Jack Daniel’s Continues Friday Night Livestreams with Kesha Performance Benefitting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund

Weekly artist livestream to support musicians in need

LYNCHBURG, Tenn (April 30, 2020) – Jack Daniel’s today announced the continuation of their multi-genre weekly Friday night livestreams aimed at raising money for musicians in need amid COVID-19. GRAMMY-nominated popstar Kesha is the next artist in the line-up to perform Friday, May 1^st, at 7pmEST.

Airing live on Kesha’s Facebook and Instagram page, the livestream will feature a five-song set including never before performed songs from her new chart-topping album High Road. Fans will be able to donate in real time to Sweet Relief’s COVID-19 fund, a 501c3 providing financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers to provide immediate assistance with medical expenses, lodging, clothing, food and other vital living expenses to those impacted due to sickness or loss of work, through a link on the Facebook livestream.

In recent weeks, Chase Rice, Ashley McBryde and Rotimi have participated in the Jack Daniel’s livestreams from home and helped raise thousands of dollars for Sweet Relief. Additional artists will continue to perform every Friday night live on their social channels to connect with fans through the power of music and help raise money for Sweet Relief.

About Jack Daniel’s:

Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the first registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple, Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. Today, Jack Daniel’s is a true global icon found in more than 170 countries around the world and is the most valuable spirits brand in the world as recognized by Interbrand.

About Kesha:

The singer/songwriter, named one of Time Magazine’s Time 100, has sold more than 14 million total album equivalents worldwide, has approximately 6.9 billion audio streams and 1.7 billion video streams worldwide, and has had 9 Top 10 hits on The Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, Kesha’s critically acclaimed #1 album ‘Rainbow’ earned her the first GRAMMY nominations of her career and was called “an artistic feat” by Entertainment Weekly.  Her latest album ‘High Road’ was released on January 31st via Kemosabe/RCA Records, and was called a body of work “wise and wild in equal measure” (Billboard)  that “electrifies from the inside out” (American Songwriter).

Hebridean Businesses Collaborate for Remote Tastings

A company which sources ‘wild water’ from the Isle of Lewis for whisky drinkers to enjoy with their dram is uniting remote island communities in a digital collaboration with a small whisky shop in the Outer Hebrides, a well-known Scottish distiller and a whisky expert.

James McIntosh, the founder of wild water brand Larkfire, is launching an online ‘Whisky & Wild’ tastings series together with whisky expert Matt Chambers and Jura single malt whisky, produced on the island of Jura nestled off the West Coast of Scotland.

Larkfire is sending free tasting packs of its wild water and samples of 12, 18 and 21-year-old Jura single malt whisky to islanders with the aim of keeping spirits high while businesses and communities are on lockdown and tourism is on hold.

Whisky blogger and awards judge Matt Chambers will be hosting the live whisky tastings on Instagram, encouraging islanders to connect and communicate during lockdown.

James McIntosh, whose Larkfire business already supports local initiatives through a partnership which donates a percentage of sales to The Stornoway Trust, hopes that the new digital initiative will support communities.

He said: “We’re keen to support communities and businesses on the islands and were mulling over what we could do to help, just to raise spirits a little.

“We heard about Stornoway start-up business, the Island Spirit Whisky shop, having to postpone its opening because of the current situation, and it gave us the idea of doing something virtually.  We contacted owner Iain Faller and he’s put us in contact with other businesses.

“What sounds like the start of a joke about a bar – a wild water for whisky, a whisky shop and a distiller start working together – is happening, ironically, because there are no bars open.

“We are launching the first ‘Whisky & Wild’ tasting on 1 May, inviting islanders to join a free online session hosted by Matt.  We hope to unite many people in raising a glass during lockdown, supporting each other and promoting local businesses across the islands and beyond.”

Kirsteen Beeston, Head of International Malts at Whyte and Mackay which owns the Jura brand, said: “We are delighted to support this creative initiative of bringing together fellow Scottish island communities.”

Larkfire – a natural ‘wild water’ that brings out the full flavour of whisky – is stocked by prestigious venues including Boisdale Group sites in Mayfair, Belgravia, Canary Wharf and Bishopsgate. Soho Whisky Club also uses Larkfire for its tasting events, and Islington restaurant Frederick’s offers Larkfire alongside its range of world whiskies.  It was named Best Premium Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards.

To enquire about future ‘Whisky & Wild’ online tastings email James@larkfire.co.uk

Sazerac Company Donates N95 Masks to Healthcare Industry to Help with Covid-19 Pandemic

America’s Largest Producer of Distilled Spirits Donates Nearly 15,000 Respirator Masks

in Wake of Ongoing Need 

LOUISVILLE, KY (April 27, 2020) – The Sazerac Company, the largest producer of distilled spirits in North America, is donating 14,800 N95 respirator masks to the healthcare industry in various markets across the country.

            In addition to the donation of N95 masks, Sazerac is supplying all of its team members with cloth face covers for personal protection.  Team members working at all of Sazerac’s production facilities will receive face covers for each shift they work as the company produces hand sanitizer for some of the world’s largest organizations in healthcare, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy, and banking industries.

            “Unfortunately N95 respirator masks remain scarce, so we are happy to be able to supply these to the healthcare industry in the fight against this pandemic,” said Matt Maimone, Sazerac’s chief operating officer.

Maimone adds, “We know the demand for hand sanitizer on an industrial scale is still great. To date, we’ve produced nearly 2,000,000 liters of hand sanitizer across our sites in North America and are continuing to source more ingredients to produce more every day.  Our workforce has risen to the occasion to help meet this demand, and we appreciate their willingness to step up.”

The initial run of sanitizer started in Kentucky at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, and Sazerac continues to increase production at The Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro and across its other locations.

In addition to providing face covers to team members, all Sazerac plants have taken additional steps to operate in a safe and responsible manner and are following all CDC guidelines including rigorous cleaning, observing six feet social distancing, mandating its team members to stay home if not feeling well, and implementing protective screens where appropriate.

About Sazerac

Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in the United States in Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com.

Chicago’s Hometown Spirits Company Donates Hand Sanitizer During Covid-19

We want to thank you! 

We hugely appreciate your custom and support during these difficult times. To say thank you, we’re offering you £15 off our exclusive Inchmurrin 2004 Single Cask with online discount code thankyou15.

As well as £15 off, you’ll receive a free gift of Loch Lomond whisky tumblers with your order!

A single malt distilled at Loch Lomond Distillery, Inchmurrin spirit is light and fruity, becoming more floral and grassy during maturation. Distilled in November 2004, this particular expression was matured in a single French oak barrel for 15 years and bottled in December 2019 at a natural cask strength of 54.6% abv. Highly exclusive, just 393 bottles exist!

The thankyou15 code is valid for one use per customer on our exclusive Inchmurrin Single Cask only, until Sunday, 31^st May (and while stocks last). Simply enter the code at check out, whether you are registered with us or not.

Buying gifts for friends? Feel free to purchase multiple bottles, with £15 taken off each one.

Order now

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries. Don’t miss our new video series filled with Japanese Whisky, comedy, music and more whisky. Watch now.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,

Diageo North America Pledges More Than $4 Million to the Bar and Restaurant Community

With hospitality workers facing unprecedented challenges from the impact of COVID-19, Diageo North America commits more than $4 million to support in their time of need

SCOTCH GALORE CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

We would like to announce that working alongside UPS we will be able to continue trading during these uncertain and trying times by offering our customers the ability to sell their Whisky 24/7 365 days per year at a price you want online at Scotch Galore. This is achieved with UPS doing a collection service on our behalf i.e. you simply contact us at info@scotchgalore.com we then arrange for UPS to come to your home, pick up your whisky and return it to Scotch Galore where we will list it online @ https://www.scotchgalore.com for you. We offer quick and speedy money in your account within 48 hours after your bottle sells. So what you waiting for drop us an email and remember FIX the price you want #DontGambleYourBottle

OURWHISKY LAUNCHES VIRTUAL WHISKY FESTIVAL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CHARITY

OurWhisky is set to launch its first virtual whisky festival, connecting lovers of a good dram with their favourite distillers and blenders around the world while raising money for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Running online over four consecutive Thursday evenings from 30th April-21st May, the festival will welcome some of the world’s greatest whisky makers as they guide visitors through a curated selection of drams.

Each week ticket holders will be sent a pack containing five unmarked whisky samples and invited to join a live-streamed tasting hosted on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. To retain the element of surprise, the style, region and age of the whiskies be kept a secret until the tasting itself.

Becky Paskin, co-founder of OurWhisky and Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year 2020, said: “We wanted to recreate the curiosity and excitement you get with real life whisky festival masterclasses. While our guests won’t know the identity of their whiskies, or the personalities who will be introducing them until the tasting, we promise they’ll be in for an unforgettable experience.

“We’ve approached some of the biggest names in whisky, who will be joining us direct from their own living rooms to share some of the liquid they’ve created.

“This is a rare chance for whisky lovers to discover new bottles they may otherwise have overlooked, while connecting with the whisky makers themselves.”

Guests will be given the chance to ask questions in a live Q&A compered by Becky Paskin.

Tickets will be available to purchase for £30 each from ourwhisky.com, with just 50 tasting packs available for each session.

All proceeds from the festival, which is also being sponsored by the featured brands, will be donated to The Drinks Trust, formerly known at The Benevolent.

Paskin added: “The hospitality industry is on its knees. We wanted to find a way to support the bartenders and other professionals who are personally struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is also a way for whisky lovers to support the industry – by continuing to try new expressions, communicate with each other and buy bottles, they will be helping distillers and blenders navigate this period of uncertainty.”

Ross Carter, CEO The Drinks Trust, said: “We have been so impressed by the diversity of the fundraising initiatives set up during this difficult time by all our supporters and this one emphasises exactly what The Drinks Trust is all about; championing education and community whilst raising money for the charity. We are very grateful to OurWhisky for setting it up and hope it is a great success.”

The festival also marks the start of a new phase for OurWhisky. Launched in 2018 as a social media movement to challenge the outdated perception that whisky is a ‘man’s drink’, OurWhisky is evolving into an educational platform.

While continuing to represent the face of the modern whisky drinker, OurWhisky’s new website and social channels will also be dedicated to helping curious consumers navigate the world of whisky in an accessible, easy-to-follow and fun way, providing all the tools and knowledge they need to find whiskies they’ll love.

The new website is set to launch later this year.

The OurWhisky Virtual Whisky Festival will run at 6pm GMT on 30th April, 7th, 14th and 21st May. Due to current logistical challenges, tasting packs can only be sent to UK addresses.

The festival will be live streamed on OurWhisky’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels, as well as at ourwhisky.com.

Notes:

About OurWhisky

OurWhisky was launched in March 2018 as a global campaign to highlight the diversity of the whisky industry, its inclusiveness and the variety of its drinkers through a photographical social media series. Co-founded by leading whisky writer Becky Paskin and global whisky ambassador Georgie Bell, OurWhisky aims to inspire people all over the globe to explore whisky further. In 2020, OurWhisky will evolve to become an educational platform designed to help all curious drinkers navigate the world of whisky in an accessible, easy-to-follow and fun way, providing all the tools and knowledge they need to find whiskies they’ll love.

About Becky Paskin

Becky Paskin is a well-known whisky writer and former editor of online magazine Scotchwhisky.com. She was named 2020 Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year, and was the first journalist to gain a General Certificate in Distillation with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling – a qualification usually reserved for distillery operators. Becky has been writing about drinks for over 10 years, is a member of exclusive society Keepers of the Quaich, and is an expert in all manner of spirits. She regularly presents educational whisky seminars at global drinks shows including Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans and The Whisky Show in London.

About The Drinks Trust

Since 1886, The Drinks Trust (formerly The Benevolent) has provided care and support to the people who form the UK drinks industry workforce, both past and present. The Drinks Trust is managed by drinks industry professionals, funded by drinks industry partners and supported by thousands of drinks industry fundraisers, volunteers and contributors. The Trust provides individuals with services across vocational, well-being, financial and practical support. These services are intended to assist with and improve the circumstances of those who receive them, to help its community thrive, to upskill, to broaden their knowledge, to network and learn from one another.

Since the beginning of March, demand for the Trust’s services has increased significantly and many individuals are now in desperate need. In response, the Trust has launched the Covid-19 Emergency Fund. Find out more at drinkstrust.org.uk/coronavirus.

JAMESON IRISH WHISKEY EXPANDS ITS BARTENDER ADVOCACY PROGRAMME, JAMESON HOSTS,

TO SUPPORT GLOBAL BAR COMMUNITY THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES 

The world’s favourite Irish whiskey has launched an online platform to support, inspire and engage the international bar community through an unprecedented period of uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

The culmination of more than three decades of pioneering bartender advocacy, Jameson Hosts, Jameson’s trade engagement platform, has launched an online space where the bar community can come together to connect, learn and share in the wake of the pandemic. As bars, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs across the globe have been forced to close their doors, Jameson Hosts provides a space for members of the bar trade to receive wellbeing support, enhance their technical knowledge and collaborate from the comfort of their home through video content.

The newly launched Jameson platform follows a $500,000 financial donation from the Irish whiskey brand to the United States Bartenders’ Guild which supports on-trade members affected by Coronavirus. Through Jameson Hosts, Jameson will also widen its practical support of the industry by offering financial compensation to those creating videos for the platform.

The online videos will cover a range of topics designed to educate and inspire the bar community including cocktail masterclasses, wellbeing sessions, career coaching and whiskey tutorials. It will also feature advice from bar teams around the globe which are pulling together to adapt to the current challenges and better equip themselves for the future when businesses reopen.

Beyond the virtual platform, Jameson Hosts will shortly announce a live event in late 2020 or early 2021 where the extensive global bar community, including bartenders, bar owners, brewers, waiters and more, will be invited to take part in a three-day festival at Midleton Distillery, the home of Jameson. Much like its online counterpart, the festival will invite attendees to host their own workshops to share their knowledge and expertise with fellow participants and inspire new ideas among the community. The festival will also offer visiting ‘hosts’ a chance to immerse themselves in the production of Jameson Irish Whiskey with exclusive access to the Old Midleton Distillery and Blending Lab at Midleton.

Brendan Buckley, International Marketing Director at Irish Distillers, says: “The global bar community has dedicated its life and career to the service of others.  Now, more than ever, this community needs a new place to come together and share inspiring stories, real-world guidance and encouraging words to help each other overcome the challenges they face today and those that lie ahead.

“We hope this will offer both practical and emotional support through this challenging time and we very much look forward to celebrating with all our hosts at Midleton soon.”

Join the Jameson Hosts community by heading to:

Instagram: @jamesonhosts

Notes: 

About Irish Distillers 

Irish Distillers is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of spirits and wines, and producer of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey, experiencing 30 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 8m cases in 2019. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 70 of those experiencing double or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €400 million to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin.

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €9,182 million in FY19. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s three-year strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “We bring good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in the beverage sector in Vigeo Eiris. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation’s Global Compact LEAD company.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.