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)

MORRISON BOWMORE DISTILLERS CELEBRATES AWARD-WINNING YEAR 

Further underpinning its vision of becoming the Single Malt specialist 

June 2012:  Morrison Bowmore Distillers, the leading producer of Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has further exemplified its company vision as the Single Malt Specialist, by winning a series of prestigious industry awards for its remarkable spirits this year. 

The Glasgow-based company is the producer of four major brands of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies – Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and McClelland’s – and possesses over 200 years of whisky making experience combined. This year, these exceptional whiskies have won the following awards: 

World Whiskies Awards:

• Best Islay – Bowmore Maltman’s Selection
• Best Lowland – Auchentoshan 1999 Wine Matured
• Best Highland (12 Years Old & under) – Glen Garioch 12 Years Old

San Francisco World Spirits:

• Double Gold – Auchentoshan Three Wood
• Double Gold – Glen Garioch Founders Reserve
• Gold – Bowmore 12 Years Old

The Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters:

• Masters Islay Single Malt – Bowmore Small Batch Reserve
  • The top award for this new expression released in April 2012
• Gold Islay Single Malt – Bowmore 12 Years Old
• Gold Islay Single Malt – Bowmore 15 Years Old ‘Darkest’ 

Since leaving the blended scotch market in 2006, Morrison Bowmore Distillers has focused solely on the development of its world class Single Malt brands. As a close-knit company of only 200 individuals, the company is passionate about all aspects of Single Malt production, from investing in the best quality wood, to quality control, to its globally sought-after limited editions portfolio. The strategy has seen the firm invest £5.4m in an ambitious project to upgrade and expand its Glasgow based bottling, blending and office facilities. 

The idea of maintenance of traditional values and innovation in the marketplace is also directly behind the creation of its new corporate logo, which sees them rebrand as MBD to clarify their desire to be seen as The Single Malt Specialist. The copper still signifies its adherence to time-honoured traditions yet the overall logo retains a contemporary look and feel.   

As further evidence of the company’s confidence in the Single Malt market, they have repackaged and extended the Bowmore and McClellands ranges as well as launching a new range of Auchentoshan, Scotland’s only triple distilled Single Malt, exclusively for the global travel retail market. All done in the first half of 2012. 

Mike Keiller, CEO of Morrison Bowmore Distillers, comments: “We’re delighted to have received these awards and proud that the fruits of our labour have been internationally recognised. We’re a small company, with a dedicated team who give our all to realise our vision of being the Single Malt specialist. As anyone in the industry will understand, Single Malt production requires care and patience, and the investment we’re putting in is reaping its rewards.” 

For further information on Morrison Bowmore Distillers please visit www.morrisonbowmore.co.uk and www.suntory.com

The Devil’s Punch Bowl Chapter No.01

“I have selected the casks for the Devil’s Punch Bowl with a view to creating a special release of The Arran Malt where the sum is even greater than the wonderful parts. The Sherry Butts act like the rhythm section of a band; setting the tone and driving the character of the malt. Deep in colour and rich on the palate these casks are the heartbeat of this whisky. The 1996 Bourbon Barrels add a wonderful honeyed sweetness to proceedings whilst the Sherry Hogsheads imbue a perfect harmony of aroma and flavour. As a unique twist I have added some of our 2006 Peated Arran, in combination with regular un-peated Arran for the very first time, giving the finish a subtle smoky edge. They say the Devil has all the best tunes but here he has the perfect whisky too”.

– James MaTaggart (Master Distiller)

Devil’s Punch Bowl

The Devil’s Punch Bowl is a limited edition expression of The Arran Single Malt inspired by the glacial hollow Coire na Ciche whose sinister presence dominates the north-east coast of Arran. Our Master Distiller, James ‘Lucifer’ MacTaggart, has been to hell and back to select only the finest casks for this demonic masterpiece. Each cask has been chosen to contribute a specific characteristic and through the dark art of blending these whiskies have conspired to create an elixir of exceptional complexity and finesse.

Bottled at natural strength and without chill-filtration, The Devil’s Punch Bowl is a testimony to the consistent superior quality of The Arran Malt across each year of production. For your elucidation the numbers of every cask, hand-picked for this bottling, have been listed on the inside of this box. Dare to meet the devil and savour the astonishing array of aromas and flavours on display.

• Multi-Vintage release of The Arran Malt
• Named after a stunning landmark on the Isle of Arran
• Limited Edition of 6,660 Bottles Worldwide
• Bottled at Natural Cask Strength 52.3%
• Unique vatting of 24 Arran casks – Full details (Cask Number, Year of Distillation & Cask Type) printed on the inside lid of the gift box
• Based around stunning 1996 Sherry Butts
• Includes 2006 Peated Arran Barrels
• First-ever combination of peated & un-peated Arran
• Non Chill Filtered & No artificial colouring

New York, June 2012 – In between the rolling Mannoch Hills, the Rothes river, and barrels upon barrels of vintage whisky, four ordinary Americans made a little bit of dram history this month by sniffing, slurping, swirling, blending, extracting, and finally laying to rest The Glenrothes 2012 vintage. Jason Miller and Heather Wuelpern from Arizona, Bill Kiel from Wisconsin, and David Bocchino from Maryland, ousted 10,000 other Americans with their winning interpretations of a vintage moment. The winning quartet was chosen as part of The Glenrothes’ second annual Vintage Maker contest. What did they have to do? They were simply asked to share their thoughts or anecdotes on what makes for a vintage moment.

For the four lucky Americans, first on the list of things to do as part of their pilgrimage to Speyside was making the 2012 The Glenrothes vintage. The final cask was only filled with whisky from 2012, as the Glenrothes vintage system implies. A balance of first-fill American and Spanish (Sherry-prepared) wood was used, as well as refill casks from The Glenrothes’ ‘gene pool’. Bill Kiel, one of the Vintage Makers, commented, “the group decided that the 2012 vintage should have a ‘conversational’ style about it. However, until the casks are deemed mature, we cannot be totally certain of the flavor profile or the quantity that will be selected. What we can be sure of is that the maturity will be there, no matter what the age. Each of the 2012 Vintage Maker casks will develop in a slightly different way, but within the forecast parameters”.

With the distilling completed, the makers put their signatures on what is only the second ever cask to be signed at the distillery. Heather Wuelpern remarked “I’d pay my own way back from Arizona to revisit that cask! In the meantime, we all came home with a full bottle of Single Cask 2012 vintage Glenrothes, which we filled and labeled ourselves. A valuable treasure!”

It wasn’t all work and no play. When not tasting their way through the vintage back catalogue, the budding whisky makers went fly-fishing in the rivers flowing out of the Cairngorm mountains, toured the historic Ballindalloch Castle, and sampled local Scottish foods, including Achiltubuie smoked kippers, dill cured salmon, Stornoway’s black and white puddings, steak pies and brie-ish Muckle Wummel cheese from the Isle of Mull.
The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the preeminent vintage distilled single malt whisky. At The Glenrothes, whisky making is about the perfect combination of time, place, people and occasion, or when everything comes together to create a vintage moment that will stay in the memory forever. The Glenrothes only releases vintages when they are deemed to be at the optimal level of maturity – not in response to a pre-determined 12 or 15 year-old age statement. “It is far more important what happens to the whisky in the cask than the length of time spent in it”, notes Ronnie Cox, Brand Heritage Director for The Glenrothes.

And what were the quartert’s winning vintage moments? Scroll down to see the winning entries in full.

Jason’s Vintage Moment
Jason went on a trip to Scotland for his 30th birthday in 2010, where he worked his way through a session of drams in a small back-street Glasgow bar. The moment he left the bar was the beginning of a love affair with whisky that he hasn’t been able to shake since.

Heather’s Vintage Moment
Heather had been taking care of a terminally ill man in 2008. After the patient passed away, a stunning looking dragonfly landed in Heather’s courtyard. She saw it as a sign that the patient’s spirit and love of whisky would live on.

Bill’s Vintage Moment
Bill took a road-trip with four life-long friends from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin to South Padre Island, Texas in 1987. The memories created on their trip have shaped them into a life-long brotherhood, which now – 25 years later – they still reminisce about while enjoying wee nips of The Glenrothes.

David’s Vintage Moment
David and his brother had both been deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm in 1990. Just before Christmas, his brother surprised him with a visit to his base and hand-delivered mail, goodies from home and a bottle of The Glenrothes – the best Christmas present ever.

Notes

1. The Glenrothes Select Reserve, the House Style, was voted Best in Class at the World Whiskies Awards 2008 and won two Double Golds at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007
2. The Glenrothes 1972 was awarded a Trophy at the 2005 International Spirits Challenge
3. The Glenrothes 1978 was voted Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2008
4. The Glenrothes 1975 won a Double Gold award at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2008
5. The Glenrothes 1991 won a Gold Medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
6. The Glenrothes 1994 won a Gold Medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
7. The Glenrothes Alba Reserve won a Double Gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
8. “I have always felt that Glenrothes deserved to be more widely appreciated. Beautifully rounded…sophisticated after-dinner malt.” Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion
9. Jim Murray, in his Whisky Bible, refers to The Glenrothes Select Reserve; “One of the softest deliveries on Speyside, the silky barley and citrus caress the taste buds with rare tenderness” and scores it 24 out of 25

About The Glenrothes

The Glenrothes is an award-winning Speyside Single Malt Whisky of exceptional quality, from the town of Rothes in Speyside – Scotland’s whisky distilling heartland. Established in 1879, the distillery was known only to Master Blenders until the early 1990s, and revered as, a Class-A quality enhancer for their premium blends. Today, only 2% of annual production, becomes The Glenrothes single malt scotch whisky. Each vintage is, by definition, rare, and finite. Currently available expressions in the U.S. include: The Glenrothes Select, Reserve – The House Style, Alba Reserve, Vintages 1998, 1994, 1985, 1975 and the limited edition John Ramsay.

Join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheGlenrothes or www.Twitter.com/TheGlenrothes

About Anchor Distilling Company

Anchor Distilling Company aims to provide the bridge between discerning buyers and world’s finest spirits. A privately owned distiller and importer, Anchor boasts an artisanal portfolio with over 300 specialty products from nearly 20 countries. All products are from multigenerational family-owned companies, and are sought by connoisseurs for their superior handcrafted artisanal qualities. From a distilling perspective, Anchor Distilling is dedicated to creating very small batches of traditionally distilled spirits. http://www.anchordistilling.com/

June 2012, Edinburgh: Olly Smith, one of the UK’s most popular and charismatic TV drinks experts, teamed up with Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Whisky at the Ideal Home Show Scotland 2012 in Glasgow earlier this month, to host a number of special tasting sessions across Glengoyne’s award-winning core range.

As Celebrity Drinks Ambassador for the Ideal Home Show, Olly joined the Glengoyne team in the Celebrity Chef Theatre to offer whisky aficionados, as well as complete novices, an entertaining Masterclass on the Glengoyne range and to learn something new about Scotland’s national spirit.

Olly also made a special visit to the Glengoyne Distillery to experience the home of the leading malt whisky for himself, meeting Distillery Manager Robbie Hughes and to get a taste for Glengoyne at its source. Glengoyne is one of Scotland’s most accessible distilleries, located just 30 minutes north of Glasgow in a beautiful wooded glen overlooking the breath-taking West Highland Way.

The mouth-watering journey started with the delicate sweet nose of fresh apples from the Glengoyne 10 Years Old, before the enjoying the more bourbon influences of Glengoyne 12 Years Old. A Single Malt which can’t help improving with age, the nutty, spicy flavours of the Glengoyne 17 Years Old were the perfect predecessor to the riot of toffee, spice and sherry that the Glengoyne 21 Years Old is famous for.

Distilled in the heart of The Trossachs for nearly 200 years, Glengoyne Highland Single Malt is one of the leading malt whiskies in the world. Using methods passed down for generations, Glengoyne is made with knowledge, passion and craftsmanship.

Commenting on his partnership with Glengoyne, Olly said: “The Glengoyne range has a vibrant fruity character across the board with delightful purity in every sip, whether it’s light and refreshing or deep and rich. The casks impart complexity and depth as the whiskies gently develop with age.

“I loved visiting the intimate Glengoyne Distillery and it was a great opportunity to share these brilliant drinks with visitors at The Ideal Home Show Scotland too.”

Olly hosts a variety of live events around the UK including the BBC Good Food Show, Tapas Fantasticas, and previously Masterchef Live, Love Cooking, Taste of London and the F-Word Live for Channel 4. Olly is also a Wine Editor for The Mail on Sunday’s Live Magazine, writes weekly for Waitrose Weekend, monthly for Waitrose Kitchen, as well as features for numerous other publications.

For more information on Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Whisky visit www.glengoyne.com

Notes

Photocaption:

1. Olly Smith at the Glengoyne Distillery Shop

2. (L-R) Glengoyne Distillery Manager, Robbie Hughes; Business Development Manager, Ian MacLeod Distillers & Olly Smith at Glengoyne Distillery

3. Olly Smith at the Glengoyne Distillery

Glengoyne

The Glengoyne portfolio consists of the 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old Cask Strength, 12 Years Old at 43%, 17 Years Old, 21 Years Old as well as special limited edition bottlings released every year.

Glengoyne is available to purchase from the Glengoyne Distillery, online at www.glengoyne.com and from Selfridges, Milroys, Oddbins, Sainsbury’s Royal Mile Whiskies, and other leading Specialists.

Glengoyne Distillery Tours start from just £6.50, call 01360 550 254 or visit www.glengoyne.com for more details and to book.

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, raises a glass of Bushmills Irish Whiskey with Elijah Wood of DJ Wooden Wisdom as the second day of Bushmills Live gets under way. 

Bushmills Live is a landmark festival of handcrafted whiskey and music taking place at the Old Bushmills Distillery. 

It features performances from international artists such as Snow Patrol, DJ Wooden Wisdom, Foy Vance, Iain Archer, The Staves, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Marcus Foster, General Fiasco and David C Clements.

Drama at the Distillery

An award winning arts production, sponsored by Benromach Single Malt Whisky, will be starring in two exclusive performances, just released, at Speyside’s smallest distillery, to toast the phenomenal success of the show worldwide.

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart returns to Scotland hot from US performances in Connecticut and New Haven and in Rio and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which formed part of its recent International Tour.

Famed for taking theatre into pubs, the production will now perform for the first time at a distillery venue with two new dates (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2012) set for the Benromach Visitor Centre in Forres.

Welcoming the performance to the Benromach distillery, David Urquhart Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, owners of the Benromach Distillery, said: “We’re excited to be continuing our sponsorship of the arts as The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart grows in popularity across Scotland, the UK and internationally. It is fitting that this award winning artistic performance will be delivered at Benromach – the home of our hand-crafted Single Malts. We look forward to welcoming the cast, crew and audience to Speyside’s smallest distillery for what promises to be two fantastic evenings’ of entertainment.”

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is an evening of supernatural storytelling, music and theatre inspired by Border Ballads, Robert Burns and the poems of Robert Service. The tale follows Prudencia Hart, an uptight academic, as she sets off to attend a conference one wintery morning in the Scottish Borders. But, as the snow falls her wild journey through the night takes her into and out of different supernatural and natural realms looking for folk songs.

Those attending the Forres performance (18 years and above) will be invited to sample Benromach 10 Years Old at the Visitors Centre.

Building on its successful partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland, and following its support of the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, Benromach has been sponsoring the 2012 tour across the UK and selected international venues.

Elly Rothnie, Development Director, National Theatre of Scotland said: “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart was a huge success at the Fringe last year and our audiences loved sampling one of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies as part of the experience. We are thrilled to be able to bring this unique performance quite literally to the home of our sponsor Benromach and celebrate the success of taking the production and Benromach whisky to new audiences across the globe.”

Following the Forres dates the production will head to Galway Arts Festival and will continue to appear at international festivals until 2013.

Listings Information

Benromach Visitors Centre, Inverne Road, Forres IV36 3EB

Dates and Time: Friday 6 & Saturday 7 July at 7.00pm. Doors open 6.30pm

Box Office: 01309 675968

Ticket Prices: £12.50 /£10 concessions

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one interval

Notes:

• The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart originally toured Scotland in February 2011 subsequently playing at Latitude Festival, Òran Mór, Glasgow, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2011. The production has won three awards, a Critics Award for Theatre for Best Music and Sound, a Herald Angel and an Argus Angel at the 2012 Brighton Festival.

• Benromach sponsored some US dates of the 2012 tour with American audiences being offered the opportunity to share a dram of the Speyside Scotch Malt during the show. This sponsorship covered all US venues where state legislation allows and is part of Benromach’s venturing into the arts and their first foray into international arts touring.

• Benromach and the National Theatre of Scotland are committed to promoting responsible drinking messages within the sponsorship of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Scottish Government document ‘Alcohol Sponsorship Guidelines Scotland’.

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.

Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

About the National Theatre of Scotland

The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating over 160 productions in 125 different locations. With no building of its own, the Company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to over 710,000 people, across three continents. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Bardstown declared “Most Beautiful” finalist

Central Ky. town in Rand McNally/ USA TODAY ‘Best of the Road’ competition

BARDSTOWN, KY – JUNE, 2012 – Bardstown may well be the “Most Beautiful” small town in America. Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” is a finalist in the Rand McNally/ USA TODAY “Best of the Road” contest that will decide the 2012 Best Small Towns. Visit www.SampleOurSpirit.com to see what’s so special about Bardstown.

The competition

Bardstown is one of six small towns selected as a finalist in the “Most Beautiful” category. Its competition is fellow Kentucky small town, Danville, and these cities: Sedona, Ariz.; Jim Thorpe, Penn.; Baker City, Ore.; and Tybee Island, Ga.

“With about 300 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places – 200 alone in the historic downtown district – and nearly 20 unique bed and breakfast inns, plus historic venues like Old Bardstown Village, I feel Bardstown really deserves this recognition,” said Dawn Ballard Przystal, vice president, tourism expansion and marketing of the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission. “Add to this the charm of Courthouse Square, all the downtown shops, restaurants and attractions and our very clean streets and parks and I feel we have a very strong chance to win.”

Bardstown is currently in the midst of preparing for the arrival of the “Best of the Road” Road Rally teams. The teams will visit all the small town finalists to see just what they’re made of and why they should be named the best in their category.

The Road Rally team

On June 15 the Road Rally teams met in Washington D.C. for the event kick-off. Each team learned which category they were assigned (Most Beautiful, Most Patriotic, Best for Food, Friendliest and Most Fun) and then sent on their way. The husband-and-wife team, Two for the Road, is heading to Bardstown. Learn more about Nikki and Dusty Green here.

Follow Two for the Road on their team page and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what they have to say about Bardstown and its competition for “Most Beautiful” small town in America.

The plan to welcome and wow

Although it is not yet known when the Two for the Road team will arrive, Bardstown plans to roll out the red carpet for the Greens, welcoming them with Southern Hospitality as befitting the “Bourbon Capital of the World” and showing off all Kentucky’s second oldest city has to offer.

Ultimately, all the Road Rally teams will finish in Seattle, Washington. In the meantime, they will have four weeks to write their blogs and reviews, make their videos from the road and view photos of the trip before deciding the 2012 Best Small Towns in America.

The 2012 Best Small Towns were chosen from over 650 competing destinations, with four finalists returning from the 2011 Rally. The 26 new small towns, including Bardstown, bring plenty of pride to the competition. Visit www.BestoftheRoad.com to see all the finalists in their categories and to browse each unique stop’s photos and reviews.

PHOTO (top)

Courthouse Square in Bardstown, Ky.

Photo: Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission

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.