WILD TURKEY LAUNCHES HONEY FLAVOURED BOURBON LIQUEUR, AMERICAN HONEY

The makers of premium whisky brand Wild Turkey are introducing an exciting honey-flavoured bourbon, American Honey to the UK this month. American Honey, is blended with real Kentucky Wild Turkey bourbon and hand-selected American honey and has been developed to be shared with friends, chilled from the bottle as a shot.

Unlike other honey flavoured bourbons, American Honey retains the taste and kick of straight bourbon but introduces subtle notes of sweet honey, caramel and orange giving it a much smoother finish. American Honey was the first ever bourbon liqueur with honey to launch in the US and is one of Wild Turkey’s signature drinks made in their distillery near Lawrenceburg in Kentucky, USA.

American Honey is smooth without being overly sweet and is perfect straight out of the bottle as a shot, chilled or over ice, or works well with mixers like cola.

American Honey will be touring University Student Unions around the UK with a branded American Honey photobooth and will also be offering the chance to win a US Road Trip in summer 2013. For more details go to www.facebook.com/americanhoneyuk

Southern Comfort Releases Limited Edition World Series of Poker® Gift Pack

LOUISVILLE, Ky – April 15, 2013 –  Southern Comfort 100 proof has released a limited edition gift pack in conjunction with its partnership with the World Series of Poker. The gift pack contains a 750ml of Southern Comfort 100 proof, a deck of playing cards and 10 poker chips. It is available in 13 markets (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Virginia) across the US.

Southern Comfort is the presenting sponsor of the 2012-2013 season of the World Series of Poker Tour. The season-culminating National Championship event takes place at Harrah’s New Orleans from May 21-23, 2013.

ABOUT THE WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  In 2012, the event attracted 74,766 entrants from 101 different countries to the Rio in Las Vegas and awarded over $222 million in prize money.  In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe.  The WSOP Circuit Tour is entering its ninth season in 2012-13.  For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit www.WSOP.com.

ABOUT SOUTHERN COMFORT

Southern Comfort®, a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur, was created in New Orleans by bartender M.W. Heron in 1874. Today, it is enjoyed by friends in over 100 countries around the world and continues to grow as an icon brand.  Please visit us at SouthernComfort.com and facebook.com/southerncomfort.

ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

WINS TOP HONORS IN 2013 WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITIONS 

“Competitions held in London, Chicago and San Francisco” 

Little Rock, AR – (April 15, 2013) – Phil Brandon, founder of Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, is happy to announce his hand crafted spirits have won top honors in recent prestigious spirits competitions.

Early in March, Rock Town was awarded the rating of “Exceptional – Gold Medal” for both our Arkansas Young Bourbon and our Hickory Smoked Whiskey by the highly respected Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago.  The Beverage Testing Institute’s International Review of Spirits Competition is one of America’s oldest and most influential spirits competitions operating since 1994.

“On March 21st we were stunned to learn our Bourbon was awarded Best Bourbon (no age statement) at the World Whiskies Awards in London, England” said Phil Brandon distillery founder.  The World Whiskies Awards had more than 300 whiskies battling it out during three intensive blind tasting rounds, for the coveted title of ‘2013 World’s Best Whiskies’. Judges for Whisky Magazine’s independent editorial panel were drawn from the best drinks journalists and retailers across the world, with industry representatives made up of master blenders, distillers and brand ambassadors in the final round.

On March 24^th Rock Town received more great news from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition that our Bourbon won the top award of Double Gold Medal in the ‘Small Batch Bourbon up to 10yrs Old’ category.  The annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition commends the finest spirits from across the globe.  More than 1,400 spirits from 63 countries were judged this year as part of the largest competition in the event’s 13 year history.

“Receiving these accolades really is a testament to the hard work, dedication and craftsmanship we put into our whiskies” said Phil Brandon.  “We’re very proud of the fact that we use locally sourced Arkansas grains to make world class whiskies”.

For a complete listing of winners online:

World Whiskies Awards 2013 – http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2013/

San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2013 – http://sfspiritscomp.com/results/browse

International Review of Spirits 2013 – http://tastings.com/LatestSpiritsReviews.html

Rock Town Distillery is also proud to announce it has also recently partnered with Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) and is now available in Georgia and Florida through RNDC.  Soon RNDC will distribute Rock Town’s products in Texas and Louisiana as well.  Rock Town’s products are also distributed in Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Oregon, and Oklahoma.

ABOUT ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, produces the award winning Brandon’s Vodka, Brandon’s Gin, Arkansas Young Bourbon Whiskey, Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Riverboat Rum, as well as three moonshines called Arkansas Lightning, Apple Pie Arkansas Lightning and Lightning Hot Arkansas Lightning.  The distillery located in downtown Little Rock at 1216 E 6^th Street, Little Rock, AR 72202.  The distillery is open for tours and tastings.  For more information please visit www.arkansaslightning.com

A. SMITH BOWMAN BOURBONS WIN HIGH HONORS AT 2013 ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Fredericksburg, VIRGINIA (April, 2013) – The winners from the 2013 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, held last month in New York City, have been announced.  A. Smith Bowman Distillery was honored with two of its craft whiskeys winning high accolades in the prestigious competition.

John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon was awarded 94 points and the rating of “Excellent, Highly Recommended,” and named a Finalist for the Chairman’s Trophy.

Tasting notes from the judges describe this bourbon as, “Incredibly smooth and delightfully sweet. Polished and refined finish referring back to baked cherries and almond butter while maintaining its delicate sweetness. Fantastic.”

Also scoring highly was the Bowman Brothers Small Batch Virginia Straight Bourbon, with its 88 points and a “Very Good, Strong Recommendation.”

This is the fourth year for the Ultimate Spirits Competition, founded by noted spirits reviewer Paul Pacult.  Other esteemed judges include Sean Ludford, Dale DeGroff, Jim Meehan, and Dave Wondrich.  Find a complete list of winners online at http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/the-results/2013-spirits-results/.

About A. Smith Bowman

A. Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm.  In response to the rapid rise of taxes in Northern Virginia, the Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.

As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.

GLENMORANGIE AND ARDBEG PRESENT TWAIN VS. ORWELL AT BROKEN SHAKER 

More then 200 guests gathered recently at Broken Shaker to celebrate two iconic whiskeys and two great American writers at the Twain vs. Orwell Mixology Competition presented by Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. Eight local mixologists and members of the United States Bartenders Guild competed in a literary inspired competition to see who could create the freshest new Twain or Orwell inspired cocktail using Ardbeg or Glenmorangie single malt whiskey.

The trial was performed “Iron Chef’ style before four judges: David Blackmore, global brand ambassador for Glenmorangie/Arbeg, Trisha Cancilla, regional marketing manager for Glenmorangie/Ardbeg; Galena Mosevich, cocktail writer for Miami.com and The Miami Herald, and Mickey Heads, distillery manager for Ardbeg who came in all the way from Scotland to be a part of the event.

At 7:30pm, live bagpipes sounded to present the competition finalists Trevor Alberts of Gramp’s in Wynwood and Michael Parish of Broken Shaker, who each won a private edition bottle of Ardbeg or Glenmorangie.  But to name the ultimate cocktail and mixologist, the contestants then entered a sudden death round where they each had to create a  shot using Ardbeg or Glenmorangie.  Michael Parish was crowned the first place winner earning a brand new iPad mini for his inventive and delicious concoction.

Guest enjoyed a variety of single malt whiskey samples throughout the evening including Ardbeg’s private edition Galileo, which was just named theWorld’s Best Single Malt Whiskey at the 2013 World Whiskey Awards in London.  Ardbeg’s 10 Year Old, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan were also served along with Glenmorangie’s The Original  Lasanta, Quinta Ruban and Nectar d’Or.

Artist Jon Grey entertained the crowd with the live creation of an original Twain vs. Ardbeg painting.  Other fun highlights included Twain and Orwell Madlibs, an interactive photo area where guests could dress up as characters from Twain and Orwell books, butler passed Scottish bites, and of course,Broken Shaker’s famous hand crafted punch bowls.

What’s the connection between the whiskey’s and these writers?  Glenmorangie’s Ealanta is aged exclusively in wooden casks sourced from the Mark Twain Nation Forest in the Missouri Ozark Mountains.  While George Orwell wrote his  famous book 1984 while living on the Isle of Jura in Scotland.  The area is next to Islay, the home of Ardbeg.

SIGNED BOTTLE OF THE MACALLAN 1962 IS AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY 

Sotheby’s has auctioned a bottle of The Macallan 1962 from its fine and Rare collection, distilled the same year as the first Bond film was released, achieving an impressive £9,635.

Since this prestigious single malt whisky featured in key scenes in SKYFALL, the highest-grossing Bond film ever, The Macallan is thrilled to be part of its celebration and achievement by donating the rare bottle of whisky to the auction that commenced at this morning.

The bottle auctioned featured a unique signed label that included signatures from Bond himself, Daniel Craig, along with Javier Bardem and Bérénice Marlohe.

All proceeds of the auction will be donated to charities that support members of the British security and intelligence services, selected by Prince Charles to benefit from the SKYFALL world premiere held in October 2012.

David Cox, Director of Fine and Rare Whiskies, Edrington, owners of The Macallan, said “We are delighted with the result of today’s auction. Following on from The Macallan’s ‘cameo’ in SKYFALL we were honoured to be able to take part in this prestigious, Finest & Rarest Wines sale and are ecstatic with the amount raised. The charities that will receive the monies raised are very fitting and will help support members of the British security and intelligence services.”

Today The Macallan is one of the world’s most collectable whiskies, sitting at the top of the auction table and the owner of the current Guinness World Record™ for the most expensive whisky ever sold at auction.

“The Macallan is a First Growth Malt, the tops, with all that this means in terms of excellence and excitement” comments Serena Sutcliffe MW, Sotheby’s International Head of Wine.  

Notes 

About The Macallan®

Founded in 1824, The Macallan® is one of the world’s most admired and awarded single malt whiskies. The reputation of The Macallan is based on a product of outstanding quality and distinctive character, founded upon a set of guiding principles, the Six Pillars. An obsession with quality has been the hallmark of The Macallan since its founding by Alexander Reid on a plateau above the river Spey in north-east Scotland. The distillery is surrounded by a 150 hectare estate, with Easter Elchies House, a Highland Manor built in 1700, at its heart.

Traditionally known for maturation in sherry seasoned oak casks, The Macallan’s range of outstanding single malts includes: Sherry Oak, matured in Spanish oak casks seasoned with sherry; Fine Oak, matured both in sherry casks of Spanish and American oak and in American oak casks seasoned with bourbon; the 1824 Collection, exclusive to Global Travel Retail and the 1824 Series built on the principle of natural colour. In addition, The Macallan is well known for its great range of vintage whiskies, dating back to 1926, and is considered the most sought after of all single malts among collectors and connoisseurs at auction.

In November 2010, The Macallan set a staggering new Guinness World Record^TM for the “most expensive whisky sold at auction”. The Macallan in Lalique 64 year old: Cire Perdue was sold for $460,000 and every single penny of this was donated to charity: water to help fund life changing clean water projects in the developing world. This was arguably the defining moment in the recent history of The Macallan, but one which reinforces its position as one of the world’s greatest whiskies. 

About Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s Wine auctions in 2012 brought an overall global total of $64,462,965. Sotheby’s overall total of $88.27 million for global wine auctions in 2010 is the highest in the company’s forty-two years of wine auctions. 2011 brought an overall global total of US$85,467,096. The Lafite Ex Cellars sale – of First Growth Bordeaux directly from Château Lafite-Rothschild – held by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in October 2010 set a new record for a single standard sized bottle at auction when a bottle of Château Lafite 1869 sold for $232,692.  This means that Sotheby’s now holds the world records for a standard bottle, a bottle in any format – the Jeroboam of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 which fetched $310,700 in February 2007 in New York – and any wine lot at auction – 50 cases of Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 which sold for US$1,051,600 at Sotheby’s New York in 2006.

Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744.  Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

BUNNAHABHAIN AND FISHERMEN’S MISSION LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL 

‘TALES OF THE SEA’ DESIGN COMPETITION

Islay single malt whisky Bunnahabhain has partnered with The Fishermen’s Mission, a charity which cares for the families of fishermen lost or injured at sea, to launch an international design competition.

The project aims to nurture emerging design talent while also raising funds to help The Fishermen’s Mission, the only charity which provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care to help fishermen and their families.

The competition, which launches today (24 April) and is open to amateur and professional designers, asks entrants to design a contemporary label based on the return of the brand’s iconic travelling Helmsman to the safety of Bunnahabhain Distillery. In addition to the UK, Bunnahabhain will run the competition in other markets, including the USA, to produce an exclusive Tales of the Sea collection which will be auctioned later in the year.

All proceeds of the auction and a portion of sales from the 500 limited edition bottles will go to The Fishermen’s Mission to help it carry out vital work supporting fishermen and their families.

Over 13,000 men and women are employed in the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation – inshore and deep sea commercial fishing. They face fatal injury on a daily basis and are 115 times more likely to suffer a fatal accident than the rest of the nation’s workforce.

Michelle Lansdowne, Senior Brand Manager at Burn Stewart, said: “Bunnahabhain’s Helmsman and his maritime stories have inspired the brand for generations. Tales of the Sea is an opportunity for us to add a contemporary twist to our current label, in addition to fostering fresh design talent and highlighting the important and groundbreaking work of The Fishermen’s Mission.”

David Dickens, CEO of The Fishermen’s Mission, said: “Every day the Mission staff sees the devastating aftermath of death and serious injury of fishermen at sea. Launching Tales of the Sea with Bunnahabhain will help us to raise further awareness of the Mission’s vital work and help to raise the funds necessary to continue our work supporting fishermen and their families.”

The winner will receive a cash prize of £2,000 and will see their design produced commercially as part of a limited collection. Chosen by a panel of expert judges, the winning design must perfectly embody Bunnahabhain’s nautical theme of the Helmsman returning home to recount his tales by the fireside.

To register for the competition, entrants must send an email with their name, date of birth and contact telephone number to: talesofthesea@stripecommunications.com or phone 0131 526 3083 with these details.

Deadline to register for the competition is 24th May 2013.

Deadline for submissions is 24th June 2013.

Notes

About Bunnahabhain: The multi-award winning Bunnahabhain is the flagship malt whisky from Burn Stewart Distillers and is exported to over 30 countries globally. Unlike its neighbouring distilleries on the Island, Bunnahabhain embodies “the gentle taste of Islay”, as it is the only non-peated Islay malt. Situated on the northern shore of Islay, Distillery Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881 by William Robertson and brothers James and William Greenless. Bunnahabhain is Gaelic for ‘mouth of the river’ and the distillery is situated right at the shoreline, close to where the Margadale River flows into Bunnahabhain Bay.

www.bunnahabhain.com

About Fishermen’s Mission

The Fishermen’s Mission is a national UK charity founded in 1881 to support Fishermen and their families. We are the only fishermen’s charity that provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care. We help all fishermen, active or retired, and their families. We do this by:

• Offering immediate assistance, day or night, to the families of fishermen who have been killed or seriously injured
• Looking after the survivors of fishing boat accidents • Helping injured or ill fishermen to find medical help • Finding emergency housing and food if necessary
• Supporting fishermen’s families in the case of illness, distress or financial difficulties •
• Alleviating loneliness by visiting retired fishermen and their families at home or in hospital
• Offering welfare and support to overseas fishermen, working in the UK fishing industry, especially those who have to live onboard boats • Providing Christian pastoral and practical help, including problems with debt, sickness,      bereavement, family difficulties, debt and addiction problems.

The Fishermen’s Mission is a national charity registered in Scotland as SC039088 and England and Wales 232822.

Further details about the Fishermen’s Mission can be found at www.fishermensmission.org.uk

Wiesberger Braced for Ballantine’s Defence

Bernd Wiesberger is looking forward to the challenge of defending a European Tour title for the first time when he returns to Korea for the Ballantine’s Championship, from April 25-28.

The 28 year old Austrian captured his maiden victory in emphatic style at Blackstone Golf Club last year, sinking a 20ft birdie putt on the last hole to seal a five stroke win over Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and claim the €367,500 first prize.

Just 14 weeks later, he added a second win in equally impressive fashion on home soil in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity, coming from four shots back to card a final round 65 for a three shot victory in his national Open.
Those two triumphs, as well as three other top ten finishes, helped Wiesberger to finish in 22nd position on The 2012 Race to Dubai, and also earned him places in the fields for the US PGA Championship, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and WGC-HSBC Champions.

As a result of the experience gained in the wake of his breakthrough victory, Wiesberger believes that he returns to Blackstone Golf Club, near the Korean capital Seoul, as a better player and is relishing the chance to defend his title.

“It’s going to be a nice new experience for me,” he said. “My maiden win in Korea last year was great, and I’m looking forward to having another good week again this year.

“I like the course, I love the tournament and Ballantine’s have been great to me, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I felt like I could win a European Tour event, but I proved it that week. I was able to be a champion. The win gave me the chance to play a Major and a couple of WGC events, which expanded my view of professional golf, allowing me to perform on a higher level with the top players in the world.

“A couple of months afterwards, I was able to win again in Austria, which meant I was a multiple winner. With those two wins, it was a great breakthrough season for me and the victory at Ballantine’s kicked off everything.”

Wiesberger will have another strong field to contend against in the €2,205,000 Ballantine’s Championship, headlined by World Number Six Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 US PGA Champion YE Yang and American Ryder Cup pair Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson.

But he hopes to draw on his recollections from last year when, after an opening round of 72, he carded consecutive course records of 65, followed by a closing round of 68 which included three birdies in the final four holes, for an 18 under par winning total of 270.

“Everything went my way from Friday onwards, and I have some great memories from last year,” he said. “Holing that winning putt and finishing well on the Sunday with a couple of birdies was fantastic. I will really enjoy going back and having the chance to defend the title.

“I had great control over my irons into greens last year. The greens at Blackstone are quite severe. You want to hit the right spots, the right plateaus, and know the contours going into them. That was key for me, and on top of that I also had a great putting week.

“If you just miss your target slightly you can run off and leave yourself in awkward spots and you can three putt quickly, but that was something I did well last year and I holed some putts when I needed to.”

As has become tradition at the Ballantine’s Championship since the event’s inception in 2008, Wiesberger had the opportunity to create his own Ballantine’s Championship Blend, which was another enjoyable new experience.

“I have received the Championship Blend of Lee Westwood, who won the year before me, and it’s on a nice display at home,” he said. “I’m getting mine in a couple weeks hopefully. I did the blending the week after Dubai and it was great experience doing it with the guys from Ballantine’s.

“It was nice getting to know what it takes to blend the whisky and it was a fun experience for me. It is only going to be a ten bottle limited edition but hopefully whoever is fortunate to drink it likes it as well.”

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No 2 ultra-premium Scotch whisky in Asia, No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 129 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.

• Ballantine’s has been title sponsor of the Ballantine’s Championship since 2008 • Ballantine’s is an official sponsor of the BMW Masters, The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open & The World Cup of Golf • The first Ballantine’s sponsored golf tournament was played in 1960 at Wentworth Golf Club, England

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 Scotch.

Ardbeg Announced As World’s Best At World Whisky Awards

Ardbeg took out the ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ title at the World Whisky Awards in London on 21st March, living up to its reputation as being the ‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’. With more than 300 whiskies battling it out, Ardbeg received further recognition when its latest limited edition, Ardbeg Galileo, a 12-year-old whisky, was declared ‘Best Islay Single Malt’. Adding to these coveted awards, Ardbeg was also voted ‘Scotch Whisky of the Year’ for a third year in a row by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible – the worlds leading whisky guide.

Adding to the celebrations, Sam Snead’s House of Whiskey, Auckland’s only specialised whisky shop, has been declared the second Ardbeg Embassy in New Zealand after Whisky Galore in Christchurch.

Rai Banbury, Senior Brands Manager Moët Hennessy, says, “It’s a huge achievement for Ardbeg to receive these awards and be recognised as the world’s best whisky. This is perfect timing with the announcement of our second Ardbeg Embassy in Auckland.”

Hot on the heels of these awards comes Ardbeg’s ARDBOG Day on 1st June. In celebration of ARDBOG Day, the Auckland and Christchurch Ardbeg Embassies will exclusively stock and sell Ardbeg’s Limited Edition release for 2013 and will also host special events for Ardbeg committee members and smoky malt enthusiasts. This year, New Zealand whisky connoisseurs are invited to be the first in the world to celebrate this day.

To find out more about ARDBOG Day and becoming a committee member, visit: http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/members/public/index/register.

Notes:

About Ardbeg:

Ardbeg prides itself on being the ‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’. Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by whisky connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts. Despite this, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’.

The Glenmorangie Company purchased the brand in 1997 and today Ardbeg is well established as a niche, cult malt, with a passionate following.

Ardbeg Embassies are a network of premium whisky stores who love Ardbeg and sell it as their whisky of choice.

Amrut’s angels fly in

Amrut Distilleries is once again pushing the boundaries of creating whisky in India. As the Bangalore distiller continues its innovative exploration of the world of single malt, it has bottled its oldest whisky.

Two bourbon casks have been matured for eight years – an unprecedented length of time for Amrut’s malts which mature relatively quickly in the unique environment of the distillery and warehouse in Bangalore – and then bottled.

This special bottling has been named Greedy Angels. “Over those eight years – in the tropical conditions of our warehouse – we lost close to 274 litres of spirit from the two casks,” explains Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s International Brand Ambassador. “In the end, we could only bottle 86 litres of whisky. No wonder we have named it Greedy Angels.”

When Amrut decided to bottle these two old casks – numbered 2800 and 2864 – no-one was quite certain how Greedy Angels would turn out. With the insight of his experience as Amrut’s Master Distiller, Surrinder Kumar, believed he had something very special. When invited to London, he was happy to hear what people on the other side of the world thought. At a series of blind tastings, he was greeted with the most positive of feedback. The 144 bottles of Greedy Angels have now been released worldwide. As befits the first bottling of such an old Amrut malt, it has been dedicated to celebrating the 60th birthday of Amrut’s Chairman, Mr Neel Jagdale.

On the nose, Greedy Angels is full of tropical fruits such as pineapple, red liquorice and hickory. On the palate, it is full bodied tropical fruits coupled with subtle spices and citrus notes. It has a sweet finish leaving you wanting more.

When he tasted Greedy Angels, Dominic Roskrow, the whisky writer and director of True Spirit, said: “It’s world class whisky, a small batch, lovingly crafted.”

His tasting notes continue: “Nose: A big waft of crystallised pineapple, some tropical fruits and then a spiky, spicy dustiness. Palate: Wow, first up we get red liquorice and menthol rancio, suggesting great age, and then rich syrupy jellied fruits, some mandarin, cherry lozenge and tinned strawberries in syrup. It’s a totally rounded and clean sweet whisky experience, with no flaws. Finish: Sweet, rich and relatively short – but very more-ish.”

NOTES

Amrut Distilleries

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab, distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3,000ft above sea level. Amrut Distilleries has won many awards.

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the world this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.”

The awards for Fusion have continued, picking up several over the years, including Grand Master of World Whisky at The Spirits Business Awards in December 2011 and World Whisky of the Year at the Malt Advocate Whisky Awards February 2011.

The distillery itself has won honours, lifting the title of Distiller of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2011 at awards organized by Whisky Magazine. The award was made to Amrut “for raising the profile of Indian whisky across the globe and its innovations in the production process”. The Rest of the World title meant the Bangalore distillery was also one of the four contenders for the Icons of Whisky Distiller of the Year title.

In 2012, Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s General Manager – International Operations, was named Whisky Ambassador of the Year at the Icons of Whisky. The judges praised the hard work of Ashok and Amrut Executive Director, Rick Jagdale, since launching Amrut Malt in 2004. “The gamble and all the legwork has paid off for Ashok and Rick, with Amrut establishing its credentials as a serious award winning whisky” they said.

Amrut’s Two Continents malt whisky was named Whisky Advocate’s New World Whisky of the Year in 2012. Two Continents is made from 100% Indian barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, then mashed, distilled and aged in Bangalore. It was then transferred to Europe where it was aged in ex-bourbon casks and then bottled. This gives it a “rich, complex, unique, and exciting oral explosion” according to Whisky Advocate.

Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008.

Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain), Canada, South Africa, Australia and the United States. It is also available in some Indian states.