J. & G. Grant, in partnership with Glasgow based publishers The Angel’s Share, are pleased to announce the publication of Glenfarclas – An Independent Distillery, by Ian Buxton. This biography of the family owned distillery has been commissioned as part of the distillery’s 175th Anniversary celebrations.

Glenfarclas – An Independent Distillery is both the definitive history of the Glenfarclas Distillery, which was first licensed in 1836 and unusually has been owned and managed by the Grant family for six generations, and is also a record of a remarkable year in the distillery’s long history, preserved for the future.

The Glenfarclas story has been bought to life by renowned whisky author Ian Buxton, delving deep into the character and provenance of the Ballindalloch distillery, and carefully presented by designer Jules Akel with original material from the distillery’s archives and newly commissioned photography by John Paul.

Commenting on the project, Ian Buxton, said, “In an industry dominated by multi-nationals the Glenfarclas story is a remarkable and engaging one. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to tell it”.

Notes

• To view images and a PDF extract of Glenfarclas – An Independent Distillery please follow this link; http://www.akel.co.uk/work/books/glenfarclasbook.html
• RRP: GBP 34.99 ISBN: 9781906476755
• Available online on at www.nwp.co.uk  , www.glenfarclas.co.uk  and www.amazon.co.uk.

Ballantine’s Continues its Support of World Class Golf in China

As the official Scotch whisky partner, Ballantine’s will be highly visible at the tournament, both on the course and through a dedicated VIP hospitality area. Each day, the players with the lowest round of the day will be awarded with a bottle of Ballantine’s 21 Year Old, while the winning two-man team will be presented with a rare bottle of Ballantine’s 30 Year Old.

As part of Ballantine’s ongoing commitment to professional golf globally, the brand will also be supporting China’s No 1 player, Liang Wen Chong, who is a Ballantine’s brand ambassador.

The Omega Mission Hills World Cup is a unique opportunity for Ballantine’s to further participate in China’s golf boom. In recent years, the Scotch whisky brand has provided significant support to the sport’s grass roots in the region. For example, in 2007, Ballantine’s and Liang Wen Chong co-founded the Ballantine’s Golf Fund, which aims to boost the development of professional golf in China by supporting emerging talent.

In December 2010, Ballantine’s extended the reach of this commitment by establishing the Ballantine’s Dragon Team, China’s first team of professional golfers selected by a panel of the Fund’s judges for their ambition and dedication to the sport. Members of the Ballantine’s Dragon Team are offered team training with leading golf coaches, full sponsorship of members’ participation in high level tournaments as well as sponsoring their attendance at the 2011 Ballantine’s Championship.

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, comments: “We are delighted to be continuing our support of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, as part of our long term investment in golf, both internationally and at a local level. China is key for us and it also represents one of the fastest growing golf markets in the world. Our sponsorship efforts, both at the top of the game and at grass roots level, mark our deepening commitment to this country and its golfing prowess.”

Ballantine’s association with golf can be traced back to at least 1960 when the Ballantine’s Tournament took place at Wentworth golf course. More than fifty years later, Ballantine’s is the title sponsor of the high-profile Ballantine’s Championship, Korea’s first and only European Tour event and the country’s largest golf tournament, to which the brand is committed until at least 2013. Ballantine’s has been official supplier to the Scottish Open since 2007.

Notes:

About Ballantine’s
Ballantine’s is the No 1 ultra-premium whisky in Asia Pacific, selling more than 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 80 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 iconic 30 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.

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.

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

For further information please visit: www.chivasbrothers.com

US Duo Leave an Impression with Victory in China

Following their two-shot victory at the 56th World Cup of Golf in Hainan, China, The USA’s Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar are presented with a bottle of prestigious Ballantine’s 30 Year Old by Ballantine’s Brand Director Peter Moore (far left) and Con Constandis, Chairman and CEO Pernod Ricard China (far right).

Release of WhiskyCompanion 2.00 for Android mobile devices

Today WhiskyCompanion announced the release of WhiskyCompanion ver. 2.00 for Android mobile devices.

WhiskyCompanion for Android is a complete whisky (or whiskey if you prefer) guide for the curious amateur as well as for the experienced collector.

The App comes with detailed information and pictures of more than 2.400 whiskies (bourbon, rye, malts, single malt, cask strength, blended, etc.) from 266 distilleries in 21 countries.

The pre-loaded data for whiskies and distilleries can easily be changed, or the user can create new whiskies and distilleries supported by own camera pictures or pictures uploaded to the phone.

You can share your distillery and whisky information with other users of WhiskyCompanion. Users can create accounts on WhiskyCompanion’s network server for free, and then upload their own distilleries and whiskies. After approval of uploaded material, can uploaded distilleries and whiskies be searched and downloaded by other users.

Distilleries and distributors may use the sharing functionality to upload new whiskies and make the information instantly available to the WhiskyCompanion community.

Whiskies might be found through countries, regions or distilleries. The app also has full text search functionality for whiskies making it very easy to find your favorite whisky in the massive list.

Notes from distillery visits can be added to each distillery, and detailed comments and tasting notes (classifications) may be added to the whiskies. All distilleries visited and whiskies tasted and rated will then be available in the “My Whiskies” section, which gives a complete overview over all personal activities.

Most of the distilleries have map-location for integration with Google Map. When clicking on a distillery location, Map will launch, and this can easily be switched to Street-View. It is then possible to virtually walk around the distillery.

You can create your own tasting event with picture and key information. Then you can link whiskies to the event and add your tasting notes to those whiskies.

The user interface of WhiskyCompanion is currently localized to Finnish, Dutch, English, German, Norwegian and Swedish. More languages will follow.

The app is available for at NOK 18.00 (US$ 2.99, € 1.99, GBP 1.99) on Android Market.

For more information please search Android Market for “whisky” or “WhiskyCompanion”, or visit www.whiskycompanion.com .

Cooley to bring Poitín out of the Shadows

Cooley Distillery, the European Distiller of the Year, has launched a new range of Poitín products to showcase the traditional Spirit of Ireland.

The origin of distilling in Ireland dates back over 1,000 years. Before there was Irish whiskey there was Poitín – a clear Irish spirit famous for its alcohol strength. In homage to this ancient Irish Spirit, Cooley Distillery, Irelands only independent whiskey distiller, has released an Origin series of Poitín products to revive the traditional Spirit of Ireland.

Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a derivative of the Irish word pota, meaning “pot”. Normally distilled from barley grain or potatoes, it is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world and for centuries was classified as illegal in Ireland. Poitín is one of the most long-established spirits in the world with a rich and varied history and is exclusively associated with Ireland.

Jack Teeling, Managing Director of Cooley Distillery, commented, “Poitín is at the origin of Irish Spirits and Irish whiskey in particular. Over the years it has been demonised because it was illegally produced and the end product lacked consistency, quality and credibility. We have produced a quality Poitín product using ancient techniques in our award winning distillery allowing consumers of today try this ancient Irish spirit with confidence as they are getting a high quality product.”

Cooleys’ first Poitín release is triple distilled in small copper Pot Stills from a traditional Irish Pot Still recipe of malted and unmalted barley. Bottled straight from the still with no maturation produces a surprisingly smooth spirit even for one that is bottled at 65% abv. Poitín like any quality white spirit lends itself to be consumed in a variety of ways, neat, with water, with mixers and as a component of cocktails but due to its alcohol strength it should be enjoyed in moderation.

“As Poitín is basically un-aged Irish whiskey spirit and we hope to revive the Poitín as a national product. A lot of other countries around the world celebrate and market their national high alcohol spirits. Brazil have Cachaca, Greece Ouzo, Bulgaria Rakia and the Czech’s have successfully revived Absinthe after it was effectively outlawed for over 75 years. We want to bring Poitín out from the shadows and let Irish people have a national white spirit they can be proud of,” continued Teeling.

Consisting of only 1,800 bottles this small batch release will be initially available through the Celtic Whiskey Shop and Dublin Airport as well as through good independent off-licenses.

About Cooley Distillery

Cooley Distillery is the award winning independent Irish whiskey distillery. Established in 1987, Cooley takes its name from the location of its distillery, situated at the foothills of the Cooley Mountains, in Co. Louth. Cooley has an award winning portfolio of Irish whiskeys including Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, Tyrconnell Single Malt, Connemara Peated Single Malt and Greenore Single Grain Irish whiskey. To learn more about Cooley Distillery visit www.cooleywhiskey.com.

£10 MILLION CAMBUS COOPERAGE FOR WHISKY CASKS BRINGS ANCIENT CRAFT INTO 21ST CENTURY

by Pat Roberts

Recognising the still-growing demand around the world for Scotch, particularly in the emerging markets of Asia and Latin America, Diageo is investing in growing Scotch whisky production capacity across Scotland. To accommodate additional production, a good supply of top quality oaks casks is needed, so Diageo has built a new state-of-the art Cooperage at Cambus, near Alloa in Fife.

Robot loading cask for firing

The coopers there will craft around 250,000 casks each year – all of which will be used to mature Scotch whisky for Diageo’s world leading brands, such as Johnnie Walker and J&B Rare, and Diageo’s famous collection of single malt Scotch whiskies like Talisker, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Oban and The Singleton of Glen Ord.

The Cambus site – the first new cooperage to be built in Scotland for decades – has been designed “by the coopers for the coopers”, drawing on generations of skill, craft and experience and combining it with the state-of-the-art British engineering – never before used in a cooperage – to dramatically improve the working lives of the coopers.

Diageo has invested £10 million* in the new purpose-built cooperage. It employs over 100 people: 40 coopers, 39 operators and team leaders and has eight apprentices. A further 20 people are involved in maintenance, transport and support services.

The new Cambus cooperage was opened on 28 November by His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, who toured the new cooperage and met a range of time-served coopers, including some with decades of experience in the trade, as well Diageo’s apprentice coopers who are now able to hone their skills in a custom-built coopering school within the new cooperage.

Calum Bruce, Prince Edward, Brian Law

Calum Bruce, 51, one of Diageo’s longest serving coopers with 35 years’ service, having started in the trade at age 16, explained the difference the new ways of working had made to the coopers.

He said: “A lot has changed over the last 35 years, but the basic skills have stayed the same. But Cambus is something different altogether. We still use the same skills to do the same job, but the difference is the machines now do a lot of the heavy lifting so we don’t have to spend time and effort on hard labour and we can focus on the skilled part of the job. That is what has really transformed the way we work.”

Brian Law, one of eight apprentices currently learning their trade on Diageo’s four-year apprentice scheme, also welcomed the investment the company has made in the future of the trade. He said: “It is a really exciting time to be learning my trade as a cooper. At Cambus, Diageo has an investment in the future of coopering and that’s also an investment in the futures of all the guys who work here.”

Classic coopering skills& strength are still needed

“We wanted to maximise the craft skills which are the core of the job, while using smart technology to minimise the back-breaking bending and heavy-lifting which causes physical damage to the guys doing the job.”

Tom Duncan, a manager at Cambus, was one of the team tasked with leading the new cooperage project and explained the ethos behind the cooperage: “It’s not often you get to start with a blank sheet of paper and design something like this from scratch. From the start the basic principal was that this would be a cooperage designed by coopers for coopers.”

“We wanted to maximise the craft skills which are the core of the job, while using smart technology to minimise the back-breaking bending and heavy-lifting which causes physical damage to the guys doing the job.”

To achieve this, the Diageo team turned to Leicester-based engineering firm CI Logistics, which works primarily in the car industry, and together they custom-designed a series of mechanical conveyors to move the casks – which weigh up to 85kg when empty – around the cooperage between the hand-craft elements of the process. The result is the world’s most unique and innovative cooperage.

*Note: £10 million = €11.7 million or US $ 15.8 million

TheWhiskyBarrel.com Whisky Shop Reveals New Logo

Online whisky shop TheWhiskyBarrel.com today reveals its new insignia.

The new logo has been designed by Craig Mackinlay of Breeze Creative, the Glasgow based design company, who have worked with many of Scotland’s successful distilleries.

Craig Mackinlay explains “The new logo design enhances TheWhiskyBarrel.com by reflecting the modern look and feel of the company’s online whisky shop”.

Alastair Brown, Managing Director of The Whisky Barrel says “Our new logo design enhances our online web presence by clearly defining what we do. It blends our modern approach to a historic industry. Craig has designed one hell of a doodle”.

The previous logo, created in 2007, served the company for four years will be retired with a half bottle of Loch Dhu which still hasn’t sold.

You can follow our whisky musings on Facebook, Twitter and The Whisky Barrel Blog.

The Whisky Barrel

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

facebook.com/thewhiskybarrel

twitter.com/whiskybarrel @WhiskyBarrel

www.thewhiskybarrel.com/blog

E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com

T: +44 (0)845 2248 156

Iconic Scottish drinks brand, DRAMBUIE is to premiere its exciting global marketing campaign: A TASTE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY on 28 November with London getting the first glimpse of the international campaign.

The result of 12 months work and research on both sides of the Atlantic, the new creative territory marks a major departure for Drambuie as it drives forward to the next stage of its rejuvenation and aims to attract a new generation of drinkers. Building on the success of the new bottle design introduced in 2009, the campaign will be rolled out globally in 2012, with Greece, Chile and the UK introducing A Taste of the Extraordinary in 2011.

Developed by London-based creative agency Sell!Sell!, A Taste of the Extraordinary will challenge consumers to re-evaluate their perception of the brand as a drink choice, making it more accessible and appealing, particularly to 25-44 year old professional ‘creative class’ consumers.

With an infinite, moonlit, monochrome landscape the Drambuie bottle and amber liquid is emphasised in sharp relief. Artistic influences from Dali to Escher have helped to inform this incredible, surreal landscape. The creative campaign brings an element of intrigue; crafting a new brand world that tempts consumers to explore and discover the depth and unique taste of Drambuie.

London residents and visitors will receive a preview of the new campaign in the run up to this Christmas, with posters appearing across the London Underground, along with 300 branded taxis in the eye-catching black and white zigzag design and bottle shot.

The UK campaign for A Taste of the Extraordinary will be further supported by an integrated social media and PR strategy led by Freshwater UK. Events22 is also developing an extraordinary range of consumer experiential activities that will support the campaign throughout 2012 and beyond.

The photography commissioned for the new advertising campaign is by London based photographer John Ross. John is best known for his award-winning album artwork photography for the Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers, Spiritualised and DJ Shadow. Most recently he shot the striking Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage in time for the Rugby World Cup Final.

Vicki Wonders, Drambuie Liqueur Co.’s UK senior brand manager commented: “We’re delighted to offer consumers a sneak preview of A Taste of the Extraordinary in the UK this Christmas. A fully integrated campaign combining advertising, social media, PR and experiential activity will be rolled out later in 2012. This campaign offers an engaging platform from which we will present Drambuie to potential consumers, as well as our on and off trade partners, as we encourage them to reconsider the brand and its place in their repertoire.”

Tim Dewey, global marketing director commented “Our research in both the UK and USA found that there was a real need to educate our consumers as to what the ‘taste’ of Drambuie actually is – a unique blend of aged Scotch whisky, spices heather honey and herbs. Combining this message with our bold new direction, we are in a much stronger position to further target a new generation of Drambuie drinkers. A Taste of the Extraordinary has given us the assets to deliver an impactful campaign across all channels and markets for years to come.”

www.drambuie.com

Notes

Drambuie can be found in all good drinks specialists and supermarkets, UK RRP £23.99

About DRAMBUIE®

A unique blend of aged Scotch whisky, species heather honey and herbs, the Drambuie recipe was created more than 260 years ago exclusively for Prince Charles Edward Stuart of Scotland. 

The first commercial production of Drambuie took place in Edinburgh 1909 and became popular internationally as it was taken abroad by the Scottish Regiments in the two World Wars.

In the USA post prohibition, it became synonymous with the classic cocktail The Rusty Nail ™. Today it’s enjoyed neat, over ice and as a long refreshing drink mixed with soda, ginger beer or ginger ale.  For more information visit www.drambuie.com

About photographer John Ross

A commercial photographer, John specialises in liquids, still life, portraits and cars and is currently working on a charity book about children orphaned by AIDs in South Africa. 

John also coincidentally shares the name of the first ever maker of Drambuie. www.johnross.co.uk

About Sell!Sell!

Sell!Sell! is advertisings naughty stepchild, an independent creative advertising agency based in London. We help companies large and small to grow their business.

Feast your eyes on the Sell! Sell! Blog: http://sellsellblog.blogspot.com 

Amrut Portonova receives 2011 Malt Maniac Award

Malt Maniacs released their annual awards on December 1, 2011 and the limited edition Amrut Portonova received the “Best Cask Innovation Award (Premium)”. The Best Cask Innovation Award is presented for the Best whisky matured or finished in ‘special’ or unusual casks. In addition Amrut Portonova received 88.15 points and was awarded a Silver Medal.

For 2010 in addition to a number of Malt Maniac Awards, Amrut received a special award for “Young World Distillery of the Year”, which recognized the quality of whiskies being produced by Amrut.

Amrut Portonova is a unique Single Malt Whisky that was first matured in new American oak and ex-Bourbon barrels. The whisky is then transferred to Port Pipes for further maturation of 1 year and then back to ex-Bourbon barrels for finishing, Bottled at Cask Strength 61.2% abv this is a limited edition release of less than 1250 bottles worldwide.

An allocation of 312 bottles of Amrut Portonova will be available in the US by mid-December at a price of $115 per bottle.

Amrut Distilleries is a family owned distillery based in Bangalore India and has been in operation since 1948. They released their first Single Malt Whisky in 2004. Now available in 20 countries, Amrut Single Malts continue to surprise and impress critics and connoisseurs.

Since 1997, the malt maniacs (an international collective of malt whisky enthusiasts) have been enjoying and discussing the pleasures of (single malt) whisky with like-minded whisky lovers from all over the world. Since 2003, they have organised their very own annual ‘amateur’ whisky competition.”We like to think that, over the years, our modest little initiative has evolved into one of the leading (and most independent) whisky competitions in the world.” You can find more details about the collective and its history on: www.maltmaniacs.org.

Amrut Single Malts are imported by Purple Valley Imports USA and distributed in over 20 States. For further information contact Raj Sabharwal, Managing Director, Purple Valley Imports at raj@purplevalleyimports.com or 704 497 2493.

Unique and collectable whisky reaches £500 at online auction

A unique and collectable bottle of signed whisky from Speyside’s smallest distillery has been sold for £500 in an online auction with proceeds going to a local rescue charity.

Distillery manager, Keith Cruickshank, and infamous online whisky commentator, Ralf Mitchell, signed the bottle of Benromach single cask for the charitable auction, which was hosted at the Scotch Whisky Auctions.

The money raised from the sale will go to Findhorn based Moray Inshore Rescue Organisation (M.I.R.O) who are an independent rescue service manned entirely by volunteers.

Keith Cruikshank said the online auction, which finished on Sunday (November 27), was a great success.

He said: “We are thrilled by to have raised so much money for M.I.R.O, a local charity, based only a few miles away from the Benromach Distillery. It was a very unique bottle of Benromach single cask whisky, hand bottled for

Ralf Mitchell at our distillery last month, and is the only bottle to be bottled at that exact point in time so we are pleased it was such a hit with collectors and whisky enthusiasts across the globe.”

The winner also received an exclusive selection of Benromach merchandise including a sample bottle of whisky, two blender glasses, key ring, polo shirt, wallet, stow bag, calendar and a newsletter signed by David and Michael Urquhart.

Ralf Mitchell, commonly known as Ralfy, also donated a memory stick, containing Vlogs about the auction and hand written tasting notes.

Previous charitable auctions of similar products have seen funds of around £400 raised.

If you want to find out more information about Benromach and sample the unique taste of their rare whiskies visit www.benromach.com.

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.

Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

About Ralfy

Ralfy is an independent video based commentator who combines entertaining whisky reviews with eccentricity for independent Scotch Whisky Producers.

Ralfy is also a member of the Malt Maniacs.

Please visit ralfy.com for details.

About Scotch Whisky Auctions

Scotch Whisky Auctions is an innovative and imaginative whisky auction website offering old whisky, rare whisky and vintage whisky for auction.

Please visit www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com for details.

About M.I.R.O

MIRO is one of around 50 independent rescue services that operate around the UK. It is manned entirely by volunteers and funded by the generosity of the general public and local business. Every penny raised by MIRO goes directly into the charities funds with nothing deducted for third parties or administration.

Please visit www.morayinshorerescue.org for details.