I hope my letter finds you well this festive season, and enjoying a dram of Islay’s finest, of course.

We have already had the first flurry of snow at the distillery, which is quite rare for us. We have been told that there is a lot more on the way.

For visitors coming to visit us next year, you will be welcomed by two magnificent dry stone walls at our entrance. They are being built by Jim Hanson, who also did the beautiful stone Laphroaig barrel that sits at the entrance of our visitor centre.

I am pleased to say (as I sit on the local committee) that a new ‘walking path’ from Port Ellen to our distillery will be complete by next year. It is three quarters complete now and there are already some superb views of our stunning coastline. It is almost 1 and half miles long, so a great walk for those who enjoy the fresh air.

Whilst we regularly win awards for our single malts, I was particularly proud of our Gold ‘Outstanding’ Award from the IWSA for our 18 year old. Being awarded ‘Outstanding’ is only at the discretion of the panel and is rarely awarded, so a great honour.

You will be pleased to hear we have had a record production this to year to make sure there is plenty of Laphroaig laid down for the future. We also opened up the top maturation floor of Warehouse Number 1 by the sea earlier this year, but more on this next year!

We also had a record year for visitors to your distillery – over 20,000 visitors! I always enjoy meeting new FOL’s coming to the distillery for the first time, so thank you for making the effort.

Like last year, we will be holding our Christmas Fair for the islanders on December the 8th, at the visitor centre. Here, all the arts and crafts people of Islay gather to sell their wares, many of which you will recognise in your online shop. By then, we will have put up two Christmas trees that come from the old wooded part of your FOL plots. One at the distillery, of course, and the other takes pride of place in our local town Port Ellen.

Final Dates for Online Delivery

If you’re looking to treat someone special this Christmas with items from our gift shop, remember that postal times vary so be sure to get your orders in before it’s too late.

• United Kingdom: 20th December
• Europe: 16th December
• Rest of World: 13th December

For more information on orders please visit the Laphroaig website.

Laphroaig Live USA

As most of you know, the 2013 Laphroaig Live event took place in New York, on an ancient river barge moored right in front of the Statue of Liberty in the old Brooklyn docks.

We received so many questions during the event that the panel and I were unable to answer all of them. Don’t worry though, starting this month we’re answering these questions on the Laphroaig Facebook page. If you want to see the answers in your newsfeed, just remember to Like us Facebook.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you Seasons Greetings from myself and all of us here at Laphroaig. I hope you have a great holiday and a superb Hogmanay.

Slàinte,

John Campbell
Distillery Manager, Laphroaig

Join the Friends of Laphroaig

The New Jack Daniel’s Holiday Select Is Now Available To Order – just in time for Christmas. Only available while stocks last.

The Whisky Shop is delighted to announce that hugely popular Jack Daniels Holiday Select is now available to order. This limited release always sells very quickly and the third expression in the series promises to be no different.

This Jack Daniel’s limited edition is from barrels used to craft our Holiday Barrel Tree. For 2013, our Master Distiller, Jeff Arnett, has selected whiskey with the rich character of toasted oak and spice notes drawn from our handcrafted barrels. We hope it brings a special quality to your holiday season.

This limited release is bottled at 49% Volume.

Free postage on all UK orders over £50.00

Simply click here to buy only £78.99

Whisky of the Year 2013

We quite like awards at TWE. Every year we seem to pick up a few, but other than the TWE Blog Awards that we have yet to repeat (one day…) we generally seem to sit on the receiving end. This … Continue reading >>

Amrut releases three Single Cask Single Malt Whiskies

Three stunning new single malts are released this month by the innovative Indian distillery, Amrut Distilleries.

Carrying on in its much admired tradition of taking its single malt whisky and aging it in particular wood, Amrut Distilleries, the award-winning Bangalore whisky maker has created three single cask malts. 

The malt whisky from the Bourbon and Sherry casks is made with Indian barley, while the spirit from the Port pipes is made from Scottish barley malted in peat. 

Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s International Brand Ambassador says each is a very individual offering. “We select the casks we use carefully and then wait until the spirit reaches the perfect age and level of maturity before we bottle it.” 

The results are impressive and already the trio has had rave reviews. Curt Robinson, founder of All Things Whisky, particularly likes the expression from the Bourbon cask for its simplicity that is “Amrut at its best”. 

He highlights the beautifully balanced nose to its unmistakable Amrut palate of “warm melting Swiss chocolate, cinnamon-spiced cocoa, orange zest, mint and ginger”, which he found “stunningly vibrant and tangy on the tongue”. 

Meanwhile, Gal Granov, founder and editor of Whisky Israel, enthuses about the peated expression from the Port pipes. Of the nose he says: “Oh my goodness. It’s so rich. So intense. Lovely peat above layers of sweet cherries soaked in wine. Lots of spice too. Mint. Plums. Mushrooms. Desert wine. Tannins galore. It’s huge.” 

Gordon Homer, founder of the Spirit of India blog and a well established fan of Amrut thinks the port pipe matured Single Cask is the peatiest Amrut he has ever had. 

Ashok added: “We are delighted with the initial reaction we have had to these Single Malts. As we waited for the elements to come into alignment, we thought they were going to be interesting, but it is only when the drinkers themselves give us their verdict that we can be truly happy.” 

The three new Amrut Single Casks will only be available in Europe. 

FURTHER INFO

Tasting notes – Amrut Single Cask

Gal Granov

Founder and editor, Whisky Israel

Amrut Single Cask, Port pipe, peated

Nose: Oh my goodness. It’s so rich. So intense. Lovely peat above layers of sweet cherries soaked in wine. Lots of spice too. Mint. Plums. Mushrooms. Desert wine. Tannins galore. It’s huge!!

Palate: wham. Bitter earthy peat. Tons of hot chilly and cinnamon. Tannins. Sweet and hot with smoke and lovely earthy peat. Marinated BBQ meat. Fig jam and sultanas. Rum soaked cake.

Finish: long. Ashy. Peaty. Sweet and spicy cinnamon and dates.

Superb.

90/100

Amrut Single Cask, Bourbon

Nose: coconut oil and vanilla with a bit of waxy notes too. Needs a bit of water to open up and then it reveals perfumed wood notes and more sugars.

Palate: lots of vanilla and fresh coconut, cereals and a hint of bergamot.

Finish: bitter sweet wood, crushed coffee beans.

Nice bourbon influence on steroids.

85/100

Amrut Single Cask, PX sherry

Nose: rich thick sugars with a clear sherry effect : nuts, grape peals and dried fruit salad in sweet nectar with quite a bit of vanilla and nutmeg.

Palate: sweet and hot at first with freshly ground peppercorns, hot cinnamon and dates and figs galore and a hint of tobacco leaves too.

Finish: cinnamon. Chilly. Dried figs and black pepper.

Lovely.

88/10

Curt Robinson

founder All Things Whisky, Canada

Amrut Single Cask, Bourbon

Score: 92/100

Nose: creamy chocolate. Almond and nutmeg. A little bit of orange. A fine dusting of cinnamon. Very high quality hardwood (like you’d smell in a great wood-working shop). Toasted marshmallow and vanilla. Quite creamy and “doughy”. Very much in the vein of the Herald or Two Continents. Beautifully balanced nose.

Palate: a huge delivery of pure Amrut familiarity. By now, this is an unmistakable profile. Warm melting Swiss chocolate. Cinnamon-spiced cocoa. Orange zest, mint and ginger. Nice blend of dried spices. Stunningly vibrant and tangy on the tongue.

Absolutely beautiful. I adore Amrut matured in ex-bourbon. You can see the purity of the exotic spirit shining through. While I am a sucker for all of Amrut’s innovative and quirky limited releases, this simplicity is Amrut at its best.

Amrut Single Cask, PX sherry

Score: 88/100

Nose: surprisingly, there is a little bit of tart red apple right up front. I’ve never picked that up on an Amrut before. Good strong cigar leaf and well-oiled leather. Sharp chocolate notes. It’s still easy to pick up malted barley here. A lot of spices, complexly married into a neat whole. Sort of reminds of an older Dalmore on the nose.

Palate: there is almost a meatiness here, met with malt. Coffee and over-roasted nuts. Dark toffee and even darker dried fruits. Burnt orange peelings. Very tannic. Very thick. Apple skins on the finish. This is heavy and oppressive sherry. Great late evening drink.

I’m not usually a water in whisky kinda guy, but this one swims very well. I’d actually recommend a few drops of water to cushion the more overt sherry notes and bring out more of those sublime sweet notes that PX is known for. A couple drops of water adds even more harmony and balance. A very different Amrut from what I’m used to. Neat to see another side.

Amrut Single Cask, Port pipe, peated

Score: 90/100

Nose: a lot of really lovely chocolate. A fair bit of peat that manages to stand rather independent of the smoke. Damp ash meets dark earthy soil (very cool nuances here!). Iodine and grape. Fresh orange juice. There’s a dark smokiness, but it’s very juicy, not dry. I can still pick up on that typical Amrut spicy cereal note even through all of the peat and port. Surprisingly creamy with a bit of a vanilla skeleton.

Palate: this is salty dram. One that has a great meaty/sour mix (in an absolutely pleasant tingling sensory way). I love it. Smoked fruits… weird but awesome. A lot of juicy grape and a bit of citrus. This carries a similar profile to the BenRiach Solstice (which I also loved, incidentally), but do note… the Solstice was a fifteen year old whisky… while this is only four!

This is single malt for the forward-thinking. It’s a little outside the norm, and definitely a whisky that will be hard to forget. Hopefully Amrut will consider adding something like this as a part of the core range, or at least something to be released in small batches in an ongoing basis.

Gordon Homer

Founder Spirit of India, Newcastle

Amrut Single Cask, Bourbon

A lovely golden colour in the glass. The nose is classic Amrut: malty, digestive biscuit, caramel toffee, chocolate (read millionaires’ shortbread for the last three) and of course liquorice. There’s also a hint of tropical fruits in the mix – delightful. This one fair dances across the palate, loads of oak spices playing with the malt and liquorice, a stunning mouthfeel. The finish is quite long again with spices and millionaires’ shortbread and an incredible chewiness. This one does not disappoint: Amrut at its finest.

Amrut Single Cask, Port pipe, peated

The odd one out of the three as it’s peated. Ruby red in colour. At first the peatiness is subdued by the fruitiness of the Port. A bag of mixed dark fruits, plums and blackberry jelly spring to mind, eventually there is a waft of peat and if you wait long enough (if you can) the glass is eventually filled to the brim with a smoky peatiness. The palate is REALLY peaty and not as fruit filled as I was expecting, there is fruit there (again of the dark variety) but I think this is the peatiest Amrut I’ve ever had. The finish is long and peaty with plum jam. The cask and the peated spirit really go well together in this one, both interplay well with each other and neither dominate, very good balance, another ace bottling.

Amrut Single Cask, PX sherry

The colour of Golden Syrup, the Amrut liquorice is the first thing that grabs your attention on the nose, then it intermixes with the dried fruits (raisins and sultanas), glace cherries and cake dough of your traditional Christmas cake. The palate at first is dark chocolate and glace cherries, then the liquorice and shortbread biscuit come through. There is also a hint of cherry liqueur. The finish is very dry and long, and almost liquid Christmas cake. Again incredible balance between the spirit and cask and another thoroughly enjoyable Amrut.

Amrut Distilleries background

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab, distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3,000ft above sea level. Amrut Distilleries has won many awards.

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the world this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.”

The awards for Fusion have continued, picking up several over the years, including Grand Master of World Whisky at The Spirits Business Awards in December 2011 and World Whisky of the Year at the Malt Advocate Whisky Awards February 2011.

The distillery itself has won honours, lifting the title of Distiller of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2011 at awards organized by Whisky Magazine. The award was made to Amrut “for raising the profile of Indian whisky across the globe and its innovations in the production process”. The Rest of the World title meant the Bangalore distillery was also one of the four contenders for the Icons of Whisky Distiller of the Year title.

In 2012, Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s General Manager – International Operations, was named Whisky Ambassador of the Year at the Icons of Whisky. The judges praised the hard work of Ashok and Amrut Executive Director, Rick Jagdale, since launching Amrut Malt in 2004. “The gamble and all the legwork has paid off for Ashok and Rick, with Amrut establishing its credentials as a serious award winning whisky” they said.

Amrut’s Two Continents malt whisky was named Whisky Advocate’s New World Whisky of the Year in 2012. Two Continents is made from 100% Indian barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, then mashed, distilled and aged in Bangalore. It was then transferred to Europe where it was aged in ex-bourbon casks and then bottled. This gives it a “rich, complex, unique, and exciting oral explosion” according to Whisky Advocate.

Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008.

Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain), Canada, South Africa, Australia and the United States. It is also available in some Indian states.

Amrut’s oldest malt was released in the spring of 2013. Having kept the angels happy for eight years as it matured in Bangalore, there were only 144 bottles to release – appropriately it was named Greedy Angels. 

NOTES to editors

High resolution images of the bottles are available – please email flaing@btinternet.com for copies.

Ashok Chokalingam, General Manager – International Operations, is available for interview on +44 (0) 7838 229914. ashok@amrutdistilleries.com

Treat someone special this Christmas to a bottle of the award winning Glenlivet 21 year old. The Whisky Shop are offering a staggering £62.99 off this expression for a limited time only. Bottles will be sold on a strictly first come first served basis – so be quick!

The Glenlivet 21 year old

Character: The mature and debonair one
Colour: Amber with sparkling copper shades
Nose: Aromas of dried fruit with a sherry influence
Palate: Cinnamon and ginger with a syrupy mouth feel
Finish: Lasting and warm with a hint of toasted hazelnuts

The 21 Year Old is produced in small, bespoke batches. Each cask is nosed and approved, making every batch unique. A sizable inventory of whisky of this age is extremely rare and only the best are selected for this expression. The complex combination of cask types imparts richness, intensity and a long finish to the whisky.

Was £171.00
Now £109.00

Simply click here to buy

Best Peated Whisky Award for Amrut malt in Malt Maniacs Awards 

An Amrut Single Cask malt whisky has been named the Best Peated Whisky in the 2013 Malt Maniacs Awards. 

The peated malt – bottled by Blackadder – was awarded 89 points by the jury in its blind tastings, just two points behind the overall winner. It was awarded a Silver Medal. 

The Indian distiller, Amrut Distilleries also picked up two Silver Medals and a Bronze Medal in the annual awards announced on 3 December, 2013 by Malt Maniacs, the on-line collective of malt whisky lovers. With three Silver Medals, Amrut was one of the best performing distilleries in this year’s awards. 

Amrut malts picked up the following awards:

• Silver medal, 89 points:

Amrut ‘Peated’ (63%, Blackadder Raw Cask, NAS, C#BA18/2013, 268 Bts., 2013)

• Silver medal, 88 points:

Amrut (62.3%, Blackadder Raw Cask, NAS, Sherry Cask, C#BA17/2013, 236 Bts., 2013)

• Silver medal, 88 points:

Amrut ‘Single Cask’ 2009/2013 (62.8%, OB, C#2699, PX sherry cask)

• Bronze medal 84 points:

            Amrut ‘Single Cask’ 2009/2013 (62.8%, OB, bourbon cask) 

Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s International sales manager, said: “Our new Single Cask releases are proving very popular. We are delighted that such passionate whisky enthusiasts recognise our efforts. This month we have launched some really special limited editions and it is great to see the Malt Maniacs being so enthusiastic about these Single Cask expressions.” 

Malt Maniacs are an international on-line collective of malt whisky lovers which have been spreading the gospel of single malt whisky since 1997. Each year members form a jury to sample – completely blind – hundreds of whiskies, in what is probably the only consumer-driven whisky competition. 

Further information 

Amrut Distilleries background

In December 2013, Amrut Distilleries released three single cask malts in the European markets. The malt whisky from the Bourbon and Sherry casks is made with Indian barley, while the spirit from the Port pipes is made from Scottish barley malted in peat. 

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab, distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3,000ft above sea level. Amrut Distilleries has won many awards. 

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the world this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.” 

Malt Maniacs

Although they do meet in real life, the Malt Maniacs, founded 1997 by Johannes van den Heuvel, are the most well known of all Web-based whisky communities. The members of Malt Maniacs are scattered all around the globe: Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa. The Malt Maniacs are 100 per cent independent and only their amateur members are entitled to score whisky for Malt Maniacs.

The Malt Maniacs Awards have been organised every year since 2003. More than 200 whiskies are usually preselected and submitted by more than 60 different distillers, bottlers or brands and tasted blind by from ten to twelve independent jurors from various countries (India, Taiwan, USA, Canada, Europe…) There are no fees involved whatsoever. The results, usually published early in December, are always eagerly awaited and commented on by the whole whisky community.
www.maltmaniacs.net/awards

The General – Limited Release

Old, eccentric, powerful

This is our final and most illustrious Limited Edition release of the year: The General. It’s been created from two parcels of extraordinary cask-aged Blended Scotch whisky. The youngest whisky is 33 years old, the rest considerably older. Other than that, we have absolutely no idea what the ingredients are, only that they are malt and grain, blended together at a young age and then married for more than 25 years.

The result, bottled at 53.4% cask strength, is beautifully harmonious and boasts an ‘antique’ character that lovers of old whiskies seek out. The associations of The General, are inspired by Buster Keaton’s classic 1926 film of the same name where ‘the General’ is an old steam locomotive which Keaton takes on a long and wild ride to try to save the love of his life.

This whisky has extraordinary depth, with aromas and flavours reminiscent of spices, dried fruits and old sherry wine character. The finish is very, very long. It is a classic late-night-and-into-the-early morning whisky. Only 1,698 bottles were produced. Contact your favourite retailer now to reserve your bottle or, alternatively, just pick one up from our UK-based web shop.*

* The General is available now in the UK and Europe, and in the next month or so in Canada, South Africa and Asia. It will be released in the US on 1st March 2014.

With the return of an iconic Islay distillery we haven’t released for a while, and our first 40 year old release, we’ve got you covered for the holidays! Feast your eyes on the treats below and to purchase please contact one of our exclusive retailers:

http://www.smws.ca/exclusive-retail-stores/ 

Cask No. 35.85 Vivacious, voluptuous and luxurious
17 years old; 1st fill barrel; 56.7%
The nose has floral perfumes, lots of vanilla, toffee, syrup sponge, leather and a sunny basket of fruits. The palate – a treat of total contentment – rose petals on iced honey cake, vanilla cookies, lemon boiled sweets and blood oranges.

Cask No. G3.2 Walnut spelt bread with sunflower seeds
34 years old; refill hogshead; 58.3%
After opening up, the nose has dried fruits, walnut spelt bread with sunflower seeds and iced buns with strawberry jam filling. To taste, hot and fizzy then sweet, golden corn syrup, lychees and apricots.

Cask No. 35.71 Like a hug from your mum
40 years old; refill hogshead; 47.7%
The nose offers maple syrup, heather honey and jaffa cakes, plus menthol cigarettes and After Eights in a wooden box. The chewy-textured palate has flavours of aniseed, tobacco, coconut, orange zest and mint choc-chip ice-cream – a time-stopping, happy, huggy whisky.

Cask No. 76.98 Big and tingly
17 years old; refill sherry butt; 57.2%
Orange dominates the nose (chocolate oranges, orange blossoms, marmalade) – also figs, dried banana and pineapple, coconut and tobacco. The palate, big and tingly, has orange zest, clove, nutmeg, brown sugar, apple, chocolate and oak.

Cask No. 3.198 Smoker’s tooth powder & dentist’s chairs
14 years old; refill sherry butt; 57%
The nose suggests coal, slate and gravel, driftwood bonfires, barbecued ribs, perfumed smoke, toffee and sherry. The palate has big toffee, decent smoke, honeyed chicken wings, balsamic, hot leather, ash and minty notes.

Cask No. 53.172 Unmistakeable Islay
21 years old; refill hogshead; 52.2%
Unmistakeable Islay nose – sea-spray, peat-reek, coal, burnt pork crackling, leather, tobacco and tar. The palate is sweet and peaty, with honey, talcum, pencil erasers, barbecued prawns, ash and soot.

Cask No. 33.124 An engineer’s lunch-box
7 years old; 1st fill sherry butt; 59.7%
The nose combines toffee popcorn, fudge, pecan pie, raisins and molasses with creosote, old wood and compost. The palate encompasses over-done crackling, spiced sausages, chipotle chillies, orange, treacle toffee and walnut whips.

Get ready for our last tasting of the year!
It is a whisky and chocolate tasting!
Wednesday 11th of December, 630pm in BookEnds, Butchart Centre: Whisky and Chocolate with Iain Burnett, the Highland Chocolatier

Tickets will be on sale TODAY between 12-2pm in Alfies, Butchart Centre

This is a unique chance and we will be serving 7 whiskies.
For this special tasting tickets are £7 and £8 for non-members.

This is also our Christmas tasting so dress-up and wear your cheesy Christmas jumper!

________________________________________
ALL members must renew their membership for this year.
Please see details below about how to do this.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

We also need to get EVERYONE to become a member of the Malt Whisky Society.
To do this follow these simple steps:
1. Go to www.ausa.org.uk
2. Register a new account
3. Search for “Malt Whisky Society”
4. Add “Malt Whisky Society Student Membership” (£2) to your basket (like amazon.com)
5. Go to your basket – you MUST add “Societies Union” membership (£2) before you can pay
6. Follow payment instructions – you NEED a credit/debit card to pay.
7. Bring along your reference on a bit of paper/your mobile phone to the next whisky event and we will give you your membership card.

Yes, we relise that this is INCREDIBLY stupid/inefficient/difficult/unnecessary but it is THE ONLY WAY that you can become a member. This also includes previous members.

CASH PAYMENTS
It is possible to pay for membership with cash at the Butchart Recpetion desk during opening hours.

Our mailing address is:
University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
United Kingdom

 MIX IT WITH BRASIL!

Ballantine’s announces launch of new spirit drink 

Ballantine’s, the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky, has today announced an exciting new addition to the Ballantine’s portfolio, with the launch of Ballantine’s Brasil; a new lime-infused spirit drink. 

Made by selectively cask steeping Scotch whisky with Brazilian lime peel, Ballantine’s Brasil represents as an innovative fusion of the traditions of Scotland with the passion of Brazil. Featuring a delicate combination of citrus complemented with vanilla notes, the new variant is expected to resonate with consumers who are new to Scotch, as well as existing Ballantine’s drinkers. 

An ABV of 35% ensures that the taste is both smooth and consistent, with the sweet and creamy flavours of Scotch balancing the refreshing lime taste. 

Ballantine’s Brasil is presented in a clear version of the brand’s iconic bottle with its own unique, eye-catching design cues. The label features the brand’s ‘B’ signifier, a bespoke ‘Brasil’ crest and a lime green closure to complete the Brazilian look and feel, while ensuring strong shelf presence.  

Ballantine’s has also developed a signature serve for Ballantine’s Brasil called the Highland Samba, which mixes Ballantine’s Brasil and lemonade, served over ice and topped with two freshly-cut slices of lime. A further four Brazilian-themed serves have been created, comprising: 

• Glen Rio:  a mix of Ballantine’s Brasil and apple juice
• Flower O’Brasil: Ballantine’s Brasil mixed with freshly squeezed lime and elderflower
• Caledinho: Ballantine’s Brasil combined with freshly squeezed lime and mixed with crushed sugar
• Glen Coco: The Caledinho, with the addition of coconut 

Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s, said: “There is a huge opportunity for spirit drinks that are made with whisky, as it’s an exceptionally dynamic new category that is already demonstrating a strong rate of growth. Ballantine’s Brasil is a venture into new territory for us, but we’re excited to have a product that can take advantage of this opportunity and one that can truly inspire those who have not yet found their perfect way to enjoy a Scotch whisky drink. We hope that Ballantine’s Brasil will excite a new generation of consumers with the combination of Scottish authenticity and Brazilian passion!” 

More information can be found at www.mixitwithbrasil.com, where customers can also view a series of tutorials on how they can ‘Mix it with Brasil’ to create their own favourite Ballantine’s Brasil cocktails. 

Ballantine’s Brasil will be launching in selected key markets around the world, starting with the Czech Republic and the Netherlands later this month and rolling out globally from February 2014. The RRP varies within each market, with the RRP for the Czech Republic being 379CZK (approximately 14€).

Notes to Editors 

Tasting Notes  

• Nose – A balance of rich vanilla and sweet, authentic Brazilian lime; a complex fusion of Scotch whisky, lime and natural vanilla.
• Taste – Soft sweetness, with a perfect balance of refreshing lime and sensation of smooth vanilla. Complementing this perfectly are the delicate sweet and creamy signature flavours of Scotch whisky.
• Finish – Refreshing lime tang with a soft dry finish. 

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No. 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky by volume, and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827. 

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.