BALLANTINE’S AND BOILER ROOM LINK WITH SARZ AND FRIENDS TO KICK OFF TRUE MUSIC 10 CELEBRATIONS

The Afrobeats DJ and producer, and special guests, join Ballantine’s and Boiler Room to celebrate ten years of True Music in the first of a series of music experiences for fans across the globe.

To celebrate a decade of its True Music platform, Ballantine’s, the world’s second biggest-selling Scotch whisky, announces True Music 10 – a year-long programme of 10 in-person and broadcast music events. In partnership with long-standing partner Boiler Room, the celebrations will give music fans around the world direct access to some of the most exciting artists across 10 diverse music communities who are shaping global music culture today.

Boiler Room and Ballantine’s will kick off True Music 10 with an intimate pop-up at a secret location in Soho, London on 4^th April for 100 lucky fans – with details announced via social just 30 hours in advance. Serving up a line-up of pioneering music, the opening event will be headlined by Afrobeats DJ and producer, Sarz, alongside his chosen special guests. With a gift for crafting chart-topping hits, Sarz has left an indelible mark on the new-wave Afrobeats music scene, producing revered records for powerhouse artists on tracks including ‘One Dance’, ‘Find Your Way Back’, and ‘Monalisa’.

Sarz comments:

“I’m excited to finally link up with Boiler Room and Ballantine’s to launch the True Music 10th anniversary celebrations in London, a city which has been such an important place for the afrobeats scene to connect worldwide. The True Music series has been a great platform to launch amazing new sounds into the world in recent years and we’re hoping to add to the legendary run with a crazy show, in an intimate space, surrounded by my friends and family. Plus, I’ll be playing some exclusives from my upcoming album!” 

Following its kick off in the UK – the home of Ballantine’s and Boiler Room – the series of True Music 10 pop-ups will continue to Colombia and South Africa, rolling out in select cities, and showcasing some of the most forward-facing True Music artists from each country. Music fans around the world will also be able to tune in and catch the South Africa pop-up shows, broadcast from Durban and Pretoria for free via https://truemusic.boilerroom.tv/.

Boiler Room and Ballantine’s will also be returning to Johannesburg, South Africa, home to one of the partnership’s first ever shows, where they will be throwing their biggest party to date. Taking place on 11^th May, the multi-stage, multi-genre event will showcase some of the world’s most innovative artists including Louie Vega and Kenny Dope’s iconic garage duo; Masters At Work, DBN Gogo, and Toccororo as well as a number of True Music alumni including Coco Em and Scorpion Kings. Guests can sign up for the True Music 10 Johannesburg show now via https://truemusic.boilerroom.tv/, with further shows across the globe to be revealed throughout 2024.

Tom Elton, Head of Culture and Partnerships at Ballantine’s commented:

“The evolution of True Music over the past decade has been remarkable. For 10 strong years, the platform has been committed to representing, supporting, and promoting inclusive music culture by celebrating pioneering local artists and communities from around the world on a global stage. We believe in the power of staying true to yourself and doing things your own way, and over the years we are proud to have worked with some of the most exciting ‘Stay True’ artists, who are propelling music culture forward and making music for passion. Here’s to the next ten. “

Since 2014, Ballantine’s and Boiler Room, have brought together artists and communities from around the world, representing local music culture on a global stage and turning passions into professions. Over the past decade, the duo has hosted inclusive in-person and live-streamed music events from some of the world’s most vibrant music scenes championing, supporting, and representing over 800 pioneering headliners and emerging artists, from over 30 countries across six continents. As part of the celebrations, Ballantine’s will invite fans from around the world the opportunity to browse the True Music archive, where users will be able to stream previous True Music Studios and win tickets to events, exclusive merchandise and redeem Ballantine’s cocktails with partner venues. Access to the digital experience will be via QR codes found in stores, venues and across posters.

Ballantine’s will also continue its ongoing True Music Fund, contributing a further 10 grants over the next year, to support emerging local music-focused organisations and collectives who are driving modern music culture, with further details to be announced in late 2024.

Invites to the True Music 10 London pop-up event are extremely limited and will be available for only 30 hours ahead of the show. To be the first to hear when invites are available for any True Music 10 events, follow @boilerroomTV and @ballantines on socials and sign up HERE.

This article appears here well after the original publication date and as a matter of interest.

The Milroy’s Whisky Travel Index

It’s the comprehensive ranking of Scotland’s best whisky travel experiences. Plan your trip now!

Introducing the Milroy’s Whisky Travel Index: a first-of-its-kind tool for whisky lovers planning a trip to Scotland.

We’ve ranked over 50 whisky tourism experiences across the country to provide you with an unrivalled tool for travel planning.

Metrics include the cost of tours and tastings, the variety of experiences offered, price of tours, sustainability credentials, and the quality of the whisky they produce. Each attraction was scored across 15 areas, with over 80,000 visitor reviews analysed in the process. The result? A comprehensive score from 0 to 100 ranking the best whisky experiences that Scotland has to offer.

The best part? Even if you’re not travelling we’ve got top bottlings from the best attractions, all available at the click of a button. Start with our Diamond Award-winning top five: Ardbeg, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Glenkinchie, Springbank and Bruichladdich!

Get exploring, whether it’s to plan your next trip or to savour a tasting from the comfort of your living room.

Explore the Milroy’s Whisky Travel Index!

A Taste Of The Extraordinary

One lucky reader will experience an exclusive tasting of 

House of Hazelwood’s 2024 Collection

Step into a legacy nearly a century in the making, where generations of the Gordon family have meticulously preserved a remarkable collection of aged Scotch whisky.

 Now, you have the opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary heritage. House of Hazelwood, named after the family’s historic Dufftown residence, is offering connoisseurs and collectors a rare chance to taste whiskies from this unrivalled cask collection.

To celebrate the launch of its Third Collection, House of Hazelwood is giving one lucky Whisky Magazine reader an exclusive invitation to WIN a private tasting of this year’s releases.

Don’t miss your chance to sample these extraordinary whiskies—follow the link below to discover more about House of Hazelwood and enter this exclusive competition.

ENTER NOW

A Partnered Promotion* with House of Hazelwood.

THE SINGLE CASK ANNOUNCE CHARITY BOTTLING IN SUPPORT OF THE DRINKS TRUST

Award-winning independent bottler The Single Cask is donating an ‘Ultra Rare’ single malt scotch whisky from their Glenrothes-based warehouse in a special first-time collaboration with The Drinks Trust.  

The Single Cask – home to a warehouse in Glenrothes of over 3000 casks – has collaborated with drinks and hospitality charity The Drinks Trust to release an ‘Ultra Rare’ single cask whisky from Teaninich Distillery. Priced at £79.00, the charity bottling will be released via The Single Cask website on Monday 26th August with all proceeds to support The Drinks Trust.

Born from The Single Cask’s Family Series, the 10-year-old bottling from Teaninich Distillery is 1 of only 54 bottles, finished in a Madeira wine barrel and falls under The Single Cask’s ‘Playful’ mood category. The striking label design merges casks with pineapples to highlight the fruity notes in the whisky, while using bright colours to bring a sense of happiness, inclusiveness and a warmth.

The ‘Ultra Rare’ whisky has been taste-tested by The Single Cask’s expert team of Taste Masters; bright copper in colour with a fresh, fruity nose of passion fruit, drizzled in honey syrup. In taste it’s sweet blossom honey, with a citrus tang of blood orange, delicate spice, orange zest, and crème brûlée. Full tasting notes can be found on The Single Cask’s website: https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/

The whisky bottler recently took on the challenge of demystifying whisky flavour as they relaunched their brand. By using five mood categories, whisky fans can quickly navigate to whichever whiskies they are in the mood for. Every one of the 3000 casks in The Single Cask’s Glenrothes warehouse fits within one of their five mood categories: Cheerful, Playful, Bold, Curious and Easy-going.

The Drinks Trust is a charity dedicated to the drinks and hospitality workforce. It strives to empower the drinks industry and offers services including financial assistance, wellbeing support and industry training. In 2023,  The Drinks Trust supported over 5,400 beneficiary acts and spent nearly £720,000 on support services.

Jan Damen, General Manager at The Single Cask, said: “Charities like The Drinks Trust offer outstanding support to our industry. We are very proud of our collaboration and delighted to help wherever we can. We love working with inspiring people doing good for the drinks industry and that’s exactly what The Drinks Trust does. The Single Cask only bottles exciting and entertaining whiskies worth talking about, and this ‘Ultra Rare’ release is definitely worth talking about!”

Ross Carter, CEO of The Drinks Trust added: “Our collaborations with donors, including The Single Cask, are rapidly evolving and enabling the delivery of crucial funds and services to our beneficiaries facing hardship. These partnerships also assist businesses in achieving their CSR goals, benefiting the entire industry and raising the charity’s profile, allowing us to extend our reach and impact even further. We couldn’t be more grateful to The Single Cask team for their generous support.” 

The Single Cask pride themselves on bottling only the most outstanding, characterful, and distinctive single casks of whisky. The company values the distinct personality and cherishes the individuality of every

The Single Cask
The Single Cask was founded in 2010 by Ben Curtis, built on the belief that the search for the ultimate dram never ends. Bottling unique spirits, hand-picked one cask at a time – The Single Cask bottles award-winning whiskies at natural cask strength, without any intervention such as chill filtration or artificial colours.

Powered by the incredible sense of togetherness whisky creates and a growing fascination with the one-of-a-kind personality of single cask bottlings, the passion soon led to the launch of their first bar in Singapore.

Now with a Glenrothes-based warehouse home to over 3000 casks, new retailers, on-trade partners and importers (such as the newly appointed High Spirits in the Netherlands) they are creating an ever-growing fan club family.

The Single Cask’s expertise is in the sourcing of casks and in the maturation – a bold pursuit to uncover whiskies that are both of exceptional quality and character. All their bottlings are tasting panel approved by The Single Cask Taste Masters – an exclusive panel of experts who seek out the thrill of the taste, helping it to become the best experience possible.

The Drinks Trust
The Drinks Trust is the charity dedicated to the drinks and hospitality workforce. It strives to empower our industry people through services designed to assist financially, restore well-being and develop skills, and to do so with compassion and respect. In doing so, The Drinks Trust seeks to create an equitable industry where opportunities to thrive are open to all. To find out more, please visit www.drinkstrust.org.uk For media enquiries, please email Alessandra Brugola, Marketing Manager, at alessandra@drinkstrust.org.uk

Website – https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/

Social media:

Facebook – @thesinglecaskuk

Twitter – @thesinglecask

Instagram – @thesinglecask_official

The Certificate in American Single Malt Whiskey, our brand-new online course created in partnership with the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC) is now available!

The format is short, easy-to-follow multimedia lessons over seven modules:

💜 1: The History of American Single Malt Whiskey
💜 2: The Business of American Single Malt Whiskey
💜 3: Raw Materials
💜 4: Production Process (From Grain to Liquid)
💜 5: Maturation
💜 6: Blending & Bottling
💜 7: Sensory
Final Assessment

Opt to receive six 30ml American single malt whiskey samples – from Virginia Distillery Co., Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, Boulder Spirits by Vapor Distillery, Andalusia Whiskey Co., Whiskey Del Bac and Clear Creek Distillery (McCarthy’s) – to accompany the Sensory module (USA & UK only).

With expert insights from Steve Hawley (ASMWC), Matt Hofmann (Consultant), Joe O’Sullivan (Minden Mill), Murphy H. Quint (Cedar Ridge), Tyler Pederson (Westland), Jared Himstedt (Balcones), Caitlin Bartlemay (Clear Creek), Ty Phelps (Andalusia), Stephen Paul (Whiskey Del Bac), Emma Crandall (Balcones) & Todd Olander (Root Shoot Malting), you’ll master the craft roots and innovative techniques at the heart of this exciting new category.

So, whether you’re a whiskey lover or industry professional, hop on the American single malt whiskey bandwagon today and get started with this new course! ✊

Learn More

Sláinte To Six! Stephanie Macleod Wins ‘Master Blender of the Year’ For Record-Breaking Sixth Time

We’re hosting a special Gathering Dram-Along livestream, and we’d love for you to be part of the fun!

Join us at 8pm on Wednesday, 4 September on our Facebook page or YouTube channel for a special evening where we’ll unveil our exclusive Gathering bottlings live! Be among the first to discover these drams, hear the fascinating stories behind them, and share in the excitement as they’re revealed.

But that’s not all – we’ll have some quizzing, Gathering stories and plenty of chances to raise a glass with fellow members from around the world. It’s shaping up to be an unforgettable night!

So, mark your calendar, grab your favourite dram and get ready for a fantastic evening!

MEET YOUR DRAM-CIERGE

To help make the most of your SMWS membership, we’ve introduced a whole new level of tailor-made member services and personal guidance. With our members at the heart of everything we do, our DRAM-cierge is here for friendly advice, whether it’s a question about us, your membership or if you’d like us to share some whisky wisdom and recommendations. And if we don’t know the answer – we’ll track it down like a whisky ninja!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Distillery Corner: Loch Lomond

Known for its innovative approach to whisky production, Loch Lomond produces a wide range of whiskies, including single malts, blended malts and grain whiskies. Vic says: “This is an unusual grain whisky because it was made in a continuous Coffey still but with 100% malted barley. A lot of influence comes from the wood because grain spirit typically has less congeners (less flavour) than malt spirit. I think cask finishes with grain whisky are going to be the next big thing in the market.”

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Course Spotlight: Wake Up Your Whisky Nose

Embark on a sensory journey that will transform the way you experience Scotch whisky, ensuring that your future tastings become a sensory adventure that you can unpick, analyse and enjoy. Wake Up Your Whisky Nose is a theory-based module packed with practical tips that will awaken your senses to the rich, aromatic world of whisky tasting.

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Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Toasting is one of the heat treatments that we can do to the inside of a cask. It’s when we heat the wood to breakdown some of the lignin in there to release compounds like sugars and aldehydes that can then go into the spirit.”

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