“UMIKI WHISKY is awarded with “GOLD” Medal from The World Whisky Masters 2020.

Osaka, JAPAN, 1st August 2020- At the The World Whisky Master 2020 competition – one of the world’s most progressive international spirits competition – Umiki Whisky was awarded with the “GOLD” medal within overall entrants.

About.Umiki Whisky – Ocean Fused Whisky From The Heart of Japanese Pine.

Yoshino Spirits Co. has added UMIKI Whisky – “World’s First Ocean Fused Whisky” to its portfolio, initially available in North American, Asian markets in April and rest global markets after May and onwards.
UMIKI is “World’s first Japanese Pine barrel aged whisky” and “World’s first ocean water fused whisky that uses only renewable water source for blending”

This sustainable process brings an exceptional smoothness with sea-breeze on the nose, rounded floral taste on the palate and a soothing freshness in the finish to UMIKI.

UMIKI has already picked up awards, winning Double Gold Awarded from China Wine & Spirits Awards 2020 and Gold Medal from World Spirits Award 2020.

Visit Umiki HERE

About The World Whisky Masters 2020:

In July 2020, The Spirits Business organized The World Whisky Masters competition in a drive to find and reward the finest World Whisky brands on the world stage. Chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists, the World Whisky judged in a blind tasting, to discover the World Whisky Masters of 2020. www.thespiritsbusiness.com

ROCK TOWN’S ARKANSAS RYE WHISKEY SCORES A 95/100
AT THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Little Rock, AR – (August 11, 2020) – Rock Town Distillery is pleased to announce its Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey has scored a 95/100 at the prestigious 2020 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) held in the UK.

The IWSC is one of the oldest and most respected tasting competitions in the world.The IWSC runs a tightly structured, rigorous tasting process. They use the ‘double-blind’ method, which means samples are tasted in pre-poured numbered glasses to ensure their experts never see a bottle. Each spirit is judged by a whole panel in sync, allowing for group discussions. All spirits scoring 90 and above were re-tasted by the Judging Committee for the final confirmation, and to ensure consistency across the tasting.

Rock Town’s Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey is distilled from a mash of 56% Rye, 34% Corn and 10% Distillers Malt. and has been aged for over 2 years in 25 gallon new charred oak barrels.

“We’re very proud of our Arkansas Rye,” says distillery founder and head distiller, Phil Brandon. “It consistently scores among the top rye whiskeys in the world, having already garnered a 94/100 in the 2020 Whiskey Bible and a Gold Medal in San Francisco in 2019. To now score a 95/100 in the UK at the IWSC is an amazing feat and we’re over the moon with excitement about it”.

ABOUT THE IWSC

Joel Harrison, IWSC Chair Judge and member of the Spirits Judging Committee has released a summary of the tasting which can be found here  You can view the full results here: https://iwsc.net/results/search

ABOUT ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

Rock Town Distillery produces the award winning Arkansas Bourbon, Arkansas Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Arkansas Rye Whiskey, Rock Town Vodka and more which are distributed to multiple states and Canada. Winner of the 2015 US Micro Whisky of the Year in the 2015 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, is located in downtown Little Rock at 1201 Main Street, Little Rock, AR 72202.  The distillery is open for tours 6 days a week. To find out more please visit www.rocktowndistillery.com

While the months have both dragged and sped by this year, they have still continued to bounce along, and have now led us to one of the most important moments of 2020 – nominations for The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year are now open!

Nom nom nom

Last year, we decided to shake up our Whisky of the Year awards and throw them open to you, the whisky drinkers of the world. Rather than relying on The Whisky Exchange team and a carefully chosen cadre of drinks professionals, we would instead turn to you and find out what whiskies had been tickling your fancies in recent times.

It worked out so well, that we’re doing it again.

The nomination process is very simple: head to The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year nomination page and let us know which three whiskies you think should win.

Getting the nomination is like gravy. Winning would be like whatever is better than gravy.

Of course it can’t be quite that simple. With so many whiskies in the wild, we need to put a few restrictions in place.

To be eligible for The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year award, a whisky must be:

• £65 or under
• 48% ABV or under
• Not a limited release

That still gives us a huge range of whiskies to choose from, but also makes sure there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find a bottle of the winner.

Vote early, vote often.

Nominations are open now and will close on 24 August 2020.

Once closed, we’ll count everything up and select the top three whiskies from the public nominations. These will then be added to three whiskies chosen by TWE co-founder Sukhinder Singh and head buyer Dawn Davies to create our final shortlist of six drams.

Special blind tasting packs will be available shortly after we’ve chosen the shortlist. They’ll contain six drams, each marked with one of the letters A to F, so that you don’t know what each one is – have a taste, have a think and then head back to our website with the unique voting code found in each box to let us know what your two favourites are. Online votes will be combined with those from an in-person tasting in London (if we’re allowed to hold in-person tastings by then), a winner will be selected and we’ll let you know who it is.

Whisky of the Year: done

New on the shelf

Get stuck into something new! We’ve got our hands on some delicious new releases that we think you’ll love. Be one of the first to add these to your collection by shopping our top picks below.

Bunnahabhain Cruach-Mhona
£84.99

A peated limited edition malt from the Islay distillery, bottled at a mighty 50% VOL.

Buy Now ›

Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine
£74.99

Partially-matured in red wine casks, this is classic Bunnahabhain with added sweet spice. 

Buy Now ›

This weeks episode of the #GoodDramShow https://youtu.be/bJjZzOt_dJI features Lady of the Glen

DIAGEO CELEBRATES ‘2015-2020 SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY’ ACHIEVEMENTS

Greenhouse gas emissions halved across our own business (50% absolute reduction)[1]

Improved water efficiency by 46%[2]

Achieved zero waste to landfill at all production sites and offices[3]

Over 99.5% of packaging now recyclable

435,000 women empowered through our community programmes

229.2m people reached with moderation messages from our brands

Diageo, maker of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has today celebrated the conclusion of its highly ambitious 2020 Sustainability and Responsibility Goals. Originally set in 2008, and refreshed in 2015, the goals were among the most ambitious and stretching in the industry. Diageo was among the first companies to set its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets in line with the principles of the Science Based Targets initiative and an early adopter of absolute, rather than relative, GHG reduction targets.

On water stewardship, in 2019 Diageo was appointed a Global Goals Business Avenger[4] as the business champion for UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. This financial year[5], Diageo has replenished 1,400,000m3 of water, the equivalent of 560 Olympic sized swimming pools[6], in water-stressed areas.

Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “As we close our 2020 targets, we are incredibly proud of the progress we have made and grateful to our employees and selected partners who have helped us deliver transformational progress. Through our programmes, we have made a positive impact on millions of people, in communities all around the world. We have been agile and moved quickly to adapt to the global changes around us. We are excited about the decade of action ahead and will continue to lead the way, driven by the knowledge that our future success is intertwined with the success of the living planet around us.”

The 2020 targets were selected to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and designed to cover Diageo’s three main focus areas: reducing environmental impact, building thriving communities and promoting positive drinking. Key highlights delivered include:

• Cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from direct operations by 509,000 metric tonnes, delivering on its commitment to reduce absolute emissions by 50%[7].
• Reducing emissions by over a third (33.7%) across its total value chain, going beyond its original 30% target[8].
• In water stressed areas, replenished 100% of the water used in our final product.
• Ensured that over 99.5% of its packaging is recyclable and achieved 45% recycled content in its packaging.
• Achieved zero waste to landfill in all operational sites and offices.
• Supported more than 250,000 people through its projects focused on clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in 2020.
• Empowered 435,000 women to date through its community programmes.
• Championed diversity such that 39% of leadership positions are now held by women, going beyond its original target of 35%.

The full report can be accessed here.

Diageo has also long supported the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing harmful drinking by 10% across the world by 2025 and has set itself stretching targets to reach in this area over the next five years. So far, it has reached over 229 million people with moderation messages via its brands and helped educate 1 million young people, parents and teachers about the dangers of underage drinking.

Despite this significant progress, however, Diageo has not quite achieved all its ambitious goals. As reported in 2019, it has not met the full improvement it wanted in the quality of wastewater it discharges, with 90% of its operational sites meeting the stretching target (noting it remains within consent levels granted by local regulators). However, Diageo did deliver a 46.3% improvement in water use efficiency against a target of 50%, only missing the goal due to delayed water recycling projects in Africa and lower packaged volumes in some markets both as a direct result of COVID-19 impacts. It has also found reducing the overall weight of its packaging by 15% more challenging than expected, still delivering a strong 11% reduction with the starting point on lightweight glass making it a tough challenge. Having delivered the goal of 80% of raw materials sourced locally in Africa 2 years early it slipped to 79% over the last quarter of the year, as a direct result of COVID-19 volume impacts.

Over the last decade pursuing its sustainability and responsibility goals, Diageo has adapted its programmes to improve their impact and has seen the benefit of an increased holistic and aligned approach within the business and with our vital third party partners. No business can deliver meaningful targets alone and it will be crucial that this focus and partnership approach is maintained as the world continues to combat both climate change and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflections from the last five years of working towards these goals are:

• The importance of linking sustainability to core business strategies.  Diageo’s clean water, sanitation and hygiene programme is an integral part of its water strategy, focusing on communities directly connected to its core business while supporting Diageo’s successful drive to replenish water in water-stressed areas.
• How important it is to have total alignment within the business and strong sponsorship from leaders, as well as effective execution monitoring.
• Inclusion and gender equality should be built into every community programme, rather than treated as a separate objective.
• Early investment in infrastructure and a process of continuous improvement are key to success.
• It is possible to increase Diageo’s impact through long-term, strategic NGO partnerships with organisations like CARE International UK and WaterAid. Diageo benefits from its partners’ in-depth knowledge of local contexts and programme design, so that together we can address issues such as inequality, water stress and climate change.

In the coming months, the company will also be announcing a new set of targets to help further support in the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals over the critical decade to 2030.

[1] Baseline year is 2007

2 Baseline year is 2007

3 By 30.06.2020

4 https://business.globalgoals.org/business-avengers

5 1.07.2019 to 30.06.2020

6 One Olympic swimming pool contains 2.500 m3 water

7 Baseline year is 2007

8 Baseline year is 2007

About Diageo 

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

[1] Baseline year is 2007

[2] Baseline year is 2007

[3] By 30.06.2020

[4] https://business.globalgoals.org/business-avengers

[5] 1.07.2019 to 30.06.2020

[6] One Olympic swimming pool contains 2.500 m3 water

[7] Baseline year is 2007

[8] Baseline year is 2007

“UMIKI WHISKY is awarded with “GOLD” Medal and “Innovation” Award from SIP Awards 2020.

Osaka, JAPAN, 7th August 2020- At the The SIP Awards 2020 competition – one of the world’s most progressive international spirits competition – Umiki Whisky was awarded with the “TASTE GOLD” medal and “INNOVATION AWARD” within overall entrants.

About.Umiki Whisky – Ocean Fused Whisky From The Heart of Japanese Pine.

Yoshino Spirits Co. has added UMIKI Whisky – “World’s First Ocean Fused Whisky” to its portfolio, initially available in North American, Asian markets in April and rest global markets after May and onwards.
UMIKI is “World’s first Japanese Pine barrel aged whisky” and “World’s first ocean water fused whisky that uses only renewable water source for blending”

This sustainable process brings an exceptional smoothness with sea-breeze on the nose, rounded floral taste on the palate and a soothing freshness in the finish to UMIKI.

UMIKI has already picked up awards, winning Double Gold Awarded from China Wine & Spirits Awards 2020 and Gold Medal from World Spirits Award 2020.

Visit Umiki HERE

About the SIP Awards 2020 The SIP Awards provides a unique judging competition for spirit brands to gain exposure, feedback, and recognition from unbiased consumers. As the only blind tasting competition of its kind, the SIP Awards offers a fair platform for top brands to showcase their products to their most discerning audience. To learn more about the SIP Awards beverage competition, venue partnerships, or for a complete list of this year’s winners, visit https://sipawards.com.

Ogden’s Own Distillery Embraces Flavor Innovation with Launch of Porter’s Peanut Butter Whiskey

The Newest Member of the Ogden’s Own Portfolio Delivers an Irresistible Fan-Favorite Offerings to its Porter’s Lineup of Flavored Whiskeys

(Ogden, UTAH – August 11, 2020) – Ogden’s Own, an award-winning leading distiller of craft spirits and the largest independently owned distillery in the state of Utah, is pleased to officially introduce the newest offering to its fan-favorite line of Porter’s flavored whiskeys: Porter’s Peanut Butter Whiskey. Serving as a prime example of Ogden’s Own’s willingness to take risks through experimentation with bold, unconventional flavor profiles through its beloved Porter’s line, Porter’s Peanut Butter is now officially available for sale at the Ogden’s Own Distillery Store at 615 W. Stockman Way, and will soon become available to Ogden’s Own customers nationwide via the brand’s retail and online partners.

Porter’s Peanut Butter captures the unmistakable, one-of-a-kind essence of peanut butter and balances it with a hint of rich chocolate flavor, delivering a familiar yet subtle peanut butter presence that avoids coming across as artificial or overpowering. Instead, the gentle nuttiness and comforting warmth of the peanut butter elevates the whiskey itself, creating a balanced 66.6-proof blend of smooth Canadian whiskey and tantalizing peanut butter flavor. Porter’s Peanut Butter is an ideal candidate for any consumers looking to indulge their curiosity in the unexpected sipping experience of a peanut butter spirit, as it is completely safe to drink for those with peanut allergies and available at a cost-friendly price point of $19.99, making it hard to resist as one of the most affordably-priced peanut butter spirits on the market.

Porter’s Peanut Butter will seamlessly slot into the Ogden’s Own family of Porter’s whiskeys, which also includes Huckleberry, Peach, Apple, and Cinnamon Fire varietals, along with the limited-edition Porter’s Small Batch Rye, released in 2019. Over the years, Porter’s whiskeys have garnered significant popularity and grown into a cherished choice for consumers in both Ogden’s Own’s home state of Utah and in several states across the country. Named after Orrin Porter Rockwell, an iconic enforcer of the Old West, the hallmark of Porter’s whiskeys is their sweet-but-not-sugary flavor profiles, which make the expressions perfect for enjoying in a wide variety of forms, ranging from seasonal craft cocktails to on-the-rocks or neat sipping.

“Our top priority at Ogden’s Own has always been listening and catering to the feedback of our customers, the loyal community that has embraced our distillery and grown it into what it is today,” said Steve Conlin, CEO and Co-Founder of Ogden’s Own. “Those who know us know that we’re not afraid to take risks and think outside of the box when it comes to our products, and Porter’s Peanut Butter represents our willingness and desire to provide our fans with a unique offering that not only taps into a burgeoning consumer trend, but slots in seamlessly with our existing Porter’s whiskey portfolio. We couldn’t be more excited to see the response. After all, who doesn’t love peanut butter?”

Porter’s Peanut Butter is the first expression released at the brand-new, state-of-the-art distillery facility that Ogden’s Own cut the ribbon on in April 2020. The massive, 32,000 square-foot multi-purpose facility was constructed from the ground-up with the primary goal of helping Ogden’s Own continue to scale the distillery’s growth fueled by massive regional popularity. With a 10-fold increase in production, the new home of Ogden’s Own serves as an ideal environment for expanding the distillery’s product offerings and creates an incubator environment for innovative new expressions that push the envelope of traditional spirits while meeting the demands of Ogden’s Own’s loyal fans, much like Porter’s Peanut Butter.

Porter’s Peanut Butter Whiskey is now officially available for purchase at the Ogden’s Own Distillery Store, 615 W. Stockman Way, Ogden, Utah 84401, for the price of $19.99 per 750ml bottle. For more information regarding Porter’s Peanut Butter Whiskey, future availability of the product, and updates on all of Ogden’s Own brands, please visit www.ogdensown.com.

About Ogden’s Own

Ogden’s Own is based in Ogden, Utah and gained notoriety for its unique expressions and its often-satirical playfulness on stereotypes in its home state. Founded in 2009, Ogden’s Own’s first product was Underground Herbal Spirit, which was met with immediate acclaim, winning a Double Gold Medal from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012. The distillery then released Five Wives Vodka, which the brand is perhaps best known for today due to the national notoriety it received upon hitting the market. The name “Five Wives” was such a topic of controversy within the conservative-leaning Utah and surrounding states that Idaho refused to sell the product, prompting a national lawsuit where Ogden’s Own ultimately prevailed. Today, Ogden’s Own remains devoted to championing freedom of expression and offering its handcrafted, gluten-free products at an accessible, affordable price point. Their wide portfolio of expressions ensures that any customer can find a product that is suitable to his/her palate.

Our August auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 14th August until Sunday 23^rd August.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Macallan – 32 Year Old (1969 Fine & Rare)

Old Rip Van Winkle – 23 Year Old  (1986) Family Selection 

Cask sales – Springbank (1991), Craigellachie (2008) & Glenfarclas (2011).

Hibiki – 30 Year Old (Aritayaki)  

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.co.uk.

ralfy review 838 Extras – Glenfarclas 25yo revisited.