Dear All,

Another whirlwind month has passed in Adelphi Land. A quick trip to the Rockies in Canada for the 2nd Taste of Culture event, followed by the speediest terminal change at Heathrow to make the flight north, in order to drive to catch the last ferry to Islay…only to be told that the road had washed out. Luckily the very kind people at Cal Mac ferries held the boat.

I am very thankful that they did as we were then treated to a fantastic 2 days on Islay courtesy of Kilchoman Distillery – launching their 1st ever official Scotch whisky at 3 years old (an excellent dram), they fed, watered and boated us around the Island in style. Huge thanks to Anthony and his team!

One day to re-pack and a visit to HQ in Ardnamurchan to welcome our importers and agents from around the world for our annual gathering. This year we were also delighted to have the famous whisky chef, Chris Pepper, come over from Germany to join us and conjure up a delicious whisky dinner. Many thanks to Chris and Marion for making the twisty trip to Glenborrodale.

This week started on a high at the last day of the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival, continued last night with a tasting to 250 people at Blair Castle and finishes tomorrow with a cosy, fire-side tasting at The Bookshop, Wigtown as part of this year’s Book Festival.

Later this month, its off to Sweden, where I hope to see a great number of the Dancey Man Club, for a 10 day tour followed by November in London, Germany, Holland and Switzerland – please check out the website for more details http://www.adelphidistillery.com/news

All these tastings have generated a few sales, but you will be delighted to hear that we have reserved the remaining few bottles of Breath of Speyside (the third edition) 1991 18yr old cask 5145 54.2% vol. for this month’s offer and I can also report that we are due to bottle a staggering 9 new casks later this month – more information to follow at the end of the month.

This month’s offer:

BREATH OF SPEYSIDE 1991
18 Yr. old Speyside 54.2% Vol.
1 of only 520 bottles from cask 5145

http://www.adelphidistillery.com/whisky/bos19915145

This expression of our ‘secret’ Speysides has come from a first-fill Spanish oak butt, and its colour – a glorious deep umber, with crimson lights, like an old tawny port. The nose is of rum toffees, with a heavy fruitiness – dried fruits (cherries, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel) all macerated in blond rum, with a distinct Jaffa Cake aroma behind (dark chocolate, bitter orange, sponge). All these scents hold together well when you add water, joined by a slight waxiness, like buttery cake-mix. A smooth texture, slightly mouth-cooling in its effect; a sweet then dry taste, but not overly tannic, with burnt sugar and bitter orange marmalade in the finish. A superb example of the rich style of Speyside.

The Dancey Man Offer price is £62.70 inc. VAT per bottle.

Please let me know if you would like any. Due to the limited amount of bottles remaining, this will be sold on a 1st-come-1st-served basis.

Best wishes,

Alex.

Alex Bruce

Sales & Marketing Director

Adelphi Distillery Ltd.

Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1383 842 912

Mobile: +44 (0) 7795 424 838

Skype: alex.bruce

Email: alex@adelphidistillery.com

Web: www.adelphidistillery.com

news release
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Branches Out into India

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has expanded its global reach with the launch of a new branch in India, the largest spirits market in the world.

The Society is tapping into the aspirational Indian whisky drinkers who comprise the world’s largest consumer block for the Scotch whisky industry. Branded Scotch whisky sales crossed a million cases last year, which some analysts argued was only the beginning of a large market opening up.

India is seen as a huge opportunity for the Scotch industry, particularly as Scottish brands have less than one per cent of the Indian whisky market. 

Although India is recognised for having the biggest spirits market in the world, it is primarily Indian product that is sold there. Addressing this has become one of the UK whisky industry’s international priorities.

Set up in 1983, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was born out of a love of single cask, single malt whisky. Achieving rapid national and global growth, the Society has become widely acknowledged as the source of the finest and most exclusive single cask, single malt whiskies available anywhere in the world.

As part of the Society’s launch, an event was held at the distinguished Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi. Society managing director, Paul Miles, who acted as host for the evening’s launch comments:  “This is an exciting development for the Society in a country where consumers are very interested in Scotch whisky and single malts. The enthusiasm expressed by everyone attending this event for what the Society has to offer was very encouraging.”

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has over 26,000 members worldwide with Members’ Rooms, in Edinburgh and London. The Society bottles single casks from a range of 125 malt whisky distilleries. Only the very best single cask, single malt whisky is selected, having been approved by the Society’s Tasting Panel. 

Ends         October 2009

Issued on behalf of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society by Weber Shandwick. For more information on events go to www.smwsevents.co.uk or contact:

Jenny McMahon    Stephanie Robertson
0131 556 6649     0131 556 6649
07770 886925     07809 665773
jmcmahon@webershandwick.com  srobertson@webershandwick.com

Notes to Editors:

UK Members of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society enjoy:
• The finest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies from over 125 distilleries.  Every cask chosen for bottling has been scrutinised and approved by the Society’s Tasting Panel
• UK-wide whisky tasting programme
• Unfiltered, the Society’s quarterly magazine covering all things whisky related; a dedicated news section and an historical article and tasting note archive dating back to the Society’s earliest beginnings
• A wealth of information on malt whisky and the Society in our entertaining literature and online at www.smws.co.uk
• A warm welcome for members and their guests at Members’ Rooms in Edinburgh and London
• Unique tastings, exquisite private dining and tailor-made events
• The new introductory ‘Membership Box’
• Individual Membership costs £100 for the first year and annual renewal costs from £49.50.

THE BEST SPIRIT IN THE WORLD ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP

WITH THE UK’S MOST SPIRITED PUBLISHER

Highland Park single malt whisky, distributed by Maxxium UK, has entered a partnership with leading independent publishing house Canongate, winner of UK Publisher of the Year 2009, to create unique literary themed sampling experiences at specially selected book festivals across the UK.

The Orcadian whisky’s sponsorship will focus on delivering a strategic sampling activation programme amongst an audience of over 170,000 book lovers at Cheltenham Literature Festival (9-18 October 2009) and Oxford Literary Festival (20-28 March 2010) with the opportunity to distribute over 20,000 samples.

The sampling programme incorporates a Highland Park literary experience at bespoke sampling stands where visitors can enjoy a complimentary dram of award winning Highland Park 12 year old single malt and meet with a number of well known British authors. Hosted by Canongate, authors will include Laurence Shorter, Geoff Dyer, Louise Welsh, Chris Killen and Trevor Byrne, all of whom will read from their latest books.

Brand education will be a key element throughout the activity and the single malt’s Orcadian roots are introduced through a circle of five standing “keystones”, educating visitors as to the key elements which make the Best Spirit in the World*, whilst also representing the Neolithic stone monuments which can be found on the islands.

Highland Park is also running a consumer free prize draw at the events giving visitors the chance to win a weekend in Orkney with a VIP scenic plane journey and a visit to the Highland Park Distillery.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Jen McLaren, Assistant Brand Manager for Highland Park, said: “Literature is an important platform for Highland Park as research has shown us that it rates highly as a key interest for malt drinkers. The brand also has a high trial to conversion rate so when people taste it they tend to like it, and therefore sampling is a key part of our brand investment plan. 

“In August this year, we also sponsored the Spiegeltent at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (August 15-31) for the fourth year running. The sponsorship included running a strategic sampling programme amongst an audience of over 200,000, where we sampled over 14,000 people. 

“The Canongate partnership will allow us to build on this platform and create a truly bespoke Highland Park sampling experience, allowing us to further engage with our core audience.

“As an extension of our literary sampling programme, Highland Park will also be attending Canterbury Festival (17-31 October 2009).”

Jenny Todd, Sales and Marketing Director at Canongate, said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to work with Highland Park to bring a fresh style of meet-the-author event to book festivals this year.  They will be intimate and informal and complement the main programmes perfectly.”
 
Canongate was named ‘Publisher of the Year’ at this year’s British Book Industry Awards, praised by judges for its great professionalism, attention to detail and sheer exuberance of its publishing programme. Authors on the Edinburgh based publisher’s list include American president Barack Obama; comedy duo The Mighty Boosh; David Simon, creator of TV series The Wire; singer/songwriter Nick Cave; and Yann Martel, author of Booker prizewinner Life of Pi.

Highland Park has won a string of prestigious awards across its portfolio, including its 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky recently being named ‘best spirit in the world’ for the second consecutive time by leading US independent whisky expert Paul Pacult in the Spirit Journal’s Top 115 Spirits in the World*. 
-Ends-

* Paul Pacult named Highland Park 18 year old ‘Best Spirit in the World’ for the second consecutive time in his Top 115 Spirits in June 2009 and in his last Spirits Journal rating in June 2005. 
Issued by The BIG Partnership on behalf of Highland Park

For further information or photography, please contact:

Linda Edstrand / Kelly Kilner, The BIG Partnership

Tel: 0131 555 5522

Email: linda.edstrand@bigpartnership.co.uk or Kelly.kilner@bigpartnership.co.uk

Please enjoy our brand responsibly.
www.highlandpark.com
www.drinkaware.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Keynote Speakers

Laurence Shorter, The Optimist

Laurence Shorter is feeling anxious. Every time he turns on the radio or opens the newspaper he finds another reason to be tearful. It’s time to make a change. Laurence Shorter’s quest to become optimistic brings him into conversation with some of the world’s greatest optimists: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Richard Branson, Jung Chang, the famous Buddhist Matthieu Ricard, self-help guru Martin Seligman and Bill Clinton.

Laurence Shorter began writing comedy in 2001. Since then he has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, toured the UK, and written for the BBC, Channel 4, the Independent and the Observer.

Geoff Dyer, Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is a beautifully told story of erotic love and spiritual yearning by Geoff Dyer, author of three previous novels and winner of many awards including the Somerset Maugham Prize, WH Smiths Travel Book of the Year and the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ E. M. Forster Award.  Dyer is a regular contributor to many publications including the Guardian and the New Statesman.

“Dyer is very funny, in both senses – sort of like a post-modern Kingsley Amis. His writing is acute and bad tempered in the great British tradition, and his prose is the equal of anyone in the country. A national treasure.” – Zadie Smith

Louise Welsh – Naming the Bones

Louise Welsh is the bestselling author of two previous novels, The Cutting Room and The Bullet Trick, and was chosen as one of Britain’s Best First Novelists of 2002 by the Guardian. 

‘Louise Welsh is the great hope of those wanting to bridge the gap between literary and genre fiction… Her prose cracks along, seasoned with memorable phrase-making… and cute observation.  The Times

Chris Killen – The Bird Room

27 year old Chris Killen caused a stir with his explosive debut novel The Bird Room – a candid, funny and intimate portrait of a generation. 

‘An extremely engaging combo of sex, melancholy and killer one-liners – The Bird Room is a beautiful Chinese puzzle of a novel.’ – Toby Litt

Chris has recently been appointed a Writing Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Creative Writing department, alongside Martin Amis.
 
Trevor Byrne – Ghosts and Lightening

Full of riotous laughter, wonderment and love found in the most unlikely places, Ghosts and Lightning is an exuberant tale of someone trying to do the right thing surrounded by the wrong choices. It is also a revealing chronicle of our times from an exceptional new Irish talent.  Trevor Byrne was born in 1981 and brought up in Clondalkin in south Dublin. He attended Trinity College and Glamorgan University where he is currently a tutor of creative writing. Ghosts & Lightning is his first novel

“Ghosts & Lightning is a powerful novel and Trevor Byrne is a very powerful writer.” Roddy Doyle

Maxxium UK:

Maxxium UK Ltd is part of the global sales and distribution alliance between Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc and The Edrington Group.

Its UK portfolio of premium brands includes: blended Scotch (The Famous Grouse and Teacher’s), malt whisky (Highland Park, Laphroaig, The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Ardmore), imported whiskey (Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek, Canadian Club, Tullamore Dew), cognac and brandy (Courvoisier and Fundador), sherry (Harveys), port (Cockburn’s), vodka (Stolichnaya), tequila (Sauza), rum (Brugal and Cruzan), liqueurs and specialities (Sourz, Bols liqueurs, Galliano, Vaccari, After Shock, Carolans and Irish Mist)

For further information on our brands and how to enjoy them, log on to www.mixxit.co.uk

Highland Park:

Five keystones contribute to making the Best Spirit in the World:

·         Hand-turned malt adds to the deliciously succulent, balanced layers of aromatic character found in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Aromatic peat gives a delectably seductive, luxuriant floral sweetness to Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Cool maturation enhances the smooth character of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Sherry oak casks contribute to the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Cask harmonisation ensures consistency and balance in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Established in 1798 on Orkney, Highland Park is one of the most remote Scotch whisky distilleries in the world.  For over 200 years, the distillery has combined time old tradition and the very best craftsmanship to achieve perfection.   Its range of 12, 15, 18, 25, 30 and 40 year old single malts is consistently acclaimed by connoisseurs and experts.  Highland Park has won a string of prestigious awards across its portfolio, most recently including ‘best new whisky release of the year 2009’ for its 40-year-old single malt and ‘best whisky in the world 2009’ for its 21-year-old expression in the World Whisky Awards, as well as four double gold awards in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009.

Canongate

Canongate was founded in 1973 and has since emerged as one of the most dynamic publishing houses in Britain, publishing literary fiction and non-fiction from both home-grown and international talent. This was recognised this year when it was awarded the BBIA Publisher of the Year Award – the second time it has been awarded the honour in seven years.

Canongate is also one of the founding members of the Independent Alliance, a global alliance of ten UK publishers and their international partners who share a common vision of editorial excellence, original, diverse publishing, innovation in marketing and commercial success.

More information can be found on Canongate’s website, www.meetatthegate.com

Pamela Wils

Account Executive

The Big Partnership

Suite 4/3, Great Michael House, 14 Links Place, Edinburgh, EH6 7EZ

Tel: 0131 555 5522
Mob: 07825 567 808
Fax: 0131 554 3742
www.bigpartnership.co.uk

Just a quick line for those who would like to see Abhainn Dearg, or at least a glimpse of the distillery on TV including a rather bizarre scene of Marko sitting on Ardroil beach glass in hand?

Jonathan Meades Off Kilter –  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mqlzz  is available for the next two days, the Abhainn Dearg Distillery features 38 minutes into the documentary.  The Distillery will also feature early next year when ‘this editor’ got caught up in a BBC Alba documentary series, more on that nearer the date.

In the next few days we hope to send out information on a new ‘Whisky’ course we will be running at the distillery throughout the winter.  We are offering a unique opportunity to join us here at Abhainn Dearg. Places are going to be limited to only three people per week. The course will run on a weekly basis from Tuesday to Thursday, accommodation and meals will be included in the cost of the course, transport isn’t.

Visit Abhainn Dearg Distillery at http://www.abhainndearg.co.uk/

(Perth, Scotland) To mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’s birth, The Macallan has produced a celebratory bottling which is now available to buy from The Macallan distillery shop at Easter Elchies in Speyside, Scotland, priced £199.

A limited edition of only 250 bottles has been produced and it’s envisaged that these will sell out quickly. The liquid comes from two casks chosen by The Macallan’s whisky maker Bob Dalgarno – one from 1997 and one from 1998, both numbered 1759, the year of Burns’s birth.  The significance of the cask numbers was recognised by Bob and he felt it only appropriate to produce a special bottling for the homecoming year. The rarity of the liquid is a fitting commemoration to Scotland’s famous poet.

The whisky, which is a sherry oak expression with an ABV of 46 per cent, has been placed in a decanter made to an original design, based on the head and shoulders of The Macallan standard bottle. It’s exquisitely packaged in a handmade Scottish red pine wooden box designed by master cabinet maker Harvey McLean, whose workshop is only a few hundred yards from Burns’s birthplace in Alloway. The box carries a specially commissioned enamel plate featuring a portrait of Robert Burns. Each presentation box comes with a unique numbered printing of an individual Burns poem and a copy of an ancient map of ‘Burns Country.’

Ken Grier, Director of Malts for The Edrington Group, commented: “To bring a due sense of historical perspective to this celebratory bottling, we managed to persuade David Holmes and Nicholas Salaman to return to The Macallan to work on this unique project and their work is featured in the accompanying brochure carried within the presentation box. We have created a unique bottling celebrating the birth of the nations bard, linking Scotland’s Master of Poetry with The Macallan – Masters of Spirit and Wood.”

Holmes and Salaman are the two men who helped to bring The Macallan to the attention of a wider public over a period of 30 years.  They worked on The Macallan advertising account when the brand was barely known outside Speyside. They produced over 100 advertisements, posters and commercials in a campaign, through their advertising agency Holmes, Knight Ritchie, that gradually grew in size as The Macallan itself developed – from 101st in the single malt league to number two by value worldwide.

www.themacallan.com

Please savour responsibly www.drinkaware.co.uk

NOTES:

The timeless reputation of The Macallan is founded upon Six Pillars:

The Spiritual Home

Easter Elchies House proudly watches over The Macallan distillery in Speyside, Scotland. Built in 1700, this Jacobean manor house is The Macallan’s spiritual home.

Curiously Small Stills

The Macallan’s curiously small and uniquely shaped copper stills help to concentrate the flavour of the ‘new make’ spirit.

The Finest Cut

The ‘cut’ is the amount of distilled spirit collected from the stills as ‘new make’ spirit. The Macallan takes one of the finest ‘cuts’ of any distillery in Scotland; typically just 16% goes forward to fill or our casks. 

Exceptional Oak Casks

The Macallan’s unfaltering obsession with selecting exceptional oak casks brings an unsurpassed, timeless quality to The Macallan.

Natural Colour

The Macallan insists upon Natural Colour. It is the interaction of spirit and wood alone which delivers the rich variety of colour, aroma and taste evident through out the range.

Peerless Spirit

The Macallan remains the single malt against which all others must be judged. It is celebrated far and wide by experts and discerning drinkers as the world’s most precious whisky.

28 September 2009

The Glenrothes single malt is launching a limited edition John Ramsay Legacy bottling to mark the Malt Master’s retirement this month.

His final gift to The Glenrothes, the John Ramsay Legacy bottling is a non-Vintage selection of 30 casks personally chosen by John to create an impressive single malt in celebration of his longstanding relationship with the Speyside distillery. The casks are all 2nd fill American Oak sherry casks from Vintages ranging from 1973 to 1987.

Bursting with aromas of spice, blood orange and vanilla, this limited edition single malt has a rich palate of fruit and mango with a long, mature unmistakably American oak finish.  Only 100 bottles of this Legacy bottling (46.7% abv) are available in the UK.

John Ramsay, Malt Master for The Edrington Group, says: “My signature and tasting notes have been on each and every label of The Glenrothes since 2004.  This final bottling has given me a wonderful opportunity to craft a single malt which embodies the exceptional quality and distinctive style of The Glenrothes and I am truly delighted with the result.”

Since joining The Edrington Group in 1991, John Ramsay has held the esteemed position of overseeing the quality of the Group’s whisky portfolio, including The Glenrothes’ Vintages and non-Vintage Select Reserve.

Ronnie Cox, Global Brand Ambassador for The Glenrothes, says: “John Ramsay’s outstanding efforts have resulted in a fine selection of The Glenrothes Vintages, each with their own and unique personality. In 2005, John also created a house style non-Vintage single malt that truly typifies the character of The Glenrothes distillery with ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice. In creating The Glenrothes Select Reserve, John has enabled us to make our single malt more accessible to whisky lovers around the world.

“With the John Ramsay Legacy bottling, he continues to impress.  As with all expressions of The Glenrothes, this limited edition should be shared with likeminded friends. Together with everyone at the distillery, I would like to raise a toast to John for his exceptional contribution to The Glenrothes single malt and the legacy he leaves us with.”

Each 70cl bottle of the John Ramsay Legacy limited edition is individually numbered and beautifully presented in a bespoke oak box designed to showcase the rare single malt. A booklet scripted by John Ramsay, including tasting notes, is also kept in a hidden drawer at the base of the box.

The Glenrothes John Ramsay Legacy bottling is available from the start of October at specialist retailers across the UK and on The Glenrothes website www.theglenrothes.com (RRP £699).
 
-Ends-

For further information please visit  www.theglenrothes.com 

Please enjoy our brand responsibly. www.drinkaware.co.uk
For press enquiries or photography, please contact:

Linda Edstrand / Pam Wils, The BIG Partnership

Tel: 0131 555 5522

Email: linda.edstrand@bigpartnership.co.uk; pamela.wils@bigpartnership.co.uk

 
Notes to editors:

Tasting notes for The Glenrothes: John Ramsay:

Appearance:     Medium golden, clear and bright

Bouquet:            Rich, spicy, blood orange and vanilla

Palate:               Rich, full flavour, balanced oak and fruit, mango

Finish:                Long, mature and tactile, unmistakably American oak

About The Glenrothes

The Glenrothes is also available in a limited range of Vintages. Rare and finite, Vintages are selected on their own unique personality and include Vintages 1978, 1985, 1991 and 1994. The Glenrothes Select Reserve is a non-Vintage specific selection and typifies the distillery house character of ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice. 

The Glenrothes was founded in 1879
Little more than 2% of the distillery capacity is bottled as Single Malt to ensure exceptional quality
Of the 16 Vintages released to date, 12 have entirely sold out
It is matured in a combination of Spanish and American oak casks – the best of both worlds.

The Glenrothes Select Reserve was voted Best in Class at the World Whiskies Awards 2008 and won two Double Golds at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007

The Glenrothes 1978 Vintage was voted Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2008

The Glenrothes 1975 won a Double Gold award at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2008

“I have always felt that Glenrothes deserved to be more widely appreciated. Beautifully rounded.sophisticated after-dinner malt.” Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion

Jim Murray, in his Whisky Bible 2007, refers to The Glenrothes Select Reserve; “One of the softest deliveries on Speyside, the silky barley and citrus caress the tastebuds with rare tenderness” and scores it 24 out of 25

About John Ramsay

•       John Ramsay was born in Glasgow in 1949 and educated to Licentiate of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

•       John joined the Scotch whisky industry in 1966, working in the laboratory at Strathclyde Distillery.

•       John is a member of the judging panel for the International Spirits Challenge and became Chairman of the Scotch whisky judges in 2003.

•       He is a visiting lecturer on Scotch whisky at the Université des Eaux de Vie – the spirits university near Cognac in France.

•       John is married with no children, and enjoys golf, music and reading, particularly Scottish history and Robert Burns poetry.

John Ramsay CV

•       1966, Lab Assistant, Strathclyde Distillery

•       1971, Chief Chemist, Wm. Lawson Distillers

•       1981, Blender/Chemist, Wm. Lawson Distillers

•       1990, Production Controller, Highland Distilleries

•       1991, Group Whisky Quality Manager and Master Blender, The  Edrington Group
About Gordon Motion

·         Gordon Motion was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and gained a degree in Computer Science from Herriot Watt university.

·         In 1991 he decided on a career change and went back to study a Brewing and Distilling course from 1992-93.

·         Gordon is actively involved with the Scotch Whisky Research Institute’s technical liaison groups and was a previous secretary of the International Brewers’ Guild (Scottish Section).

·         Gordon is a keen sportsman and has represented Scotland at small-bore target shooting for the past eight years winning eight Scottish caps and one for Great Britain.
 

Gordon Motion CV

·         1993-1998 – Employed by a number of breweries including Mount Murray (Isle of Man); Tom Hoskin’s (Leicester) and Belhaven (Dunbar) before becoming Assistant Malster with Paul Malt Glenesk Maltings (Montrose)

·         Feb 1998, Assistant to Whisky Quality Manager, The Edrington Group

·         June 1998, Whisky Quality Technologist, The Edrington Group

·         March 2007, Master Blender Designate, The Edrington Group
Linda Edstrand
Account Manager

The BIG Partnership

Suite 4/3, Great Michael House, 14 Links Place, Edinburgh, EH6 7EZ

Tel: 0131 555 5522
Mob: 07717 875 227
Fax: 0131 554 3742
www.bigpartnership.co.uk

Speyside’s smallest distillery has revealed the first bottling of its ten-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Benromach distillery, in Forres, has launched Benromach 10 Years Old, a golden malt with rich fruit, sweet chocolate and delicate spicy aromas.

Benromach distillery, which employs just two experienced distillers, is owned by Elgin-based whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail.

The distillery went through many changes of ownership and closures before being ‘rescued’ and restored by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993 and was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in 1998.

David and Michael Urquhart, Joint Managing Directors of Gordon& MacPhail, said:

This is a milestone for us – our family have been whisky specialists for generations, so to finally unveil our own ten-year-old single malt is the fulfilment of a dream. We think that Benromach 10 Years Old displays a big taste from a tiny distillery and we hope that people will enjoy our whisky as much as we do – and share the secret of Benromach with fellow whisky-lovers.”

The launch of Benromach 10 Years Old comes just six months after Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its export success. The company made malt history in 2006 by launching the world’s first certified organic whisky – Benromach Organic.

Benromach 10 Years Old will be available from whisky shops and fine wine and spirits retail specialists worldwide, as well as selected bars and restaurants in the UK. It will have an RRP of £27.99 but will be released with a special introductory price of £24.99 in the UK.

Ends

For more information and product images please contact Linda Bruce or Kate Trussler at Platform PR – 0131 226 3000/ 07920 529 138.

Links
www.benromach.com

THE GLENROTHES ENTERS SAINSBURY’S OUTLETS NATIONWIDE

The Glenrothes Select Reserve, distributed by Maxxium UK, is set to hit the shelves in 245 Sainsbury’s outlets throughout the UK from mid-October 2009

As the first confirmed listing within the multiple grocery sector, the deal comes as an extremely positive move for The Glenrothes within the UK off trade.

Jen McLaren, Maxxium UK’s assistant brand manager for The Glenrothes, said: “The launch of The Glenrothes Select Reserve into Sainsbury’s outlets throughout the UK is an incredibly positive and exciting step for the brand and will allow more whisky drinkers to discover the secrets of this exceptional single malt.”

The Glenrothes is an award winning Speyside Single Malt Whisky of exceptional quality. Its portfolio includes a limited range of Vintages, each selected on their own unique personality, and the non-Vintage specific Select Reserve. The Glenrothes was among the first whisky distillers to adopt this unusual vintage approach. The vintage concept means bottling by year (rather than age) and casks are only selected when they have reached absolute peak of perfection.

Introduced in 2005, and produced to the same exacting standards as the Vintages, The Glenrothes Select Reserve is a vatting of casks distilled in different years and typifies the distillery house character of ripe fruits, juicy citrus, creamy vanilla and hints of spice. Previously only available in specialist retailers, Select Reserve is presented in the iconic Glenrothes bottle and is the very essence of The Glenrothes range.

The Glenrothes Select Reserve has been a resounding success amongst whisky connoisseurs and has already picked up a number of awards including Best in Class at the World Whiskies Awards 2008, Winner and Platinum Q at The Quality Drink Awards 2008 and a double gold medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007.

The Glenrothes is also available in a limited range of Vintages, currently including 1978, 1985, 1991 and 1994.

For further information please visit www.theglenrothes.com 

For press enquiries or photography, please contact:

Linda Edstrand / Pamela Wils, The BIG Partnership

Tel: 0131 555 5522

Email: linda.edstrand@bigpartnership.co.uk; pamela.wils@bigpartnership.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About The Glenrothes

·         The Glenrothes was founded in 1879

·    The Glenrothes is also available from Oddbins, Thresher and whisky specialists nationwide and on The Glenrothes website www.theglenrothes.com

·         Little more than 2% of the distillery capacity is bottled as Single Malt to ensure exceptional quality

·         Of the 16 Vintages released to date, 12 have entirely sold out

·         It is matured in a combination of Spanish and American oak casks – the best of both worlds

·         The Glenrothes Select Reserve was voted Best in Class at the World Whiskies Awards 2008 and won two Double Golds at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007

·         The Glenrothes 1978 Vintage was voted Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2008

·         The Glenrothes 1975 won a Double Gold award at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2008

·         “I have always felt that Glenrothes deserved to be more widely appreciated. Beautifully rounded, sophisticated after-dinner malt.” Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion

·         Jim Murray, in his Whisky Bible 2007, refers to The Glenrothes Select Reserve as; “One of the softest deliveries on Speyside, the silky barley and citrus caress the tastebuds with rare tenderness” and scores it 24 out of 25

Maxxium UK:

Maxxium UK Ltd is part of the global sales and distribution alliance between Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc and The Edrington Group.

Its UK portfolio of premium brands includes: blended Scotch (The Famous Grouse and Teacher’s), malt whisky (Highland Park, Laphroaig, The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Ardmore), imported whiskey (Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek, Canadian Club, Tullamore Dew), cognac and brandy (Courvoisier and Fundador), sherry (Harveys), port (Cockburn’s), vodka (Stolichnaya), tequila (Sauza), rum (Brugal and Cruzan), liqueurs and specialities (Sourz, Bols liqueurs, Galliano, Vaccari, After Shock, Carolans and Irish Mist)

 For further information on our brands and how to enjoy them, log on to www.mixxit.co.uk

The Glenrothes Select Reserve 700ml

25nd September 2009

WHISKY GURU CHALLENGES PUBLISHERS MORALS AS REPRINT GOES ON SALE

Internationally acclaimed whisky writer Jim Murray has today questioned the moral and ethical rights of publisher Prion to re-print, re name and publish a twelve year old book that carries his name.

Originally published in 1997 as ‘Jim Murray’s Complete Book of Whisky’, the book which is now titled ‘The Classic Whisky Guide by Jim Murray’ is claimed to be up-to-date and reflecting the current whisky industry.  This is blatantly not the case in that the ‘new’ book has not been re-written, revised or amended by its creator.  In fact Jim Murray says that the first he knew about his ‘new’ book was when he “stumbled across it on-line!”

Having read the latest offering from Prion, Murray points out that ‘The Classic Whisky Guide’ is merely a reprint of an abridged edition in new clothing and that people buying it believing it to be an updated version of the original are likely to be very disappointed!  Murray comments “I have major concerns over the moral and ethical actions of the publisher in that none of the promotional material supporting the book makes clear its very long history.  It’s only when the reader has bought the book that its status as a reprint is revealed and the fact that it is horribly out of date”.

“The reality is that the whisky industry and its whiskies have changed significantly since 1997, in some cases almost unrecognisably so.  Naturally, I feel aggrieved on behalf of my readers who may have already bought this book believing it to be a new work by me, either as a follow up to my hugely successful  ‘Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible’, or an accompaniment to it.  I would fully understand their disappointment and anger to find the book already in their libraries; and as such I need to underline the point that I did not have any hand in this”.

Believing that the Prion book could damage his professional reputation, Jim Murray asserts that “readers buying this offering from Prion must not automatically take what is contained therein as my views on whisky today”. 

For the current status of the whisky industry Dram Good Books can confirm that the 2010 edition of ‘Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible’ will be launched on October 5th 2009.  “The fact that the 2010 ‘Whisky Bible’ features no less than 946 new whiskies, all of which have been tasted and catalogued, serves to highlight the scale of the changes that have occurred in the whisky industry just in 2009, let alone the last decade!” added Murray.
~Ends~
For more information please contact:

Mark Hunt
Director of Communications
Dram Good Books Ltd
Email: mark@whiskybible.com
Tel:  07768 145583

http://www.dramgoodbooks.com/

From John Campbell at Laphroaig Distillery;

I hope you are looking forward to the Distillery Live Whisky tasting tonight at 20:00 EDT. I am actually writing to you from the States. I’ve been over here in America for a week visiting some US FOLs – I’m having a great time and have been welcomed warmly!

The website is now live and you can go on to familiarise yourself with it before the live webcast begins. As you will see there is an area where you need to input your name. This will allow you to watch the live show and also to submit any questions you want on the night. There is also an area which gives you a brief synopsis of the event and also shortened biographies of each of our panelists.

I have included all the details again below so that you have the web address to hand:

Distillery live online whisky tasting
When: Friday 25th September 2009
Where: www.distillerylive.us.com
Time: 20:00 EDT (Saturday 26th September 01:00 British Summer Time)

Remember you can see what time 20:00 EDT is in your country by following the link on the Distillery Live website.

We have checked that this works on all the latest browsers but would recommend viewing in Internet Explorer if possible. Also, you will need to have flash on your computer to watch the show. You can follow the link on the Distillery Live website to download flash for free. Make sure you do this in advance as I wouldn’t want you missing anything!

I really hope you can join us tonight for this unique online event, as I mentioned before there will be not only tastings of Laphroaig expressions, including the new 18 Year Old but also cocktails and some gourmet food!

Do feel free to pass this email onto any of your whisky loving friends. We’re always looking for new converts!

Sláinte,

John Campbell