MEDIA INFORMATION
For Immediate Release: 31st January 2011.

• Islay for sale!
• Iconic web domain name to be auctioned.

The owner of the iconic domain name Islay.com has announced its auction over the internet.

German IT entrepreneur Dr Clemens Dillmann has previously operated the site for whisky enthusiasts but has withdrawn his interests in the whisky market and will offer the site to a new owner. 

The domain name – www.islay.com – will be auctioned on eBay (item number 190497112612) with the auction scheduled to finish at 16.05 hrs on Thursday 10th February.

It is expected that www.islay.com will be of interest to the island’s many distillers, as well as tourist authorities, community groups or even a B&B operator.  “As I have no plans to continue in this market,” explained Dr Dillmann “it seemed best that the domain should go to a new owner and an internet auction seems the fairest way to find the right buyer.”

Bidding started at £0.99 and concludes at 16.05 hrs on Thursday 10th February.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact:           Dr. Clemens Dillmann
mf Medienservice, Bollmannallee 17, D 27318 Hoya, Germany.
Tel:                  +49 (0)4251 92440.
Email:                    clemens.dillmann@mfmedienservice.de

Glengoyne Awarded Ultra Premium Dram of 2010

Edinburgh: Connoisseurs from one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious whisky events, The Whisky Show, have named Glengoyne 40 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky as the Ultra Premium Dram of 2010.

Competing against over 20 luxury whiskies currently available in the global marketplace retailing from a minimum of £300, Glengoyne 40 Years Old was selected as the pinnacle dram that best captured the distiller’s art.

A combined vote from visitor sampling and nomination for their preferred Ultra Premium whisky and a final tasting by Event Director Graeme Wallace and The Whisky Exchange proprietor Sukhinder Singh, Glengoyne was declared the ultimate winner of the ultimate whisky award. Praised for its “sweet, complex” and “oily texture”, it was noted that this Single Malt had remained “superbly balanced” and velvety smooth, without being overpowered by its 40 years of contact with the cask. 

Graeme Wallace, Event Director commented:  “To evaluate and settle on which expression was the best of the very best is always going to be extremely hard, with every Ultra Premium Dram being of the highest magnitude, reflecting the finest whisky available today.”

“For a whisky to top this category and win the Ultra Premium Dram Award is no easy achievement and should in no way reflect negatively on the runners up. It was a very close call but Glengoyne 40 Years Old was a very worthy winner.”

Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers commented: “We are thrilled with this result.  It is testament to the Glengoyne team’s craftsmanship and skill that the 40 Years Old has succeeded in winning this very prestigious title against such a high calibre of entrants.

“The 40 Years Old Single Malt captures the pure essence of Glengoyne and its exceptional, un-peated ‘Real Taste of Malt’. It is a joy to open the highest quality sherry casks after four decades and find such great balance between malt and Still. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Owned by the Scottish, independent, family owned company Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd, Glengoyne distillery has been producing whisky from the heart of the Trossachs for over 175 years. With a highly selective cask policy, Glengoyne is also distilled slower than any other single malt Scotch whisky. Using air-dried malted barley, rather than pungent peat smoke, the distillery nurses the spirit through its stills at around one-third of the normal rate. This creates a more subtle, complex whisky in which all of the delicate flavours are freely allowed to express themselves.

Only 250 bottles of the limited edition Glengoyne 40 Years Old have been produced, retailing domestically for £3,750, this luxury whisky is presented in a hand-blown bespoke crystal decanter and stitched leather and solid oak presentation box of the highest quality.

Glengoyne 40 Years Old has been described by Michel Roux Jnr, as “simply sensational”, with the two star Michelin chef commenting on the “complexity in the flavours that linger in the mouth. There’s a strong richness in both the colour and in the flavours. It has a long, dry finish.”

The Whisky Show is an annual premium consumer whisky tasting even that takes place in London at the end of October. For more details visit www.thewhiskyshow.com

For further details on stockists and distribution details for Glengoyne, contact Alan Wardrop, UK Sales Manager, Ian Macleod Distillers, 01506 852205.

Only the slowest distillation process, untainted by peat smoke, creates Glengoyne THE REAL TASTE OF MALT

Glengoyne encourages responsible drinking

www.drinkaware.co.uk   www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

January 2011

Release of WhiskyCompanion 1.06 for Android devices

Today WhiskyCompanion announced the release of WhiskyCompanion ver. 1.06 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 2.300 whiskies (rye, malts, single malt, cask strength, blended, etc.) from 211 distilleries in 18 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.

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.

As more data (content) is published, new countries, distilleries and whiskies will be added to the central database that can easily be downloaded to the app’s database. These updates will not affect modified user data in the phone’s database.

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. This section also includes a wish-list for whiskies.

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.

The app is available as an introductory offer at NOK 17,50 (US$ 2,95) on Android Market.

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

A few screenshots of the app are shown below:

Edinburgh: Following successful partnerships with iconic rock brands such as Marshall Amps and Classic Rock Magazine, Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is now celebrating Glasgow’s vibrant music scene with an exciting new competition with VisitScotland. 

Promoted as part of VisitScotland’s seasonal Winter White campaign, Smokehead is now selling all its UK standard bottles with on-pack promotional stickers offering fans the chance to win a luxury two night break in Scotland’s largest, brightest city. Staying at the five star Glasgow Hilton, the lucky winner and guest will also receive their choice of music gig tickets for the SECC, courteous of TicketSoup.com.

The prize also includes breakfast both mornings, evening meals at The Hilton’s stylish Cameron Restaurant and Ashton Lane’s popular Grosvenor Bistro, entry to the West End’s Viper Club,  £300 travel/spending money and of course a special bottle of Smokehead Whisky. 

Iain Weir, Marketing Director of Ian Macleod Distillers, brand owners of Smokehead Whisky said: “Glasgow has one of the most exciting music scenes in the UK and working with VisitScotland to promote this is the perfect way for us to build on Smokehead’s growing rock credentials, offering a competition that will really appeal to our target customer base.

“With our continued support for fantastic events such as this summer’s High Voltage music festival and the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest, this is set to be a big music year for Smokehead. The Winter White promotion with VisitScotland is the ideal start to 2011.”

Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt. The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat.

Smokehead is widely available throughout the UK and worldwide, RRP £31.99. Details of stockists can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk 

In his new book 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die, Ian Buxton says of Smokehead 18 Years Old: “I saw Extra Black compared to the amplifier that goes all the way up to 11 in Spinal Tap. It is just as rock and roll as that.”

To enter or for more information visit www.smokehead.co.uk or www.visitscotland.com/whitemalt

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky encourages responsible drinking

www.drinkaware.co.uk  www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

CLEGG PRAISES STRONG SCOTCH WHISKY EXPORT FIGURES DURING VISIT TO HOME OF CHIVAS REGAL

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s announcement today that, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the value of whisky exports during the first ten months of 2010 reached £2.8bn* – an increase of 12 per cent on the same period the previous year.

Speaking at the Strathisla Distillery in Keith, Scotland – the home of Pernod Ricard’s icon brand Chivas Regal, Mr Clegg said: “I would like to raise a toast to the Scotch whisky industry, as 2010 shapes up to have been a record year for exports. I was glad to see evidence this morning of the verve and ambition in Scottish industry.

Mr Clegg also commented “The dynamic Scotch whisky companies are making great strides to exploit new markets and new opportunities and the UK Government will continue to do whatever we can to assist them.”

Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Limited, commented: “This is hugely encouraging news for the Scotch whisky industry and we look forward to the SWA’s complete 2010 export data when it is published later this year. Following a more challenging environment in 2009, it is great for the industry to see a strong growth pattern emerging again.

Mr Porta added: “Hosting Mr Clegg at Strathisla Distillery today is very fitting as it is the home of Chivas Regal, a truly global super-premium Scotch whisky brand. We are very confident of the continuing strong growth in our brands, especially in all the fast emerging markets.”

Chivas Regal sells 4.2 million 9L cases** annually and is the No 1 super-premium Scotch whisky in Europe.*** It is also the leading imported spirit in China, where 25% of the global luxury category is represented. The Chivas Regal range is the epitome of style, substance and exclusivity and includes Chivas Regal 12, 18 and 25 Year Old.

Notes:

* Shipment value
** Pernod Ricard sales figures: July 2009 – June 2010
*** Pernod Ricard figures

Photography

Pictured from left to right: Gavin Hewitt, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association; Alan Winchester, Distilling Manager Chivas Brothers; Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister; Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Limited.

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.

About The Age Matters
In 2010, Chivas Brothers launched a global campaign entitled The Age Matters, to advocate the importance and value of Scotch whisky age statements, following consumer research which showed that 94% of whisky drinkers believe that age is an important indicator of quality while only 10% understand that it refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle.

With 85% share of all Scotch whiskies aged 21 years old and over, Chivas Brothers has an outstanding pedigree in the maturation of luxury whisky. At any given time Chivas Brothers has more than 6m casks maturing, having been laid down over the last 50 years.

The Sons of Icarus have been crowned the first ever winner of the UK’s largest unsigned band competition, the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest (UBC).

Sponsored by rock icon Marshall Amps, the Lick Library and Smokehead Islay Single Malt Whisky, the UBC came to a thrilling conclusion, with five finalists battling head to head at a live gig at Marshall’s Milton Keynes HQ.

Judged by a panel of influential industry heavyweights including Ian Williamson of Classic Rock Magazine, Kim Waller of The Lick Library and Chris George, International Demonstrator for Marshall Amplification, The Sons of Icarus were voted the unequivocal champions, winning not only the honour of being the first ever Marshall Ultimate Band but also get a full Marshall Endorsement (previously bestowed on the likes of Slash and Jimi Hendrix). 

The Sons of Icarus will also receive a substantial equipment loan, a Limited Edition bottle of Smokehead Extra Black each, LickLibrary DVDs, a re-master of four tracks by famed Metropolis Studio and a covermount CD by Classic Rock Magazine.

Described as a modern rock band, The Sons of Icarus (formerly The Fury) are based in Guildford and consist of Andy Masson (vocals/ guitar), Alex Masson (bass/ backing vocals), Mike McQuillan (Drums), Steve Balkwill (Lead Guitar), who study together at the Academy of Contemporary Music, Surrey. The band reached the final thanks to fans voting online and the final was also broadcast by Lick Library via a webcast and was viewed by nearly 1,700 visitors. 

Paul Marshall, Artist and Customer Liaison Manager of Marshall Amplification said: “The Sons of Icarus are an outstanding band and truly worthy winners of the Marshall UBC. I am sure 2011 will see the band go from strength to strength and I understand a management company is now looking to sign them.

“A major part of winning the Marshall UBC is the added exposure it offers allowing the band opportunities to get in front of very influential people in the industry, which otherwise can be very difficult.

“I would like to thank all the bands that entered as the overall standard was extremely high making for a great evening and some tough judging. I would urge all the bands out there to look out for the opportunity to enter the Marshall UBC 2011.”

Iain Weir, Marketing Director of Smokehead Whisky and UBC judge said: “We were thrilled to be able support the first ever UBC and The Sons of Icarus were deserving winners.  Over the last 12 months we have increasingly grown Smokehead’s rock credentials, not only with our work with Marshall and Lick Library but also by our continued support of key events in the rock calendar including the Classic Rock Hall of Fame Awards.

“The Marshall UBC was a great success and we cannot wait until Year Two of the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest – this is just the beginning.”

Sons of Icarus commented: “We absolutely loved playing at the Marshall HQ. The sound was awesome and the guys at Marshall are some of the friendliest people in the industry we’ve ever met. The competition was fantastically done, and we couldn’t be happier to have won it. Thanks so much to Marshall, Lick Library and Smokehead!”

Smokehead Whisky, the powerful Islay Single Malt which has become the drink of choice at rock events including High Voltage Festival and, for the second time, the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, which took place at the Roundhouse in London in November. Legendary shock-rocker Alice Cooper was this year’s Master Of Ceremonies, along with TV presenter and all-round rock fan Sarah Cawood. Canadian rockers Rush were honoured with the Living Legend award (sponsored by Marshall), heralding the first time a band has won this prestigious accolade – previous recipients include Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop. Rock icon Slash picked up the award for Album of the Year. 

For more details, rules of entry and to enter see www.marshallubc.com

www.facebook.com/marshalUBC

Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt. The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat.

In his new book 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die, Ian Buxton says of Smokehead 18 Years Old: “I saw Extra Black compared to the amplifier that goes all the way up to 11 in Spinal Tap. This is just as rock and roll as that.”

Smokehead is widely available throughout the UK and worldwide, RRP £31.99. Details of stockists, including Sainsbury’s can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk

Curious to discover more, visit www.smokehead.co.uk

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky encourages responsible drinking

www.drinkaware.co.uk  www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

TOASTING THE BARD

Whether you have an invitation to a formal traditional Burns Supper or are planning a simple affair at home with haggis neeps and tatties, choose from the following single malts for a fine dram to toast our national bard on his birthday.

Lauded “the greatest all rounder in the world of malt whisky” by the late drinks writer Michael Jackson, Highland Park 12 year old single malt, boasts a rich full flavour with hints of honey and peat with a soft, long rounded finish. This award winning Orcadian malt is the perfect tipple to serve alongside some haggis. (RRP £28.74, available at multiple retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, Somerfield and Oddbins or online at www.highlandpark.co.uk).

Balanced with oak and fruit flavours with hints of heather honey, the soft and malty The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old makes an ideal introduction to the range. The award winning Fine Oak range was heralded to be “by far the best range of non-vintage whiskies to be launched by any one distillery for possibly the last decade.” (RRP £27.75, available at multiple retailers including Asda, Tesco, Co-op, Oddbins or online at www.themacallan.com).

Laden with notes of ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice, The Glenrothes Select Reserve typifies the Speyside distillery house style.  A vatting of casks distilled in different years, Select Reserve is presented in the iconic Glenrothes bottle and is the very essence of The Glenrothes range (RRP £33.45, available at Sainsbury’s, Oddbins, House of Fraser, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Wine Rack, specialist whisky retailers or online at www.theglenrothes.com)

WhiskyCast LIVE This Weekend from Victoria!

Join us this Saturday for the first LIVE webcast of WhiskyCast on location at the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia!  

We’ll have all of the usual WhiskyCast features, along with a special live blind tasting of whiskies selected by fellow Malt Maniac and VWF Chairman Lawrence Graham. The panel will include whisky pros and amateur whisky lovers, and only one person knows what we’ll be tasting until the secrets are revealed. 

The fun starts at 2:00pm Pacific Time live from the Hotel Grand Pacific on Victoria’s Inner Harbour. That’s 5:00pm on the East Coast, and 2200 GMT, and you’ll find the link for the live webcast at the Victoria Whisky Festival’s web site www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com  

If you can’t join us for the live feed from Victoria, the entire show will be available as a podcast later that night, and we’ll have a special second episode featuring highlights from Victoria on Sunday!

Slainte!

Mark Gillespie

www.whiskycast.com

 The link on the Victoria Whisky Festival website is at the top of the home page and looks like this;

Live Old Pulteney Tasting on Twitter 20th January, 2011 at 7:30PM GMT (That’s TODAY!).

The hashtag is #wk209

Old Pulteney WK209 ‘Good Hope’

• Follows a highly successful WK499 ‘Isabella Fortuna’ as Old Pulteney’s travel retail offering
• Limited to only 1,600 cases (of 6 x 1 litre bottles)
• Unchill-filtered, natural colour
• Bottled at 46% ABV
• Matured entirely in European sherry casks
• Named after a steam Herring Drifter WK209 ‘Good Hope’ built in Wick in 1948, first boat in Wick to use echo sounder

Official tasting notes:

Colour: Dark copper with bronze highlights

Nose: Smooth and spicy with aromas of toffee and chocolate; traces of hazelnut and vanilla.

Taste: Sweet to start with hints of citrus notes; full bodied with overtones of raisins, chocolate and warm spices leading to long lasting finish.

The tasting will also include Old Pulteney 12yo and the Old Pulteney 17yo. The photo of the WK209 is a mock up so you’re having a sneak peek at what it will look like on the store shelves. Distillery Manager Malcolm Waring will also be taking part along with an undetermined number of eager bloggers who are always willing to guzzle free whisky for a good cause. Unfortunately Whisky Intelligence will only be able to take part in two thirds of the tasting as the sample of Old Pulteney17yo suffered a catastrophic failure during the journey across the Atlantic.

Visit Old Pulteney Distillery at www.oldpulteney.com

MIDLETON RELEASES NEW EXCLUSIVE WHISKEYS

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard has launched two new rare, single cask, single pot still whiskeys from the Midleton Distillery, makers of the world’s No 1 Irish whiskey, Jameson.

Both new expressions have been released under the celebrated Midleton brand, renowned for its annual vintage release of the Midleton Very Rare blend. Created exclusively for two specific customers – the new Irish Whiskey Collection shop at the recently opened Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport, and The Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dublin’s Dawson Street – the whiskeys were personally selected from individual casks by Master Distiller Barry Crockett as outstanding expressions of the Midleton style.

Just 200 bottles of the Terminal 2 release were yielded from cask No 48709. This 19-year-old single pot still whiskey was laid down in November 1991 in a first-fill American bourbon barrel and has, in a new departure for the Midleton brand, been bottled at cask strength (53.7% ABV). The cask strength affords the whiskey connoisseur the rare opportunity to experience a Midleton whiskey as it emerges directly from the cask. The whiskey reveals a dark, fleshy fruit character in perfect balance with the underlying pot still spiciness. The impressive presentation box includes a portion of stave from the barrel in which the whiskey spent its life maturing. Each bottle is individually numbered and retails at €260.

The Celtic Whiskey Shop release was laid down in December 1996, also in a first-fill American bourbon barrel, and has been bottled at 46% ABV. This slightly lighter style offers green apples and banana on the palate. Just 270 individually numbered bottles have been made available, retailing at €225 each.

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard CEO Alex Ricard says: “Connoisseurs of fine spirits have always eagerly awaited the annual vintage release of Midleton Very Rare, and with these new single cask, single pot still expressions, we are giving consumers more opportunities to experience the wonderful whiskey complexities of Midleton. Due to their rarity, we expect a high amount of interest.

“We have enjoyed a close working relationship with The Celtic Whiskey Shop for many years, so we are pleased to be able to offer this rare whiskey as an exclusive to them. We also wanted to mark the opening of Terminal 2 in Dublin, which is great news for both tourism and business in the city, and this wonderful new single cask expression seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

Notes:

Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Pot Still Irish Whiskey is a style of whiskey which is unique to Ireland in general and to the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, in particular and is regarded as the quintessential style of Irish whiskey.

Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, pot still Irish whiskeys are characterised by full, complex flavours and a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel. The inclusion of unmalted barley to the mashbill distinguishes pot still whiskeys from the more widely known malt whiskeys which use only malted barley and is a uniquely Irish approach to whiskey distillation.

Single Pot Still Whiskeys (whiskeys originating from a single distillery) were once the norm in Ireland and from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, pot still Irish whiskey was the most popular style of whiskey in the world. However, this style fell out of favour and the increasingly popular blended whiskeys, which combine lighter unmalted grain whiskey with the fuller flavoured pot still whiskey, led to the demise of pot still Irish whiskey.

While pot still whiskey continues to be used as a key component in many well known Irish blend brands, by the turn of the millennium only two Single Pot Still whiskey brands had survived. – Redbreast & Green Spot. However, in recent years, this style of whiskey has received positive attention from whiskey commentators and enthusiasts alike giving rise to a groundswell of interest and in the release of new expressions.

Tasting Notes

Midleton Single Pot Still – Single Cask # 48709, exclusive to Terminal 2 Irish Whiskey Collection Shop

Nose: Full aromatic oils from the distillate are enriched with a fleshy fruity character. Hints of apricot and mango laid on leaves of blackcurrant. Touch of almond and a clover, honey sweetness follow to provide a remarkable nosing experience.
Taste: The first sip exudes a silky, mouth-coating sweetness. The succulence of the rich, fleshy fruit flavours in harmony with the pot still spice makes this a sophisticated whiskey with a deep complexity to be savoured.
Finish: The full succulence of the first sip remains in perfect proportion long into the finish. Irish pot still whiskey at its most elegant.

Midleton Single Pot Still – Single Cask # 71578, exclusive to Celtic Whiskey Shop

Nose: Initially soft, giving way to the characteristic pot still spicy notes of freshly milled peppers and a shred of pipe tobacco combined with the aromatics of garden mint, mandarins and green banana. From the cask come the hints of vanilla and toasted oak.
Taste: Barley sugar sweet reveals deeper spice. From a tongue coating of liquorice and cinnamon, through to a drying barley cereal note, to a crisp fruity fullness of apples and the unripe bananas.
Finish: All the flavours linger, then as they fade, the cask takes over with a succulent enhancement of vanilla and charred oak.