Maker’s Mark Wins Trademark Protection for Signature Red Wax Seal

Loretto, Kentucky, – The United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit today upheld a U.S. District Court ruling protecting the registered trademark for Maker’s Mark’s signature dripping red wax seal. The ruling is a decisive victory for Maker’s Mark (NYSE: BEAM) in a trademark dispute dating to 2003, and upholds an injunction prohibiting Jose Cuervo International, Inc., its affiliates and Cuervo’s United States distributor Diageo North America from the use of a dripping red wax seal on any Cuervo tequila product. The appeals court ruling also upheld the lower court’s ruling in awarding costs to Maker’s Mark for its pursuit of the injunction.

“This decision is a resounding affirmation that our unique dripping red wax seal is a trademark of Maker’s Mark and is off limits to competitors,” said Rob Samuels, chief operating officer of Maker’s Mark. “My grandmother dipped the first bottle of Maker’s Mark in red wax, and it’s been our signature trademark ever since. We’ve been confident in our position all along, and today’s outcome confirming that our unique trade dress cannot be infringed is great news for fans of Maker’s Mark, those who handcraft our bourbon, and those who individually dip each bottle every day.”

Today’s appeals court ruling upheld an April 2, 2010 opinion by Federal Judge John G. Heyburn II of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Maker’s Mark was represented in this litigation by a team from the law firm of Kenyon & Kenyon of Washington, D.C. led by Edward T. Colbert.

About Maker’s Mark® Bourbon

In 1954, at a small Victorian distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, Bill Samuels, Sr., made the first 19 barrels of a totally new whisky, using pure, iron-free, limestone spring water and a mash consisting of yellow corn, barley and red winter wheat that, when aged-to-taste over the next six years, would become Maker’s Mark bourbon. Mr. Samuels created a bourbon that brought “good taste” and “taste-good” together for the first time and, in so doing, heralded the modern era of bourbon. In 2010, in tribute to his father’s spirit of innovation Bill Samuels, Jr., unveiled Maker’s 46, a totally new bourbon which reflects the distinct character of Maker’s Mark but has a bigger, bolder and full bodied taste that is luscious without any hint of bitterness. Today, Maker’s Mark continues to hand make its bourbon exactly the same way Bill Samuels, Sr., did almost 60 years ago, in small batches by skilled craftsmen who hand-cut each label and hand-dip each bottle. Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky (45% alc./vol.) and Maker’s 46 (47% alc./vol.) are distilled, aged and bottled by the Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., in Loretto, Kentucky. In 1980, the distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark, becoming the first distillery in America to be so recognized, and has also been decreed as the “world’s oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery” by Guinness World Records. The Maker’s Mark Distillery is one of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year. For more information, please visit the Maker’s Mark website (www.makersmark.com).

Maker’s Mark® Bourbon Whisky, 45% Alc./Vol. © 2012 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc, Loretto, KY MAKER’S MARK MAKES ITS BOURBON CAREFULLY, AND PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY.

This news was released in early May 2012 and appears here for historical interest only. – Whisky Intelligence

Jim Beam® Partners With Six Bold Artists to Launch the 2012 Live Music Series in Support of Military Musicians

This summer, Jim Beam® is building on its bold music legacy while continuing its ongoing commitment to our nation’s troops with the 2012 Live Music Series. The Jim Beam® Live Music Series is a string of six live concerts, each featuring one of six artists who has partnered with the world’s No. 1 bourbon to bring bold music experiences to fans across the country – Kid Rock, Daughtry, David Gray, Darius Rucker, Bush and Train. Extending the program beyond live concerts, Jim Beam is offering bold, legendary cover songs recorded by the Live Music Series artists on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries*.

Together with Rolling Stone, Jim Beam is leveraging the publication’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Each of the six Live Music Series artists have chosen and recorded a song from Rolling Stone’s historic list and are offering it to fans exclusively on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries during the promotion period. Beginning in June, specially marked bottles of Jim Beam®, Jim Beam Black®, Red Stag by Jim Beam® and Devil’s Cut® bourbons will be marked with offer details and instructions on how to download tracks from the six artists on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries. Fans across the country can also join the Live Music Series experience by visiting the website to view portions of the live concerts that will be streaming online. Additional content – including exclusive artist interviews – will also be available on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries.

“I’m proud to extend my relationship with Jim Beam for the second year of their Live Music Series. We’ve had a great time celebrating with fans of both music and bourbon, and I am excited to continue the party for another year,” said Kid Rock.

2012’s Live Music Series builds on Jim Beam’s tradition of groundbreaking music programs. In 2010, the world’s No. 1 bourbon launched a breakthrough consumer program for both the spirits and music industry by offering exclusive Kid Rock music downloads on specially marked boxes of Jim Beam® and Red Stag by Jim Beam® bourbons. And last year, in 2011, the company boldly expanded the Jim Beam music platform by launching the first Live Music Series, offering fans a wide array of live performances throughout the year as well as giving fans a wider selection of exclusive content. The 2012 Live Music Series furthers Jim Beam’s rich heritage in music and expands the program this year to benefit U.S. troops.

Supporting our Troops through Music

Jim Beam is continuing its commitment to the troops through a partnership with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and Wounded Warriors. As part of the 2012 Live Music Series, the world’s No. 1 bourbon will donate more than $100,000 to the organization, a portion of which will be used to purchase musical instruments for soldiers both in the U.S. and overseas who have a passion for music. Jim Beam will present Operation Homefront with a check for $100,000 onstage at Kid Rock’s concert in Boston on June 1 – the first show in the Live Music Series. Fans across the country can join in and show their support by texting the word SALUTE to 27722 to add $5 to their phone bills as a donation to Operation Homefront . Jim Beam will also be contributing to the troops and military musicians by matching the number of Live Music Series downloads redeemed on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries and donating those to soldiers 21 years of age or older through Operation Homefront.

“For more than five years, Jim Beam has supported the troops and the families they leave behind through Operation Homefront,” said Rob Mason, Senior Director, US Bourbon, Beam Inc. “The Live Music Series is the perfect way to build on that commitment and give back to the soldiers who have a passion for music.”

VIP Sweepstakes

In addition to the live concert experiences and exclusive content available at JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries, including the artists’ cover tracks from Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Jim Beam is supporting the 2012 Live Music Series with advertising, media, PR and social media. Jim Beam is also hosting trivia nights in each of the concerts’ cities and hosting a nationwide sweepstakes** for a chance to win a VIP experience at the final 2012 Live Music Series concert event.

Fans 21 years of age or older can join the Live Music Series experience by entering for a chance to win a VIP trip to the final Live Music Series concert on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries. The grand prize includes backstage access; a meet-and-greet with the band; an autographed Live Music Series customized guitar and the opportunity to be the Jim Beam® Live Music Series blogger for the day.

For more information on the Jim Beam music experience, including, upcoming concerts and exclusive downloads, visit www.JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries or www.facebook.com/jimbeam.

Live Music Series 2012 Concert Schedule

Kid Rock: Friday, June 1, at the House of Blues in Boston
Daughtry: Thursday, June 7, at the Temple Hoyne Buell theater in Denver
David Gray: Saturday, June 30, at the House of Blues in Chicago
Darius Rucker: Tuesday, July 24, at the House of Blues in Dallas
Bush: Thursday, Aug. 2, at The Ritz theater in Tampa
Train: Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Mann Theater in Philadelphia
*Must be 21 or older to participate in the download offer, see full offer details on specially marked bottles of Jim Beam®, Jim Beam Black®, Red Stag by Jim Beam® and Devil’s Cut® bourbons, where legal.

**Text LMSVIP to short code 66937 now or go to www.jimbeam.com/livemusicseries to enter online. Standard text messaging rates apply.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. (except CA) and 21 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited. Subject to complete official rules, available at www.jimbeam.com/livemusicseries. Sweepstakes begins on June 1, 2012 at 12:00:01 a.m. ET and ends on July 30, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m.

$5.00 donation to Operation Homefront. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 21 years of age to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 27722 to STOP. Text HELP to 27722 for HELP. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: mGive.org/privacy

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, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, EFFEN Vodka, Pucker Flavored Vodka, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC, DeKuyper Cordials, and Skinnygirl Cocktails. The Beam portfolio includes 10 of the world’s top 100 premium spirits brands and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations. 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 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2011 sales of $2.8 billion on volume of 34 million 9-liter cases.

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 http://www.beamglobal.com/ and http://www.drinksmart.com/.

About Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone has been the leading voice of music and popular culture since its inception over 40 years ago. The magazine features the latest in music reviews, in-depth interviews, hard-hitting political commentary and award-winning investigative journalism. Rolling Stone provides all the news that fits to 12 million readers every two weeks.

About Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront® provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and Wounded Warriors. A nonprofit 501(c)(3), Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with nationwide presence, and has taken care of more than 590,000 needs for military families since its inception in 2002. Operation Homefront is a four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, and 94 percent of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes directly to support military families. For more information, please visit http://www.operationhomefront.net/.

Jim Beam® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 40% Alc./Vol. ©2012 James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, KY. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Refurbished Tomatin Distillery is Preparing for a Bumper Summer Season

Tomatin Distillery is looking forward to welcome in excess of 20,000 visitors to its Visitor Centre this summer, following a £150,000 investment in upgrading the popular tourist attraction.

As well as extensive refurbishment and brand new facilities, an exciting new feature within the Visitor Centre is the ability to pour and label your own limited bottle of Tomatin whisky. There will be two Distillery Exclusive casks at any one time for visitors of the distillery to choose from and when the cask is emptied it will be replaced with a new selected cask.

The distillery tour has also been improved, so much so that the distillery is also celebrating its upgraded VisitScotland rating to 4 stars, awarded in June 2012. While the tour previously offered limited access, visitors will now – for the same price – see more of the production areas of the distillery, including the Malt Bins, Mashing, Fermentation, the Stillhouse and one of the traditional Dunnage Warehouses.

Marie Macleod, Visitor Centre Manager, is delighted with their new look: ”Following the refurbishment, the Visitor Centre now looks much brighter and more inviting. We’ve had great customer feedback since we started the new tour, which was emphasised with the great result following our mystery guest visit from VisitScotland!

Our Distillery Manager, Graham Eunson, also had the great idea of opening up the side of one of our disused Mash Tuns to let visitors see the inside, an added extra which is unique to Tomatin Distillery and has also been a wonderful success so far.”

Tomatin continues to push its award winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky range, along with its Blended Scotch Whisky brands, all of which are available to purchase from the Distillery Visitor Centre Shop. Details of Visitor Centre opening times and tours are available from their website: www.tomatin.com

Notes
 Tours cost £3 per adult, kids go free.
 The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
 Website: www.tomatin.com 
 Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897 Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897
 The distillery was established in 1897, and while historically the whisky produced was primarily sold for use in other brands of blended whisky, the company is now very focussed on growing the Tomatin single malt brand in its own right.
 The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’.
 The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo: http://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/index.htm

WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR EXCEPTIONAL 50 YEAR OLD MACALLAN AT BONHAMS EDINBURGH

The highest price ever paid for a bottle of The Macallan 50 year old, distilled in 1928 and bottled in 1983, was achieved when it sold for £17,500 at Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 27 June.

Estimated at £10,000-12,000 the bottle, bearing a label in particularly fine condition, came in its own wooden presentation case. The Macallan 1928 was one of the first 50 year old malts to be released and is regarded as a key part of any serious whisky collection. Only 500 bottles were released, and as they rarely come onto the market they have become increasing difficult to find.

Bonhams Whisky specialist, Martin Green said, “This is acknowledged as one of the greatest whiskies ever and it is not surprising to see it attracting a record price.”

The previous highest price for the The Macallan 50 year old was £13,500.

The sale made a total of £200,000 with 87% sold by lot and 90% by value.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.

AIR FRANCE KLM toasts increase in market share with special dram from Aberdeenshire distillery

AIR FRANCE KLM Group is market leader in Scotland, flying over 1.2 million passengers last year. To celebrate this, KLM – de facto carrier of Scotland – has teamed up with one of the intrinsic elements of Scottish culture, a Scottish whisky distillery, to pick its own cask of single malt whisky.

Following a strong increase in market share over the past year, the Air France KLM Group now transports 1 in 4 long-haul passengers.

KLM recently expanded their Scottish service by adding Inverness to its Scottish network following a new partnership with Flybe. Air France KLM now offers up to 38 flights a day from its five airports in Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

To reaffirm KLM’s commitment to serving the needs of Aberdeen and Grampian’s business community, the airline teamed up with local Aberdeenshire distillery, Glen Garioch, to pick its own cask of single malt whisky.

Senior KLM staff visited the Glen Garioch distillery earlier this year to hand-select a non-chill filtered single malt preserved at cask strength from North American oak, which has been quietly maturing at the distillery since 1998. It was specifically chosen by KLM for its sweet roasted almond notes mixed with intense dark chocolate and wood spice, finished with smooth and creamy hints of vanilla and coconut. Bottles of the single malt will be distributed to business and leisure customers.

Henri Hourcade, General Manager of Air France KLM, UK and Ireland, said:

“To highlight KLM’s commitment to Scotland, we have teamed up with Glen Garioch, where staff from KLM picked its own cask of single malt. Investing in local businesses and people is important to KLM and we wanted to mark our continued success in Scotland by partnering with a distillery with such a rich history and beautiful whiskies.”

David Wilson, Sales and Marketing Director at Morrison Bowmore Distillers, said:

“We were delighted to team up with KLM to pick a cask at the Glen Garioch distillery earlier this year. The KLM staff picked an excellent 14-year-old with wonderful sweet roasted almond notes and a lovely smooth vanilla finish. This is sure to be an excellent dram to be enjoyed by KLM customers.”

Notes

Images of whisky launch at Aberdeen Airport attached. In picture 002 L-R: Gail McParlin, Air France KLM, Phil Nickson, Morrison Bowmore and Don Jacobs, BAA Aberdeen Commercial Director.

AIR FRANCE KLM, the result of a merger between AIR FRANCE and KLM in 2004, is one of the leading European air transport groups. Its main activities are the air transport of passengers and cargo as well as aircraft maintenance. In 2011, AIR FRANCE KLM carried 75.8 million passengers and 1.1 million tonnes of cargo. The group’s fleet comprises more 586 aircraft, including 173 regional aircraft operated by its partners Brit Air, City Jet, Regional and KLM Cityhopper. Its network covers 230 destinations in 113 countries from its hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. The Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is leader in Europe and has over 20 million members.

With their partners Delta and Alitalia, AIR FRANCE and KLM operate the biggest transatlantic joint venture with more than 250 daily flights.

AIR FRANCE and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has 16 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 14,700 daily flights to 958 destinations in 173 countries.

About Air France

Air France currently offers flights from 13 airports in the UK: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London Heathrow, London City, Newcastle, Manchester and Southampton.

For more information on Air France, visit www.airfrance.co.uk or call 0871 66 33 777.

The AIR FRANCE KLM Group was voted Airline of the Year 2012 at the Business Travel Awards.

About KLM

KLM offers services from 16 airports in the UK: Aberdeen, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Durham-Tees Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds-Bradford, London City, London Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton.

KLM flies via the multi-awarding winning Amsterdam Airport Schiphol whose wealth of accolades include Business Traveller’s ‘Best Airport in Europe’ award 2011.

For more information, visit www.klm.com  or call 0871 222 747.

BUSHMILLS LIVE: GLOBAL STARS PERFORM AT LANDMARK EVENT

SNOW PATROL AND ELIJAH WOOD HEADLINE FIRST FESTIVAL OF WHISKEY AND MUSIC AT AN IRISH DISTILLERY

Bushmills Village: 22nd June 2012: Global stars including Snow Patrol, Elijah Wood of DJ Wooden Wisdom, Foy Vance and Iain Archer, performed last night at Bushmills Live, the landmark festival of handcrafted whiskey and music which took place at the Old Bushmills Distillery on Ireland’s north coast.

The two-day festival was attended by more than 400 music and whiskey fans from around the world, including people from countries as far apart as the USA, Bulgaria and Russia.

Stars such as Gary Lightbody, more used to playing in front of sell out arenas, performed intimate gigs in age-old buildings at the Old Bushmills Distillery, where the art of whiskey making has been practiced for generations.

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, said: “This was an incredible occasion for Bushmills Irish Whiskey and for everyone here.

“Last night, we welcomed artists that are both known and loved around the world. Their music like our whiskey, represents the very best in craftsmanship.

“It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying their music and of course sharing a glass of Bushmills.”

Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn said: “Last night was pretty special for us as a band. We have played many gigs at home before, but this one, in a whiskey distillery was unique.”

Snow Patrol’s performance at ‘BushmillsLive’ will go some way to help establish a legacy for new music inNorthern Irelandwith their fee being donated in full to the Oh Yeah Music Centre inBelfast, which was co-founded by lead singer Gary Lightbody to help to support up-and-coming local musicians.

For further photographs and highlights from Bushmills Live go to facebook.com/bushmills1608

PRICELESS BOTTLE OF MALT MILL UNVEILED AT LAGAVULIN DISTILLERY

STORY FROM AWARD WINNING FILM BECOMES REALITY

The world’s only known bottle of Malt Mill new-make spirit was unveiled for enthusiasts and whisky pilgrims at the Lagavulin distillery on Monday 25 June 2012. Thought to have disappeared forever, Malt Mill is the basis of the plot for the award-winning Ken Loach film, The Angels’ Share.

Charles Maclean, one of the world’s leading whisky writers, who also played a role in the film, comments on the unveiling. “This bottle is priceless. Malt Mill is legendary, and is viewed by many as the holy grail. It is an extremely significant moment and I’m delighted to be part of it.”

Dr Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach, Diageo, adds, “In my twenty years as an historian and archivist, I’ve always wanted to see this unique bottle of Malt Mill go on display. We are thrilled to share this precious artefact with the many whisky enthusiasts who visit Lagavulin every year.”

Rebecca O’ Brien, Producer for The Angels’ Share, says, “It is wonderful to think this bottle has been passed down from distillery manager to distillery manager for fifty years here on Islay. Our film hinges on the auction of an imaginary cask of Malt Mill precisely because everyone agreed it was so rare. Now the very DNA of Malt Mill has been rediscovered.”

The bottle of Malt Mill came to light after the Lagavulin distillery manager, Georgie Crawford, heard about the film. Involving some whisky related shennanigans, and based on an auction of an imaginary last cask of Malt Mill, she brought out the Malt Mill from its secret location. It had been passed on to her by her predecessor, the former Lagavulin distillery manager.

The Angels’ Share, which is currently on general cinema release, was written by Scot Paul Laverty and was filmed in various locations around Scotland last summer. The film was a hit at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where it won the coveted Jury Prize.

Malt Mill was produced at a small distillery on the Lagavulin distillery site from 1908; production ceased in 1962 and this bottle is from the last fill in June 1962.

Notes

About Lagavulin

Lagavulin © 16 year old single malt Scotch whisky speaks of the smoked peat and mineral water of the wild terrain of Islay. The distillery, cut into the romantic and rugged bay of Lagavulin, has been producing whisky since 1816. Favoured for it intense smoked aroma; lapsang souchong on the nose is followed by peat on the palate and sea salt, with an elegant wood finish.

About Sixteen Films

Formed by director Ken Loach and producer Rebecca O’Brien in 2002, with writer Paul Laverty as Associate Director, Sixteen Films produces the films they make together and looks after the works in their shared archive. The company also makes a small number of films with producers, writers and directors who have worked with the team in the past.

Amrut shakes up cocktail scene

Amrut Fusion was the toast of the cocktail lounge when the world’s best whiskies were put to the test in New York City in June.

The Ultimate Cocktail Challenge pits whiskies against each other in identically-made cocktails and Amrut Fusion was the judges’ ultimate recommendation for the Rob Roy. Fusion was awarded the Chairman’s Trophy for its performance in this classic whisky and vermouth cocktail. The judges’ comments were:

“Lovely frosty brown appearance in the coupe. Aromatically, this cocktail highlights the Amrut Fusion Single Malt to a fine point as the nose is all about bread, baking yeast and breakfast cereal. Impeccable balance is the underlying asset. Amrut from India is now ready to play in the big leagues of whisk(e)y.”

Hundreds of cocktails were tasted and rated in the Ultimate Cocktail Challenge and the coveted Chairman’s Trophy only awarded to the top-performing spirits. The judges, led by Paul Pacult the challenge’s founder, spent a week assessing how a range of spirits performed as the base of classic cocktails. Fusion was also a Finalist in the Rusty Nail category and a “strong recommendation” for a Blood & Sand.

Entered brands were tasted in all cocktail recipes for their category. For instance, all whiskies were tasted in a Rob Roy, Rusty Nail and Blood & Sand. The cocktails were all carefully made – to identical standards – by professional bartenders out of sight of the judges. They were then tasted blind in the appropriate glassware.

The cocktail challenge takes the guesswork out of making your own cocktails. Few of us have the time or resources to experiment with dozens of different brands to determine which is the best for your favorite classic recipe “We believe that UCC ratings provide consumers with the necessary information for the best spirit to use in simple cocktails that they can make at home,” said Paul Pacult.

The decision to enter Amrut Fusion in the challenge was made to demonstrate that Amrut could compete with the best known brands on equal terms and make great cocktails. “Of course, we know Fusion is a world class malt whisky, but it is rather untested in the cocktail world,” said Raj Sabharwal, Managing Director of Purple Valley Imports, Amrut’s US importer. “We are delighted with the enthusiastic reception the judges at the Ultimate Cocktail Challenge gave Fusion and we know drinkers will appreciate exploring another way to enjoy Amrut.”

Amrut’s Brand Ambassador, Ashok Chokalingam, added: “Amrut Fusion has again proved itself as a world class whisky and the recognition from UCC confirms its position as one of the top class malt whiskies. It is an honor for Amrut to receive these awards.”

Mixologists and top cocktail bars are starting to recognize the potential of Amrut in cocktails. In Manhattan, the Gerber Group has created the Punjab for its Stone Rose Lounge at the Time Warner Center. The Punjab’s ginger note adds another dimension to Amrut Single Malt Peated as you enjoy the views over Central Park and the city skyline.

Meanwhile Patricia Richards, master mixologist at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Hotel, caused a stir at the finals of the US Bartender’s Guild Mixing Star competition in Las Vegas with her Mai Chai. She combined two Amruts (the single malt and the sherry cask matured) with Disaronno for a spice-infused variation of an Old Fashioned. Patricia told the Las Vegas Sun: “I tried to create one of those little symphonies for the palette. I like to create cocktails that take people out of their comfort zones and that give guests a new experience. Because that’s what people come to Vegas for – it’s about that wow factor we provide here.”

Notes:

Ultimate Cocktail Challenge – Amrut’s scores

Award    Score    Product    Name    Cocktail Name    Accolade

Chairman’s Trophy 95 Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky India, 50% abv Rob Roy Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation

Finalist 94 Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky India, 50% abv Rusty Nail Excellent, Highly Recommended

88 Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky India, 50% abv Blood & Sand Very Good, Strong Recommendation

Ultimate Cocktail Challenge website: www.ultimate-beverage.com

Press Release and UCC images: http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/the-results/2012-cocktail-results/

FURTHER INFORMATION:

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.

Last year, Amrut Fusion was named Grand Master of World Whisky at The Spirits Business Awards in London in December. Already named one of seven Masters of World Whisky by the judging panel of the prestigious event, Amrut Fusion came out as the “best of the best” in the final stage of the competition.

Amrut Distilleries was named a Distiller of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2011 and was crowned in the Rest of the World category by the independent judges of the prestigious awards, which are 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 February 2011, Fusion was named World Whisky of the Year at the Malt Advocate Whisky Awards. In a new category created to recognize “the wonderful whiskies” being produced in countries like Japan, India, Sweden, England, outside the major distilling nations, John Hansell, editor of Malt Advocate magazine, explained the choice of winner. “India’s Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky. … Amrut is making whisky, and it’s very good.”

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.”

Fusion was named the Best Natural Cask Whisky in the Daily Drams Category at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2009. It picked up the award for the best whisky matured exclusively in “untreated”, regular cask(s) in the category for whiskies with an average street price of up to 50 euros. It was also awarded a silver medal. In 2011, Malt Maniacs awarded Amrut Portonova the title of Best Cask Innovation Award (Premium).

One of the Amrut Single Malt Whisky bottlings by Blackadder International won “The Best Daily Dram” category of Malt Maniacs 2008 Awards. All the Amrut brands entered into the same competition won silver and bronze medals.

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.

Purple Valley Imports is the importer of Amrut in the USA. http://purplevalley.tv/

A note from Chris at Compass Box;

Starting in Inverness just after midnight, at 12.01am, John Glaser and Dominic Roskrow proceeded to host 8 different whisky tastings in 8 Whisky Shops across 8 cities between Inverness and 643 miles away in Brighton.

Travelling by car, the team reached their destination in Brighton bang on time at 11.30pm, 30 minutes within their 24 hour deadline. There were many highlights, but drinking Great King Street Highballs with more than 25 whisky fans in Edinburgh at 4.30am in the morning will live long in the memory!

Guinness were unfortunately unable to process the World Record attempt before it actually took place….but kindly replied three days afterwards (!) to confirm that it would have been a new world record category for them. So it’s the ‘World Record’ that wasn’t…Oh well, it was still an amazing day!

Following the latest Gold Medal Award from the San Francisco World
Spirits Competition 2012, Arran 10 yr old will be available in
50 ml bottles in the U.S.

It is bottled at 46% without any chill filtration
Absolutely no artificial colouring whatsoever
Jim Murray from Whisky Bible rated Arran 10 yr 93 points

We are very excited to have the Arran 10 yr old available in miniatures
• Can be used for the “Newbie” to Arran
• Fill a well deserved space in one’s miniature collection
• Serves as a good gift idea for travellers, colleagues, corporate gifts, friends, family members, etc.

RRP $ 6.99/btl

Current accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include:
Winner for Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005),
Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007)

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011)