the book, interact with author, Davin de Kergommeaux, or discuss a Canadian whisky you are tasting, please join us each Sunday at 3:00 pm Eastern time, on Twitter at #DavinTT.

The twitter reviews and tastings begin this Sunday, May 5^th at 3:00pm EST when we will be talking about chapters 10 – 13. Davin will join us to answer questions, and contribute to discussion among the participants, etc.

After chatting for about 30 minutes about 15 participants from around the world will open a mystery bottle that we have sent to them. You didn’t get a bottle? Feel free to join in anyway. The more the merrier. After tasting the sample and talking about it we’ll reveal which distillery it came from and which whisky we tasted. Sound like fun?

This Sunday we’ll begin with chapters 10 – 13. Then, Sunday May 12^th we will discuss chapters 14 – 17; Sunday May 19^th, chapters 18 – 21; and Sunday May 26^th, chapters 22 – 25.

We invite the whisky bloggers among us 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 Lomond 11yo 2000 (57.8%, SMWS G9.1, Refill barrel, USA 48 Bts., +/-2012) 

“Sweet and sour mélange”  

From the distillery that Captain Haddock was so fond of. On the nose it’s very ‘whisky’ but different (that last is a cop out) however there is some good earthiness and a certain creaminess along with a little ‘metallic’ notes and it is actually quite different. There is still some grain and wood notes but the earthiness and the metallic are very prevalent. There is also a really strong presence of American whisky, specifically Buffalo Trace but this could be imagination masquerading as talent. The taste undiluted in cool-aid powder, lots of cask influence, the earthiness and the metallic with the B.T. taking a position in the rear. This is good but quite different. Lots of black pepper in there also, a curious combination with the pepper, the earthiness and the B.T. The finish is long and warming with more of the pepper (now muted), the earthiness and the B.T all merrily going to meet Captain Haddock.

Certainly different and curious.

$100

Score 83 points

3 of 4 this week. Samples kindly provided by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America

2013 International Safety Awards Hat Trick for Scotch Whisky Distiller 

Morrison Bowmore Distillers Limited is proud to announce a major coup which has been awarded to the company by the British Safety Council.

Mr Neal Stone, Director of Policy and Communications of the British Safety Council, stated: 

“The Trustees and Executive of the British Safety Council congratulate Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd on their achievement of a distinction, the highest accolade, in our 2013 International Safety Awards. The company is to be specially congratulated on gaining a distinction for the third year running – the only company in the food and drinks sector to achieve this accolade.”     

Morrison Bowmore Distillers is one of only four organisations to have achieved this award with distinction the maximum possible number of three times.

Mr Andrew Rankin, Morrison Bowmore’s Operations Director, commented “This is a truly excellent achievement and I would personally like to thank all our staff and contractors for their dedication and commitment in enabling us to maintain such a high level of performance.  To be recognised by the British Safety Council in this way is further testimony to our commitment of integrating health and safety into the heart of the way we work.”

Morrison Bowmore’s brands include Bowmore Islay Single Malt, Auchentoshan Lowland Single Malt and Glen Garioch Highland Single Malt.

www.ralfy.com tackles a slow-starting cask strength malt which really needs time to express it’s quality, featuring Whisky Review 357 – Glenfiddich 15yo Distillery Edition 

Join our Scotch Malt Whisky Society “Blasts From the Past” Tasting!!

We’re changing things up for our May Outturn tasting. Instead of new releases, we’ll be revisiting old friends! Are you a newer member who hasn’t had a chance to try some older releases? Perhaps you haven’t been able to make it to any SMWS tastings and would like to hear more about the Society? Do you have friends you’ve been talking to about the Society and you would like to introduce them to it? Then this month is for you! Click on the Register Now link below or stop by our shop to register today! Space is limited so please register early! In order for us to ensure we have enough space, whisky & nibbles of food, PLEASE REGISTER AT THE LATEST BY THE FRIDAY MORNING PRIOR TO THE TASTING!

Get more information

Register Now!

If you have any questions about the event, SMWS generally or how to register, please get in touch. We look forward to seeing you at the tasting!

Slainté,

Crystal Coverdale
General Manager
Edgemont Fine Wines, Sprits & Ales

3020 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver BC
604-984-9463
Open Daily 9am-11pm

When Monday May 6, 2013 from 6:45 PM to 8:15 PM PDT Note: Registration is required in advance, by the Friday morning prior to the tasting please! Please arrive 5-10mins early to check-in, tasting starts promptly at 6:45pm

Where Edgemont Fine Wines, Spirits & Ales 3020 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver, BC V7R 2N4. We time the event as best as we can to be transit friendly. Please ensure you have a safe way to get home.

Event Fee SMWS Members = $40 +GST Non-Members = $50 +GST

Memberships are now available in store! For more info on SMWS visit www.smws.ca 

Get the Party Started with New Chivas App

Using your smart phone or tablet at a social gathering is now a way of bringing people together, thanks to Chivas. The new Chivas MASHTUN Games App gets people playing, active and laughing and is perfect for getting the party started.

Free on iTunes, Chivas MASHTUN offers a contemporary twist on your favourite, classic parlour games, comprising five options designed for a minimum of two people. It automatically suggests the number of teams and players on each team, based on guests and phones or tablet devices in the room.

James Slack, Global Brand Director of Chivas, commented: “Chivas MASHTUN combines elements that we know modern gentlemen love: games, gadgets and, above all, being a great party host. Chivas has always been about bringing people together, celebrating friendship and generosity. With this new venture, we wanted to change the rules of gaming technology, which can be insular, and make hosting at home sociable, entertaining and memorable.”

Chivas MASHTUN nods to the mash tun, which is the brewing vessel for mashing grain and water to make wort for Scotch whisky. Making a mash is about bringing together the right ingredients in the right way, a lot like hosting a great party.

Chivas MASHTUN is now available for free download on iTunes. See chivas.com for more details.

NOTES:

Chivas MASHTUN is an App, offering five games to choose from, comprising:
1. MASHJAM
A game of rhythm and memory. Play back the rhythm as accurately as you can by tapping or shaking
2. MASHACT
Players act out words as they appear on the device. Help your teammate guess as many as they can before the time runs out.
3. MASHRELAY
Sing, hum, whistle or shout to propel your team’s piece along the course. A head-to-head relay race.
4. MASHTIP
A physical game whereby players are asked to perform a random physical action while holding their device as steady as possible to balance a tower of virtual blocks displayed on screen.
5. MASHSEEK
A modern take on the game of hide and seek: find a device hidden in the room using a series of remote prompts to make it vibrate, beep, flash or take a picture.

Chivas Regal is a truly global brand, selling 4.9 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.

For further information please visit www.chivas.com

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.

Scholarships Awarded at Annual KBF Sampler

Bardstown, KY –Anne Margaret Deatrick and Morgan Nichole Riggs were the recipients of the 2013 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Scholarship.  Jerry Summers, chairperson, along with several KBF Board of Directors members, were in attendance to present a certificate of achievement to these young ladies during the fourteenth annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler held at the Guthrie Opportunity Center Saturday, April 27.  Both individuals attend Assumption High School.

Anne is the daughter of Patricia and William Joseph Deatrick.  Mr. Deatrick is employed by Brown Forman.  Anne plans to attend Bellarmine University next year.  Morgan is the daughter of Shana and Robert Riggs and plans to attend the University of Kentucky in the fall.  Morgan’s mother Shana is an employee of Brown Forman.

This year’s sponsors of the scholarship were Bluegrass Ice Company, Smith Brothers Trucking, Toddy’s Liquors and Woodford Reserve Distillery.  The winning essays will be published in the 2013 Kentucky Bourbon Festival program.