MAHARAJA OF JODHPUR TOASTS DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR AS THE 61^ST CAVALRY TEAM CLAIM VICTORY AT ROYAL SALUTE CUP 

The Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup came to an exciting close this New Year as the 61^st Cavalry team claimed victory after an exciting week of 10-goal polo. From 26 – 31 December, patrons and players alike enjoyed the annual tournament, raising a glass to commemorate His Highness Gajsingh II, The Maharaja of Jodhpur’s 60 year reign in the Blue City.

Festivities included the opulent Diamond Jubilee Ball at Umaid Bhawan Palace, where Royal Salute honoured the Maharaja’s celebratory year with a one-off Scotch whisky crafted especially by the Master Blender and presented in a personally engraved crystal decanter. One of the rarest and most bespoke blends ever created by Royal Salute, the expression includes whiskies taken from each decade of the Maharaja’s reign. This incredibly unique blend includes many whiskies from distilleries which are no longer in production – adding even further to its rarity. There is also a rich mix of top quality casks, butts, hogsheads and barrels.

His Highness, who was touched by the gesture, enjoys nothing more than sharing his passion and enthusiasm for the sport with the guests of Umaid Bhawan Palace who over the years have included, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Madonna and most recently Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Diana Ross for the 50th birthday of Russian billionaire Vladimir Doronin.

His Highness Gajsingh II, The Maharaja of Jodhpur commented: “I absolutely relish hosting the Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup and this year in particular, being a significant year for me and my family, the celebrations have been the perfect way to mark a momentous 60 years.”

Guests celebrated the close of the Royal Salute Cup with a spectacular procession led by the Maharaja, through the imposing Mehrangarh Fort, celebrating the New Year and concluding festivities.

Neil Macdonald, Global Brand Director for Royal Salute, commented: “We are delighted to again be sponsoring the Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup for a fourth consecutive time. Having celebrated a Diamond Jubilee earlier in the year, we are thrilled to be toasting the Diamond Jubilee year with His Highness Gajsingh II, The Maharaja of Jodhpur. We hope 2013 will be a prosperous year for all and really look forward to the next event.”

Royal Salute’s commitment to international polo is ever growing, with sponsorships of some of the world’s most prestigious polo events across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Royal Salute World Polo programme continues with the Royal Salute Nation’s Cup in Dubai on 23-26 January 2012.

Notes: 

Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Diamond Jubilee Blend – Tasting Notes

Rich, fruity with sweet flavours, including pear and peach aromas, coming through in abundance and with a gentle vanilla sweet oakiness complementing in the background. The finish is incredibly long and smooth.

Royal Salute is the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, and begins where others end as only whiskies matured for at least 21 years are ever selected for Royal Salute blends. In 2012, Royal Salute became the first ever brand to be officially associated with the Royal Gun Salutes at the Tower of London, as part of a long term partnership with the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces. 

Royal Salute is a leading international supporter of polo, ‘the king of sports and the sport of kings’. Royal Salute World Polo is truly international with a presence in every major region globally:

• Argentina Campeonado Abierto de Polo, Palermo, Buenos Aires
• Australia Sydney Gold Cup, Sydney and Portsea Polo, Victoria
• Brazil Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup, São Paulo and Copa Ouro São José Polo,  São Paulo
• China Royal Salute China Open, Beijing
• India Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup, Jodphur
• Italy Polo Gold Cup, Cortina d’ Ampezzo
• South Korea Royal Salute Polo Cup, Jeju
• Spain Snow Polo, Baqueira, Lérida and Sotogrande, Cádiz
• UAE Royal Salute Nations Cup, Dubai
• USA Foundation Polo Challenge, Santa Barbara and Royal Salute Jubilee Cup, Greenwich, New York
• UK The Sentebale Polo Cup, Coworth Park,  Kent & Curwen Polo Club, London
• UK Beaufort Polo Cup, Tetbury

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.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information visit http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

CHIVAS 18 LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITIONS WITH TOP DESIGNER PININFARINA 

Chivas 18, the world’s No. 1 ultra-premium Scotch whisky, is highlighting its luxury credentials with the launch of Chivas 18 by Pininfarina, a series of exclusive limited editions created in collaboration with the prestigious Italian design company.

With a strong shared heritage in luxury and craftsmanship, Chivas 18 has collaborated with Pininfarina, for its ability to encapsulate the brand’s modern and luxurious character.

Each limited edition features a bottle of Chivas 18 and captures Pininfarina’s design cues on the metallised crest, while its logo is emblazoned on the capsule and neck wrap.

The first design is based on a streamlined drop, giving a sense of movement that is inherent to Pininfarina’s designs. The design has a rich blue, metallic finish outer case, reminiscent of the metal work for which the Italian company is best known and a wood veneer that represents the oak casks used in the ageing of Chivas 18. Units are expected to retail at £90*.

The second expression of the partnership features the same design cues of the first but taken to a further level by featuring a solid wood inlay and a more aerodynamic shape. It presents the limited edition bottle and includes two glasses which echo the drop design. Each unit created is individually numbered to highlight its exclusivity and will retail at £360*. 

Chivas 18 Mascherone by Pininfarina

Inspired by the Mascherone (the original wooden frame that was used to refine new automobile shapes) the Chivas 18 Mascherone by Pininfarina marks the pinnacle of the partnership. Hand assembled in Cambiano by Pininfarina, it features an oak internal structure, clad in aluminium. Mirroring the elegant precision of Pininfarina’s celebrated automotive innovations, only five of this collector’s piece will be on display globally and individual pieces will be made to order on request. A light, found at the base, brings this artistic piece to life. Price on application.

James Slack, Chivas Regal’s Brand Director, comments: “The Chivas 18 by Pininfarina Limited Editions are distinctive designs that will speak to our customers – modern gentlemen who seek style and substance in the brands they connect with. Pininfarina is an excellent fit with Chivas 18 and we are confident that these exclusive limited editions will continue our line of successes with previous Chivas 18 partnerships.”

Chivas 18 by Pininfarina will be available globally, including USA, UK, Russia, China and Travel Retail from January 2013. 

www.chivas.com

*Prices based on RRP on Global Duty Free or their equivalent in local currencies. 

Notes: 

Chivas Regal is the world’s first luxury Scotch whisky and a truly global. Chivas Regal is the flagship brand within brand owner Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio of Scotch whisky and is sold in more than 150 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

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.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

Pininfarina Extra: With a history dating back to 1930, Pininfarina is based on values of creativity, experience and innovation without forgetting tradition. It combines avant-garde style and technical solutions aimed at functionality.

If Pininfarina is known worldwide for car design, Pininfarina Extra (a Company specialized in product and interior design, architecture, nautics and aeronautics) expresses its design philosophy in all areas of life where beauty combines with elegance, essentiality and comfort. Founded in 1986 and led by Paolo Pininfarina, President and MD, Pininfarina Extra is located in Cambiano (Turin).

Its partners include leading Companies such as Acer, AleniaAeronautica, Coca-Cola, Jacuzzi, Juventus, Lavazza, Snaidero and Unilever. Its most recent projects include: the Keating Hotel by Pininfarina in San Diego, the interiors of the SukhoiSuperjet 100 (AleniaAeronautica), the Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks machine, the interiors of the Juventus Stadium, the Snaidero Ola 20 kitchen, the LED TV Acer AT58, and the Primatist B62’ yacht.

www.pininfarina.com

For further information visit http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

Long lost child of Canadian whisky empire coming home

A long lost child of the Canadian whisky empire is coming home.

From the vestiges of the world’s southern-most whisky producer in New Zealand – which was once a part of Canada’s vast Seagrams realm – the rare and acclaimed Dunedin DoubleWood 10 year old blend has just arrived in Ontario.

Crafted from the pure ingredients for which the Land of the Long White Cloud is famed, the distinctive Dunedin DoubleWood is turning heads. It has picked up a swag of awards in recent competitions and also helped New Zealand score stunning triumphs over Scotland, Wales and England in last month’s Whisky Test Match series across the UK. The New Zealand Whisky Collection’s win in Edinburgh, against three local legends (Glenfiddich, Johnnie Walker and Ardbeg) in a blind tasting by Scottish judges, was a particularly stunning upset.

The DoubleWood “noses and tastes older than its 10 years. A distinctive, pleasant nose which combines scented face cream with light rose wine and later some sandalwood,” according to Whisky authority, Charles Maclean.

Seagrams – the Canadian company that was once the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world – owned the New Zealand distillery in Dunedin, from where the DoubleWood hails, for most of that distillery’s life.

“The distillery flourished under Seagrams,” said New Zealander Cyril Yates, who started at the distillery as a teenager and worked there for 24 years.

“But in the late 1990s, Australian brewer Fosters bought it and shut it down – just as I was due for a 25 year long-service reward trip to Ontario to visit the Seagrams’ museum.”

The closure marked the end of a chequered distilling history in New Zealand that began with Scottish settlers in the 1800s but encountered numerous setbacks along the way, such as prohibition, and even interference from Scottish bankers who would only finance construction of New Zealand’s railways if the local whisky industry was wiped out.

The barrels of whisky that remained at the now defunct distillery were sold to a wine company. They left the single malt quietly maturing and ingeniously decanted all the blended whisky into red wine barrels to add character and colour – a technique that is now being copied, even back in Scotland. The whisky has sat in those 443 barrels, ageing and sweetening, in a South Island seaside bondstore ever since.

“It is the influence of the red wine barrels which gives the whisky a cream soda, almost bubblegum-like soft and sweet explosion across the palate,” said the Collection’s Greg Ramsay.

Two years ago, Mr Ramsay – a young whisky enthusiast and golf entrepreneur from the tiny Australian island of Tasmania – bought those barrels and set about bottling the whisky as part of a plan to revive the New Zealand whisky industry.

The New Zealand Whisky Company hasn’t looked back – its whisky collection is picking up awards wherever it goes and is being exported to Scotland, Australia, the Netherlands – and now Canada, courtesy of the LCBO. Early next year, LCBO will also stock New Zealand’s 21 year old South Island Single Malt.

Plans are now also on the horizon to resume distilling at Dunedin.

“Canada is one of the world’s most discerning whisky markets and we can’t wait for their verdict on these delicious drams,” said Mr Ramsay.

“In fact, the fate of a mothballed New Zealand industry, that was once so well nurtured in Canadian care, could once again sit with the people of Ontario. If our foray into Canada proves as successful as our other international exports, then a return to distilling will happen sooner rather than later.”

The Dunedin DoubleWood is available now at LCBO outlets. It retails for $89.95 More information about the New Zealand Whisky Company is available at www.thenzwhisky.com.

a quick note from our friends at La Maison du Whisky;

Hello,

Nikka will be giving a small allocation for Europe of the limited release Taketsuru 17 yrs Non-Chill Filtered. Given the rarity (less than 100 bottles), there will be an online pre-sale for fans of the NikkaWhiskyEU Facebook page.

More details here:

Cheers,

Didier Ghorbanzadeh

Nikka Whisky Brand Manager

La Maison du Whisky

GlenDronach releases 7^th batch of single cask bottlings

“FAULTLESS”, “brilliant” and “complete” are just three of the adjectives Jim Murray has used in his new 2013 Whisky Bible to describe the five expressions that comprise GlenDronach’s latest batch of single cask bottlings.

It’s the seventh batch to be released by the award-winning Aberdeenshire distillery.

The five, ranging from 18 to 40 yo, are now available in the UK and will be released in export markets from January 2013. Two have been matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheons and three in Oloroso sherry butts.

All five have been specially hand-selected by The BenRiach Distillery Company’s Managing Director Billy Walker whose tasting notes speak lovingly of “an orchestra in full flow”, “an effusion of honeycomb” and even “teasing notes of toffee apples”.

The cask details are as follows:

1972 cask # 710 / 40 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 49.0% vol. / 356 bottles 

1989 cask # 5475 / 22 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 51.6% vol. / 600 bottles 

1991 cask # 3183 / 20 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 51.3% vol. / 600 bottles 

1992 cask # 1123 / 19 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 57.8% vol. / 524 bottles 

1994 cask # 98 / 18 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 58.2% vol. / 628 bottles

In his 2013 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray was very complimentary about all five, but reserved special praise for the ’72, ’91 and ’94 vintages:

Of the 1972 cask # 710, he said: “The richness of the sherry is almost the stuff of make-believe…the delivery is of oak crashing in a forest – mighty and all-consuming…wow, this is like a big succulent bourbon matured in a top-class sherry butt. This is a malt which if you should ever chance upon, you give the guy your coat if you have not money enough; even your undergarments if it does the trick! For this is a whisky so complex, so complete, it is almost exhausting.” He gave it 96.

He commented re the 1991 cask # 3183: “Almost a coffee cake and Swiss roll marriage with grape jam for filling…mocha-flavoured Lubec marzipan notes sidle in delightfully…the light spices pulse. Tries to be syrupy and overbearing but fails miserably. Has to settle for being brilliant.” He gave it 95.

And summing up the 1994 cask # 98, he said: “Absolutely huge grape: a real Dundee cake dripping with Oloroso and Demerara…a faultless sherry butt. I had this sample in my hand as the Queen gave her address to round off her 60th anniversary celebrations: I could hardly have had a more fitting dram with which to toast her.” It also achieved a 96.

Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page over the coming weeks for more information on these new releases, tasting notes and exclusive product photography.

If you would like to receive more information regarding the Batch 7 releases, please contact us on info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk

A picture of the 1972 40 yo is above.

After their Whisky Test win, The New Zealand Whisky Company helps whisky, rugby and other sporting clubs in Canada host an International Whisky Tasting Fundraiser

From the stunning clean-sweep of wins over the English, Welsh and even Scottish whiskies in a Whisky Test Match series around the UK in November 2012, Greg Ramsay (CEO) of The New Zealand Whisky Company dreamed up a win-win campaign to celebrate the launch of their whisky in Canada AND help Canadian whisky and sporting clubs raise funds. The New Zealand whisky industry has a strong connection with Canada, as you can read about here.

By hosting an international whisky tasting event – similar to the series run in the UK in November – the whisky or sporting club can potentially raise some much-needed funds for their club, while their members have fun and educational evening (often in the off-season).

It’s really easy to run the fundraising event – the New Zealand Whisky Company sends the club a kit which tells them, step-by-step, how to run the event. They even provide material for the club to promote the event.

For a small cash outlay by the club (to buy 5 bottles of international whisky for the event), on top of the value participants get in learning about whisky through the tastings the total prize pool available to hand out on the night is around $240 CAD (The New Zealand Whisky Company sends some whisky-related products for the prize pool).

Pricing the event as they recommend, the club only needs about 8 people to break-even so the 9th and every person after that who comes along is adding to the clubs’ coffers.

And, The New Zealand Whisky Company is offering some excellent bonuses too – including whisky hipflasks, Rugby balls signed by an All Blacks player, a personal group tasting event hosted by The New Zealand Whisky Company CEO at the club AND even a return flight from Canada to New Zealand for one lucky whisky drinker.

A sporting or whisky club in Canada must register online before midnight Sunday 17 January 2013 UTC. More details and where to register can be found here

Glann ar Mor Distillery appoints importer for Singapore and Taiwan

December 2012

Glann ar Mor, the artisan distillery from Brittany is delighted to announce it has appointed The Auld Alliance in Singapore for the distribution of its whiskies in Singapore and in Taiwan.

Jean Donnay who owns Glann ar Mor, the “No Compromise” distillery which he fully designed, said “We are very happy to have our whiskies in such good hands for their new life in South East Asia”.

Beside being the importer for both markets, The Auld Alliance is also a wonderful bar offering the largest selection of whiskies in South East Asia with over 1000 references.

Glann ar Mor is a craft distillery producing its whiskies by the seaside on the Northern coast of Brittany in pure Celtic tradition, doing it the old fashion way with live flame heating for its two pot stills, worm tub condensers, wooden washbacks and ultra slow distillation.

The first two pallets of the un-peated Glann ar Mor and of the peated Kornog are now being flown to their remote destinations. Both single malts are already well established within the whisky community, having benefited from multiple awards and tasting reviews, including in particular a “Liquid Gold Award” for Kornog in the three latest editions of Jim Murray’s “Whisky Bible”.

For more information contact:

Singapore

The Auld Alliance Pte Ltd.

Contact : Emmanuel Dron

Email : emmanuel@theauldalliance.sg

Phone : +65 8126 0520

Taiwan

The Auld Alliance Ltd.

Contact : Mr Lin

Email : nissan321adw@hotmail.com

Phone : +886 2 25418999

RAISE A DRAM WITH BOWMORE, ISLAY’S FIRST SINGLE MALT WHISKY, TO CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF “THE BOWMORE ROOM” AT THE CALEDONIAN CLUB                    

DECEMBER 2012 – Sharing the same underlying values of quality, tradition and the desire to celebrate Scottish culture, Bowmore and the Caledonian Club make perfect partners.

The Caledonian Club was founded in 1891 and is a private members’ Club situated in the heart of Belgravia, London.  The club occupies five floors and members enjoy a busy calendar of events including classical music evenings and club traditions such as the St Andrew’s Day Dinner.

In “The Bowmore Room”, guests can look forward to being taken on a sensory journey of discovery to Bowmore’s charming island home of Islay. From whisky pairing events to magical ‘A Taste of Islay’ evenings; from Burns Suppers to the innovative Caledonia Lectures; “The Bowmore Room” will play host to a range of exciting and unique events for members and guests alike.

Cara Laing, Bowmore Marketing Manager, said “We are very excited to bring a little taste of our special island of Islay to the Caledonian Club in London. Islay is a tough place to get to so we hope The Bowmore Room will truly bring to life the essence of Islay as well as our award winning Single Malt”.

David Coughtrie, Chairman of the Caledonian Club, commented “The new association between Morrison Bowmore Distillers and The Caledonian Club is a very welcome addition to the range of malts our home and overseas members enjoy. The depth and variety of expressions from this respected distiller will be available in the Bar and in the Dining Room where we will serve the Bowmore 15 years old Darkest as a perfect accompaniment to our haggis”.

Founded over two centuries ago in 1779, Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on the island of Islay and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland. Using time-honoured traditions little has changed in the way the exceptional Single Malts are produced; the malt is still carefully smoked in a peat-fired kiln just as it was over 200 years ago and the water is still drawn from the Laggan River. Bowmore whiskies then spend their long live resting in the legendary No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland.

Located just off the West Coast of Scotland, Islay is famed for its peat, which is still used as fuel by many of the islanders, and together with salt from the Atlantic Ocean adds to the strong character and peaty smokiness of Islay malt whisky. Bowmore is no exception, however with its unique location on the shores of Loch Indaal, Bowmore Single Malt is widely acknowledged to be among the finest and most perfectly-balanced in the world.

And so we ask you to come on in to “The Bowmore Room”, experience the magical island of Islay and take in a dram of Bowmore, in the heart of London’s only Scottish private members club.

For more information, please visit www.bowmore.com and www.facebook.com/bowmore

UK Distributor: Cellar Trends on 01283 217703 or enquiries@cellartrends.co.uk

We are pleased to announce

Arran 12 years old, Cask Strength

has now arrived in the U.S.

This whisky is the newest single malt release from the award winning Arran distillery.  The 12 years old Cask Strength is planned to be released in batches at regular intervals

and will complement the regular core range from the distillery.

This particular batch has more of a Sherry influence than the previous batch, which is preferred by many whisky connoisseurs.

It is priced very reasonably which adds a great value to this high quality whisky.

RRP:  $ 69.99

www.impexbev.com

GLENFIDDICH CASK OF DREAMS HAS LANDED IN CANADA

This holiday season, we are honoured to share with you news of a very special and limited gem from Glenfiddich that is now available in Canada – the Canadian Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams Limited Edition.

Canada is very fortunate to be one of only four countries in the world who will have the Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams available, and this very special bottling is here now, just in time for the Holidays!

This product has a unique Canadian connection, as this year Glenfiddich made History, launching the Canadian tour, rolling Whisky barrels from coast to coast. Through our travels with these barrels, thousands of Whisky enthusiasts from all over Canada were able to inscribe their hopes and dreams directly onto our touring Glenfiddich casks, beginning with the phrase “One day I will…”.

These barrels were then sent to Scotland, where our Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, married together Glenfiddich whiskies taken from a hand–picked selection of American oak casks, no younger than 14 Years Old, and this whisky was then decanted into the Cask of Dreams whisky barrels and left to finish for 3 months.

The one–time–only, Glenfiddich Single Malt Cask of Dreams Limited Edition is now available for a very limited time in select Provinces and stores. Be sure to check your local liquor store to get your Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams bottles before they sell out. Provinces where the Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams is now available:
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan

´Tis a perfect gift this Holiday Season for you or someone very special!

Cheers to dreams coming true!

Slainte,
Glenfiddich Canada