Beam Suntory Investing $60 Million in Clermont, Reintroducing the James B. Beam Distilling Co.

CONCOURS MONDIAL BRUXELLES
FINLAGGAN CASK STRENGTH WINS GRAND GOLD MEDAL AND SPIRITS SELECTION REVELATION AWARD

We are delighted to announce Finlaggan Cask Strength Islay Single Malt has not only been awarded a Grand Gold Medal at the 2019 Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial Bruxelles but also a Spirits Selection Revelation trophy.

At the end of the competition, the Grand Gold Medal winners are tasted a second time by all the panel Chairs, who deliberate to award “Spirits Selection Revelation” trophies to innovative products that meet current consumer demand, making them particularly representative of present-day trends and what consumers want.

At 58% Alc/Vol Finlaggan Cask Strength is a serious Islay Single Malt. With sweet peatiness and salty, smoky notes on the nose, a palate of malt is followed by a huge intensity of peat and then by seaweed and pepper. The finish is big, warming with lingering sea salt and peat smoke.

Andrew Crook, Managing Director said of the win “it’s always exciting to win awards and the outstanding reputation that the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial competition is gaining, makes this Grand Gold medal a great victory. Made even better by being awarded a Spirits Selection Revelation, proving that Finlaggan Cask Strength is a credible player in the Islay Single Malts category and realising our vision to make quality Islay Malts accessible to everyone”. Chairman and Founder, Brian Crook added “This exceptional whisky has long deserved its Grand Gold Medal. It is a tribute to the many years of hard work from the dedicated and enthusiastic team behind it”.

ABOUT THE VINTAGE MALT WHISKY COMPANY

Founded over 27 years ago by Brian Crook with a vision to make iconic Islay Single Malts available and accessible to smaller independent retailers throughout the world, The Vintage Malt Company has done all this and more. Now, under the leadership of Brian’s son, Andrew Crook, this family company has gone from strength to strength supplying malts and building brands globally in over 35 countries.

For more information on all our products visit www.vintagemaltwhisky.com or contact andrew@vintagemaltwhisky.com

ABOUT THE SPIRITS SELECTION BY CONCOURS MONDIAL BRUXELLES

The outstanding reputation of its selection process is one of the key components of the competition’s success. Reputable judges, renowned for their ability to assess spirits are rigorously chosen for the competition. In 2016, 70 international judges spanning 23 nationalities took part, a diversity that contributes to the uniqueness of the event and greater objectivity of results. The organizers ensure the judges enjoy optimal tasting conditions. The wide array of products and high alcoholic strengths make sensory analysis of spirits challenging. The number of samples tasted per session is deliberately restricted to 35 and Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles attaches great importance to training its judges.

Maker’s Mark® Introduces Its First-Ever Nationally Available Limited Release Bourbon

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020

KENTUCKY TIPPLES’ TRIPLE TRIUMPH
* Sazerac sweeps the board in World Whisky of the Year awards.
* Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020 hands US distiller unique 1-2-3.
* Rags-to-riches 1792 Full Proof Bourbon is planet’s finest.

Jim Murray has handed an unprecedented triple crown to Kentucky whiskey in the latest edition of his best-selling annual Whisky Bible.

And on unveiling the 2020 World Whisky of the Year Awards, the renowned Industry guru has created another first by giving all top three accolades for the finest new drams on earth to the same whiskey company, New Orleans-based Sazerac.

Top prize of World Whisky of the Year goes to the 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon from the Barton 1792 distillery, a whiskey Jim Murray describes as “melodious, mysterious and slightly exotic” with a nose of “near-perfect proportions” and with an “unfaltering” finish when tasted.

Only 25 years ago, Jim Murray branded Barton the worst distillery in Kentucky – but now, under Sazerac stewardship, it has become the world champion.

The runners-up – from 1,250 new drams tasted by Jim Murray this year – are both Buffalo Trace brands: bourbon William Larue Weller 125.7 proof, the latest version of last year’s victor, and Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye 127.2 proof.

Jim Murray said: “There will be eyebrows raised and claims of favouritism which, of course, is never the case with the Whisky Bible: I call it exactly as I see it. Once I knew the top three were from the same company, I spent two extra days running through my top ten whiskies once more…and the results came out exactly the same!

“For the 1792 Distillery to win World Whisky of the Year is extraordinary because when I first went there some 25 years ago, the then-owners had no interest in high-end whiskey. The oldest they produced was a 6-year-old which I thought was one of the most complex on the market but still undercooked. I implored them then to bring out something much older.

“It is wonderful that my gut instinct of 25 years ago has been vindicated under the ownership of Sazerac, who have turned a potentially great distillery into something truly magnificent.

“If anyone tries to convince you the romance of whiskey is dead and gone or has all been confected then don’t you believe them. For where else could such an ugly duckling become so beautiful a swan?”

Sazerac president Mark Brown said: “To not only be named World Whisky of the Year but also to have our whiskeys named second and third finest is astonishing. We could not be happier or more motivated to continue to strive for perfection in the American whiskeys we make.”

Sectional winners include: the Taiwanese Nantou Distillery Omar Cask Strength Bourbon Cask (Single Cask of the Year); Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition (Scotch); Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare (Blended Scotch); Penderyn Single Cask no.M75-32 (European); Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt (Japanese).

Notes

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020 contains taste notes for around 5,000 drams. Available from 17/10/19 at all good bookshops, retailers and whiskybible.com, priced £14.99. Press enquiries: Vincent Flint-Hill +44 (0)117 317 9777; vincent@whiskybible.com

Our mailing address is:

Dram Good Books Ltd
Unit 2, Barnstones Business Park
Litchborough
Towcester, Northants  NN12 8JJ
United Kingdom

Knob Creek® Bourbon Introduces Limited Time Expression Knob Creek® Quarter Oak

Alcohol Beverage Industry Veteran Announces Launch Of New Poitín Founder kicks off his family’s legacy of poitín-making with Indiegogo campaign.

Decatur, GA, October 3, 2019— After 18 years in the wine and spirits business, Tom Lynch announced his plans for an early 2020 launch of an American-made poitín, which is getting a start now with a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Poitín is a famous and infamous spirit in Ireland and with the Irish diaspora. The spirit is making a (now legal) revival in Ireland and is growing in awareness and popularity in America.

“I’ve been making and marketing wine and spirits brands for 18 years” says Founder Tom Lynch, “but this is different. It is based on my family’s legacy of making great poitín that I heard about when I first went back to Ireland. It is a huge challenge and honor to make a poitín worthy of my family’s nick-name, “The Dinger” which they earned by being the best poitín-maker in their part of County Clare.”

Lynch is partnering with Independent Distilling Company in Decatur, GA. To make his poitín in their small, hand-made, direct-fire heated copper pot still. “That still is a poiín-maker’s dream,” said Lynch.

All proceeds from the crowdfunding go directly into the final stages of product development, initial production, packaging and local marketing. “Crowdfunding contributors love helping dreams come true. We’re being efficient and focused with their money so they will be able to see finished product in stores and pubs and know they had a part in helping to make the dream real,” explained Lynch.

The crowdfunding campaign has contributor “perks” including access to a local launch party and participation in local bottling (take your own bottle home with you after), a chance to be a “Distiller For The Day” where you work to help distill poitín then take home a case with your name on the label as a “guest distiller.” Other perks include a 2-liter barrel of un-aged poitín for contributors to age and/or drink as they choose, a unique 13 bottle vertical of samples taken throughout a 2 year barrel aging process, and a trip to County Clare Ireland, guided by Lynch, including a stop at the old Dinger Lynch farm.

About The Dinger Poitin – Back in the day, in rural parts of Ireland, when you were the best at something you were sometimes called “The Dinger.” When I went back to Ireland and heard my ancestors were “the dinger poitín-makers” before they immigrated, I knew one day I’d make a whiskey so bold and smooth and delicious it would be worthy of that name. The drive to live up to a family legacy of great whiskey-making is what drives us daily as we make small batch, single pot still poitín whiskey. Slainte!

About Independent Distilling Co. – Decatur’s Independent Distilling Co. is a no-frills garage distillery. It’s been more than 100 years since Atlanta was last seen as a hotbed of distilling, but we are finally starting to see glimpses of the city’s former glory. Among the four distilleries now operating in the metro area, Independent Distilling Co. has earned our admiration with its bootstrapped, artisan ways.

If you would like more information on this topic, please contact Tom Lynch at 310-248-0706 or thedingerpoitin@gmail.com

The Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign can be found at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-dinger-poitin/x/22229018#/

HIGHLAND PARK BECOMES EXCLUSIVE WHISKY SPONSOR OF ESQUIRE TOWNHOUSE 

Highland Park has become the official whisky sponsor of Esquire Townhouse 2019

As part of the partnership, the Orcadian distillery has collaborated with Esquire to launch the limited-edition Highland Park Esquire Single Cask

Global Brand Ambassador, Martin Markvardsen, is hosting a series of masterclasses across the event 

14 October, 2019: Highland Park has become the official whisky sponsor of Esquire Townhouse with Breitling, the prestigious annual event hosted by Esquire.

Taking place between 17-19 October at Carlton House Terrace, St James’s, Martin Markvardsen, Highland Park’s Global Brand Ambassador, is set to host a series of workshops where guests will be given the opportunity to learn all about the award winning brand, before indulging in some delicious whisky and food pairings.

To celebrate the partnership, Highland Park and Esquire have collaborated to create the Highland Park Esquire Single Cask. The limited-edition single malt whisky is the first-ever single cask from Highland Park to be released in collaboration with a UK media house and will be served throughout the weekend.

The unique expression, which has notes of heather-honey and aromatic smoky peat, will also be available via The Whisky Shop (www.whiskyshop.com), allowing those unable to attend the event – as well as those who loved it so much they want more – the opportunity to purchase it to enjoy at home. RSP £200 ABV 60.3%.

During the event a choice of delicious Highland Park cocktails will be served at the Esquire Townhouse bar including firm favourites the Orcadian Cooler and Salted Honey Old Fashioned.

Scott McCaffer, Brand Manager at Highland Park said: “As demand amongst whisky lovers for new and exciting expressions continues to grow, we’re delighted to launch our latest Single Cask in partnership with Esquire.

“Launching the whisky at Esquire Townhouse is a really exciting opportunity for us as it is the perfect opportunity to engage with likeminded consumers, as well as those interested in exploring the category.”

Alex Bilmes, Editor-in-Chief, at Esquire said: ““We are excited to be working with Highland Park to produce a bespoke Esquire single cask whisky – a genuine first for us. We are looking forward to launching it, and of course, tasting it at Esquire Townhouse in October.”

Esquire Townhouse is an award-winning luxury brand experience featuring a compelling programme of live celebrity interviews, panel debates and masterclasses spanning fashion, culture, food & drink, design and travel.

For more information on the event please visit: https://hearstlive.co.uk/esquiretownhouse/

Notes: 

About Esquire Single Cask

RRP: £200

ABV: 60.3%

Volume: 70cl 

Tasting notes

Buttery vanilla aroma with a lingering sweet taste on the palette 

About Highland Park, the Orkney Single Malt with Viking Soul:

Whisky has been distilled at Highland Park in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798.  Founder Magnus Eunson, was a direct descendant of Vikings who settled in Orkney over 1,000 years ago. A butcher and church officer by day and a bootlegger and smuggler by night, he set up an illegal whisky-making operation at a little bothy (a stone hut) at High Park, overlooking Kirkwall.

It is still the site of the distillery today and although we say Highland Park was founded in 1798, that’s actually the year the authorities finally caught up with Magnus.

Few trees survive the gale-force winds on Orkney. This makes the island peat woodless and rich in heather. This then helps create the trademark Highland Park flavour profile of aromatic smoky peat and sweet heather honey.

About Esquire UK

Esquire is the UK’s premium luxury men’s magazine brand. Esquire engages its stylish, sophisticated and affluent audience via an ecosystem which includes a premium bi-monthly print magazine, a dynamic website and digital channels, consumer experiences such as the Esquire Townhouse and Esquire Evenings, a standalone annual print magazine, The Big Watch Book, and a successful series of luxury branded products, the Esquire Edit.

Heaven Hill Distillery Announces Larceny Barrel Proof Series Nationwide

Barrel Proof offering becomes first line extension for Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

First launched in 2012, Larceny is one of the most successful new-to-the-world Bourbons in the past decade, enjoying both critical and consumer acclaim. Leveraging the success of the mainline brand, Larceny Barrel Proof offers whiskey fans an opportunity to taste Larceny as Heaven Hill’s Master Distiller does, straight out of the barrel. Each release will be bottled at barrel proof, non-chill filtered and available at a suggested retail price of $49.99.BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Heaven Hill Distillery today announced the first line extension of Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Larceny Barrel Proof. Released on an allocated basis three times per year, the first release of this wheated Bourbon will ship with great consumer anticipation in January 2020 after already receiving a Double Gold from the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Larceny Barrel Proof will be an ongoing offering released three times per year: January, May and September. Each release will have varying proofs and consist of barrels aged six to eight years. A naming convention for the release is shown on each bottle. The alpha character in the naming convention designates which batch of the year that bottle came from, the numeral that follows represents the month of the release, and finally the last two digits indicate the corresponding year of the release. For example, the first release will be A120, with “A” representing the first batch of that year, “1” representing January, and “20” representing the year 2020.

The new release will be offered in the traditional, distinctive Larceny pinched-waist, flask-shaped 750ml bottle, with the hallmark skeleton key logo and John E. Fitzgerald signature carried by a black label. The lower face label denotes “Barrel Proof” in red and includes the batch number, proof, and alc/vol for each particular release.

“Larceny’s wheated Bourbon mashbill delivers a taste profile that is very approachable and smooth, a true crowd-pleaser. The addition of this non chill filtered, barrel proof offering to the Larceny family allows us to showcase a deeper character, richness and depth of flavor from our wheated Bourbon mashbill,” said Heaven Hill Distillery Group Product Director Susan Wahl. “Drawing from its lineage within the Old Fitzgerald family, Larceny Barrel Proof is an opportunity for Bourbon fans to taste a historical ‘wheater’ in its purest form.”

Larceny is the heir to the wheated Bourbons that make up the historic Old Fitzgerald franchise acquired by Heaven Hill Distillery in 1999. Continuing the tradition of Old Fitzgerald using wheat in place of rye as the secondary grain in the mashbill, Larceny uses more wheat than any of its competitors for a softer, rounder character. The brand is inspired by the history of John E. Fitzgerald, who as a treasury agent in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was one of the only people legally allowed to carry the keys to the barrel storage rickhouses. With a discerning palate for fine Bourbon, John E. Fitzgerald often used his rickhouse keys to gain access to some of the finest Bourbon barrels for himself. Those barrels from which he chose to help himself were often referred to as “Fitzgerald barrels” around the distillery.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY: Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 1.6 million barrels aging in 58 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky and Parker’s Heritage Collection. Heaven Hill Distillery currently holds the title of 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Best in Show Whiskey, and previously held titles of 2018 San Francisco Spirits Best Bourbon, 2017 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year, 2016 Whisky Advocate American Whiskey of the Year and 2016 Rye Whiskey of the Year from “Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.” For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.

TEMPLETON RYE RELEASES MAPLE CASK FINISH WHISKEY

Limited Edition Expression is the First of the Distillery’s “Barrel Finish Series”

TEMPLETON, IOWA (October 3, 2019) – Templeton Rye Whiskey announces Templeton Rye Maple Cask Finish Whiskey, the first limited-edition expression in their innovative Barrel Finish Series. In collaboration with Wood’s Vermont Syrup Company, Templeton Rye Maple Cask Finish has been expertly finished in ex-Templeton Rye American Oak barrels that were specifically seasoned with the finest Maple Syrup, resulting in a whiskey beautifully balanced between subtle tones of sweetness and Templeton’s complex notes of rye spice.

“We were delighted to work with the family at Wood’s Vermont Syrup Company for our Maple Cash Finish Rye Whiskey, the first limited-edition expression in our Barrel Finish Series,” said Tim Grimes, Brand Ambassador of Templeton Rye. “As they were the first company in the Northeast to ever barrel age Maple Syrup and have that process down to perfection, we felt they were the perfect fit for us on this project.”

To make this authentic Maple Cask Finish Whiskey, fresh maple syrup was produced and shipped from the Vermont farm to the Iowa distillery, where the Templeton team then seasoned 80 empty Templeton barrels with the premium Maple Syrup. To ensure the required influence on the wood, the barrels were then turned daily for a two-month period to allow the syrup to soak into the wood staves and maximize the flavors that would later be imparted into the whiskey during the secondary maturation period.

After the maple syrup is removed, the barrels are then filled with Templeton Straight Rye Whiskey and left for an additional maturation period of two months. The resulting expression is a whiskey with new, elegant notes of dark chocolate enhanced by the time in maple syrup barrels.

Templeton Rye Maple Cask Finish is available in limited quantities, producing a total of 4,000 cases of six for the global market. It is bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof) and can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, and beautifully enhances your classic rye cocktails. For more information on Templeton Rye and their line of whiskeys, visit www.templetonrye.com or follow on Twitter/Facebook at @TempletonRye and Instagram at @TempletonRyeWhiskey.

About Templeton Rye 

Templeton Rye Whiskey, introduced legally in 2006, tracks back to the early 1920s when residents of Templeton distilled a much sought-after rye whiskey. While the whiskey today is different and has evolved, the Templeton portfolio and distillery remains inspired by those original bootleggers and their entrepreneurial spirit. In 2017, Templeton Rye broke ground on the state-of-the-art Templeton Whiskey Distillery and officially opened to visitors in 2018. The distillery in Templeton, Iowa boasts a visitor center, museum, bottling plant, and a 50,000 square foot maturation warehouse with a capacity of 2.6 million bottles per year and the capability to produce all American whiskey styles under one roof. The first distillery run of 100% Iowa-made rye whiskey also took place in 2018 and will be available for consumption in 2022. All current Templeton Rye product available for sale currently has been distilled and aged in Indiana, with blending and bottling taking place at the Iowa distillery. Templeton Rye currently has two core expressions: 4-Year-Old and 6-Year-Old along with the limited-edition releases of Barrel Strength Rye. Learn more about Templeton Rye Whiskey by visiting www.templetonrye.com or follow on Twitter/Facebook at @TempletonRye and Instagram at @TempletonRyeWhiskey.

About Wood’s Vermont Syrup Company 

The Wood’s family-run company has been producing maple syrup in Randolph, Vermont for five-generations. The first generation to settle in Randolph were farmers, who grew and processed all of their food from the land. Today, Wood’s Vermont Syrup Company presides over a 54-acre farm where they tap thousands of trees with buckets and make more than 2,000 gallons of syrup each year.