CAMPARI CANADA ADDS TO ITS ONGOING SUPPORT FOR HOSPITALITY WORKERS AFFECTED BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Premium Spirits Company Donates $50,000 to Canada’s Bartenders Benevolent Fund

May 14, 2020 (Toronto, ON) – Campari Canada yesterday announced a $50,000 donation to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund, a Canadian non-profit organization that is raising much-needed funds for bartenders, servers and other hospitality staff who have fallen under serious financial hardship. The hospitality industry continues to be one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

This latest donation is part of the #ShakenNotBroken initiative that Campari Group has undertaken globally during the ongoing crisis. Campari Group’s #ShakenNotBroken campaign has deployed various initiatives to support the hospitality industry around the world.

Campari Canada’s first initiative to support the hospitality industry launched on March 27. The Campari Stir Crazy program, in collaboration with Bartender Atlas, engaged over 130 bartenders to create cocktails and content. Through this program, Campari Canada paid over $35,000 directly to some of Canada’s most creative bartenders. The company has also partnered with Longslice Brewery and The Aviary Brewpub to buy meals for those in need. With the latest donation, Campari Canada is totaling over $85,000 in support to the hospitality industry.

Campari Canada has also produced high-alcohol sanitizer at its Grimsby-based Forty Creek Distillery, which was delivered to local community organizations including the Canadian Red Cross and St Catharines Hospital Niagara.

“Our company, globally and locally here in Canada, has always made community involvement a core principle of our organizational efforts. Our #ShakenNotBroken initiatives around the world are meant to support our friends and peers in the hospitality industry who have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic,” said Melanie Batchelor, President, Campari Canada. “We understand that as the majority of bars and restaurants have been closed by order of provincial governments for safety reasons, the financial impact on those employed in this sector has been immense. We are also aware that even as some regions prepare to slowly and responsibly reopen, some of the challenges faced by these dedicated professionals will remain. Through this donation and other initiatives, Campari Canada will continue to do everything possible to support the Canadian hospitality industry in their time of significant need,” concluded Batchelor.

About Campari Canada:

Campari Canada serves as the nationally-focused extension of global beverage leader Campari Group. Designed to fortify the Campari Group legacy across the national landscape, Campari Canada serves as owner, importer and marketer of a diverse portfolio of over 30 internationally-recognized brands spanning across all fine spirits categories. Among them is Canadian spirits company, Forty Creek Distillery Ltd., known for its award-winning range of complex, yet approachable whiskies. With the Grimsby, Ontario-based Forty Creek location serving as the company’s bottling plant and warehouse, and corporate office headquartered in Toronto’s bourgeoning Liberty Village, Campari Canada continues in the Group’s steadfast commitment to building lifestyle brands and people with passion. Its portfolio of internationally-renowned brands includes Aperol, Appleton Estate, Bulldog Gin, Campari, Cinzano, Forty Creek, Grand Marnier, Glen Grant, SKYY Vodka, Espolòn Tequila and Wild Turkey.

For more information: http://www.camparigroup.com/en.

Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

About Campari Group:

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group’s key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. The Group’s growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand-building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 21 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 21 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001.

For more information: www.camparigroup.com/en.

Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

About the Bartenders Benevolent Fund:

Created in 2013, the Bartenders Benevolent Fund is a non-profit financial resource for bartenders, servers and front-of-house support staff working in the hospitality industry in Canada. They provide funding for those who have fallen under serious financial hardship, and their mission is to work in earnest to ensure that those in need can make ends meet. The Bartenders Benevolent Fund’s mandate is to offer support to the hospitality industry, by the hospitality industry: funds are awarded anonymously by local hospitality professionals from each market.

New Online Tool to Stop £23m Whisky Scam Market

Cheshire based whisky broker Mark Littler Ltd has released a Cask Calculator to help stop the £23m global whisky scam market.

The increase in fraud during the Covid 19 outbreak has been well documented but fraudulent activity isn’t just limited to pandemics. Since the 1990s, globally over £23 million pounds has been pumped into fraudulent whisky cask ventures; and that is just the ones that have been shut down.

Mark Littler developed the Cask Calculator as a straightforward way to show all the costs involved in bottling a cask of whisky including, duty, VAT, uplift, bottling and shipping. The calculator gives an equivalent per bottle cost that can be cross referenced against bottle value prices to verify the cask price and prevent fraud.

‘Until now there has been no resource available to verify whisky cask prices like there is for property or shares (e.g. Zoopla or Morning Star). However prices for whisky bottles are widely available, so if you can turn a cask cost into a true per bottle cost then you can start to verify the price of a cask,’ explains Mark Littler, founder of Mark Littler Ltd and creator of the Cask Calculator. ‘By simply adding the details of a cask into the Cask Calculator it generates a realistic figure for a per bottle cost, which can then be compared to publicly available per bottle prices.’

The free calculator has been used more than 2,000 times in the last month alone.

Whisky cask scams are an issue in the unregulated industry. The Napier Spirits Company was set up in 1995 and alone sold £3.2million of casks to the unsuspecting public. In some instances Napier sold casks that were worth £500 for £3,500.

Napier Spirit Company was eventually shut down but cask mis-selling still happens today.

‘One of the worst instances I have encountered was just a few months ago at the start of 2020,’ says Mark Littler. ‘The asking price on a cask was so inflated it would have been cheaper to purchase comparable distillery bottled product at full retail price including shipping and taxes and decant those bottles back into a cask than pay the asking price for the cask. We want to make that kind of price disparity impossible.’

Alongside the cask calculator Mark Littler Ltd. have released a large number of other educational tools to help potential cask buyers purchase a whisky cask at a fair price. Resources include a 10 part video guide series, a 52 page printed or PDF Cask Buying Guide and dozens of blogs that cover everything from avoiding scams to everything you could possibly want to know about a cask.

Mark Littler Ltd is an independent antiques consultant and whisky broker with over 300 five star reviews of their services. They have sold everything from medieval rings, classic Porsche, vintage Rolexes and casks of Macallan. They also provide a cask brokering service with the ethos of helping their customers buy quality whisky casks at a fair price.

Contact:

Mark Littler

casks@marklittler.com

01260 218 718

Since 1685 Glenfarclas has been owned and managed by just one family, the Grants of Glenfarclas. Now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generation of the family, the Grants remain committed to the vision of creating the best quality Highland Single Malt Whisky, in the traditional Speyside style.

BROWSE OUR FULL GLENFARCLAS RANGE HERE

Episode 6 of the Japanese Whisky Lockdown is just minutes away. Tune in now.

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries.

Buy Two or More Bottles, Get $1 Shipping

Need a restock? Our Port Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky is available for online purchase, along with our other award-winning products.

When you order two or more bottles, you’ll only pay $1 shipping.

Win a Year’s Supply of Whisky!

Happy World Whisky Day!

In honour of our 15th anniversary year, we’re giving one lucky person the chance to win a Year’s Supply of Whisky!

There’s two ways to enter: 

1. Buy a bottle of our Batch Strength blended malts and use the code YEAROFWHISKY at checkout for 10 entries into our competition. We’ll also give you £5 off delivery when you use YEAROFWHISKY at checkout.

2. Complete the form on our website for 1 entry into the competition

SHOP BATCH STRENGTH WHISKIES

A Year’s Supply of Whisky is equal to one bottle of whisky per month.
Terms and conditions apply – see website for details

REDBREAST REVEALS ITS THIRD DREAM CASK

Introducing Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition

Limited edition whiskey released to celebrate World Whisky Day 2020  

Today, Redbreast Irish Whiskey, which is produced by Irish Distillers at its world-renowned Midleton Distillery in Cork, announced the release of its third limited edition Dream Cask to mark World Whisky Day. Inspired by the flavours of the Iberian Peninsula, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single port cask, taking whiskey drinkers on a journey from the home of Irish whiskey to Portugal’s wine region.

The inspiration for the 28-year-old Dream Cask began during trials for Redbreast 27 Year Old – the oldest permanent expression in the Redbreast family. During this time, the Midleton Masters discovered a liquid worthy of the Dream Cask name which uniquely comprises both a ruby port cask component and finish.

Created by Master Blender Billy Leighton, in collaboration with Blender Dave McCabe, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the culmination of four extraordinary whiskey journeys dating back more than 30 years, which were set aside during the crafting of Redbreast 27 Year Old. Aged for a minimum of 28 years in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, an oloroso sherry butt and a ruby port seasoned cask, these exceptional liquids were then married in the ruby port cask to mature further as a single Dream Cask.

The result is a smooth and silky Irish whiskey with notes of assertive spices, dark chocolate and cinnamon which slowly reveal a luxurious layer of sweet ripe plums and exotic fruits reminiscent of the signature Redbreast style. Bottled at 51.5%, the ruby port cask finish further contributes notes of raisins, sultanas and berries, adding an extra layer of depth and complexity. It is this final marrying phase which also gives the expression an intense mahogany colour.

Master Blender Billy Leighton explains: “It’s more than three decades since my predecessors went to the Douro Valley and hand selected the cask which would become Redbreast Dream Cask 2020. I’m delighted to be able to share its creation with whiskey lovers around the world.

“Our third Dream Cask was created with a very significant fortified wine component. This imparts a unique balance of flavours, with less vanilla sweetness and more fleshy fruits that are associated with port.”

Blender Dave McCabe adds: “Because a Dream Cask is not constrained by volume, we have great licence to select a unique expression with a bold flavour which couldn’t be replicated in a permanent offering. Thankfully, Billy and I were in absolute agreement that this was the right time to release this year’s Dream Cask.”

Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition will be available exclusively through an online ballot hosted on Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse. The ballot will be live from 15:00 (GMT+1) on Monday, May 25^th until 14:59 (GMT +1) on June 2^nd when successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €490.

Tasting notes                                

Nose: Initially abundant with herbs and spices, some lighter notes of rosemary and garden mint combining with cedar and red peppers. Some zesty citrus notes develop into a rich compote of ripe fleshy fruit, melon, kiwi and black cherry on top of marcona almonds. The spicy sweetness of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg acknowledge the contribution of the oak cask.

Taste: A very rich silky mouthful of assertive spices combined with sweet ripe plums. Dark chocolate and cinnamon notes slowly reveal a luxurious layer of ripe dark fruits which combine with raisins, sultanas and exotic fruits and berries which are typical of the Redbreast style.

Finish: The signature Redbreast mix of fruit and spice is slow to fade. 

Additional production information:

Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition represents four unique whiskeys which were aged for a minimum of 28 years and then vatted together and left to marry in the ruby port pipe cask. These include:

• Cask 1- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1989, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a ruby port cask in 1995.
• Cask 2- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
• Cask 3- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
• Cask 4- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a sherry butt in 2011.

Notes: 

About Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of spirits and wines, and producer of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey, experiencing 30 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 8m cases in 2019. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 70 of those experiencing double or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €400 million to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin.

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €9,182 million in FY19. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s three-year strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “We bring good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in the beverage sector in Vigeo Eiris. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation’s Global Compact LEAD company.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

Part two of our May Outturn still takes inspiration from the wild, rediscovering whiskies influenced by animals and the outdoors. Don’t let these rare beasts escape you – grab one now and take a walk on the wild side of flavour.

We’ve matched each of our flavour profiles to different forms of wildlife. Delve into your personality and taste preferences, and take our Find Your Spirit Animal quiz online at smws.com/hub. Share your discoveries with us on social media using the hashtag #spiritanimal.

SCOTTISH TRIFLE WITH ITALIAN LIQUEUR

CASK NO. 68.29

CASK:  Refill hogshead

AGE:  10 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

SPIRIT ANIMAL:  Brown Bear

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Power, wit and wisdom balanced with a gentle soul; a harmonious experience

PEPPERY PEARS AND PRALINE

CASK NO. 13.65

CASK:  2nd fill barrel

AGE:  13 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

SPIRIT ANIMAL:  Spicebush Swallowtail

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Plays on the senses; a sweetness seeker, flouncy and soft but with an edge

WAR SEAHORSE

CASK NO. 137.2

CASK:  Refill barrel

AGE:  8 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

SPIRIT ANIMAL:  Moose

CHARACTER TRAIT:  A noble force of nature – mighty, strong and headstrong, leaving a long-lasting impression

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

One Small Step Bowmore 17 Year Old

Wednesday the 20th of May, 2020, Fife, Scotland

Specialist online whisky shop, TheWhiskyBarrel.com, is proud to release an exclusive single malt Scotch whisky distilled at Bowmore Distillery to mark the 51st anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing in 1969. Following on from the 2019 Deanston, One Giant Leap (SOLD OUT) and 2020 Highland Park, Houston We’ve Had a Problem (SOLD OUT) whiskies.

One Small Step
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 17 Year Old, 2002 Vintage

On the 20th of July 1960 Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon in what was one of the most historic, scientific and culturally significant events of the 20th Century. Those famous words spoken by Armstrong really do sum up the event – “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And fifty years on, we’re all still talking about it.

To mark the 51st anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, TheWhiskyBarrel.com has selected a single cask of Bowmore single malt Scotch whisky. Distilled in October 2002, this whisky has been aged for 17 years before bottling in March 2020 at 54.6% ABV. Matured in a single first fill Oloroso hogshead (cask reference #TWB1010), this whisky is limited to just 270 numbered bottles.

Available exclusively from TheWhiskyBarrel.com, shipping to customers Worldwide including the United States of America, Canada and Japan.

‘One Small Step’ Bowmore 17 Year Old | 2009 | TheWhiskyBarrel.com | 54.6%

Tasting notes
Colour: Deep sherry.
Nose: Galactic quantities of rich dark sherry, Meteoric spiced ripe pears in a crater of hot chocolate.
Taste: Solar summer fruits dusted in a smokey nebular.
Finish: Light years of sweet oak on a supernova finish.

Price: £150 GBP inc VAT / $150 USD (+ P&P) *

The Whisky Barrel    E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com
Visit www.thewhiskybarrel.com
T: +44 (0)845 2248 156
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Notice for Editors:-
Q) What is the product called?
A)  ‘One Small Step’ Bowmore 17 Year Old 2002 Exclusive.

Q) When will this product be released/was it released?
A) Wednesday the 20th of May 2020.

Q) Where is it available?
A) Scotland, off-trade, TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

Q) Is this product already available in other markets?
A) Scotland only, TheWhiskyBarrel.com ships worldwide.

Q) How much is it?
A) £150 GBP / $150 USD (+ P&P)

Q) Who handles the product’s distribution?
A) In-house at TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

Q) How many bottles are there?
A) 270 bottles from a single cask limited to one bottle per customer.

Q) What is the ABV of this product?
A) 54.6% ABV natural cask strength.

Q) Why has this product been launched?
A) Limited Edition single cask exclusive for TheWhiskyBarrel.com whisky shop.

Notes

The Whisky Barrel is a specialist online whisky and spirits merchant based in Fife, Scotland and  was established in 2007. In 2019 The Whisky Barrel won The Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade. The Whisky Barrel is also a winner of the Whisky Magazine Online Retailer 2018 and was International Wine & Spirits Competition runner-up in 2016.

*N.B. Prices correct at the time of publishing and are subject to currency fluctuation.

Campbeltown Malts Festival Latest News

As many of you will know, this week was supposed to be the Campbeltown Malts Festival until we had to postpone due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We’d have loved nothing more than to be welcoming you to our beautiful wee toon for days of dinners, tastings and, most importantly, catching up with old friends and making some new ones too but we’ll just need to save all that for 2021 instead.

We’ve had a number of messages over recent weeks asking if there will be festival bottles for sale even though the event itself isn’t happening so now seems like as good a time as any to update you on our plans in that regard.

The company is currently closed as part of the Scotland-wide lockdown to help prevent the spread of the infection and as such it would’ve been impossible to organise whisky to be ready for sales and shipping next week. Instead, we are planning a series of virtual Springbank/Kilkerran/Cadenhead’s tastings at a date to be confirmed after we’ve been able to restart our normal operations.

In addition to a special “festival” bottle or three, we will also be organising a variety of tasting packs to match with some of the masterclasses we had planned, along with online tastings, presentations and question and answer sessions.

We don’t have confirmed dates yet but it’s not likely to be before August at the very earliest as we will need time to organise whisky, packaging and, perhaps most importantly, a fair way of allocating bottles that will be in high demand without breaking our websites and your hearts!

We will of course keep you updated through the usual channels as plans progress but we hope this small announcement reassures you that we intend to be back with something approaching business as usual as soon as it is safe and practical for us to do so.

To join the Society contact them at *society@springbank.scot*