New Website Now Launched

Event registration now open!

World Whisky Day – Saturday 17th May 2014 

We are delighted to announce that the first phase of the new World Whisky Day website is now LIVE.
 
We will be adding lots of new sections to the website too as we get closer to the big day. We have lots more exciting plans and competitions in the run up to World Whisky Day so watch this space.

Get in the spirit, mark the date in your diary and let’s raise a dram to World Whisky Day 2014.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT NEW WEBSITE
www.worldwhiskyday.com

If you want to discuss your plans or find out more about getting involved then please email info@worldwhiskyday.com or call +44 (0)131 208 2582.

Kind regards,
Blair Bowman

Founder
World Whisky Day
www.worldwhiskyday.com
 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and very exciting competitions.

Tomintoul 10 Year Old 40% Speyside Malt

Interview with Ingvar Ronde, Editor of the Malt Whisky Yearbook. 

Paul McLean was talking to Ingvar Ronde in Finland, February 2014.

Ingvar, It was a pleasure to meet you at Helsinki, I have had the yearbook for a few years now, I never expected to meet you there! Like myself, I think that was your first Uisge fest? How did you find it?
A; I think it was a brilliant show. Not very big but a nice venue and the visitors were extremely interested and knew a lot about whisky.

Q; I was so happy that Helsinki had a “heat wave” while we were there, how does that compare to your weather in your part of Sweden?
A; Well, Helsinki is a wee bit colder than where I live in the south of Sweden but I did appreciate we didn´t have to force our way through a thick layer of snow because that happens from time to time.

Q; I don’t know about you, but after two days on our feet, I felt tired, how did you get on over the two days?
A; It wasn´t too bad. After all you and I were more or less stationed at our stand. I feel you get more tired when you´re walking around for 6 hours at some of the bigger whisky festivals in the world.

Q; The yearbook is a fantastic read, full of whisky information, facts and figures, something for everyone, How/why did you start it?
A; Thanks for the kind words Paul – never get tired of hearing that. I´ve been interested in whisky for a couple of decades now and the idea for the Yearbook actually sprung from my personal need for a decent annual update on the subject without having to surf the internet every time I needed to know something. There are Yearbooks for every subject nowadays and I was actually a bit surprised to see that whisky, and especially malt whisky, wasn´t covered. After my first couple of Yearbooks I found out that a lot of whisky enthusiasts out there must have felt the same way because sales have increased quite rapidly.

Q; Tell me more about the annual updates.
A; The book is divided into three parts. The first one is articles by some of the best known whisky writers in the world. Every year I send out topics to the authors to make sure there´s a nice mix of history, products, techy stuff etc. The second part of the book is the biggest where I cover all the malt whisky distilleries in the world. The Scottish ones get either a full spread or one page each, a chapter is reserved for the Japanese ones and then all the others from the rest of the world follow. The final part is a summary of the whisky year that was, a guide to independent bottlers, a list of good whisky shops and statistics and figures. Now for the annual updates, I always aim to have at least 70% new material in each new edition. Otherwise I feel I would be cheating the customer. Apart from visiting some of the distilleries in person I contact every distillery, as well as a lot of other people in the industry, every year to hear what´s new and what they have planned for the future. I have a list of around 500 people who either get a phone call or an email from me every year.

Q; Do you have any plans for other books or projects?
A; At the moment I´m working on a new whisky book in Swedish which may be translated into other languages later on. Can´t give you too many details at the moment but it is aimed at a broader audience than the Yearbook.

Q; How many copies are sold each year and in what countries?
A; Every year I sell somewhere between 15 and 20,000 copies – mostly in the UK and other European countries but there is also a healthy interest from USA, Canada, South Africa and The Far East.

Q; Where can people buy a copy?
A; You can always but it through my own website (www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com) but it´s also available at distillery visitor centres, whisky shops, book shops in the UK and of course Amazon.

Q; Finally, who writes the text, who does the research, the layout and who takes the photos?
A; Apart from the first 6-7 articles, I do all the work including research and layout. I wouldn´t say I´m a control freak (although my friends and family probably would) but I like to be involved in all stages of the production. I get some of the photos from the producers but I have also travelled a lot in Scotland with my friend Peter who is a photographer. Many thanks for giving me this interview, I hope to meet up again in the late summer over in Scotland, we are exploring the options of a whisky tour for you with friends.

Thank you Paul and I´m really looking forward to the tour and to see you again. Ingvar. 

Note; MCLEANSCOTLAND will be designing & hosting/guiding a whisky tour for Ingvar and friends in Scotland, 2015.

www.mcleanscotland.com    www.angelswhiskyclub.com   

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY LAUNCHES TWO NEW VARIANTS, “TAILFIRE” AND “SUNRAY” IN 2014

Diageo and WORLD DUTY FREE GROUP launch JOHNNIE WALKER^® EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION^TM concept store in Heathrow 

Alexander Walker’s Travellers’ Room returns to its roots in London 

London, UK, March 2014: Diageo Global Travel and Middle East (GTME) and World Duty Free Group have today opened an exclusive concept store in the departures concourse of London Heathrow Terminal 4, for JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION^TM, the major global marketing initiative that represents one of Diageo’s most significant investments in travel retail. 

The innovative, luxurious open-design site pays tribute to the travelling heritage of the John Walker & Sons agents who journeyed the world in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries, navigating their way down the famous trade routes in pursuit of new business and adventure. 

It is based on the spirit of the Travellers’ Room established by Alexander Walker at the company’s headquarters in the City of London in the 1890s. Close to the shipping houses and docks from which its agents journeyed the world, they gathered to exchange stories and learnings from their travels, in turn inspiring generations of master blenders. This activation is a modern-day reimaging of this Travellers’ Room for contemporary voyagers to enjoy. 

It features a deluxe tasting bar where travellers can engage with trained JOHNNIE WALKER ambassadors and discover the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION travel retail exclusive releases – THE SPICE ROAD^TM, THE GOLD ROUTE^TM and THE ROYAL ROUTE^TM. The store also combines JOHNNIE WALKER inspiration and education areas alongside a retail zone, which offers for purchase, all of the blends in the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION. The activation offers a superior travel retail shopping experience for those journeying through London Heathrow, and enables travellers to fully immerse themselves in the history of the brand and the collection, prior to purchase. 

Paul Downing, Key Accounts Director, Diageo Global Travel: “This innovative activation is a direct result of the excellent partnership we have with the World Duty Free Group both here in London Heathrow and further afield. The scale of this concept store represents our commitment to our highly valued travel retail consumers. We are continuously looking for ways to engage with busy travellers. The concept store is a striking spectacle that brings to life the brand’s heritage in travel, exciting and inspiring customers on their journeys. 

“In keeping with the style of the Travellers’ Room, where the agents swapped samples and tales from their voyages, consumers who visit the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB will be able to return from their adventures with something they cannot buy at home – the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION, a range of Blended Scotch Whiskies designed exclusively for travellers.” 

Eugenio Andrades, Chief Commercial Officer of World Duty Free Group, said: “We are truly excited to welcome the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION activation to London Heathrow. We are pleased and proud to host the first concept store this year and are thankful for this fantastic trinity project with Diageo and Heathrow, helping to highlight the strength of our on-going partnerships with both the brand and the airport. We are confident that the activation will surprise and delight our customers, offering them a truly unique shopping experience. Since the JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION launched in November 2012 it has been very popular with global travellers and is regarded as a brilliant example of a highly successful travel retail exclusive.” 

The store officially opened for business on 25th February. It will welcome global travellers until the end of May where they can purchase THE JOHNNIE WALKER EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION – THE SPICE ROAD (RRP £32.99), THE GOLD ROUTE (RRP £84.99) and THE ROYAL ROUTE (RRP £125). 

About Diageo

Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness. 

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com. For Diageo’s global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit www.DRINKiQ.com.  

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere. 

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY 

The JOHNNIE WALKER, EXPLORERS’ CLUB COLLECTION, THE SPICE ROAD, THE GOLD ROUTE and THE ROYAL ROUTE words, the Striding Figure device and associated logos are trade marks. © John Walker & Sons 2014. 

About World Duty Free Group: 

World Duty Free S.p.A., is the holding company of World Duty Free Group, one of the world’s leading travel retailers, operating mainly in airports and with a broad geographical reach. It has operations in 21 countries and more than 140 locations with over 500 stores, from its heartland in Western Europe, to the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. In 2012, the company posted a turnover of more than 2,002 million Euros. 

World Duty Free Group’s core business is tax and duty free shopping and its proposition covers the complete spectrum of airport shopping including Beauty, Wines & Spirits, Food & Confectionery, Tobacco, Sunglasses, Watches & Jewellery and Souvenirs. 

World Duty Free Group operates some of the most exciting and engaging airport shops in the world, with focus on the customer and innovative marketing programmes, including multi channel digital and live in-store interactive promotions. 

World Duty Free S.p.A. is listed on the Italian FTSE MIB 40 since 1 October 2013 with the ticker symbol WDF:IM. 

World Duty Free Group has been awarded as Airport Retailer of 2013 by Frontier Magazine.

For more information, please visit www.worlddutyfreegroup.com

Shortlist Announced for Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards

A mouthwatering competition has been set up in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards, with eight of the region’s finest malts set to battle it out for honours in the eagerly anticipated annual contest.

A judging panel comprising industry leaders, acclaimed writers and specialist retailers whittled down 46 entries at a blind tasting event at the Knockomie Hotel in Forres this week before finally settling on their finalists in four categories.

And now that the experts have shortlisted the final drams, the power of determining the overall winners will be handed over to visitors to the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. A series of roving judging sessions at which festival-goers will get to blind taste all of the shortlisted entries is being staged during the Festival, which takes place from May 1 to 5.

Ben Riach 12-year-old and Knockando12-year-old will go head to head in the 12-year-old and under category, while the Balvenie 15-year-old and the Singleton of Dufftown 18-year-old will compete in the section for malts aged 13 to 20 years.

In the 21-year-old and over category, the finalists are Glenfarclas 30-year-old and Cardhu 21-year-old, while in the section for distillery special editions Tamdhu 10-year-old will go up against the Glenfarclas 25 years old single cask bottling; Glenfarclas 1988 Cask 4966.

The awards are sponsored by coppersmiths Forsyths of Rothes – the company responsible for building many of the pot stills in which the shortlisted single malts were distilled.

James Campbell, chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, says, “In some ways it must be a dream job for our expert panel to spend a day nosing and judging such high quality Scotch malt whiskies, but on the other hand they face an immensely difficult challenge. The whisky produced on Speyside is among the best in the world – deciding which entries are worthy of making the final is an almost impossible task.”

Whisky writer Penny Ellis, a director of the Festival who also organises the awards, adds, “This is the only whisky awards in the world where the power to decide the overall winners is handed over to members of the public. However, the Festival is all about people: the people with the passion that drives production of our malt whisky, and the people who are passionate supporters of our national drink.

“The roving judging sessions are a great opportunity for our visitors to also take the blind taste test, and for them to sample some of the best whiskies that Speyside has to offer. Visitors may have their own favourite malt, but tasting it blind means that they cannot be influenced by presentation or brand loyalty – all they have to go on is smell and taste.”

 The roving judging sessions take place at Ugie House Hotel, Keith on April 25; Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown on April 30; The Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin on May 1; Aberlour Hotel, Aberlour, Richmond Memorial Hall, Tomintoul and Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort on May 2; Stuart Arms, Dufftown and Rothes Social Club on May 3; and Forsyths Coppersmiths, Rothes on May 4.

The final judging session and awards prize-giving will take place – along with a ceilidh – at Glen Grant Distillery in Rothes on May 4.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, which is now in its 15^th year, takes place at venues across the region, which is widely regarded as the spiritual home of the Scotch whisky industry. A signature event for Homecoming 2014, it will start Whisky Month – a four week national celebration of Scotland’s world class food and drink.

It will also launch a brand new event this year – The Spirit of Speyside Sessions – which aims to put to spotlight on the area’s traditional music heritage with concerts and ceilidhs being staged in venues closely linked to the whisky industry.

Tickets for all events in the 2014 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival programme, including the roving judging sessions, can be bought via the website – www.spiritofspeyside.com  The Festival is also active on social media – facebook.com/WhiskyFestival and @spirit_speyside on Twitter.

Notes

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs from Thursday, 1 May – Monday, 5 May 2014.  Check out www.spiritofspeyside.com for up-to-date news and follow the Festival at www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival  or www.twitter.com/spirit_speyside

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors travelling to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options. Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from EventScotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners

EventScotland: EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland,

Year of Homecoming Scotland

Scotland will welcome the world in the Year of Homecoming 2014- providing a year-long programme of events alongside the Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games . The Year of Homecoming Scotland will run from 31 December 2013 to 31 December 2014 throughout the length and breadth of the country.  Visitors from around the world are invited to join in a celebration of the nation’s food and drink, active pursuits, cultural heritage, nature and ancestral heritage.

Homecoming Scotland 2014 is a Scottish Government initiative being led by EventScotland and VisitScotland, supported by numerous partners. To find out more visit www.homecomingscotland.com

We support IWD every year because for us, like the day itself, women drinking whisky represents a development of strength and independence; drinking on your own terms. We’ve been running activities all this week to mark the occasion, from specially-created IWD cocktails to IWD competitions. So pop onto our Facebook page, post a picture from your whisky-inspired IWD day, or get on Twitter and celebrate IWD and whisky #womenwhowhisky #iwd2014.

Help shape the future of whisky and above all, share & enjoy!

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #80

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, sips the new Auchentoshan 1975. Two and a half years ago, Auchentoshan launched a 1975, a 35 Year Old at the time. Only 500 bottles were released and it was simply a stunning malt. Now, they have released a second batch of 500 bottles, but it is a 38 Year Old at this point and even better. This is an elegant and very fruity Auchentoshan that brings a smile to the Toshan Man’s face. 

http://youtu.be/oR2XOZBEt4k

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• 1993 Laphroaig 20 Year Old Sovereign K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($179.99)

• Samaroli Evolution 2011 Multi Vintage Pure Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($319.99)
• Aberlour 12 Year Old Non Chillfiltered Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($49.99)

• Glenmorangie “Signet” Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

• Kilkerran “Work In Progress” #5 Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 8 available ($62.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to the winner of our recently run label design competition: Emma Garner.

We had a fantastic response from the competition and some really great entries, making the job of choosing one design very hard. Taking into consideration the packaging and theme, we are delighted with the result and very pleased to award Emma the £500 cash prize.

Emma’s design will be the label of the very special, limited edition spring bottling of Chapter 13 and will be available early April. This is a celebration of England and it’s launch will be just in time for St.George’s day.
We will post the short list of entries on our blog and facebook shortly.