Beam Selects Franklin County to Build 600,000 Sq. Ft. Distribution Center to Support Continued Business Growth

Frankfort, Kentucky – January 30, 2014 – Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), a leading global premium spirits company, today announced that its new state-of-the-art distribution center will be located on a 92-acre site in Franklin County at 1509 US Highway 421 (Leestown Road).  Spanning 600,000 square feet upon completion, equivalent to 13 football fields, this facility will be the largest of its kind in Franklin County.

“Beam is a company that’s on the move, continuously creating opportunities for the Commonwealth,” said Governor Steve Beshear. “As Beam continues to grow for the future, the people of Kentucky benefit by the creation of more jobs and opportunities for years to come.”

“With two-thirds of Beam’s total spirits case volume being produced in Kentucky, having our new Beam long-term distribution facility in close proximity to our production will help us gain increased efficiencies in our supply chain,” said David Hunter, vice president of global manufacturing for Beam. “We are excited to be the catalyst for more growth in Kentucky.”

Construction is expected to commence in late February and be completed by year-end. The new center, which will be operated by a third-party logistics provider to be named at a later date, is slated to open in the first quarter of 2015 and employ an estimated 60 individuals. It will exclusively serve Beam’s broad portfolio of distilled spirits brands and will warehouse Beam’s finished case goods bottled in Frankfort before they are shipped to distributor partners for sale in the U.S. and international markets.

“The Bourbon industry is a key driver of our economy in the Commonwealth, and Beam is certainly on the forefront of that growth,” said Congressman Andy Barr. “The construction of this new distribution facility means the creation of more jobs for central and eastern Kentuckians, and I thank Beam for their contribution to our signature Bourbon industry and the people of our Commonwealth.”

“Beam is such a strong business partner and contributor to our community, and we couldn’t be more pleased that they have chosen to further expand in Franklin County,” said County Judge Executive Ted Collins.

H&M Construction Co., Inc. has been hired as the contractor to design the building, develop the site and build the facility from the ground-up.

This announcement is the latest in Beam’s long history of business investments in the Commonwealth. Last year, Beam opened its new Global Business Services Center, reflecting a $2.7 million investment that has brought more than 30 professional jobs to Louisville. In late 2012, Beam opened the Jim Beam American Stillhouse visitors’ experience and Global Innovation Center, a combined multi-year investment of $30 million, in Clermont, Ky. Beam currently employs more than 900 people throughout the Commonwealth in Louisville, its Global Innovation Center in Clermont and at its manufacturing plants in Loretto, Frankfort, Clermont and Boston. 

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World.  Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials.  Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,400 passionate associates worldwide generated 2012 sales of $2.5 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 38 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations. 

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index.  For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Brand New Bottlings:

This Spring brings with it our first new release of the year – the limited edition 17 year-old Single Malt.  This bottling is limited to 9,000 bottles worldwide and follows in the footsteps of our limited 16 year-old released last year. These are exciting times for the Arran team as we step ever closer to our first official 18 year-old. This edition is made from 100% Sherry Casks and the advance tasting note can be found exclusively in the White Stags section of our web site.  Come and see what’s going on with the White Stags here.

Many of you will not want to miss the long-awaited third and final instalment of The Devil’s Punchbowl Trilogy which will be arriving with us at the end of June.  You will find it first on our web site and it looks like being a heavenly end to this fantastic series.

GLENDRONACH LAUNCHES NEW GRANDEUR 24 YEAR-OLD 

THE START of a new year brings a new limited edition GlenDronach single malt designed for the serious connoisseur. 

Replacing the GlenDronach Grandeur 31 Years Old that has now sold out, the GlenDronach Grandeur 24 Years Old is another exquisite long-aged representation of the smooth, complex and full-bodied style for which GlenDronach Distillery is justly famous worldwide. 

For if the glorious rum-soaked golden sultanas don’t capture you as you savour it for the first time, you’ll definitely be ensnared by the dark chocolate and zesty orange oil softening to a deep clove spice. 

The Grandeur 24 Years Old, at 48.9%vol, shows the finest sherry oak casks, masterful maturation and traditional crafted Highland single malt in perfect harmony. 

Lovingly aged for almost a quarter of a century and beautifully gift-boxed, this exceptional whisky has been specially selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker from some of the oldest and most unique Oloroso sherry casks at GlenDronach. 

This bottling, batch number 4 of the Grandeur releases, is limited to 569 bottles. Individually numbered by hand, each bottle is a one-off and truly unique, making it a very special and remarkable malt. 

Billy Walker’s tasting notes demonstrate that the Grandeur 24 Years Old is indeed one of the greats. 

Appearance:  Glistening burnt amber holds a rich crimson heart.

Nose:  A magnificent combination of honey-drenched dates and succulent raisins which gently ebb and flow with waves of delicate orange blossom, mint and cracked black pepper. Hints of glazed cherries and toasted almonds perfectly complement the seductive nose – a nose to be appreciated slowly and often. 

Palate:  A fabulously full-bodied, vibrant palate captures a multitude of classic sherry cask characteristics. The delicate sweetness of rum-soaked golden sultanas refines rich espresso, dark chocolate and treacle toffee. Zesty orange oil softens to a deep clove spice and prolongs the ever-changing palate. A sublime example of understanding the relationship between cask and single malt perfectly. 

Conclusions: The Grandeur 24 Years Old encapsulates the perfect harmony of exquisite sherry oak casks, masterful maturation and traditional crafted Highland single malt. A dram to be savoured in order to reveal the depth of dramatic flavours held in the glass. A truly memorable and captivating GlenDronach expression. 

Sales Director Alistair Walker commented: “This is a wonderful dram that needs a great amount of time spent on it in order to be fully rewarded with its stunning qualities – luscious, long and lingering.” 

A NEW MALT DISTILLERY FOR THE ISLE OF SKYE 

A new malt distillery for the Isle of Skye is announced today, Wednesday 19^th February 2014. 

The new distillery – only the second on the famous Hebridean island – will be created within a listed early nineteenth century farm steading at Torabhaig on Skye’s southeast coast. 

The Torabhaig Distillery will cost more than £5 million and is likely to employ around eight people. 

Torabhaig Distillery Limited is a subsidiary of Mossburn Distillers Ltd. Outlining the company’s investment plans Neil Mathieson, Chief Executive Officer of Mossburn Distillers Ltd said: “Torabhaig is our first entry into the Scotch Whisky category and a very important starting point. 

“Skye is renowned all over the world for its natural beauty and cultural heritage and we believe that Torabhaig will be a valuable contribution both to whisky distilling on Skye and to the island’s continuing attraction to international visitors. 

“We have a wonderful property in a beautiful setting looking over the Sound of Sleat to Knoydart. It’s a perfect location for a small, traditional distillery and we look forward to working with the local community to bring our plans to life.”  

The Torabhaig site formed part of the late Sir Iain Noble’s lands of Fearann Eilean Iarmain. Sir Iain’s widow, Lucilla Noble has been invited to join the Board of Torabhaig Distillery Limited.    

She commented: “Iain long ago recognised the great potential of the Torabhaig steading as the perfect site for a distillery on the Sleat peninsula and worked hard towards that objective. I am very pleased that this ambitious redevelopment is about to be started and that his vision will become a reality.” 

The detailed specification of the new distillery has yet to be finalised but will include facilities for visitors. 

Plans for Torabhaig are being created by Edinburgh architects Simpson & Brown, a specialist partnership responsible for conserving some of the United Kingdom’s most important historic structures as well as designing award-winning contemporary buildings. 

“The design of the new distillery will reflect a commitment to quality and to the best values of the industry we are joining,” explained Neil Mathieson. “Torabhaig will be very traditional and a sympathetic transformation of the existing farm steading. Simpson & Brown had previously looked at this site for Sir Iain Noble so there is an appropriate continuity in their involvement. ” 

Planning consent has been granted for Torabhaig and it is expected that construction work will begin in the early summer. It is anticipated that the first new spirit will flow from Torabhaig by the end of 2015.

The Glenlivet Talk & Tour: Whether you missed it or simply miss it.

On February 1st, we invited our community into Speyside for an exclusive experience: a live-streamed tour and first-hand look at life at The Glenlivet Distillery. We explored its passages, heritage, and the behind the scenes process, while our Master Distiller Alan Winchester shared his knowledge in a live Q&A session. What transpired was a brilliant exchange of lessons, laughs, and tales of “The Single Malt that started it all”.

Relive some of the best moments from The Glenlivet Talk & Tour with Alan Winchester.

WATCH NOW

Welcome to the 35th auction and another selection of jaw-droppingly rare bottles, both very old and very new – mixed with hard-to-finds, easy-to-buys and everything in between. Stars include a Speyburn Macallan from 1945 and the latest from the Masters of Photography series – The Elliot Erwitt. There are two from 1957 – a Bowmore and an Auchentoshan, there’s a Lochside 47 year old and a North British 50. We also have a Bowmore Bi-centenary, a Bowmore President’s Selection Keizo Saji’s Cask and a 30 year old Sea Dragon. 

A lovely Talisker 8, a Highland Park 1958 17 year old in the dumpy bottle, and a 40 year old Glendronach will surely catch the eye. We have two scarce SMWS Anniversary bottlings, a Glen Moray and a Teaninich, a Glen Mhor 30 and the lovely Lagavulin 12 year old White Horse. 

A couple of others worth mentioning include a very,very scarce Duncan Taylor No 1 blend at 33 years old – from the days before the Shand family bought the company from John Gross, and a highly sought-after Glenallachie 9 year old produced by Scotland’s top alt rockers, Mogwai who have signed the label. Glenellachie shows up again in the shape of a 35 year old from 1967 and there are two Signatory Rare Ayrshire, one a 35 year old, the other 36. Signatory features again with a lovely double bottle lot from Littlemill and Dunglass. And from Balblair a 1966 38 year old. 

We have been very encouraged with the response from our news that we can now ship more easily, and more competitively, to the USA. See the full postage rates under Charges on the front page. And don’t forget: we are also now offering insurance on your bottles, at a cost of 3% of the final price. 

But enough blethering. Our standing advice applies – jump in and have a good rummage around – there’s bound to be something that catches your eye. And get bidding – don’t lose your bottle! 

Kind regards from Glasgow 

The SWA Team

The 35th Auction

Society Squirrel was an art commission from the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  

It was created to celebrate the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s entry into the Canadian market, and to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society organization. The bottling rendered in this paintings is the SMWS 30th Anniversary bottling 72.32 (Miltonduff 1983 SMWS 72.32 Single Malt, details below), from Speyside, Scotland.

Also incorporated into the piece is their mascot, a moose named RT. He is wearing a kilt made of the Mackenzie tartan, the pattern after one of the proprietors’ clan family. The moose also doubles to distinguish itself as uniquely Canadian.

Fine art prints are now available for purchase.

Read More here 

SMWS

Follow them on Twitter: 

Visit their website at http://www.smws.ca/

Carollyne Yardley, Artist

Follow her on Twitter

Visit her website at http://www.carollyne.com

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

Please help us raise as much as we can for the Lifeboat charity RNLI. We have donated items for the next whisky auction www.whiskyauctioneer.com Whisky Auctioneer is dedicated to the valuation and auctioning of fine and rare whiskies. We are able to ship internationally and registration is easy and free!

Next Auction starts on Friday 21 Feb 2014 (that’s TODAY!), ALL THE MONEY raised is going directly to RNLI, Iain at the auction house has waived fees for us, thank you to him. These are items well worth having, for fantastic cause, if you travel to Scotland or Ireland you never know when you may need them! they are all unpaid crews. Six out of ten lifeboat launches are only possible thanks to gifts left in Wills to the RNLI

It will come as no surprise to find that mcleanscotland support the RNLI as we are an island nation with many miles of coastline. The crews do a fantastic job, they do not get government funding – they rely totally on donations.

WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THEM! Why not visit the website: http://rnli.org

The donations for the auction were from;
1. www.mcleanscotland.com sourcing and idea. The original illustration, based on an Ian Horne photograph.
2. whisky on tour (facebook) Ian Horne; frames, photo and idea. The frames are made from original cask staves. The photo is Wick harbour
3. Charles Maclean; signed book
4. The auction has waived all fees. Thank you Iain.
5. Oban, Old Pulteney and Talisker distilleries; the whisky

Please help us support the RNLI by bidding for this lot… www.whiskyauctioneer.com

Many thanks for your support.
Paul McLean
www.mcleanscotland.com

February Auction goes live today, 21^st February 2014, at 13.00! 

http://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/ 

Our February auction contains almost 250 lots including a very rare Talisker from 1973 (1 of only 100 bottles) exclusive to Oddbins, a variety of Dalmores, Bowmores, some very old Macallan’s and the desirable Laphroaig 1960 Vintage Reserve (40 Year Old) to name a few. 

Registration is Free!

WORLD WIDE SHPPING IS AVAILABLE 

With over 10 years of experience in the whisky industry, Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable.  Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, we aim to be the most comprehensive website for the buying and selling of whisky online. 

Happy Bidding!

Ballantine’s Creates Live Exhibition of Stay True Content with Launch of Global Instagram Channel

Ballantine’s, the world’s No 2 Scotch whisky, is bringing its brand mantra to life for fans around the world with the launch of a new global Instagram channel. “Stay True, Leave an Impression” will be at the forefront of this new venture, with live exhibition content showcasing real people and their ‘Stay True stories’ via the social media platform.

The new channel @Ballantines_official, which goes live today [10th February], aims to resonate with the ever-growing number of younger, sociable consumers who are frequent users of Instagram.

To launch the campaign, Ballantine’s took to the streets of London to find real people with great stories of how they stick to their convictions and stay true to themselves. Each person was captured with a photo and was asked the question, “What do you Stay True to?” with their answer featuring alongside their image and the hashtag #StayTruePeople.

Each individual has been treated like a magazine cover story, with theming and styling that is authentic to them, through the application of specially created filters and unique captions. Some of these results can be seen now @Ballantines_official, with a new image to be added to the channel daily.

Followers of the channel will be asked to continue the live exhibition content, submitting their own photo and response to the same question. Ballantine’s key local markets will also contribute to this content, resulting in a unique and authentic showcase of individuals and their ‘Stay True stories’ from all over the world.

Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s, comments: “Ballantine’s prides itself on being a forward-thinking brand that stays true to its beliefs and convictions, just as our founder, George Ballantine, did when he created the brand almost 200 years ago.

“We admire these qualities in others so, rather than creating an Instagram channel that simply showcases our products, we wanted to stand out and honour the values that are intrinsic to our brand by creating this unique gallery in celebration of staying true. We hope our fans are inspired by each other’s stories and we look forward to seeing the gallery grow as more fans discover Ballantine’s.”

Instagram currently has over 150 million monthly active users with a growth rate of 900% year on year. Five of the top ten most active countries on Instagram in 2013 are key markets for Ballantine’s, including Brazil, Spain, Germany, Russia and Mexico.

Notes

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No. 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky by volume, and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for 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 the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827. www.ballantines.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.

www.chivasbrothers.com