Teeling Whiskey scoops top accolades at International Spirits Competitions

World Whiskies Awards (WWA) and San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC)

Teeling Single Malt – World’s Best Irish Single Malt (WWA)

Jack Teeling – World’s Best Global Whisky Ambassador (WWA)

Teeling Small Batch – Best Blended Irish Whiskey (SFWSC)

Teeling Small Batch – Double Gold Medal (SFWSC)

Teeling Single Grain – Gold Medal (SFWSC)

Teeling Single Malt – Gold Medal (SFWSC)

The Teeling Whiskey Company (TWC) has continued to build on its reputation as one of the world’s finest producers of Irish whiskey by receiving a number of significant awards from two of the world’s top spirits competitions; the World Whiskies Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

First held in 2007, the World Whiskies Awards search for the very best whiskies in the world. Teeling Whiskey Irish Single Malt was honoured with the accolade of ‘World’s Best’ and founder and MD of TWC, Jack Teeling, was awarded the prestigious title of ‘World’s Best Global Whisky Ambassador.’ Held in London, this year’s competition saw more than 300 whiskies put through their paces with three rounds of rigorous tastings, to win the coveted title of the ‘World’s Best’.

Further to this, Teeling Whiskey Small Batch has been honoured the coveted ‘Best Blended Irish Whiskey’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and four gold medals were awarded for the Teeling Small Batch, Single Grain and Single Malt whiskeys. As the first comprehensive, International judging competition ever to be held in the USA on an annual basis, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is one of the most respected in the industry.

Commenting on the wins, Jack Teeling said “I am humbled to be named ‘World’s Best Global Whisky Ambassador’ but more importantly the reputation for our whiskeys continues to increase. Over the past three years, Teeling Whiskey has been embraced both in Ireland and across the world in over 35 export markets. We are extremely proud of the whiskeys we have produced to date and it is an honour for our whiskeys to be recognised as the world’s best in these two competitions. With construction of our new distillery in Dublin almost complete, we are excited to continue to provide high quality and unique expressions to Irish whiskey drinkers around the world.”

The Teeling Whiskey Company was founded by Jack Teeling in 2012 to revive his family-old trademark of Irish whiskey and bring distilling back to Dublin, where Walter Teeling had a distillery in the Liberties in the 18^th century.  In January 2014, The Teeling Whiskey Company announced a €10 million investment in a new distillery and visitor centre at Newmarket in The Liberties. Work started on site in August 2014 and is on schedule to open to the public in May 2015. This will be the first new distillery in Dublin city in 125 years.

For more on Teeling Whiskey Company and its award winning Irish Whiskeys, visit www.teelingwhiskey.com

ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE^® Announces 2015 Results for Top Scotch, American, Canadian Whisky  

Hawthorne, NY (March 25, 2015) – Ultimate Spirits Challenge^®, the world’s platinum standard for spirits competitions, today announces the winners and full results for the 2015 Challenge. Ultimate Spirits Challenge, now in its sixth year, celebrates 33 Chairman Trophy winners, the highest award along with 162 Finalists as well as Tried & True Awards and Great Values. The Challenge, which grew by 14% from 2014, was held in its specially designed evaluation center in Hawthorne, NY.

“For 2015 we have moved Ultimate Spirits Challenge into our new state-of-the-art evaluation center and also moved to a new rolling judging schedule,” says USC founder F. Paul Pacult. “We broke up the Challenges into smaller categories so we are able to give each grouping of spirits greater in-depth attention, with the inclusion of cocktail evaluations. All our judges agree that this hyper-focus allows USC to provide the most trusted and sought after testimonials that help companies build their brands.”

USC 2015 – CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY WINNER

Tried & True Award (T&TA): Spirit brands are eligible for the Tried & True Award if they have scored 85 points or above in at least two Ultimate Spirits Challenges since 2010.  Great Values (GV): is awarded to products with a favorable relationship between their price and final USC score. They are the finest spirits within their respective price points. 

WHISKEY – USA

American: Lone Elm Texas Wheat

Kentucky Straight Bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 Years Old (T&TA)

Rye: Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight 6 Years Old (T&TA)

Tennessee: George Dickel No. 12 (GV, T&TA) 

WHISKEY – IRELAND

Blended: Jameson 18 Years Old (T&TA)

Irish Pot Still: Redbreast 15 Years Old (T&TA)

Single Malt: Bushmills 16 Years Old (T&TA) 

WHISKY – SCOTLAND

Blended Malt: Sheep Dip (T&TA)

Blended: Dewar’s 18 Years Old (T&TA)

Single Malt: Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt (GV, T&TA) 

WHISKY – CANADA

Tap Rye Sherry Finished 8 Years Old (GV) 

WHISKY – FRANCE

Armorik Single Malt Sherry Finish (T&TA) 

WHISKY – WALES

Penderyn Single Malt (T&TA) 

All products are rated on the 100-point scale by the spirits industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners. The judges for USC 2015: Founder/Judging Chairman F. Paul Pacult, James Conley, Tad Carducci, Dale DeGroff, Gregg Glaser, Geoffrey Kleinman, Douglass Miller, Dan Nicolaescu, Steve Olson, Will Shine, Francis Schott, Andy Seymour and Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, MW.

All spirits rated 80 points and higher have a “FULL RESULTS” page which provides downloadable marketing materials and a bottle image for easy consumer identification. Spirits rated 85 points and higher also receive a “FULL RESULTS” page plus tasting notes, downloadable certificates and shelf-talkers. New for 2015 — cocktail evaluation for suitable spirits categories has been added and results will be released in April.

USC results are promoted globally via email and web publication to both trade buyers and consumers. In addition, high scoring products are featured in the Ultimate Beverage Challenge Guide published each year in the October issue of Beverage Media reaching more than 70,000 on- and off-premise spirits buyers. 

Ultimate Spirits Challenge…like no other competition and doesn’t want to be.

ABOUT ULTIMATE BEVERAGE CHALLENGE

Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) provides expert evaluation of wines and spirits for producers, importers and marketers through its two innovative annual competitions: Ultimate Spirits Challenge and Ultimate Wine Challenge. Based on exacting standards, expert judges and rigorous methodology, UBC raises the standards of spirits and wine evaluation and supplies ratings and accolades to help companies build their brands with buyers, both industry and consumer. UBC partners are F. Paul Pacult, Sue Woodley and David Talbot. Past Challenge results, event photos, entry forms and more information can be found at http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/.

Ultimate Beverage Challenge inquiries: info@ultimate-beverage.com, 1-347-878-6551

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UltimateBeverageChallenge

BALLANTINE’S AND GLOBALLY RENOWNED ARTIST INSA COLLABORATE TO BRIDGE ONLINE

AND OFF LINE WORLDS WITH A UNIQUE ANIMATED GIF CREATED ON 12 LIMITED EDITION BOTTLES 

The GIF can be viewed at www.ballantines.com and downloaded here  

The collection will be exclusively displayed at one of East London’s most exciting new bars, Original Sin 

Ballantine’s Finest today launches a collection of 12 limited edition bottles, which have been hand painted by the world’s leading ‘GIF-ITI’ and fine artist INSA, and transformed into a vibrant animated piece in the artist’s trademark style. The limited edition bottles will be exhibited at East London’s Original Sin bar and both Ballantine’s and INSA fans around the world will get the chance to own one for themselves via social media.

The innovative partnership is part of Ballantine’s ongoing drive for innovation, collaboration with creative talent and new ways to present the brand in the digital space. It follows on from ‘Ballantine’s Presents INSA’s Space GIF-ITI’, an online film which charted the creation of the world’s largest animated GIF captured from space in Rio de Janeiro, that has been viewed over five million times to date. The film formed part of an ongoing series of collaborations between Ballantine’s and unique global talent who define Ballantine’s mantra of ‘Stay True’, featuring projects inspired by their personal talents and beliefs.

The limited edition bottle collection has once again provided INSA an opportunity to ‘Stay True’ to his passion for experimentation and innovation, demonstrating a desire to go beyond the constraints of creating a limited edition bottle for the off line world to produce something in his trademark style.

To create the animated work, INSA first took twelve of Ballantine’s iconic bottles into his London studio and hand painted them with his trademark ‘Looking for Love’ inverted heart motif. Each of the 12 bottles is totally unique, with the design evolving gradually across them.  Once complete, each one was photographed and then stitched together creating the intricate animated “whisky GIF”.

INSA comments: “Rather than just produce another limited edition bottle, I wanted to try out a new idea and take my GIF work to a three dimensional item, and animate across its surface. The Ballantine’s rectangular bottle was a great shape to work with. Creating the Space GIF-iti film with Ballantine’s was such a monumental achievement and it was exciting to extend our collaboration.” 

As hand painted and limited edition works of art, the bottles will not be made available for sale.  Instead, visitors to London’s Original Sin bar will be able to view the collection from March 25^th to April 3^rd and have the chance to win one via their Twitter and Instagram channels using the handle @originalsinbar.

Original Sin is the new offering from the team behind the world-renowned Happiness Forgets cocktail bar and since opening earlier this year has proved just as popular. Situated in Stoke Newington, East London, it caters both to the area’s creative residents as a local spot and as a destination bar for visitors from further afield.

Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s added: “Innovation and artistic collaboration both off and online are at the heart of the Ballantine’s brand today, which this collaboration with INSA captures perfectly. We wanted to create a memorable limited edition range with INSA, so we’re thrilled with the result of the twelve totally unique and hand crafted pieces – which we’ll give consumers the chance to own themselves.”

Notes: About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No.1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the No.2 Scotch whisky in the world with the range selling over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 130 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past ten years for its outstanding quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, continuing the brand’s tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827. In 2013, Ballantine’s continued its innovative approach by launching Ballantine’s Brasil, a spirit drink made from selectively cask steeping Scotch whisky with Brazilian lime peel.

http://www.ballantines.com/

     @Ballantines

About Stay True Stories and StayTrueStories.com

Ballantine’s is engaged in a global journey to produce a series of films which feature personalities who serve as an embodiment of ‘Stay True, Leave an Impression’. ‘INSA’s Space GIF-ITI’ follows on from films including ‘Black Coffee’s Human Orchestra’, ‘Kilian Martin’s Carmen’, ‘Ben Mead’s Art of Drumming’ and ‘The Whale Song’. Further films are currently in production and will be released throughout 2015, with all content living online at http://www.staytruestories.com/. 

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

http://www.chivasbrothers.com/ 

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €7,945 million in 2013/14. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin & Spirit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector and employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people, operating through a decentralized organization with 6 ‘Brand Companies’ and 80 ‘Market Companies’ established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. Pernod Ricard is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is a member of the CAC 40 index.

http://www.pernod-ricard.com/

Founders Private Cellar The Final Signature

Extremely Limited Release Only 238 cases will be available worldwide What is The Final Signature? As some of you know, our Founder James sadly passed away last year but before he became too poorly, he instigated a final bottling chosen from the families private stock; these were his favourite two casks. This will be the last bottling ever to carry James’ signature and of course we have gone slightly over the top with not only the whisky, but also the packaging – this is a spectacular leather suitcase! Includes:

• One Leather Suitcase
• One Bottle of Single Malt Whisky matured in a Rum Cask, Cask Strength
• One Bottle of Peated Single Malt Whisky matured in a Sherry Cask, Cask Strength
• Four Engraved Glass Tumblers
• One Red China Water Jug
• One Founders Autobiography
• Two Certificates of Authenticity (one for each bottle)

£795 Available to buy from Thursday 26th March 2015

BUY NOW

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY RELEASES COLONEL E.H. TAYLOR, JR.  CURED OAK  BOURBON WHISKEY 

Limited Edition 17-Year-Old Bourbon Coming Soon  

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (March 17, 2015) – Buffalo Trace Distillery continues its homage to former Distillery owner Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. with a special release bourbon whiskey aged in cured oak barrels.  This 100 proof, Bottled-In-Bond, small batch bourbon was aged in Taylor’s warehouse “C” at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

The barrel staves used for this special release were allowed to dry outside in the open air for 13 months, more than twice as long as standard barrel staves. Most white oak barrel staves used for Buffalo Trace’s bourbons are placed outside for 6 months before being fashioned into whiskey barrels.  Collaborating with barrel manufacturer Independent Stave Company back in 1998, this extra aging curing process allowed the wood to dry even longer, eventually allowing the whiskey to extract more rich and complex flavors deep within the oak.

After crafting and filling these unique barrels, they were then aged inside of Taylor’s iconic brick and limestone warehouse “C,” built in 1881.  After seventeen years of aging in the cured oak, this bourbon whiskey delivers an aroma rich with inviting tobacco and dried fruit. A complex flavor meets the mouth with well-rounded notes of vanilla, toffee, and figs, followed by undertones of dry oak. The body is medium with a long, dry finish.

This Cured Oak Bourbon is the seventh and latest release in the collection of  E. H. Taylor, Jr. whiskeys, rounding out the collection of Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon, Barrel Proof Bourbon, Straight Rye Whiskey, and Small Batch Bourbon. The Sour Mash and Warehouse C Tornado Surviving bourbons were one time only releases and are no longer available.

The Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. collection was first released in early 2011 and several subsequent releases have followed.  Like some of the previous releases, this one-time-only bottling is very limited.   Also consistent with past releases, Cured Oak Bourbon displays a vintage label and is offered inside a distinct canister reminiscent of Taylor’s whiskey package from one hundred years ago. Uniquely new for this release, each 6 bottle case will be shipped in an impressive wooden box, modeled after the wooden crates used by Taylor to transport goods during the days before Prohibition.

Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr.  is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the distillery that is known today as the Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today by Buffalo Trace, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.

This special bottling of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak Bourbon Whiskey will be available late March in limited supply.  The suggested retail price is $69.99 per 750ml bottle.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com

KILCHOMAN WHISKY TASTING – THURSDAY 30TH APRIL 2015

I can’t believe it’s over 9 years ago now that I was standing in the still room at Kilchoman Distillery on Islay tasting some of their very first new make spirit and thinking ‘Mmm, that’s good – can’t wait to taste it as whisky’. Since then we’ve been watching with great interest as their range of whisky has developed and expanded and are really excited that on Thursday 30th April George Wills (son of founder Anthony Wills) will be coming along to present a tasting of whiskies from the distillery.

This farm sized distillery was established in 2005 and was the first new distillery to be built on Islay for over 120 years. As much as possible of the production process is carried out on site – from growing and malting around 1/3 of their own malt through to bottling all their whisky. They produce what is definitely an Islay whisky in style but one that very much has its own character – fruity sweetness combines with layers of peat smoke and results in a well balanced and delicious malt. On the night we will be tasting some of the core range, some limited editions plus something a little bit extra special… Certainly a tasting not to be missed by all you peat heads and for those who have yet to discover the joys of peat this might be the one that wins you over!

Tickets are £15 per person and will be available to buy from 12.30pm on Tuesday 31st March online or by ‘phone only. Please note, no bookings will be taken before this time and the maximum number of tickets per booking is 6.

See below for all the details and if you have any queries just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

UPCOMING EVENT

Name Kilchoman Whisky Tasting
Date Thursday 30th April 2015

Time 7.00 for 7.30pm
Venue Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren

Details Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared. Tickets are £15 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per customer and as these tastings usually sell out within hours it is best to book as soon as the tickets are released. To buy tickets just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com from 12.30pm on Tuesday 31st March and place an order for the number you require. Please note, we cannot accept provisional bookings and payment must be made when booking. Refunds for tickets are not available except in exceptional circumstances.

Smokehead is on fire at Ambrosia Awards 2015

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is celebrating after picking up a duo of Gold awards at this year’s prestigious Ambrosia Awards, held during IndSpirit on 16 January, 2015.

Amongst hugely esteemed company, the rich and powerful malt scooped gold in the Product of the Year category and another in the Excellence in Packaging (Graphics) category.

The annual awards are held as part of Asia’s biggest trade event, IndSpirit, which took place this year at Leela Ambience, Gurgaon, India. Both events are coordinated by Ambrosia Magazine, India’s only AlcoBev publication.

Commenting on the awards, Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers (who own Smokehead), said: “We are delighted that Smokehead has won in these prestigious categories, especially as we were up against such tough competition. Smokehead is vigorous and unapologetic about its big, intense and peaty flavours ensuring that it stands out from the crowd.”

He continued: “India is one of the fastest growing and most exciting markets for whisky and we are very grateful to get this high profile exposure.”

IndSpirit is a trade event aimed at bringing together the opinion leaders of the spirits, beer and wine world to discuss issues about this emerging market and share knowledge with the trade. It offers the best platform to national and international spirits, beer and wine producers to showcase their products and culminates with the awards ceremony.

Smokehead is a fiercely independent, mysterious and boisterous malt of the highest quality. Shunning traditional whisky packaging, Smokehead’s tactile metal presentation tin demands attention and maximises its impact using embossed and debossed techniques to heighten the 3-D ‘reality’ of the pack design, creating a premium tactile feel.

Bottled at 43% ABV, Smokehead is a rich, seaweedy and intensely peaty Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, not for the faint hearted.  With immense fresh and fruity flavours that burst with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt, Smokehead hits the palate like a cannonball!

The BenRiach Distillery Company has been named Global Whisky Distiller of the Year at the 2015 Icons of Whisky Awards.

The announcement was made last night during a ceremony at London’s Waldorf Hilton on the eve of Whisky Live London.

This latest award follows hard on the heels of BenRiach winning the “Icons of Scotland” Whisky Distiller of the Year earlier this year.

First held in 2007, the World Whiskies Awards are Whisky Magazine’s awards, searching for the very best whiskies in the world.

And BenRiach had double cause for celebration last night, as it won Best Speyside Single Malt for the BenRiach 16 years old produced at its Elgin distillery.

The winners were decided in online voting by writers, whisky producers and other industry leaders along with the editorial staff of Whisky Magazine.

They were selected from three regional rounds of Icons awards covering Scotland, the US, and the Rest of the World.

This year’s competition saw more than 300 whiskies put through their paces during three rounds of rigorous tastings to win the coveted titles of the ‘World’s Best’

Founded in 2004 under the leadership of whisky veteran Billy Walker and his South African investors Wayne Kieswetter and Geoff Bell, the Edinburgh-headquartered company has grown with impressive speed, acquiring BenRiach that year and turning it into one of Scotland’s most admired distilleries.

It acquired GlenDronach Distillery in 2008 and Glenglassaugh Distillery in 2013 as well as a bottling plant at Newbridge outside Edinburgh. All three distilleries produce unique award-winning whiskies with extraordinary depth, balance and character.

Billy Walker said: “It’s a pretty amazing achievement for a small privately-owned independent company to win this prestigious global award. I’m especially proud that it highlights the innovations we’ve created at our three distilleries and it also quite properly recognises the high-quality, committed team we have built at our four locations.

“We’re currently trading in some 40 countries worldwide with other emerging markets entering the negotiation stage, so I believe the future for all our brands is tremendously exciting.”

In August the company posted record pre-tax profits of £8.9m for 2013 boosted by unprecedented demand for its high-end whiskies in Asia, North America, Russia and Europe.

2015 Rare Life Award Presented to Alana Miller of Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary

Miller Awarded $50,000 Donation; Supporters Rallied Record-Setting Number of Votes

St. Pauls, NC (March 10, 2015) — Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has named Alana Miller of St. Pauls, North Carolina, as the winner of the Grand Prize 2015 Rare Life Award.

Eagle Rare will donate $50,000 to Miller’s charity, Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, and host an awards ceremony in St. Pauls on March 14.

The Rare Life Award is an annual recognition program created to honor individuals who exhibit courage, leadership, survival, devotion, character and heroism. Candidates are nominated by friends, family and colleagues. Their stories and photos are posted online at www.eaglerarelife.com, where many people vote for their favorite inspirational stories.

The 2015 award received 259 nominees and a record-setting 1 million votes were cast, 11 percent more than for the 2014 award. Miller garnered nearly half the votes, with 467,721, a testimony to her active social media presence, including more than 1 million Facebook fans.

Miller opened Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in 2005 after volunteering for a local animal shelter and seeing blind cats immediately euthanized. “There were no resources or support for blind cats, but I decided I needed to do something,” Miller said. Blind Cat Rescue is a cage-free, lifetime care facility for blind cats and cats with feline versions of leukemia and FIV. Cats are not up for adoption into homes, but supporters have “adopted” them online – pledging financial support to cover expenses, which run about $230 per month per cat. Blind Cat Rescue provides full medical care including vaccinations and dental exams.

There are currently 91 cats at Blind Cat Rescue, which is about their maximum capacity. “We are not hoarders,” Miller said. “We are a responsible shelter, but we can’t save them all. However, 90 percent of the cats we put on Facebook get adopted.”

Part of Miller’s mission is educating the public, including potential adopters or those whose cat goes blind due to an illness. Miller said, “A blind cat doesn’t know it’s blind. They will act like a normal cat. They climb on top of things, scale the curtains … We have several big hamstertype wheels that the cats run on and they can’t see the wheel, but they can jog like nothing you’ve ever seen.” Cats, like humans, are vulnerable to a number of diseases that can cause them to lose vision, including cataracts, glaucoma, traumatic injury, and viral and bacterial infections. Blind Cat Rescue features a live web stream of the cats 24/7 and a live tour of the shelter on the stream daily. Miller strives for transparency and also enjoys letting her supporters see her opening boxes of food or toys they have sent, so they can see where their donations go.

Eagle Rare spokesman Kris Comstock said, “Alana Miller has selflessly committed herself to helping a whole population of domestic animals that the rest of the world has written off. She has shared their stories and educates the public about caring for these creatures, while dedicating her own life to making sure they have safe shelter and lifelong care. We congratulate and thank her, along with our other winners and nominees, for sharing their rare lives with us. In addition to the cash award, we hope this greater visibility assists them in securing long-term support for their invaluable work.”

Eagle Rare also will donate $5,000 to the charities of choice of the six runners-up, each one embodying a distinct characteristic of a Rare Life: Courage, Leadership, Heroism, Character, Devotion and Survival. Eagle Rare’s prize donations for 2015 total $80,000. This is the fifth year for the Rare Life campaign, and the 2015 awards will bring total grants to date for charities to $240,000.

The six 2015 runners-up are:

Rocky Bleier of Pittsburgh, Pa.: Heroism Award for The Beating the Odds Foundation

Ashley Boyd Gann of Lexington, Ky.: Character Award for Sweet Blessings

Howard Garrett of Palm Harbor, Fl: Leadership Award for Orca Network

Karen Good of Trail, Minn.: Courage Award for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue

Brooke Pennypacker of Berlin, Wisc.: Devotion Award for Operation Migration

Melissa Phelps of Warsaw, Ky.: Survival Award for Dystonia Medical Research Foundation

For more information on the Rare Life Award or Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, visit www.eaglerarelife.com.

About Eagle Rare Bourbon

Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey is part of the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery, an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, (Franklin County), Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Eagle Rare Bourbon is a 10-year-old bourbon that has won multiple awards, including five double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. To learn more about Eagle Rare visit www.eaglerarelife.com

Moray Golf Club toasts links with new packages

Visitors to Scotland now have the opportunity to combine the thrill of links golf with the pleasure of sampling the very best malt whiskies through a new range of exclusive golf packages. For the first time, Moray Golf Club has introduced a range of special offers designed specifically for visitors to the club, which will host one of the UK’s most prestigious amateur championships in May.

Moray Golf Club has launched the three new experiences following the success of its ground-breaking sole-supplier agreement with one of Scotland’s most respected suppliers of wines and spirits. Along with the launch of a limited edition 15-year-old Speyside single malt, the formalisation of the club’s relationship with Gordon & MacPhail was one of the highlights of the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations last year and has now been extended to a new three-year contract.

The interest it generated also led to the creation of the new packages, as John Thomson, captain of Moray Golf Club, explained. “The link between Moray Golf Club and whisky has always been celebrated by the club, but the new packages take this connection to another level. The combination of championship links golf and whiskies from every distillery in Morayshire and Speyside is a big draw, and now our tailored packages give us the means of delivering a very special Scottish experience.”

The link between Moray Golf Club – which will host this year’s Carrick Neill Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship – and whisky cannot be overstated. The club claims to have the longest association with its own malt whisky of any golf club in the world with its own malt being created when the club was founded in 1889. Indeed, many of its founders were distillery owners who collectively laid down hogs heads of whisky for the club’s members to enjoy. The club’s own current malt is a 10-year-old Glen Moray from nearby Elgin.

Within living memory, the club whisky was bottled on site with the practice only being abandoned after committee members were overcome by fumes emanating from the bottling process. The new experience packages have been designed to celebrate this link between golf and the ‘water of life’ with the first incorporating a round of championship golf on either the Old or New Moray course followed by a whisky tasting experience created by Gordon & Macphail. Hosted in the club’s Heritage Room which overlooks the sparkling waters of the Moray Firth, The Whisky Experience includes an exhilarating round of golf with a tasting session incorporating five specially selected drams.

The second package embraces the skills needed to tackle Moray’s celebrated championship links courses by playing six holes alongside the club’s pro John Murray. What better preparation could there be than picking the brains of one of Scotland’s finest coaches and an expert in links golf? The Links Experience is a unique opportunity to get some handy links tips and to test them out on the sandy turf before a full round.

The third option combines both The Whisky Experience with The Links Experience creating a full day of learning, fun and indulgence. The experience begins with either a one-to-one or group session with Moray’s resident pro followed by a round on the magnificent Moray Old and then a visit to the Heritage Room to taste some of the finest whiskies Scotland has to offer.

“The Moray Experience brings together the very best of Moray in a fantastic day of golf and whisky,” explained Thomson. “It has been devised to cater for individuals, pairs and groups, and provides a structure around which visitors can experience a day like no other.”

The new Moray experiences have been launched to coincide with the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and Homecoming Scotland’s Whisky Month in May which form part of the Year of Food & Drink Scotland in 2015.

Notes:

About Moray Golf Club

1) Founded in 1889, Moray Golf Club is situated in Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland. The club has two 18-hole courses appropriately called the Old Course and the New Course.

2) A classic layout designed by Old Tom Morris, the Old Course is one of the finest links courses in Scotland with one of the most memorable closing holes you’ll find in golf. At 6,572 yards, it has a par of 71. It is No 37 in Golf World’s Top 100 Scottish Courses (2013).

3) The tighter New Course was masterminded by Henry Cotton, whose preference for precision golf can be seen in the shorter layout and smaller greens. At 6,068 yards and a par of 70, it is every bit as challenging as the Old Course.

4) Closely associated with whisky, many of the club’s founders were distillers who collectively laid down various malts for the members of the club. In fact, the club has its own cask-strength collection called Founder’s Legacy which started with a 15-year-old Miltonduff. The second in the series is the current malt; the 14-year-old Mortlach (Dufftown’s oldest distillery). 5) The club’s first malt was Dailuaine before moving on to Glen Grant which lasted nearly eight decades before being replaced by The Macallan. Today, the club malt is a 10-year-old Glen Moray from nearby Elgin.

6) For more information about Moray Golf Club, visit http://www.moraygolf.co.uk/

7) For more information about the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, visit http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/

8) For more information about Whisky Month, visit http://www.visitscotland.com/ 

About Gordon & MacPhail 

Established in 1895 the family owned firm of Gordon & MacPhail has a number of business interests. It is as a retailer in Elgin; a wholesaler of wines and spirits in the UK; a bottler of Scotch whiskies, an exporter to over 60 international markets; and a distiller, owning Benromach Distillery in Forres.

Gordon MacPhail is one of the UK’s leading independent specialist wholesalers and distributors, stocking over 4,500 products, including an extensive portfolio of wines, spirits and UK specialist beers and ciders.

For more information about Gordon & MacPhail, visit http://www.gordonandmacphail.com/