Clan Gatherings, Haggis Toss, Men of Thunder and the Bonniest Knees

Heaven Hill Distilleries hosts family-fun Highland Games in August in Bardstown, Ky.

BARDSTOWN, KY – JULY, 2012 – For the third year, hometown hero Kerry (“KO”) Overfelt, the 2009 National Champion and 3x North American Champion, will toss the sheaf in the Bardstown Highland Games. Now sponsored by Heaven Hill Distilleries, the games will take place on the grounds of the distillery on Saturday, August 18. The Games will also include performances by the Men of Thunda, lots of Scottish clans and their colors, pipers, children’s games, live music and food vendors. Visit www.SampleOurSpirit.com to see all the activities.

Free admission family fun

The free admission event hosts Overfelt – a.k.a. the “Kentucky Cannonball” – among several pros, including Craig Smith, Brady Smith and Mark Valenti, as well as 10 amateurs from around the country, including Chuck Clements,.

Craig Smith has been ranked in the top five Highland Games athletes for the past few years. Brady Smith is a Masters World Champion and world record holder and Mark Valenti is a former world record holder who is also ranked in the top 10. Chuck Clements has been an amateur thrower for about 10 years and helps organize the Games.

Opening Ceremonies for the Highland Games begin at 12 p.m. Gates open at 9 a.m. and the games begin at 10 a.m. Celtic festival fun includes the “savage” Men of Thunda performing bagpipe melodies accompanied by the sound of tribal drumbeats in the tradition of the ancient Celtics. Pipers from Louisville Pipe Band, Kentucky clan gatherings, a ladies’ Haggis Toss, men’s Bonniest Knees Contest, kids’ inflatables, arts and crafts and lots of food, including traditional Scottish fish and chips, round out the day.

Lawn chair entertainment

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and relax on the grounds of America’s largest independent family-owned distillery, whose brands include Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Parker’s Heritage Collection. Founded in 1934 and home of the Bourbon Heritage Center, Heaven Hill makes a unique backdrop for the Bardstown Highland Games with its many rickhouses towering over the grounds as the athletes compete in such heavy events as the caber toss, the stone put and the Scottish hammer throw.

The Bardstown Highland Games sponsored by Heaven Hill Distilleries

Festival website: www.SampleOurSpirit.com

Date Saturday, August 18: Opening Ceremonies at 12 p.m. Gates open at 9 a.m.

Games begin at 10 a.m.

Place Heaven Hill Distilleries, 1311 Gilkey Run Road, Bardstown, KY 40004

Cost Free (parking at Heaven Hill also free)

PHOTO: Craig Smith, one of the top five Highland Games athletes.

Photo: Heaven Hill Distilleries

ABOUT BARDSTOWN, KY | The “Bourbon Capital of the World,” Bardstown sits in the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country, home to five distilleries, including the restored and newly re-opened Willett Distillery, known for its unique bourbon and rye whiskeys bottled by hand in very small batches. Three of Bardstown’s distilleries – Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam – are on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Major attractions include the “Stephen Foster Story,” Kentucky’s official outdoor drama that takes place in My Old Kentucky Home State Park; the Civil War Museum of the Western Theatre (one of the four most significant such museums in the country); The Kentucky Railway Museum, where Thomas the Tank Engine is known to put in appearances; and My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. Additionally, Bardstown has four 18-hole golf courses, three self-guided tours (Historic Downtown Walking, Architectural and African-American), two wineries and numerous religious attractions

Growing Demand Leads Jack Daniel Distillery to Open New Barrel-Making Facility in Decatur, AL

New Cooperage to Employ Approximately 200 Workers At Full Operation

Louisville, KY, – Brown-Forman announced plans for a new cooperage to craft barrels in Decatur, Alabama, in order to meet growing worldwide demand for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.

Brown-Forman and Jack Daniel’s officials joined with Alabama Governor Robert Bentley in Montgomery, AL, to make the formal announcement today. The Jack Daniel Cooperage is expected to be operational in May 2014, and it will eventually employ approximately 200 workers. It will be the second cooperage owned by Brown-Forman, which operates another facility in Louisville, KY, and will double the company’s barrel-making capacity.

“Barrels are more than a container for our whiskey; they’re an important ingredient,” said Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller. “All of the color of Jack Daniel’s and more than half of our whiskey’s flavor is derived from the barrel. We believe in the importance of the barrel in making our whiskey so much that we are the only major distiller that makes its own barrels.

“Making a quality barrel is essential to making a quality whiskey, and this facility will help ensure we hold true to Mr. Jack Daniel’s guiding words that ‘every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can,’” Arnett added.

Brown-Forman officials said the tremendous growth of the Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands both domestically and internationally necessitated building the new cooperage.

“With the continued long-term growth of the Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands, including the recent introduction and unprecedented success of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, we are expanding to meet anticipated growing production demand,” said Jill Jones, executive vice president and chief production officer for Brown-Forman.

According to Jones, the new cooperage’s proximity to the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, TN, as well as its centralized location between the two stave mills that supply the wood for the barrels (in Stevenson, AL, and Clifton, TN), make Decatur a perfect location for a second cooperage to supply additional Jack Daniel’s barrels.

Distillery officials also noted Jack Daniel’s has historical ties to Alabama. Back in the early 1900s, Mr. Jack Daniel’s nephew Lem Motlow moved operations to Birmingham, AL, when Tennessee went dry prior to National Prohibition.

“This isn’t the first time Alabama has opened its arms to the Jack Daniel Distillery,” said Arnett. “We’re glad to be back and thank everyone who has given us such a warm welcome.”

For more than 140 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Jack Daniel’s & Cola, Canadian Mist, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, New Mix, Tuaca, and Woodford Reserve. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by nearly 4,000 employees and sold in approximately 135 countries worldwide. For more information about the Company, please visit http://www.brown-forman.com/.

About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey-Based Ready-to-Drink Beverages and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails.

Jack Daniel’s encourages its friends to enjoy its whiskey with the same care it crafts its barrels and to please drink responsibly.

Port Charlotte Peat Project

No one knows what the original Bruichladdich of 1881 actually tasted like.

There are neither bottles in existence nor tasting notes. What would it have tasted like?

The Port Charlotte Peat Project sets out to answer this conundrum.

This single malt whisky, distilled from heavily peated barley at Bruichladdich Distillery, is called Port Charlotte to differentiate it from traditional, unpeated Bruichladdich.

The Peat Project is distilled from barley peated to 40ppm, and matured in American Oak, in warehouses at the nearby village of Port Charlotte.

It is a multivintage, assembled from several different vintages and harvest characteristics, for intriguing complexity.

The Peat Project replaces the previous releases of 3D, PEAT and An Turas Mor bottlings.

(Time to clear up a little confusion before the sale closes?? – WI)

SMWS unveils world’s first interactive whisky magazine for iPad

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has unveiled a fully interactive iPad version of its award-winning members’ magazine Unfiltered – the first of its kind on Apple’s global Newsstand platform.

As well as offering some previously unseen content for the Society’s 26,000-strong membership, Unfiltered on the iPad also opens the magazine up to non-members, with videos, interviews and features, 360-degree photography, interactive maps and hidden extras for the curious of spirit.

SMWS teamed up with incumbent customer publisher Connect Communications to develop the cutting edge publication, designed from the ground up to take full advantage of the iPad’s capabilities. The result is as beautiful as it is useable, showcasing the creative photography and industry-leading writing that have become Unfiltered’s stock in trade.

Commenting on the launch, Unfiltered editor Kai Ivalo said: “Our vision for Unfiltered on the iPad was to reflect the excitement, adventure and curiosity which comes with a love of great whisky. Like a good dram, it impresses from the first nosing, but also has hidden depths for those prepared to explore.”

Richard Croasdale of Connect Communications added: “We knew from the outset that we wanted to avoid a flat reproduction of the print magazine – our readers expect us to be more imaginative. So we’ve fundamentally rethought what Unfiltered can be and how readers can interact with it. It’s been an exciting journey and we’re confident that Unfiltered has once again set the benchmark for its peers.”

Unfiltered can be downloaded now through iTunes or directly through Newsstand on the iPad. Search for ‘Unfiltered’, or visit http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/unfiltered/id525768278?mt=8

Love Isle of Skye Whisky – £440 Worth of Isle of Skye Whisky Savings Plus WIN a break to the majestic Isle of Skye

From 1 September, look out for special promotional bottles of Isle of Skye Whisky in all major retailers stocking Isle of Skye throughout Scotland.

There will be a huge range of Isle of Skye savings worth £440 up for grabs, plus the chance to win a two-night self-catering break to the majestic Isle.

Special offers and discounts range from 20% off prints at The Croft Studio and by Diana Mackie, to free child places at Seaprobe Atlantis, 20% off at The Tartan Company and up to 20% off at Clan Donald.

Click here to find out more about this promotion

Black Bull 12 Year Old Recommendation

Black Bull 12 Year Old has been recommended in 101 Whiskies to Try before You Die. This book is intended as an accompaniment to his previous publication under the same name. Ian Buxton makes a new selection of 101 whiskies by broadening his geographical domain in which to choose from, he also takes care not to choose expressions from the same brand to allow for a greater diversity of whisky brands.

101 Whiskies to Try before You Die is not an awards list – it’s a guide to the 101 whiskies that enthusiasts must seek out and try in order to complete their whisky education. Furthermore, the book avoids the deliberately obscure and focuses on the whiskies that he believes every whisky lover should taste.

The selection process was governed by three basic conditions 1) Readily available 2) Affordable 3) An excellent example of its kind.

Black Bull 12 Year Old comfortably meets all these conditions, and is a must try!

The author Ian Buxton is a former Marketing Director of Glenmorangie and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. He now runs a successful consultancy business. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich in 1991, the highest honour of the Scotch whisky industry, and is a member of the international tasting panel for the annual World Whisky Awards and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited
www.duncantaylor.com

Black Bull 40 Year Old Batch 3

Batch 3 of Black Bull 40 Year Old has recently been bottled and is soon to be available to purchase from retailers.

Black Bull 40YO batch 3 is a mix of 14.4% Grain Whiskies and 85.6% malt Whiskies from some of Scotland’s premium distilleries.

Black Bull 40 Year Old Batch 3 (41.6%, 70cl) Tasting Notes:

Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Raisins, roasted almonds, butter scotch, dark chocolate, orange zest, freshly cut grass.
Taste: Citrus fruits, manuka honey, faint smoked oakiness, wild berries with a distance coastal flavour emerging.
Finish: Long mouth coating finish with a delicate traces of chocolate covered cherries, with salty traces fighting their way to the front.
Comment: This is a dram to be savoured and enjoyed.

Contact kat@duncantaylor.com for information regarding the location of shop retailers and URLs for Online retailers that are soon to be stocking the Black Bull range and any other Duncan Taylor Ranges.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited

www.duncantaylor.com

Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky raises a glass to Fife’s Ship Inn Cricket team on Scotland’s most famous pitch

Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky kicked off the summer cricket season in style by announcing its official sponsorship of The Ship Inn cricket team on Scotland’s most famous pitch – Elie beach in Fife.

Supported by Isle of Skye Whisky, one of The Ship Inn team’s first wins of the season was captured on film by BBC Scotland. Landward’s presenter Dougie Vipond joined the Ship Inn team as special honorary team member on 27 May for a special feature on Elie’s unusual cricket ground. With players and spectators basking in glorious summer sunshine on the golden sands, the quaint fishermen’s cottages of Elie proved the perfect backdrop to this traditional British summertime pursuit and The Ship Inn’s team glory. Watch the episode online.

The cricket season runs through to 9 September with home games at Elie taking place every second Sunday. People are being encouraged to come along, rain or shine, and support the Ship Inn cricket team for some guaranteed entertaining sport, delicious food at the Ship Inn and of course a wee dram of Isle of Skye 8 Years Old.

For future game listings visit: www.ship-elie.com

Benromach’s stillmen at centre of distillery’s new creative concept

Two Scottish distillery workers have been penned by the Scottish illustrator, Jill Calder, to feature at the heart of a new design concept set to showcase the secret of Benromach, Speyside’s smallest distillery, to the UK and internationally.

Benromach is handmade by just two stillmen – Keith Cruickshank and Mike Ross – who make in one year what other distillers make in a week, making it one of Scotland’s best kept whisky secrets. Keith and Mike have now been immortalised in Fife-based artist Jill Calder’s illustrations, reflecting the personal qualities the two men bring to Benromach and its expressions. The design concept will be used in the distillery’s advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns.

David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, the family-run Elgin company which owns Benromach commented: “Benromach is a handmade, boutique whisky which is lovingly crafted by Keith and Mike. They are the essence of Benromach and so we thought it appropriate that they were placed front and centre of our new concept.

“Jill’s illustrations are a perfect fit for Benromach – home and handmade and with loving attention to detail.

Douglas Alexander of Stuff Creative was briefed to give the Benromach brand a new creative personality. Doug, who founded Stuff Creative in November 2011, commented: “We wanted to find a creative personality for the brand that would let it talk and express itself. Anyone who visits Benromach can meet Keith and Mike, but now those who can’t make the trip to Forres personally can ‘meet’ both of them in Benromach displays across the country.

“I’ve worked with the Urquhart family, which owns Benromach, for 25 years, in each agency I’ve been a part of. They have a lot of vision and guts, and it really has been exciting working with the family and Jill Calder to bring the brand to life and celebrate the two men who make it all happen at the distillery.”

Jill Calder commented: “Illustrating Benromach distillery and its two stillmen, Keith and Mike, was a lovely process. I’ve never been a whisky drinker but they’ve done their best to try and convert me!”

Keith and Mike’s illustrations are available, but in large file size (3MB each). Please confirm if you would like to receive these illustrations via email.

Notes:

About Benromach

Established in 1898, Benromach distillery changed hands many times and was virtually derelict when bought by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Drawing on generations of whisky expertise, the company carried out a painstaking refurbishment, and the distillery was officially re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998.

Just two men hand-craft Benromach using the finest Scottish barely and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. They fill new spirit into the highest quality casks before being left to mature at the distillery for many years. The Benromach portfolio includes the award winning Benromach 10 Years Old and the first fully certified organic single malt – Benromach Organic.

For more information on Benromach, visit www.benromach.com

About Jill Calder

Jill Calder is an award-winning illustrator based in Cellardyke, Fife. Trained at Glasgow School of Art, her clients include the New Yorker, Elle magazine, the British Museum, Sainsburys and Harvard Business review.

For more information on Jill Calder, visit www.jillcalder.com

About Stuff Creative

Stuff Creative was founded by Douglas Alexander in November 2011. Prior to founding Stuff, Douglas was managing director of Navy Blue in Edinburgh.

For more information on Stuff Creative, contact Douglas Alexander on doug@stuffcreative.com

Gold Award For Black Bull 40 Year old Batch 3

We obtained a GOLD medal award for Black Bull 40 Batch 3 in this year’s International Spirits Challenge, where over 400 Scotch Whiskies were blindly tasted in Edinburgh, Scotland, by one of the best panel of judges ever to date. The panel of judges consisted of 15 different worldwide master distillers and master blenders. To name a few: the chief blender of Nikka Whisky, Tadashi Sakuma, the Balvenie malt master, David Stewart, master blender at Chivas Brothers, Colin Scott, and the master blender at Whyte and Mackay, Richard Paterson.

Black Bull 40 Year Old receiving a Gold Medal is a fantastic achievement considering such an esteemed panel of judges, and the level of whiskies that entered the competition this year. Black Bull’s continuing success in competitions and popularity amongst customers proves once again that it is a brilliant Blended Whisky full of flavour and character.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited

www.duncantaylor.com