THE MACALLAN SELECT RESERVE 52 YEAR-OLD 1946 LEADS BONHAMS EDINBURGH WHISKY SALE

A bottle of the Macallan Select Reserve 52 year old-1946. Estimate £12,000-14,000 

A bottle of the Macallan Select Reserve 52 year-old 1946 bottled on 1st May 1998 leads Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 7 March. It is estimated at £12,000-14,000.

The 1946 Macallan was produced in an unusual way. Coal was scarce and expensive in the immediate post-war era, so the malt was dried in peat-fired kilns instead resulting in a whisky with distinct and complex tastes and aromas. The bottle for sale is numbered 72 and comes in a wooden presentation case within the original carton. It is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said, The Macallan Select Reserve- 52 year-old 1946 is widely regarded as one of the great Macallan expressions, and is keenly sought after by collectors, both in this country and around the world.”

Other leading bottles in the sale include:

• A bottle of Black Bowmore 1964, bottled in 1994, and estimated at £8,000-10,000. This limited edition bottling was distilled on 5 November 1964, and laid down for 30 years in Oloroso sherry casks in the cellars below sea level at Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery.
• A bottle of the Macallan 1959. Distilled by Macallan-Glenlivet Ltd., Craigellachie, it was bottled by Campbell, Hope & King in 2002. One of Macallan’s Fine and Rare Series, it is estimated at £3,500-4,000.

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

Cotswolds Distillery named Craft Producer of the Year – Rest of the World in Whisky Magazine’s 2018 Icons of Whisky Awards 

The Cotswolds Distillery has begun its first full year of whisky sales with a ground-breaking win in the annual Icons of Whisky Awards. The distillery, which only began production in September 2014, has been named ‘Craft Producer of the Year’ in the awards’ ‘Rest of World’ category – beating the likes of esteemed Japanese whisky artisan Chichibu.

The awards, organised by Whisky Magazine, have run since 2007. This year they were organised into six regions, reflecting the exponential rise of new distilleries outside the traditional whisky producing nations. Winners from each region will go head to head in March to compete in the global finals.

The distillery also picked up another award in the category, for Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year, which went to Alison Dinnie. Dinnie has looked after the distillery shop and tours programme for the last year and oversaw the distillery’s rise to #1 in TripAdvisor’s ranking of visitor attractions in the Cotswolds, beating more established attractions such as Gloucester Cathedral and the Royal Gardens at the Highgrove Estate. 

Daniel Szor, Founder and CEO of the Cotswolds Distillery said “We are so pleased to have won this award, particularly in the “Rest of World” category of which we are so proud to play a part.  The World Whisky movement is a very exciting part of the single malt whisky scene, encompassing high quality production from diverse corners of the world like Japan, Taiwan, England, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, USA etc. These producers share a strong devotion to the highest quality, transparency and originality, and the passion that goes into every bottle is there for all to see.  We have been waiting impatiently to show our whisky to the world and receiving this prestigious award less than 6 months after the launch of our first whisky release is a wonderful testament to the hard work of our very dedicated team.”

The Cotswolds Distillery will play host later this year to many of world’s most exciting new whisky producers when they gather for the second World Whisky Forum in June. The Forum, moderated by Dave Broom, looks at progress and growth across the whisky industry.

Notes: 

About the Cotswolds Distillery

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017 and is just over three years old. It has been aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and specially shaved, toasted and re-charred red wine barriques. It is bottled non-chill filtered, with no added colour and at 46% ABV. RRP £44.95. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm it was grown on.

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available nationally and in 12 countries across the world. Key UK retailers include Majestic Wine, The Whisky Exchange and Laithwaites.

The distillery also produces the Cotswolds Dry Gin, which was named Best London Dry at the 2016 World Gin Awards and received the top Gold Outstanding award in the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Located in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, the small distillery now receives 27,000 visitors a year and runs tours and tastings every day. For more information, visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com 

About the Icons of Whisky Awards

The Icons of Whisky Awards are run annually by Whisky Magazine. Nominations are open to the industry, and a shortlist for each category is then selected by the editorial panel. Shortlisted entries are then voted on by the industry to establish a winner and highly commended in that category. The winners of each regional category will be entered in the global final, in which the editorial panel will select the overall winner. Winners will be announced at the awards dinner in March.

Major Exhibition of Early Scottish Silver to Tour Scotland

Carnegie Whisky Cellars
The Carnegie Courthouse
Dornoch, Sutherland IV25 3SD
Phone: 01862 811791
E-Mail: whisky@thecarnegiecourthouse.co.uk

The Carnegie Whisky Cellars are delighted to announce their win at the prestigious Drinks Retailing Awards ceremony in The Dorchester Hotel in London on Tuesday 6th February, Winners in the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ category. This is the first time in the awards’ history this trophy has come North of the Lancaster. The Carnegie Whisky Cellars are the first Scottish and whisky company to win this category, but hopefully not the last.

Up against stiff competition from Jaded Palates, Ninkasi Sussex and Oak N4, The Carnegie Whisky Cellars were extremely proud to take the award, and would like to thank all of their valued customers and staff for their tremendous support.

The Drinks Retailing Awards are recognised as a stamp of excellence in the Drinks industry, Michael Hanratty added “The competition for this award was very high and we were honoured to be mentioned and shortlisted alongside our category finalists, however to win this award is beyond our wildest imagination.”

The Newcomer of the Year award will now sit proudly next to Off License of the Year 2017 (Scottish Independent Retailing Awards) and a Young Business Commendation for Developing the Young Workforce (North Highland Business Awards 2017) in their Dornoch store. Since opening on June 28th 2016 the team at the Carnegie Whisky Cellars has quickly developed a reputation for excellence customer service and product knowledge. They will now go forward to the Scottish Rural Business Awards on March 22nd in Edinburgh with a great since of pride in being the first Scottish company to achieve this feat.

Michael Added “To open any business is a risk, but to open one where the towns population is under 2000 is a huge risk, I’m over the moon this risk has paid off. Our long term aim is to help develop a centre of excellence in the North Highlands for Scottish whisky and these awards can only add value to that.”

SAZERAC’S OLD MONTREAL DISTILLERY NOW DISTILLING WHISKY 

MONTREAL (Feb. 14, 2018) History was made earlier this year when Canadian whisky was distilled in downtown Montreal for the first time in decades at the Sazerac Company’s Old Montreal Distillery. For more than a year Sazerac has been putting the elements in place, installing grain mills and a 4,000 gallon mash cooker, converting existing equipment and hooking up fermenters.  Recently a key piece, a brand new still, was added to the Distillery located in the downtown Montreal area, adjacent to the Port and Old Montreal. The still is 18 inches in diameter and 37 feet tall and was made at Vendome in Louisville, Ky.

The Old Montreal Distillery has long had the capacity to distill spirits, including Genever gin, but had always wanted to bring back whisky distillation to Montreal.  “With the long standing connection this city has had with distilling premium Canadian whisky, through the headquarters of the legendary Seagram Company and its patriarch Sam Bronfman, it was always a goal of ours to bring whisky distilling back to Montreal,” said Mark Brown, Sazerac Company president and chief executive officer.

Not only does the new still mean Canadian whisky will be made here, it will also allow experiments with new whiskies, something Sazerac is itching to do.  “With over 500,000 Canadian whisky barrels in inventory, we’re anxious to get started experimenting here in Montreal similar to what we do at our other distilleries,” said Drew Mayville, Sazerac’s master blender. The Montreal project holds a special place in Mayville’s heart, a native Canadian now living in Kentucky, who worked for Seagram’s for 22 years, serving as the fourth and last Master Blender under the Seagram dynasty.

Plans are still under wraps for now as to which Canadian whisky or whiskies will be made at the Old Montreal Distillery, and a formal christening of the still will be held later this year.  It is likely tours will be added later this year as well.

The Old Montreal Distillery dates back to 1929.  It currently employs more than 100 people. The addition of the new distilling operation adds a few more full time employees. Caribou Crossing, the world’s first single barrel Canadian whisky, is bottled at the Old Montreal Distillery, along with many other long time favorites.

About the Sazerac Company

Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in the United States in Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com.

Isle of Arran Distillery announces record visitor numbers to

 award-winning Lochranza site

The award-winning Isle of Arran Distillery visitor centre at Lochranza welcomed a record number of visitors last year. Almost 110,000 people made the journey to find ‘the Arran Waters’ in 2017 – a 6% increase on 2016 – meaning visitor numbers have more than doubled since 2012.

With the Scotch Whisky Association’s most recent report estimating 1.7 million visits to all 130 Scotch whisky distilleries, Arran accounts for 7%. An impressive total considering its isolated location and distance from other producers.

The independent distillery recorded a turnover of over £6.9m in 2016 – an increase of 11% – with the Visitor Centre contributing 17% of this total.

Over the six years from 2010 – a period of extensive investment – turnover has increased two and half times and net profit surged tenfold to over £1.3.

Euan Mitchell, managing director of the Isle of Arran Distillers, said: “2017 was another fantastic year for us – both in terms of tourism and sales of the Arran Malt itself.

“We’re particularly proud that so many people are making the journey to Lochranza – from self-proclaimed whisky tourist to curious holiday-makers on Arran and everyone inbetween.

“It is for this reason that we have placed so much emphasis on the visitor experience. With the completion of a £1m renovation at Lochranza, and with the current construction of second £10m distillery and visitor centre site on the south of the island at Lagg, we intend to improve an already world-class whisky tourism destination.”

As a consequence of this investment, last year the distillery was awarded Best Contribution to Wine and Spirits Tourism at the international Drinks Business Awards and Best Distillery/Brewery Tour at the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards.

Faye Waterlow, visitor centre manager at Lochranza, said: “We have long recognised the value of giving consumers the chance to experience the whisky making process and the source of the Arran spirit. We appreciate the enormous contribution that the location of our distillery makes.

“The steady growth of the visitor centre is a testament to increasing consumer demand for authenticity and whisky with a story to tell. We look forward to sharing this story with even more visitors when the second site opens next year.”

Total visitor numbers to both sites are expected to exceed 200,000 by 2020 once the new visitor centre in Lagg has been opened. The contribution to turnover is forecast to exceed £2m a year.

Notes:

For more information visit www.arranwhisky.com
* Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007.)

Best Contribution to Wine and Spirits Tourism – Drinks Business Awards 2017

Best Distillery/Brewery Tour – Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards 2017

Scottish Field Visitor Experience of the Year 2014 & 2015.

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.) ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013). Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Reaches 1,000th Barrel Milestone

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, a cornerstone of Whiskey Row’s renaissance in Downtown Louisville, filled the 1,000th barrel on February 1, 2018. The artisanal distillery reaches this milestone after producing one barrel per day since production began in September 2013, compared to the 1,300 barrels produced per day at Heaven Hill Distillery’s Bernheim Facility. The multi-million dollar artisanal distillery, immersive tour experience and retail location celebrates the legacy of Evan Williams, Kentucky’s first distiller, and is the first official stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Bourbon tourism continues to grow rapidly, with more than 1.4 million visitors enjoying tourism experiences across Kentucky in 2017. As the first distillery to re-open on Whiskey Row, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience celebrates the heritage and craft of American Whiskey distilling in Louisville.

“When the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opened in 2013, a unique, innovative experience was created where Bourbon fans, historians, and visitors alike could enjoy our nation’s spirit,” said Heaven Hill President Max L. Shapira. “We are proud to celebrate filling 1,000 barrels at our artisanal distillery with the City of Louisville and look forward to sharing product from the first barrels when they mature.”

Evan Williams was not only a pioneer in Bourbon, but also a Trustee of the City of Louisville, wharfmaster, and built the first county clerk’s office and city jail. In honor of Williams’ heritage in Louisville and the milestone achieved by the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, the 1,000th barrel was dedicated to the City of Louisville. The unfilled barrel was displayed in the lobbies of seven downtown partners for one day each before being transported from Mayor Greg Fischer’s office to the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience to be filled. All visitors were invited to sign the barrel on the day of the filling.

“Bourbon is a unique part of both our rich history and our bright future,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Distillery experiences like Evan Williams are part of what we call Bourbonism, creating a great opportunity for our city to become an even more popular tourist destination in the years ahead. And that’s more great news for our economy.”

Marked by a five-story Evan Williams Bourbon bottle on the building façade at 528 West Main Street, the facility epitomizes Louisville ‘Bourbonism’ movement at its finest. Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau operates a fully functioning, copper pot still distillery producing one barrel per day, just as Evan Williams would have in his distillery on the Ohio River more than 200 years ago.

As Heaven Hill Distillery’s flagship Bourbon brand and the second largest selling Kentucky Bourbon in the world, the legacy of Evan Williams is brought to life through a state-of-the-art modern facility. Guests are transported through the distillation process and history of Whiskey Row when Williams himself first built his distillery. Premium tastings of Heaven Hill Distillery’s award-winning whiskeys are also included on a variety of tours offered.

Visitors can learn more about tours and tastings at www.evanwilliams.com/visit.

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 1.3 million barrels aging in 55 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 Distillery currently holds the title of 2017 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, and previously held the titles of 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year, 2016 Whiskey 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.

Rebel Yell Bourbon Kicks Off Rebel & Records Contest

Giveaway Contest Invites Fans to Let Their Rebel Spirit Be Heard for

Chance to Win Vinyl-Themed Prizes 

(ST. LOUIS, MO) February 14, 2018—Rebel Yell Bourbon is now spinning its nationwide Rebel & Records Contest, where hundreds will win weekly prizes, and three lucky people will win the ultimate private concert experience, as well as a custom hi-fi record playing system and other vinyl prizes.

The Rebel & Records Contest invites Rebel Yell fans to upload a photo of themselves “Letting Your Rebel Spirit Be Heard” to www.rebelandrecords.com for a chance to win the grand prize, as well as more than 1,000 individual weekly prizes.

Three grand prizes will be awarded, and entries will be judged for the grand prizes based on creativity and uniqueness, personality, communication of contest theme, and overall appeal. Each grand prize includes all the necessary tools to create the ultimate at-home listening experience: a custom hi-fi record playing system, a private concert experience, 10 vinyl records, headphones, a vinyl record tote, slipmat, record crate, set of vinyl record dividers, Rebel Yell sticker pack and Rebel Yell guitar pick.

Weekly winners will be selected in a random drawing and may receive concert ticket vouchers, vinyl records from artists at Los Angeles-based record label Innovative Leisure – an independent label that represents Indie artists, whose music rebels from the mainstream and doesn’t fall into a single, defined musical style or genre – portable turntables, headphones, vinyl record totes, vinyl record dividers, record crates and more.

“Vinyl has seen a huge resurgence, with sales hitting a 25-year high,” said Fletcher Buchman, brand manager at Luxco. “People want something tangible and real. We are excited to be sharing the rebellious spirit of Rebel Yell with vinyl fans all over the country.”

Visit www.rebelandrecords.com to become a “Band of Rebels” member and to enter the contest. Participants can submit one entry per day (February 12 through April 30, 2018). Official contest rules can be found online at www.rebelandrecords.com.

About Luxco

A leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products, Luxco’s mission is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Founded in St. Louis in 1958, Luxco remains locally owned and operated by the Lux family. Lux Row Distillers is bringing the family’s legacy to the heart of Bourbon Country in Bardstown, Kentucky and is now the home of Luxco’s bourbon portfolio, including Rebel Yell, Blood Oath, David Nicholson, and Ezra Brooks. Luxco has also built a new distillery in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico – Destiladora González Luxco – where the company’s 100 percent agave tequilas, El Mayor and Exotico, will be produced. Luxco’s innovative and high-quality brand portfolio also includes Everclear Grain Alcohol, Pearl Vodka, Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, and other well-recognized brands. For more information about the company and its brands, visit www.luxco.com.

World’s first regulated whisky fund taps into booming demand for liquid gold 

Investors with a passion for liquid gold have an opportunity to invest in the world’s first regulated single malt whisky fund.

Launched by Swedish whisky enthusiast, Christian Svantesson, the Single Malt Fund provides investors with the opportunity to indirectly own a small part of a large collection of rare and limited-edition whiskies.

The Single Malt Fund’s rare whiskies will be selected by five internationally acclaimed portfolio managers. In addition to investing in the fund, whisky fans will also have the opportunity to buy single bottles from the fund’s online inventory as the fund realises its investments. Sales will be managed through its own website, where rare whisky will be made available to investors before going up for sale on the open market.

The fund will be supervised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority and has received approval to launch on the Nordic Growth Market (NGM) exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, making it the world’s first regulated and publicly listed single malt whisky fund. Scheduled to liquidate after six years, the Fund offers a target return rate of 10% per annum.

The Fund has been launched on the back of soaring demand for rare whisky from investors, connoisseurs and collectors across the world.

Figures from the world’s leading rare whisky analysts and brokers, Rare Whisky 101, show that the returns produced by rare whisky over the past few years have outstripped many other alternative and traditional asset classes. The RW Apex 100 (the world’s top 100 performing bottles) has climbed 485% since 2010.

Between 2013 and 2017, the average price per bottle of rare whisky bought at auction in the UK has climbed from £223.60 to £299.36.

With auction prices on the rise, whisky enthusiasts from across the work are increasingly turning to liquid gold as an investment. A recent survey by RW101 and Whisky Auctioneer identify private whisky collections worth an estimated £75million, and with an average value of £50,000.

Commenting on the Single Malt Fund, Christian Svantesson said: “The Single Malt Fund is created for whisky enthusiasts and others who want to invest in rare whisky. When selling, the fund will first offer its limited rare whisky to its investors, giving them access to selected rare whisky which is very hard to come by without the right knowledge and contacts. With global demand for rare whisky continuing to soar, I hope that our fund will make the rare whisky market more inclusive and accessible for even more rare whisky enthusiasts. The fund in that respect has opened up a new opportunity for whisky fans to indulge in their passion.

“My inspiration for the fund comes from my own passion for single malt whisky. Knowing how much my own limited rare whiskies have appreciated in value, I spotted an opportunity to take a more professional approach to the whisky investor market. As an entrepreneur, I couldn’t resist the temptation to combine my passion for whisky with my entrepreneurial drive.

“I wanted to create a ‘commodity fund’ for whisky – regulated, transparent, and listed on a public exchange, preferably here in Sweden.

For more information, visit www.thesinglemaltfund.com