Hakushu Grain Whisky Facility Begins Full-scale Operation

Charles Gordon, Life President of William Grant & Sons

Dec 24th, 2013. The death has just been announced of Charles Gordon, Life President of William Grant & Sons, who died in New York at the weekend. He was 86 years of age.

Charles was a key driving force in building William Grant & Sons into a strong independent family-owned company with a unique global reputation for excellence.

His son Glenn, the present Chairman of the company, paid this tribute to his father: “We are all very proud of my father’s achievements in his very full and energetic lifetime, and give thanks for the legacy that he has left us with. He touched the lives of many, many people and will be sorely missed by all.

“In our family and our business, which my father always intertwined, he very much believed in a spirit of partnership. In his memory, we will continue to build this spirit, and with it our independent family business, for future generations”.

Stella David, Chief Executive of the company said: “On behalf of all of us at William Grant & Sons, we recognise the truly exceptional contribution Charles Gordon has made to our company. Indeed few people have made a greater contribution to the scotch whisky industry over such an extended period of time. The company is fully committed to continue to build on Charles’ remarkable legacy. We pass on our sympathies to the Grant Gordon family.”

Longship Distillery Ltd in Orkney has appointed Mr Jim Robertson as Senior Advisor.

Mr Jim Robertson of Orkney, Scotland, has been appointed Senior Advisor for Longship Distillery Ltd, Orkney. Jim’s long and fruitful experiences in combination with his excellent contacts in the whisky business will be of great value for the shareholders of Longship. 

Jim is best known and appreciated for his long time as Distillery Manager at Highland Park, Orkney. 

Working experience

13 years at William Grant & Sons Ltd (Girvan, Balvenie, Glenfiddich). 10 years at Highland Park, Highland Distillers Keeper of the Quaich in 1999 Chairman of Orkney Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman of the Orkney Enterprise Company and the Health Board

Web: http://www.longship.se/

Twitter: LongshipD

Gordon & MacPhail Managing Director wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael Urquhart, Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, has won a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in the United States.

Credited with leading the team who released a whisky “that shone like a beacon round the world”, Michael was awarded the title by Whisky Advocate, the biggest selling whisky magazine in the USA and organiser of WhiskyFest, the largest whisky festival in America.

Michael Urquhart is the final member of the third generation to take on the mantle of Managing Director of the independent family-owned firm which was established in 1895. The company offers more than 300 presentations of own-bottled single malts and exports to more than 55 countries.

Fewer than twenty people, working in the various whisky industries across the world, hold a Whisky Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award. In conferring the award Jonny McCormick commented: “Michael is impeccably well-mannered and gracious company, yet he commands instinctive, razor-sharp business acumen too: what better qualities to represent Scotland and Scotch whisky around the world?

“A Master of the Quaich, Michael’s tireless energies are focused on driving forward exports of Scotch whisky, particularly Benromach, to new and existing markets. This ensures he is constantly traveling to the fifty or more markets they supply.”

A century on from its beginnings in a shop in Elgin, Gordon & MacPhail bought and subsequently re-opened the Benromach Distillery. Sales of its flagship 10 years old single malt have seen exceptional growth since its launch in 2009 and in this current year sales of the Benromach portfolio have continued the same trend. Total sales for the period March to November are up 23% on the same period last year and export sales have increased by 26%.

In 2010 the company launched its Generations range of the world’s oldest single malt whiskies, one of the reasons cited for Michael’s award.

As Jonny McCormick explained, “For the whisky community, the unrivalled release of the Generations Mortlach 70 year old 1938 and Generations Glenlivet 70 year old 1940 shone like a beacon around the world. It was Michael who led the team that designed and launched these exceptional whiskies.”

Michael Urquhart said: “I am deeply honored to receive this award which I see as recognition for the whole team at Gordon & MacPhail. It’s provided a wonderful finish to what has been an outstanding year for the company, with the visit of HRH The Princess Royal to present our second Queen’s Award for Enterprise.”

Whisky Advocate magazine covers all the whisky industries across the globe including Scotch whisky, Canadian whisky, Irish whiskey and Bourbon.  It has more than 200,000 readers and its blog attracts more than 125,000 visitors each day.

Notes

About Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned Scotch whisky specialist which has been based in Elgin, Moray, since 1895. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued the tradition of seeking out the best and rarest Scotch whiskies.

Since its foundation, Gordon & MacPhail’s policy has been to send casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, fill them with ‘new make’ spirit and mature them either at the distillery of origin or in the firm’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.

Now one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, Gordon & MacPhail exports to more than 55 countries. It offers more than 300 presentations of own-bottled single malts.  In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

A second Queen’s Award for Enterprise was presented by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony in 2013 at the company’s bottling hall in Elgin.

In 1993 Gordon & MacPhail purchased Benromach Distillery and re-equipped it before it was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles in 1998. A four star visitor centre is open to the public throughout the year for tours and tastings. Benromach distillery is a member of the world famous Malt Whisky Trail.

In 2010 Gordon & MacPhail made history by bottling the oldest cask ever released – a 70 Year Old Mortlach, distilled in 1938. They followed this up by releasing 100 70cl and 175 20cl decanters of 70 Year Old Glenlivet in 2011. They have now released the remaining 100 70cl decanters from this cask.

Gordon &MacPhail is proud of its Moray roots and the company, its directors and its staff play an active role in their local community by supporting local charities and sponsoring local events.

Chivas Brothers Wins Rocco Award for ‘Journey to Zero Waste’

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has been recognised for its green commitments with the ROCCO award for Journey to Zero Waste.

The accolade highlights the company’s pledge to send zero waste to landfill by 2015. Chivas Brothers has already made significant strides towards this goal, with a current recycling rate of 98%, up from 78% in 2006. This has been achieved through a reduction in packaging waste, improvements to the manufacturing process, employee awareness campaigns and events, and the replacement of standard bins with recycling bins in all areas of the business – from warehouses and distilleries to canteens and offices.

The ROCCO awards are the annual business awards of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, and this year celebrated their 10th anniversary with a glittering awards dinner at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew. This is not the first ROCCO win for Paisley-based Chivas Brothers – last year the company won the ROCCO award for International Trade.Chivas Brothers Environment Manager Ronald Daalmans, who collected the award on behalf of the company, said: “The award recognises the hard work being done at Chivas Brothers to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill. It is a great honour to have this acknowledged so close to home, by the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce.

“Our strong environmental performance could not have been achieved without a shared commitment from all employees in all areas of the business, of which we are incredibly proud. That said, we are determined to keep improving and reach our target of zero waste to landfill by 2015.”

BEAM JOINS OPERATION HOMEFRONT IN HOLIDAY MEALS PROGRAM FEEDING 7,500 MILITARY FAMILIES

Deerfield, Ill. – Dec. 20, 2013 – For the fifth consecutive year, Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), a leading global premium spirits company, has joined with Operation Homefront as a partner for the Holiday Meals for Military program, which will provide 7,500 holiday meals to military service members and their families at 22 bases nationwide this month.

Beam, and its flagship Bourbon brand, Jim Beam, founded the Holiday Meals for Military program in 2009 to help ease the burden that service members and their families often experience during the holidays. Now in its fifth year, the Holiday Meals program has grown from initially providing 500 meal kits in 2009 to providing 7,500 this holiday season – reaching 15 times more military families than the first event five years ago.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to Operation Homefront and the military, Beam is honored to be a key partner in the Holiday Meals effort and celebrate the fifth year of the program by reaching more military families than ever before,” said Ken Ruff, VP of national accounts, on-premise for Beam. “Service men and women have given so much to our country; this is just one small way we can give back to them and share the spirit of the holidays.”

In a series of 22 giveaway events happening this month, Beam, Operation Homefront and key sponsors will distribute pre-packaged meal kits to military families stationed at bases nationwide, including Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in Kentucky, where Beam produces more than 60% of its volume; Great Lakes Naval Base, near Chicago and close to Beam’s global headquarters; and several other large military communities. In addition to helping secure sponsors and volunteers, Beam will donate $25,000 to the cost of the pre-packaged meal kits, which contain all the grocery items needed for a full holiday meal and more.

“Operation Homefront has been proud to partner with Beam on several charitable efforts since 2008, the Holiday Meals program being a great example of the incredible impact that can result,” said Jim Knotts, President and CEO of Operation Homefront. “We have significantly expanded our reach every year for the past five years, and we look forward to working together to support even more of our nation’s military families in the future.”

Since 2008, Beam has worked closely with Operation Homefront, an organization that provides emergency financial aid and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Beam has donated more than $2.5 million to the cause since their partnership began.

For more information on Holiday Meals for Military events or to join Beam in support of this cause, please visit http://www.holidaymealsformilitary.org/. 

Here’s to the festive spirit

As we reach the end of the year, we’d like you to celebrate the holiday season with us by sharing your vintage moment.

We all have them, those moments where the perfect convergence of time, place and people create a memory that lasts forever. Just like our whisky, bottled only when it reaches the peak of its maturity.

Look back fondly and raise a glass for those moments that bring a smile to your face. Share your moment here.

Wishing you the very happiest of holidays from everyone here at The Glenrothes.