Chivas Brothers launches global Scotch whisky campaign in travel-retail
The Age Matters aims to educate customers about the importance of age statements within the category
The Age Matters campaign posterLiquor supplier Chivas Brothers has today launched a global campaign to promote the importance of age statements within the Scotch whisky category. The consumer-focused campaign will be rolled out from July 1 in the duty-free and travel-retail channel, with Seoul Incheon, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, London Heathrow and Istanbul Atatürk airport among the first to host the promotion, which will focus on strategic brands Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet, Chivas Regal and Royal Salute.
The campaign was designed following customer research commissioned by the company, which revealed that although 94% of consumers believe the age statement on a bottle of whisky serves as an indicator of quality, only 10% of respondents know that the age statement refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle—nearly half (48%) said it refers to the average age of whiskies present in the bottle.
Chivas Brothers chairman and CEO Christian Porta said the travel-retail channel was chosen as the launch platform for the campaign, which will be rolled out to domestic markets in the near future, because a “significant proportion” of the company’s high-end Scotch whiskies is sold in duty-free. “Our ultra-premium and prestige products such as Ballantine’s 17yo and Chivas Regal 25yo and well represented in travel-retail, so we will start with this channel and after about three months we’ll move into domestic markets.
“[This campaign] is about educating our existing consumers, helping them to understand why these are great products and why age matters, and also why it is worth paying the price they are paying for it. It also contributes to the premiumisation of the category, which is good not only us but also for retailers. At the same time it also helps us to talk to new consumers,” Porta added.
The Age Matters will use specially-created point-of-sale materials including a “Guaranteed Age Whisky” seal and posters highlighting the main message of the campaign.
Scottish whisky industry invests to meet booming demand
Scotch industry invests 600 mln pounds over three years
The Scottish whisky industry is booming again with investment pouring in to boost capacity as distillers defy the recession and the current sluggish recovery with an eye on the fast growing markets of Asia.
Leading the charge is the single malt whisky market boasting names such as The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie and Macallan which may only account for a fraction of the industry, but is growing faster than the much larger blended scotch market.
Over the last three years, the Scottish whisky industry has invested 600 million pounds ($898 million) in malt and grain distilleries, warehousing and bottling and despite the downturn none of these expansion plans have been cancelled or delayed.
Optimism is fuelled by markets like as China which rose to be worth 80 million pounds in 2009 from a mere 1 million pounds in 2000 in an industry which exports 90 percent of production worth an annual 3.13 billion pounds to the Scottish economy.
Single malts only account for just over 6 percent of 2009's 94.4 million 12-bottle case scotch market by volume, but the malt industry has grown volumes by 23 percent in the 2005-2009 five-year period compared to 10 percent for the whole industry.
Single malts come from Scotland's 102 malt distilleries scattered mainly across its highlands and islands, while the much large blended brands such as Johnnie Walker, Dewar's and Ballantine's are made up of around one third malt and two thirds industrially produced grain whisky.
Glenmorangie is typical of those pouring in investment despite the difficulty of predicting demand for 10 years plus when these single malt whiskies will be ready for bottling.
Its distillery on the shores of the Dornoch Firth in northeastern Scotland boasts the tallest stills in the industry to create a light fruity malt whisky which is No 1 in Scotland and the fastest growing in the United States, the world's biggest single malt market.
The world's biggest luxury goods group LVMH (LVMH.PA) snapped up Glenmorangie along with the Ardbeg distillery on the island of Islay off the southwest coast of Scotland in 2005, and boosted production by 50 percent last year spending 4 million pounds to add four new stills to its original eight and currently produces 6 million litres of alcohol a year.
"We are going to need all the extra whisky in 10 years time. There is a growing demand for the future with single malts outperforming the industry and Glenmorangie outperforming the single malt market," said the distillery's whisky creator and master distiller Rachel Barrie.
Plugging into LVMH's worldwide distribution network has given Glenmorangie greater access to Asian markets such as China where LVMH has a big presence due to Chinese drinkers liking for cognacs such as the group's Hennessy brand.
SPEYSIDE HEARTLAND
In the whisky making heartland of Speyside in northeast Scotland, the Macallan is also expanding production of its heavy, aromatic single malt made from some of the smallest stills in Scotland, and as the distiller says the smaller the still the sweeter the spirit.
The privately-owned Edrington Group, which produces the blended Famous Grouse and two other single malts Highland Park Glenturret, has spent 4.5 million pounds dusting off and renovating six old stills last used in the early 1990s at Macallan to add to its existing 15 stills.
This will boost capacity by 35 percent to 8.75 million litres of alcohol per year to meet demand for its mainstream 12-year old product aged 100 percent in sherry oak barrels.
"We are seeing growing demand for our whiskies especially in our strongest markets of the U.S. and Taiwan and we are also seeing growth in the Far East, Russia and Spain," said Macallan's market innovation manager Annabel Kohler.
Pernod Ricard (PERP.PA), the spirits giant behind whisky blends like Chivas Regal, is investing 10 million pounds behind its top selling single malt The Glenlivet to boost sales and close the gap on single malt market leader Glenfiddich.
With 75 percent of output going into single malt production at the oldest licensed distillery in Speyside there was need for expansion for use in both single malts and blending. The investment has pushed up capacity by 75 percent this year adding six new stills to the eight originals to bring annual production up to 10.5 million litres of alcohol.
"Mature markets such as the United States are growing and so are emerging markets like China," said Pernod's master distiller Alan Winchester.
Glenlivet sold 612 million cases in 2009 up 2.1 percent on 2008 according to figures from the IWSR drink industry magazine while market leader Glenfiddich, privately owned by William Grant, fell 3.2 percent to 874 million. These are followed by the Macallan, Campari's (CPRI.MI) Glen Grant and Glenmorangie.
The world's biggest spirits and whisky maker Diageo (DGE.L) has spent 40 million pounds building the first new distillery for over 30 years which started up last year with a capacity from its 14 stills to produce 10 million litres of alcohol. This new Roseisle distillery on the edge of Speyside is likely to be used mainly in blends to allow some of the group's key but small distilleries such as Cardhu and Talisker to bottle more as single malts.
Over on the island of Islay, most of the island's eight distilleries produce peaty whiskies which are in demand for single malt production and for blending, and the best-selling Islay malt Laphroaig has been slowly pushing up production.
Laphroaig, and also Ardmore close to Speyside, were bought by Jim Beam maker Fortune Brands (FO.N) in 2005 as part of the break up of Allied Domecq and the Islay distiller soon moved to around the clock production over seven days in 2006.
The small distillery on the southeastern shore of Islay now produces 3 million litres of alcohol a year, and with 70 percent going into the single malt bottling there is need for more production of this distinctive malt.
"We have never had enough stock for the last 20 years. The U.S. is our fastest growing market and the UK our biggest, while France, Germany the Nordic countries and Japan are now big markets," said Laphroaig distillery manager John Campbell.
Scotch Whisky Association celebrates rise in exports to France
Scotch Whisky's growing popularity in France has given rise to a celebration of the category.
The fact that more than five bottles every second are shipped to the country will be toasted at a reception in the British Ambassador's Residence in Paris, on June 23.
Over 100 trade, business and media guests will attend a ‘Celebration of Scotch Whisky' hosted by Sir Peter Westmacott KCMG LVO, the British Ambassador to France.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association, a 12% rise in exports in 2009 confirmed France as Scotch Whisky's largest market by volume, with the equivalent of 179m bottles shipped.
Ahead of the reception , the Scotch Whisky Association is holding a seminar for the European drinks trade explaining the impact of the new Scotch Whisky regulations on the legal protection and international marketing of Scotch Whisky.
The new law protects the authenticity of Scotch Whisky from copycat products and ensures consumers always receive clear information on labels about what they are buying.
Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said: "Scotch Whisky's continued success in France is a Scottish export success story, with French consumers appreciating the authenticity, flavour and heritage of our brands.
A new member of the Caol Ila™ family of single malt Scotch whiskies has been announced by Diageo.
A 25 year old single malt Scotch Whisky is now joining this highly popular and award-winning collection. Caol Ila has been distilled on the eastern shore of Islay since 1846.
It will be the most mature member of the dynasty, standing alongside a 12 year old, an 18 year old, a natural cask strength bottling, a Distillers Edition™, and some limited edition younger expressions.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
19 Jun
2010
Scots firms take six places in top 100
Six Scottish companies have won a place in the latest Deloitte Top Track 100.
The ninth annual league table ranks Britain’s 100 biggest private companies by latest sales.
For the fourth year running, Scotland’s private company with the biggest sales is Glasgow-based car dealer Arnold Clark Automobiles. Ranked at 15 in this year’s top 100 with sales of £2.1billion in 2009, the family-owned company has more than 145 branches selling new and used cars.
William Grant and Sons, the Dufftown-based spirit distiller behind brands such as Grant’s whisky and Hendrick’s gin, enters the league table for the first time at 96 after growing sales 21% to £598million in 2008, making it Scotland’s sixth biggest private company.
Second placed among Scottish companies (44th in the UK) is Aberdeen-based oil and gas drilling contractor KCA Deutag with sales of £968million in 2009, while Edinburgh-based car-repair centre operator Kwik-Fit is third in Scotland (UK 47) with sales of £968million.
Miller Group, the Edinburgh-based housebuilding, construction and property development business, is fourth in Scotland (UK 61) with sales of £783million.
PSN, the Aberdeen energy service provider, ranks fifth in Scotland (UK 68), achieving sales of £741million in 2009.
James Baird, senior partner in Scotland at Deloitte, sponsor of the league table, said: “The companies featured in this year’s league table such as Arnold Clark and PSN have shown remarkable resilience throughout the recession.”
Grant's whisky seeks brand loyalty through digital initiative
Grant's, the William Grant & Sons-owned blended Scotch whisky brand, is launching a new website in an effort to develop a closer relationship with customers.
The 'After Hours Club' website, created by agency Geronimo, targets hobbies associated with whisky drinkers, such as gardening and classical music, as it looks to generate a greater sense of brand loyalty.
On the site, Grantswhisky.com/afterhours, users can win tickets to an exclusive concert with pianist Murray McLachlan. Grant's has also created a 'Garden Terrace' where visitors can receive gardening tips from TV presenter Chris Beardshaw, as well as winning tickets to BBC Gardener's World Live.
"In a market so focused on price, it was important to understand what really matters to Grant's consumers, and do things differently to get them interacting. The website really taps into their passions and interests outside of whisky, and provides relevant content to engage with them," said Geronimo managing director Andy Snuggs.
William Grant & Sons hired Geronimo last year with a brief to devise a UK digital and CRM strategy, following a wider review of its digital marketing.
A rare single malt has sold in Edinburgh for more than £25,000, making it one of the world's most expensive bottles of whisky.
The Glenfiddich, distilled before World War II, went under the hammer for £25,200, including the buyer's premium, at Bonhams' whisky sale.
The 70cl bottle, dating to 1937, was one of 61 bottles produced and was part of a batch of 10 released in 2001.
Experts said the single malt smelled of newly dug peat, burnt leather and oak.
They said it tasted of treacle toffee, creme brulee and toasted almonds.
Bonhams said the Glenfiddich, which was initially valued at £15,000 to £20,000, was one of the most expensive bottles of whisky ever sold at auction.
A world record £29,400 was paid in 2007 for a 19th century bottle of Bowmore, according to the auction house.
Bonhams' whisky specialist Martin Green said: "The moment I saw it I knew we had something special and I'm delighted that it reached such a high price.
"Even in these difficult economic times, very high quality items will still excite a lot of interest and this was a truly exceptional opportunity to acquire an exceptional bottle."
Whisky Lovers to Vie for $29,600 Glenfiddich, Matured 64 Years
A rare Scotch whisky matured for more than six decades may sell for as much as 20,000 pounds ($29,600) at an Edinburgh auction today as collectors vie for the best malts on offer.
The bottle is one of 61 produced by the Glenfiddich distillery and the whisky has matured for 64 years, host Bonhams said in its catalog. The sale of 396 lots may raise between 113,320 pounds and 144,050 pounds in total, the London-based auction house said in an e-mail.
The Scotch whisky industry has been weathering the financial crisis, Martin Green, the whisky specialist at Bonhams, said in an interview. Prices for collectable bottles have been rising as investors avoid the volatility of stock and bond markets. Distillers meanwhile have been adding capacity to cater to demand in countries such as China and India.
“Prices have been fantastic,” Green said as he set up the auction. “Collecting seems to be reaching an all-time high. It’s the alternative investment angle people are looking at.”
Bonhams in November sold the Dalmore Oculus, made from whisky malt vintages as much as 141 years old and stored in a crystal decanter, for 27,600 pounds after pricing it in the same range. The hammer price included fees and compared with a world record of 29,400 pounds for a bottle of Scotch set in Glasgow in 2007.
The Glenfiddich being auctioned today was distilled on July 17, 1937, and bottled on Oct. 24, 2001, according to the label on the bottle.
PRESS and Journal food writer Lady Claire Macdonald’s Kinloch Lodge Hotel was announced as the winner of Island Hotel of the Year, Young Chef of the Year 2010 and Wine and Spirit Hotel of the Year at this year’s Scottish Hotel Awards.
At a glittering awards ceremony at Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House Hotel, the winners of the 2010 Scottish Hotels of the Year were announced and Kinloch Lodge came away with three of these highly sought-after awards.
Having achieved a Michelin star earlier this year, the Island Hotel of the Year award perhaps comes as no surprise, but it was by no means a foregone conclusion. Scotland is home to many fabulous island hotels and the judges were looking for a hotel which surpassed itself in all aspects.
Young Chef of the Year was awarded to Andrew Maclugash, who joined Kinloch Lodge in January 2008. Since joining, Andrew has been eager to learn under head chef Marcello Tully and has certainly proved himself to be a talented young chef.
The third award was the Wine and Spirits Award, given to Tom Eveling, who helps run Kinloch with his wife, Isabella Macdonald. This was in recognition of the skill, care and attention Tom has given to Kinloch Lodge’s wine and spirit offering. The hotel has introduced Wine Flights, Whisky Flights and Beer Flights. Every dish on the menu is carefully paired with two wines, whiskies or beers. This initiative has proved extremely popular and has become a signature of Kinloch Lodge.
“It would have been a privilege and flattering to have come away with just one of these accolades,” said Isabella Macdonald.
“But to have been awarded all three is a true honour and a credit to our entire team here at Kinloch Lodge.”
The organisers of these “Oscars” of the hotel industry say they “recognise specific excellence – business and individual – across the array of skills that make up the unique business that is the Scottish hotel industry – such a vital industry for our nation”.
For more information, visit www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk
MSPs reject flagship plan – but Sturgeon unbowed by setback
Minimum drink price strategy is defeated
The Scottish Government’s flagship plan for a minimum price for alcohol suffered a major blow yesterday when it was rejected by MSPs.
The Tories claimed it was the “end of the road” for the proposal after their motion urging SNP ministers to delete it from future legislation was backed by Labour.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the vote was not “binding” and vowed to fight on as the Alcohol Bill makes its way through parliament. Minimum pricing is at the heart of a raft of measures in the bill designed to tackle the health, social and economic damage caused by alcohol abuse.
It is supported by the medical profession and police, but opposed by most of the drinks industry.
Ms Sturgeon has declined to reveal her preferred price for a unit of alcohol, although it is believed to be 40p, despite Holyrood’s health committee saying they could not scrutinise the legislation effectively without it.
Although parliament rejected minimum pricing in yesterday’s stage one debate – voting 54-49 to support the Tory amendment – there was overwhelming support for the bill’s general principles.
Last night, Tory health spokesman Murdo Fraser said: “This is the end of the road for minimum pricing. Today the Scottish Parliament has voted for the first time to reject the policy.
“Now it’s time for the SNP to put its plans on hold and sit down and work with the UK Government and opposition parties on a joint approach. Scotland has a huge problem with excessive alcohol consumption and we need targeted measures to tackle that abuse.”
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said minimum pricing was “holed beneath the waterline” and called on the government to work with other parties.
“If they have any respect for democracy and truly care about tackling the over- consumption of alcohol they should accept the will of parliament.”
The government has the support of the three Green and Independent MSPs and former Labour health minister Malcolm Chisholm, who broke party ranks yesterday.
It is pinning its hopes on eventually convincing Lib Dem MSPs – who abstained in yesterday’s vote – of the merits of price control.
With the Lib Dems’ support, the government would have enough votes to get minimum pricing through at stage two when details of the bill go before parliament.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The amendment that was passed has absolutely no legal effect and it is notable that fewer than half of all MSPs voted for it. The Scottish Government will, at stage two, continue to seek to persuade members to support minimum pricing, which is backed by a huge range of experts.”
The Lib Dems abstained because evidence on minimum pricing demanded by the health committee was still not available.
Party health spokesman Ross Finnie said Ms Sturgeon and the SNP government were responsible for their own defeat. “They have failed to make the case for minimum pricing,” he said. “The SNP still refuse to confirm what the minimum price per unit will be. We don’t know if minimum pricing is legal.”
The Wine and Spirits Trade Association said Holyrood, having considered the evidence, had made its views clear and Ms Sturgeon could not ignore it.
A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association welcomed the vote and said: “We believe there is now an opportunity for all political parties, producers and retailers to work together and press for a ban of sales below cost.
“Scotland has a chance to shape this policy and press Westminster to deliver a UK-wide solution consistent with its coalition commitment to deliver duty reform and a ban of sales below cost.”
The British Medical Association said the evidence “clearly demonstrates a link between price and consumption” but opponents had yet to suggest viable alternatives.
Eight talents selected for Glenfiddich’s artist in residence scheme
ARTISTS from as far afield as Canada and South Korea will be living and working at a Moray distillery this summer.
Andy Fairgrieve, programme curator for this year’s Glenfiddich artist in residence scheme, has selected the latest eight participants in collaboration with international partners such as the Royal Academy in London and the Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai.
The artists – Shiau-Peng Chen from Taiwan, Dan Halter from South Africa, Carrie Iverson from the USA, Damian Moppett from Canada, Matthew Sandager from the USA, Valay Shende from India, and Mao Yan from China, plus Royal Academy of Art in London student Hayoung Kim from South Korea – will take up residence from next Tuesday until October 15.
Since 2002 the programme has brought 63 leading international artists to the distillery in Dufftown, Speyside.
They receive a cash award as well as travel and living expenses, thanks to an annual investment of about £100,000 in the programme by Glenfiddich.
The artists are given open access to the distillery complex and all of the production facilities in the hope that they will gain inspiration from the people, history, craftsmanship and local environment.
Mr Fairgrieve said: “The artists work in a diverse spectrum of mediums from photography to sculpture. For some of them, this will be their first visit to Scotland and a single malt distillery.”
Work created during the residency will be displayed at Glenfiddich’s on-site gallery in an exhibition later in the year.
SMOKEHEAD, the rich and powerful Single Malt Whisky by Ian Macleod Distillers, has been named the official whisky sponsor of Classic Rock Magazine. To celebrate, a new edgy advertising campaign has been revealed, playing on the brand’s growing rock credentials and rising popularity.
Smokehead’s new, attention grabbing advertisement will feature heavily in Classic Rock and its sister publication, Prog Rock, throughout 2010. Designed by creative agency Robertson Darby Advertising, the new campaign takes its lead from Smokehead’s award-winning packaging, cocooning a skull, the time-honoured symbol of rock, with adjectives capturing the Single Malt’s boisterous, outrageous, and deep peaty flavours.
As the Whisky of Choice for Classic Rock magazine, Smokehead will command a high presence in the monthly music publication and its website, through an extensive advertising campaign and sponsorship elements such as the Readers’ Letters page and regular promotions.
Smokehead is also now an official VIP sponsor for one of this year’s biggest rock events, London’s High Voltage Festival (24-25 July) and the hugely popular Classic Rock Roll of Honour 2010 Awards in November, attended by, and celebrating, rocks greatest icons.
Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers commented: “Combining its adventurous and modern packaging, with a rich rollercoaster of challenging flavours, Smokehead defies conformity and what people would traditionally expect from an award-winning Single Malt Whisky. Smokehead is powerful, intense and not for the faint hearted. The perfect match for a Classic Rock lover.”
Angus Robertson, Managing Director of Robertson Darby Advertising commented: “Our latest treatment for the Smokehead brand was created with Classic Rock Magazine very much in mind. Inspired by the powerful imagery of rock album covers, it uses Smokehead’s stunning typographical packaging to deliver a haunting and lasting impact.”
Taking place at London’s Victoria Park, High Voltage will be attended by thousands of hard core rockers, with the perfect combination of “Smoke and Coke” over ice, being served to VIP ticket holders and headline acts such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Wishbone Ash and ZZ Top.
2010 will be the second year Smokehead has sponsored the Classic Rock Roll of Honour. Attended last year by the likes of Brian May, Slash, Billy Gibbons and Jeff Beck, the 2010 awards are already shaping up to be even bigger. Smokehead will once again be served to rock royalty, with special bottle presentations of the award-winning 18 Years Old Smokehead Extra Black to the evening’s winners.
Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt. The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat.
Smokehead is widely available throughout the UK and worldwide, RRP £31.99. Details of stockists, including Sainsbury’s can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
08 Jun
2010
Whisky firm toasts near doubling of profits
Export markets boost Macleod
ONE of the largest independent family companies in the UK spirit industry revealed yesterday that annual profits had nearly doubled.
Ian Macleod Distillers said the pre-tax figure for the year to the end of September was £3.1million, compared with £1.58million the year before.
Group turnover also rose, by nearly £4million, to £26.46million.
Broxburn-based Macleod’s profits after tax jumped by 90% to £2.2million.
The company said this significant increase was because of increased volume and margin throughout the year, arising from effective long-term management of its portfolio of brands.
The turnover rise was attributed to more sales to export markets, in particular three-year-old blends in the Middle and Far East, with improved performance of premium brands in Europe.
During 2009, Macleod invested in Norwegian spirit distribution company Cask Owners and now has a 34% share. It said this new venture allowed it to be involved more directly in the Scandinavian marketplace and grow spirit sales by being closer to the buyers in those markets.
Managing director Leonard Russell said: “We started life as whisky brokers, moving into bottling and distributing in the UK then took a major step with the purchase of Glengoyne Distillery (near Loch Lomond) in 2003 to become a single malt distiller. We are continuing the evolution of the company by extending its capability and reach into export markets.”
Whisky boss plots growth as plant takeover draws closer
Whisky entrepreneur Billy Walker has told The Herald that when his niche BenRiach Distillery Company takes ownership of Chivas Brothers’ Newbridge bottling plant next month, it will drive his turnover to close to £20 million within the first year and provide a new base from which to expand headcount and global markets.
The acquisition, which is scheduled to be completed on July 31, also marks a previously undisclosed £6m investment by the company to increase the sales volume of its BenRiach and GlenDronach ranges of single malts via the Midlothian bottling plant, and it will also allow the company to push deeper in African markets with its blended brands.
Walker, the former operations director at East Kilbride distiller Burn Stewart who acquired the Elgin-based BenRiach distillery from French giant Pernod Ricard in 2004, said about 35% of the cost of the new plant had been raised from shareholders, with the remainder coming from bank debt.
He said: “This acquisition signals that it is time for us to take ownership of our future. It will push our turnover up by £4m to around £19m within the first year.
“But just as importantly, it will allow us to increase our focus on blended whisky.
“We have a couple of blended whiskies, one which is called Clan Murray, and that is performing very well in Africa.
“We’re interested in markets that the bigger players have not really penetrated – this is fertile ground for us.”
Walker told The Herald he had approached Chivas to buy the plant where his whiskies are already bottled to give the Larbert-based company “extra flexibility”.
He continued: “We’re not interested in competing with the multinationals and, even in this country, we won’t engage with the multi-retailers.
“We’re not for sale in Tesco, for example. That’s how we protect our prices. We love places like the Whisky Shop and even Oddbins.
“So far, that strategy seems to be working. As a small independent whisky company, we’re still waiting for the recession to begin.”
Earlier this year, the Scotch Whisky Association reported that an impressive performance across the sector in the second half of 2009 had contributed to record-breaking levels of global exports for Scotch whisky at the end of 2009.
Exports have risen by £977m in shipment value over the last 10 years, representing a 45% increase.
Walker’s BenRiach Distillery Company, with the help of its “two very entrepreneurial shareholders” in South Africa, acquired GlenDronach distillery, in Forgue, Aberdeenshire, in August 2008.
The company last week said major drives by Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly, as well as Oddbins and Carrefour, had boosted the sales of GlenDronach’s new core range in the first 12 months on the market. Since being launched last spring, the Aberdeenshire distillery’s new range of single malts has sold some 25,000 cases across the world, yielding extra sales of some £2.4m.
Walker explained to The Herald: “Sweden is now one of our most prosperous markets, and it’s partly due to the GlenDronach 15- year-old ‘Revival’ being listed by Systembolaget.”
The company’s core BenRiach range, which is sold around the world, has been increasing its presence across the Atlantic in the US, and is also pushing into emerging markets in China, India and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Walker said the newly acquired bottling plant will retain 27 of the 103 people employed by Chivas, with the rest offered jobs elsewhere in the Chivas operation.
BenRiach Distillery Company received a £600,000 Regional Selective Assistance grant related to employment and capital investment plans for the plant.
Walker concluded: “The previous owners, Chivas, were absolutely insistent that we retain as many of the staff as possible. But on top of the 27 people we’re taking on, we plan to hire an extra 10 full-time staff at the plant and a further 10 part-time staff. We also expect that within about eight months, those 10 part-time staff will become full-time.
“As a company, we don’t like the idea of part-time staff. We want people who are eager and committed to the business.”
Two whisky companies are partnering up to increase malt sales in Taiwan.
Burn Stewart Distillers and Whyte & Mackay have agreed to jointly promote single malt brands such as Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory, The Dalmore and Jura.
Having been in the country since 1994, Burn Stewart already has 35 staff there covering on and off trade. In recent years it has seen rising demand for single malt and has plans to introduce its whole range in Taiwan throughout 2010.
Andy Calder, sales director, said: "We look forward to our partnership with Whyte & Mackay in Taiwan, and welcomingThe Dalmore and Jura brands.
"As we continue to build upon our existing malt portfolio in the region, they add further interest and relevance to our own single malt portfolio of Bunnahabhain, Tobermory, Ledaig and Deanston."
Nick Garland, Whyte & Mackay's global sales and marketing director, said: "Our luxury and premium brands are well placed to succeed in this dynamic market place, and we need a partner that is well established inTaiwan to help us to realise the potential that The Dalmore and Jura undoubtedly have. "We have found that Burn Stewart is a like-minded company who believe that dedication, innovation and an unrivalled passion for malt whisky are the qualities that appeal to the discerning consumers in Taiwan."
Scotch whisky accounts for more than 75 per cent of spirit sales in Taiwan every year. Burn Stewart spends more than £2.5million on marketing in the country every year.
Ardbeg – the iconic malt whisky distillery on the remote island of Islay – has launched the second edition of its award-winning single malt Supernova, described by the company as “the peatiest Ardbeg ever”.
A preview bottling of the first edition sold out last year in a record 112 minutes when it was offered for sale online – making it the fastest-selling whisky in the distillery’s 195-year history.
It was snapped up online in an exclusive offer to members of the Ardbeg committee, a group of 53,000 Ardbeg fans across 112 countries.
The second edition – Ardbeg SN2010 – challenges the palate with the same phenomenal levels of peatiness, but with a higher strength at 60.1% ABV and a deeper, earthier character. This second limited-edition release is at least 40% more “peaty” than the distillery’s renowned and already very heavily peated flagship – Ardbeg Ten Years Old.
The 2009 edition of Ardbeg Supernova – which takes its name from the “galactic explosion” as stars end their lives – was awarded the prestigious accolade of “Best Scotch Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s latest Whisky Bible.
Hamish Torrie, brand director at Ardbeg, said: “With its hot, sizzling and grainy sensations that effervesce and explode on the tongue, followed by a powerful peaty punch, this is truly yet another galactic explosion of aromas. Limited supplies of Ardbeg SN2010 coupled with last year’s record sellout means we are anticipating it may not be available for long.”
Dr Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation, commented: “We believe that, with Ardbeg SN2010, we have created a compelling whisky which will again both delight and challenge those looking for an ‘out-of-this-world’ whisky experience. The intensity of flavours is Ardbeg at its most powerful and peaty and yet we have that delightful layered, sweet complexity that makes Ardbeg such a sensational dram.”
Ardbeg SN2010 will be available in limited quantities online at www.Ardbeg.com and at specialist whisky shops at a price of around £80 in the UK.
Taste of Gold for Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
SMOKEHEAD, Ian Macleod Distillers’ Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has been awarded an International Review of Spirits’ Gold Medal by the highly respected Beverage Testing Institute (BTI).
Judged by an expert panel from BTI in the institution’s Chicago Tasting Room, Smokehead was awarded an ‘Exceptional’ rating of 91/100 for its explosive, peaty flavours. With the appearance of ‘bright old gold’, the panel commented on the Single Malt’s ‘aromas of honeyed raisin scone, dried peaches and medical tinctures with a hint of cedar and mesquite-like smokiness’. The BTI also enjoyed Smokehead’s ‘good depth and lingering body’ with ‘subtly complex and earthy smoked wood, leather and a prairie grass driven finish’.
Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, commented; “We are delighted that Smokehead’s boisterous and peaty taste has been recognised by such an internationally respected institution as the BTI. Combining its high quality and unique flavours with the product’s standout designer packaging, Smokehead has proved a great success, especially in attracting the discerning and adventurous ‘modern drinker’.”
The International Review of Spirits’ Gold Medal for Smokehead’s rich and complex flavours, follows two Gold Medals from BTI in the 2009 International Review of Spirits Packaging Competition. These recognised the brand’s innovative, bold and modern packaging in the Creativity and Graphic Design categories.
Since launching in 2006, Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has won a number of awards for both its eye-catching packaging and balanced, seaweedy flavours, including the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge Gold Medal and Wine & Spirits Design Awards for Best Dark Spirit and the overall Trophy for Design of the Year.
Other products in the range include the Smokehead Extra Rare 1 litre bottle (Travel Retail Exclusive) and the premium 18 Years Old Smokehead Extra Black.
Founded in 1981, the BTI is one of the world’s foremost authorities on alcoholic beverages, independently reviewing thousands of wines, beers and spirits every year. With a mission to create fair and reliable reviews for consumers, its buying guides have appeared in many publications including The New Yorker Magazine, Wine & Spirits International, CNBC, BBC Radio International and The Chicago Tribune.
Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt. The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat.
Smokehead is available in the USA, Canada and worldwide. Details of some global stockists can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
02 Jun
2010
Whisky firm given approval for warehouses
Snow-damaged chivas regal buildings to be replaced
A whisky giant’s application to replace 31 snow-damaged bonded warehouses was approved by Moray Council yesterday.
French company Perno Ricard will build 29 new, 125ft buildings at its brand Chivas Regal’s 120-acre maturation site at Malcolmburn, Mulben, and two warehouses at Alexandra Road, Keith.
Roofs of the existing buildings collapsed under the weight of snow in January.
Committee vice-chairman John Russell said it was a major economic investment to rebuild 31 bonded warehouses.
“This will allow the Chivas Brand to continue its valued contribution to Moray’s flagship whisky industry,” he added.
The company will build each new warehouse structure six feet from the existing walls of the damaged warehouse.
The old building will be removed when the new warehouse is built.
The whisky firm must record “before and after” condition video surveys of the delivery route and surrounding minor roads, which will be used by construction lorries.
Any damage to the roads or verges must be repaired.
A dilapidation survey must also be carried out on the Dalmany Bridge and the Mulben Railway Bridge before construction begins and again when it ends.
Any damage must be repaired by the whisky company. A traffic plan will be submitted to Moray Council detailing methods that will be used to deal with large delivery vehicles.
Chivas Brothers were not in a position to comment on when the development would start and how long it was likely to take to complete.
Display features images entered for Benromach Spirit of Speyside competition
CELEBRATED photography from the Spirit of Speyside Festival is on show at Elgin Library.
The display features 22 of the best images entered for the Benromach Spirit of Speyside photographic competition.
Community librarian Jane Thomas said: “The exhibition has been very busy. The photographs reflect Moray’s diversity and wealth of natural landscape. They are quite small pieces and many have been done by landscape photographers.”
A total of 144 entries were received for this year’s competition, sponsored by leading malt whisky specialists Gordon and MacPhail in memory of local photographer Heather Urquhart.
The photographs were submitted under three categories – seasons of Speyside, spirit of Speyside and people of Speyside. The overall winner was David Langan, of Branderburgh Quay, Lossiemouth, who also won last year. The winning photo was an image of the Lossiemouth harbour called Breakwater.
The exhibition has been displayed at the Scottish Parliament and Scotch Whisky Centre in Edinburgh. The artwork will be on show at Buckie Library from Monday.
Moray distilleries play part in supporting 35,000 Scots jobs
The importance of Moray and Speyside’s whisky industry to the Scottish economy has been highlighted in a new report that shows the sector helps support 35,000 jobs north of the border and is as significant as tourism.
A leading local figure in the industry welcomed the report last night and said it would send an important message to the new coalition government at Westminster.
The joint managing director of Elgin-based Gordon and MacPhail, Michael Urquhart, said: “The whisky industry is integral to many smaller villages in this rural area.
“We are probably talking about more than 1,000 people directly employed in the Moray and Speyside areas.”
Mr Urquhart said whisky distilleries also gave a valuable boost to the local economy through the large number of visitors they attracted.
He added: “It is important for our politicians to understand how important the whisky industry is to Scotland, especially in smaller rural areas where it is the main employer.
“The UK excise tax is in need of review and our politicians have to come up with something fit for purpose.”
Gordon and MacPhail has Benromach distillery at Forres.
The study, commissioned by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), found that, excluding oil and gas, the drink was Scotland’s leading manufactured export.
Overseas exports were worth more than £3billion in 2008.
The SWA also used the publication of the report as an opportunity to criticise the current UK alcohol taxation regime.
About 10,300 people are employed directly by the whisky industry in Scotland, up from 9,600 in 2000.
Just over 51% of employment is in Strathclyde, followed by 16.9% in Central and Fife, 13.6% in Grampian, 11% in Lothian and 4.9% in Highland.
The study also claimed that productivity, at £262,000 per employee, was six times the Scottish average.
Whisky producers’ annual spending with Scottish suppliers increased by 61% between 2000 and 2008 to £1.1billion.
This figure includes £200million on cereals and £300million on goods such as bottles and packaging.
SWA chief executive Gavin Hewitt said: “Scotch whisky’s importance to Scotland is clear. The study confirms Scotch whisky is a cornerstone of the Scottish economy, supporting 35,000 jobs and generating around £4billion in added value.
“That economic impact benefits every corner of Scotland, with distillers spending over £1billion across the supply chain.
“The new UK Government wants to support manufacturing and exporters, and build a fairer tax system.
“It could combine all three objectives by reforming an unfair duty regime which undermines the competitiveness of the Scotch whisky industry.
“The alcohol duty structure is no longer fit for purpose, discriminating against Scotch whisky at home and sending out the wrong message overseas.”
He said his association was pleased the coalition UK Government had announced it would review alcohol taxation.
“The aim must be to put in place a fairer and more socially responsible regime where all alcohol is taxed according to content,” Mr Hewitt said.
“With the right support, the Scotch whisky industry can deliver even more to communities across Scotland.”
BEING sold by the Swedish alcohol monopoly, Oddbins and Carrefour has boosted the sales of GlenDronach’s new core range in the first twelve months, it announced today (May 25).
Since being launched last spring, the Aberdeenshire distillery’s new range of single malts has sold some 25,000 cases worldwide, yielding extra sales of some £2.4 million.
Regional Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “When we launched the range last year, we promised our customers “A Journey of Re-Discovery”. From the terrific sales we’ve generated, it’s clear they're thoroughly enjoying their journey!”
Established in 1826, the GlenDronach Distillery at Forgue is famous for producing richly-sherried single malt whiskies. This time last year saw the re-launch of the already popular 12 year-old Original as well as the return of the iconic older expressions - the GlenDronach 15 and 18 year-olds, now under the new names of Revival and Allardice respectively.
Alistair said GlenDronach has acquired a strong new following in a number of markets including the USA, France, Belgium, Scandinavia and Taiwan.
“Sweden is now one of our most prosperous markets, and it's partly due to the GlenDronach 15 year-old (‘Revival’) being listed by Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol retail monopoly.”
He explained: “Systembolaget’s product range is very comprehensive and, significantly, is developed continuously to match changes in trends and in consumers' tastes.
“To be accepted by the monopoly is a real feather in our cap, as it shows they see us as one of Scotland’s outstanding malt whiskies. It also provides the GlenDronach 15 year-old expression with national distribution in a country that is home to many of the most passionate malt enthusiasts in the world.
“And looking at the UK market, we’re also delighted to be on sale in Oddbins now, again with GlenDronach 15 year-old as well as a couple of expressions from BenRiach, our other distillery. That development shows that persistence pays – they’ve been on our radar for a number of years and now we’re available in-store and online.
“In fact Revival is one of our star performers in the last twelve months. It’s a classic GlenDronach, a very dynamic and full-bodied dram. It has all the characteristics you would expect from really good Oloroso sherry casks – dark chocolate, raisins, coffee and orange notes.”
In addition to Sweden and the UK, the distillery recently made some significant advances in France, having developed an exclusive GlenDronach expression called ‘Octarine’ (‘the colour of magic’) for multiple retailer Carrefour.
Regional Sales Director James Cowan commented: “Together with our French agents, La Maison du Whisky, Octarine has been developed as an exclusive regional listing within the world-renowned Carrefour Group. We see this as a significant milestone in the ongoing re-launch of the GlenDronach brand.
“Globally, the brand growth is still in its early phase but this major retailer has clearly seen the unique selling points and fine brand heritage that GlenDronach has to offer. This will undoubtedly pave the way for bigger and better things in the months to come.
“The Octarine project was made feasible through rigorous and exacting cask selection drawn from the diverse inventory carried on-site at the distillery. We are excited and eager to continue our portfolio development which will appeal to our growing client base.”
The team at GlenDronach sees 2010 as another big year for the brand, as Alistair explained: “Each year represents an important step in re-establishing the GlenDronach brand. In 2008 we took over the distillery and started to get to grips with the stock and the distillery production.”
“In 2009 we enhanced the core range, revising the12 year-old and introducing the 15 and 18 year-old expressions. We also released our first batch of single casks bottlings, to much excitement, as these had been few and far between under previous regimes.
“This year we may surprise some of the GlenDronach faithful, with the imminent release of four new bottlings that are not exactly typical of the distillery.”
Almost from the very first day that the BenRiach Distillery Co. purchased GlenDronach, Master Distiller and Managing Director Billy Walker embarked on a programme of wood management and experimentation that would allow the company to bring some real diversity to the GlenDronach portfolio.
The result is that this June will see the launch of a series of GlenDronach wood finishes – Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port.
Alistair explained: “To any malt drinkers who are familiar with what we have done at BenRiach over the last six years, it will come as no surprise that Billy has been tinkering away in the GlenDronach warehouses to come up with some new creations!
“But, seriously, while the focus will always be on sherry cask maturation for GlenDronach, it’s worth seeing what else the whisky is capable of, and for sure our customers have reacted positively to news that we are broadening this whisky’s horizons.
“So, along with the new 31 year-old ‘Grandeur’, which we launched earlier this year, and with the second and third batches of single casks scheduled to be released in 2010, it’s going to be a busy year for GlenDronach!”
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
24 May
2010
Scotch distillery turns whisky into watts
Creating renewable energy from whisky might sound like a harebrained scheme conceived at the end of a long evening drinking the amber nectar.
But an independently-owned Scottish distillery is hoping that the installation of a new biogas generator will prove to be a lasting moment of environmental clarity and help solve their energy problems.
This month, Bruichladdich -- one of eight distilleries to be found on the Scottish isle of Islay -- will take delivery of an anaerobic digester which will start turning their whisky waste into electricity.
Mark Reynier, owner of Bruichladdich Distillery, hopes the digester will meet around 80 percent of its electricity needs and save the company up to £120,000 ($175,000) every year.
Reynier told CNN: "Our waste product is basically water left over after you've stripped all the alcohol out. It's called, rather unromantically, pot ale."
Every year, several hundred thousand liters of pot ale waste are taken away by a tanker and poured down a pipeline that feeds it into the Sound of Islay off the eastern coast of the island.
Its disposal is a costly business (in the region of $30,000 annually) and allied to rising energy costs it has forced the distillery to rethink how it sources its energy.
"We've looked at biomass and green energies and dismissed them one by one as being completely impractical and uneconomic for an industrial purpose," Reynier said.
"But one thing we can do is use this proven technology and generate biogas."
Anaerobic digestion occurs when natural food stuffs decompose in the absence of oxygen. The end product of this process creates methane which Reynier says will be fed into the generator and converted into green electricity. The only by-product is water.
There has been a distillery at Bruichladdich (pronounced "Brook-Laddie") on the shores of Loch Indaal since 188, and when Reynier took on the business in 2000 he wanted to return it to its "artisan" roots.
"We wanted to take it back to distilling as it used to be," he said.
So that means no coloring, no chill-filtering and all bottling is done on-site. Furthermore, 40 percent of the 2,500 tons of locally grown barley used last year was organic.
Bruichladdich say they produce Scotland's purest single malt using, where possible, original 19th century equipment. In 2009, they distilled 800,000 liters of whisky.
If the biogas trial proves a success, the pot ale that was pumped into the sea on a daily basis will instead be continuously fed into the digester creating something of a virtuous production circle.
But Reynier says transforming the distillery isn't about being "some sort of eco-warrior" but rather about just trying to be sensible.
"We are practical people -- you have to be on an island like this," he said.
It's a sentiment that is widely shared among the wider Scotch whisky industry according to David Williamson, a spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association.
"It's already a very green industry and we rely on the Scottish environment for our product," Williamson told CNN.
"Biowaste is something that is at the heart of the industry's plan to become as sustainable as possible."
Distillery William Grant & Sons got the highest awards following the results of SCOTCH WHISKY MASTERS competition.
World famous independent family company William Grant & Sons, specializing in premium alcoholic products, was awarded the highest prize Masters for single-malt scotch whisky Glenfiddich and The Balvenie following the results of prestigious competiton Scotch Whisky Masters, started by The Spirit Business.
William Grant & Sons won 15 medals altogether, 7 gold medals were awarded to whisky Glenfiddich Rich Oak 14 Year Old and The Balvenie Signature 12 Year Old. An impressive number of medals confirmed the excellence of William Grant & Sons in the area of whisky production and production quality.
Besides the prize Scotch Whisky Masters, the company won the title “World’s Best Distillery of the Year” at the end of the international competition of wines and hard alcohol, and whisky Glenfiddich received more awards for alcohol quality than any other single-malt scotch whisky.
Chivas Regal-branded Makeover for Martinez Hotel in Cannes
London-based design and branding agency Coley Porter Bell has given the bar of the exclusive Martinez Hotel in Cannes, a Chivas Regal-branded make over for this year’s film and design festivals.
The premium whisky brand has signed a two year sponsorship deal with the hotel that charges up to 6,000 a night, to promote its luxury credentials.
CPB has revamped the bar which is frequented by many of the most famous film stars and celebrities in the world, with Chivas Regal brand icons. The redesign employs elements from the ‘Brand World’ that CPB and Chivas have developed. (‘Brand World’ is part of an ongoing drive to ensure the Chivas brand’s positioning is brought to life visually and consistently throughout the world).
CPB has created muted but glamorous branding and wall coverings in black on black using elements of the Chivas brand. The company also enhanced the lighting in the bar using amber coloured accent lights, (reflecting the colour of the product) around the bar itself, the bar shelving and the walls of the bar.
In addition the product will be displayed as a focal point behind the bar and plinths either side of the bar will display Chivas Regal 12 and a limited edition bottle designed by Christian Lacroix. Chivas images are displayed on the walls of the bar in luxurious gold frames.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Chivas to build and extend its glamorous reputation in such exclusive surroundings”, said Ana Claudia Saba, global senior brand manager at Chivas Brothers.
“Although in many ways it was a dream brief for CPB, it was a challenging design problem requiring the agency to strike a delicate balance between the need for branding and discrete luxury”, said Simon Adamson design director at Coley Porter Bell who also acts as global creative director at Chivas Brothers.“The brand’s positioning is cool, sophisticated and luxurious. We had to capture this spirit and ensure that it feels part of the glitterati life style.”
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America Introduces New Membership Benefits
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (SMWSA) today announced its new Membership Program. Membership in this unique whisky Society now comes with added benefits. Membership is a must for those serious about their whisky. From the novice to the most sophisticated connoisseur, it is a perfect gift for Father’s Day or any other day.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in 1983. The Society’s Tasting Panel, a group of independent whisky connoisseurs and experts, meets regularly to nose, discuss and score each whisky sample brought before them. Rigorous and impartial, the Panel only elects to bottle whisky that meets its highest standards. Individual casks are bottled at cask strength. Undiluted and not chill filtered, these bottles are offered exclusively to members and cannot be purchased commercially either in liquor stores or restaurants. Since no two casks are alike and each cask yields only about 250 bottles, once the contents of a cask are consumed, the distinctive flavor and character of its whisky can never be replicated.
The new Membership Program begins with the Society’s exquisite membership kit, which contains four carefully selected 100ml single cask, single malt Society offerings. Chosen by some of the most knowledgeable whisky experts in the world, these four whiskies are just a taste of the finest and widest range of single cask, single malt whiskies to be found anywhere and are only available to Society members. The membership kit also contains an elegant Members’ Handbook, Society Notebook and copper lapel pin.
The membership kit is only the start of member benefits. Members, and up to three guests, will receive a warm welcome at Members’ Rooms in Leith, Edinburgh and London as well as the opportunity to stay at the original home of the Society in one of its flats at The Vaults in Leith. Members also receive Unfiltered, the Society’s innovative and informative magazine which contains a wealth of information and news about Scotch malt whisky, the people who make it and those who drink it. In addition, members are invited to one-of-a-kind events throughout the United States including Members’ Tastings and The Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza®.
Of course, the biggest benefit of all is that members have exclusive access to the largest selection of single cask, single malt in the world.
Alan Shayne, president of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America, Ltd. said: “Within the whisky category, single cask, single malt whisky offers the widest variety of flavor available. The type of wood, how many times the cask has been used, where in the warehouse the cask is stored, how long the whisky is aged—all these factors and more go into making each cask a unique work of art. Tasting single cask, single malt whisky is a constant adventure.”
For those experts and devotees who wish to learn more about the pleasures of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, visit www.smwsa.com.
The initial fee for membership in the Society is $229 which entitles the member to all benefits for the first year, and includes the beautiful Society membership kit with four 100ml single cask, single malt Society offerings. Annual membership dues thereafter are $60 and entitle members to all benefits of the Society including access to the special offerings of the Society’s whiskies throughout the year.
About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
In the mid-‘70s, a group of friends in Edinburgh gathered to sample and savor single malt whisky, drawn straight from the cask. The friends filtered the cask’s contents through muslin and poured the liquid into old whisky bottles. To their delight, they discovered that single cask whisky had more character and flavor than the whisky they routinely knew. Also, the influence of the wood was immediately and abundantly clear. The group went on to compare and contrast more single malt whiskies. The amazing revelation was that even casks that had been filled with the same spirit, from the same still run, revealed their own unique characteristics. The group realized that the spirit in each cask was one of a kind and could never be repeated. Once the contents of a cask were consumed, the unique whisky would be gone from the world forever.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was formally founded in Leith in 1983. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society offers its members exclusively the widest selection of single cask, single malt whisky found anywhere in the world. The Society has now grown to 13 international branches, reflecting its worldwide following.
In 1993, Alan and Madeleine Shayne launched The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America, Ltd., which now has members in every state. Their goal was to introduce Americans to the world of single cask, single malts and raise awareness of the amazing variety and expressions available in the category of Scotch whisky. Many years ago, their family owned one of the premier distilleries in Scotland. Today, they have brought a rare opportunity to members of the SMWSA.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
15 May
2010
Lifeboat crew display great bottle over whisky delivery
Loch Ness Tasting festival flows after key arrival
LOCH Ness lifeboat crew pushed the boat out yesterday to deliver a batch of whisky for a tasting festival at Drumnadrochit.
Volunteer rescuers staged a safety demonstration before providing the key element of the first Loch Ness Whisky Festival – bottles of Talisker.
The festival, which also takes place today, has been organised by the award-winning Fiddler’s Restaurant and Whisky Bar at Drumnadrochit, and includes a series of tastings, tours and cruises.
Last night saw a group take part in a tasting led by John Macdonald of Balblair Distillery.
Today there is a tour of Glen Ord Distillery, and a cruise to Urquhart Castle with a tasting of Tomatin. Fiddler’s will also host an open tasting session this afternoon.
Restaurant owner Jon Beach said the festival had been organised as an annual fundraiser for the bar’s whisky club, the Loch Ness Whisky Parliament, and the public.
He said that several old bottles would feature during the weekend.
Mr Beach said: “We have a Balblair from 1973, which is highly scored, and a bottle of Glen Ord’s Manager’s Choice, which is £200 a bottle.”
He added there would also be the chance to sample whisky from the new Lewis distillery, Abhainn Dearg.
Last night’s event will raise cash for equipment and training of volunteers at the Loch Ness lifeboat stations, and proceeds from other events will go to the MacMillan Unit at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
Information and timings of events can be found on Fiddler’s website at www.fiddledrum.co.uk or by phoning 01456 450678.
The first time in Southeast Asia for the world's biggest whisky festival
What is Whisky Live?
Whisky Live is the whisky tasting and sampling event of the year, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2010.
Regularly held in global cities like London, Paris, Tokyo and New York, Whisky Live appeals to everyone who likes a dram or two of 'the water of life'. Whether they are whisky enthusiasts or whisky novices; whether they are industry players and social drinkers; Whisky Live delivers the ultimate whisky experience.
More than just an industry networking opportunity, Whisky Live gives the public a unique opportunity to sample some of the world's best and rarest whiskies. Participants can learn about the world of whisky, sample some rare and highly-sought after whiskies and rub shoulders with the stars of the industry, all under one roof.
First Time in Southeast Asia
Whisky Live Singapore puts our island nation on the map as the regional leader for whisky events.
From London to Tokyo, Paris to Glasgow, New York to Cape Town, Whisky Live now makes its inaugural voyage into Southeast Asia, right here in Singapore. Hot on the heels of Whisky Live Shanghai,
The Event
Whisky Live Singapore will be hosted at Singapore's world renowned Raffles Hotel in the Bar and Billiard Room. Each host city gives the event its own local flavour, while providing great insight into this greatest of spirits. With food, tastings, whisky 'masterclasses' and much more, Whisky Live is an entertaining and educational day out, and a memorable experience.
La Maison du Whisky is the organiser of Whisky Live Singapore. Mr Emmanuel Dron, Manager of La Maison du Whisky in Singapore, sees the event as a big step forward for whisky in Southeast Asia.
"A vast range of whiskies are available on the world market and even right here in Singapore. A lot of people are familiar with a few well-marketed whisky brands, but Whisky Live will give them the opportunity to discover many more, and perhaps even discover a 'new love'," shares Mr Dron.
Brands on display at Whisky Live Singapore will include Aberfeldy, Ardbeg, Benromach, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Dewars, Glendronach, Glenmorangie, Gordon & Macphail, Johnnie Walker and Nikka.
Details
Whisky Live will be held on Monday the 24th of May in the Bar and Billiard Room of the Raffles Hotel. With industry focussed sessions from 1.00pm until 6.00pm, the general public will be welcomed from 7.00pm onwards.
Tickets
Tickets are available from Sistic and from La Maison du Whisky at Robertson Quay for S$75 plus booking fees. More information is available at:
• www.whiskylive.com
• www.whiskylive.sg
La Maison du Whisky
Whisky Live is being brought to Singapore by La Maison du Whisky, a world-wide whisky franchise with a retail outlet in Robertson Quay. Under local manager Mr Emmanuel Dron, La Maison du Whisky has been quietly providing fine whisky to tourists and local aficionados, while supplying whisky to many of Singapore's bars, hotels and restaurants.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
10 May
2010
Scotch whisky doubles exports to Brazil
The Scotch Whisky Association has confirmed a 56% increase in exports of Scotch whisky to Brazil.
An extra 14.8 million bottles of Scotch whisky were exported to Brazil compared to 2008 - the country now accounts for nearly 4% of its global exports.
Building on this growth, Scotch Whisky Association officials will visit São Paulo this week to promote new rules that govern every aspect of the making, packaging and advertising.
The new law protects the authenticity of Scotch whisky from copycat products and ensures consumers always receive clear information on labels about what they are buying.
Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said: "We are delighted to visit Brazil, which is fast emerging as one of Scotch whisky's most dynamic and important export markets. Growth of 56% last year demonstrated that more and more Brazilian consumers are choosing to enjoy Scotch whisky."
First Loch Ness Whisky Festival promises to be a monster success
First tasting session will take place with iconic castle backdrop
The first Loch Ness Whisky Festival kicks off at a tasting session on the world-famous waters, with the dramatic Urquhart Castle as a backdrop.
The award-winning Fiddler’s Restaurant and Whisky Bar, Drumnadrochit, will host a series of events on Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15, with tastings, tours and cruises.
Funds raised during the Talisker/RNLI Whisky Cruise will go towards equipment and training of the local volunteers at Loch Ness Lifeboat Station near Drumnadrochit.
Crew from Loch Ness, the newest RNLI station in Scotland, will provide a key element of the tasting when they deliver whisky bottles after completing a rescue and safety demonstration.
Loch Ness RNLI lifeboat operations manager Ewan Cameron said: “We are thrilled that, once again, The Fiddler’s, Drumnadrochit, have chosen to support their local RNLI volunteers.
“We are also grateful to Talisker for their support. They have been helping the RNLI for over three years in various ways, raising over £60,000 each year for our lifesaving service.”
The two-day festival will feature whisky from Talisker, Balblair, Glen Ord, Tomatin and many others.
Jon and Dick Beach from Fiddler’s will be on hand to add their own particular “note” to the tastings. Money raised during the event will also benefit the MacMillan unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Information and timings of each of the events can be found on the Fiddler’s website at www.fiddledrum.co.uk or by phoning 01456 450678. Fiddler’s is situated on Drumnadrochit’s village green.
The RNLI said while they hope everyone enjoys the event, anyone going afloat or undertaking water-borne pursuits should act responsibly and not consume alcohol.
A 73-YEAR-OLD bottle of Speyside whisky is expected to fetch up to £20,000 at auction next month
The “exceptionally rare” Glenfiddich will be a prize lot at Bonhams whisky sale in Edinburgh on June 16.
It is one of only 11 bottles produced in 1937 by the Dufftown distillery and released for sale from a cask that yielded 60 bottles nine years ago.
The bottle, the first to appear at auction, is being sold on behalf of a private vendor who bought it from a London shop in 2001 for £10,000.
Having matured for 64 years it is also one of the oldest whiskies released on to the market.
According to the tasting notes, the whisky has a nose with a huge bouquet of newly-dug peat, burned leather, old books, leather and oak.
It is “smooth and silky and wraps around the tongue with sweet flavours reminiscent of treacle toffee, creme brule and toasted almonds”.
Bonhams whisky consultant Martin Green said: “It is not very often that such a rare bottle comes along and it’s a privilege to be handling it. As soon as I recognised the significance of the bottle I got in touch with the distillery to let them know that we were including it in the auction.”
Mr Green, who says some whiskies have sold for more than £20,000, is hoping there will be a lot of interest from prospective buyers, and believes it is likely to go to a private collector or investor.
Glenfiddich spokeswoman Libby Lafferty said: “We were very excited when we heard the 1937 was going into the sale and immediately invited Mr Green to bring the bottle back to its home distillery to photograph for our archives.
“It really is that special.”
Earlier this week a 50-year-old Macallan fetched £12,350 at McTear’s rare and collect-ible whisky sale in Glasgow.
The rare dram, a bottling of three barrels distilled between 1926 and 1928, was one of more than 700 lots on sale.
It went to an American buyer based in New York for the highest price yet paid for a 50-year-old Macallan.
A 50-year-old Glenfiddich, the product of several barrels distilled between 1937 and 1939, sold for £10,600.
Record-breaking sale at the world’s biggest whisky auction
A bottle of 50-year-old Macallan sold for a record £12,350 at the world’s biggest whisky auction in Glasgow yesterday.
The rare dram, a bottling of three barrels distilled between 1926 and 1928, was one of more than 700 lots in the McTear’s rare and collectible whisky sale.
It went to an American buyer based in New York for the highest price yet paid for a 50-year-old Macallan.
A 50-year-old Glenfiddich, the product of several barrels distilled between 1937 and 1939, sold for £10,600.
McTear’s whisky specialist Andy Bell said the two malts were among the finest to be found anywhere: “We knew there would be a lot of interest in both bottles and we are absolutely delighted with the prices they fetched.”
Other highlights included a 40-year-old Laphroaig, a limited-edition 30-year-old bottle of Black Bowmore, a 1965-distilled Ardbeg and a limited-edition 40-year-old Glenfarclas.
Mr Bell said each quarterly auction was attracting more lots and more collectors from around the globe.
“There is no doubt that whisky continues to hold its own as a long-term investment opportunity with good examples of the big five distilleries – Macallan, Bowmore, Highland Park, Springbank and Ardbeg – showing the biggest increases in value over the past few years,” he added.
Forres and Grantown on route as whisky showcase ends for another yearl
MORE than 20 horses made their way through Forres and Grantown yesterday to mark the end of an annual whisky festival.
The procession was one of 230 events organised as part of the five-day Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, which officially launched on Thursday.
Dozens of people lined the streets to see the mounted cavalcade take the festival’s flag from Benromach Distillery at Forres to nearby Dallas Dhu Distillery.
At the distillery, the escorts handed the flag over to a team of mountain bikers, who paraded it across the Dava Way.
The two teams then met up at Castle Grant, before riding through the streets of Grantown together led by a pipe band.
Jim Royan, chairman of the festival, said that the ceremonial event had gone “incredibly well”.
Today, the flag will continue its journey to Glenfarclas Distillery at Ballindalloch, where it will be stored until next year’s festival.
Mr Royan added: “The festival has gone extremely well this year. We have people from 15 different nations in Moray at the moment.
“At the opening dinner there were 340 people there, and the sold-out premiere of Whisky Kisses – a musical that focuses on whisky – was just fantastic.”
The festival will close today, but there are still a number of events taking place throughout the region. Visit www.spiritofspeyside.com for more information.
Distiller strikes deal to buy Dublin firm’s spirits division
William Grant and Sons acquires company’s liqueurs and Irish whiskeys business for around £260m
Whisky distiller William Grant and Sons announced yesterday it had struck a deal worth around £260million to acquire the spirit and liqueur business of C&C Group, the Irish firm behind drinks including cider brands Magners and Bulmers.
William Grant, based at Dufftown on Speyside, said the agreement covered the Carolans and Frangelico liqueurs as well as two Irish whiskeys – Irish Mist and Tullamore Dew.
The deal is subject to approval by shareholders of Dublin-based C&C but a completion date of June 30 is anticipated.
“There are no other conditions for the sale, although consultation will be carried out with employees within the business and any others who are affected by the transition,” said William Grant.
Stella David, the whisky firm’s chief executive, added: “We have been looking to further develop our non-Scotch portfolio.
“C&C’s spirits business provides a unique opportunity to acquire a number of significant brands and enter the highly desirable and dynamic Irish whiskey category.
“We shall make significant investment in Ireland and invest in the long-term value growth of the brands, including Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, which at 600,000 cases and given its potential will become a core global brand in our business.”
William Grant said it was committed to “building a strong business in Ireland” and to maintaining and developing current operations across C&C sites including a manufacturing site at Clonmel in County Tipperary. C&C said the deal involved the transfer of all 57 employees at its spirits and liqueurs division, adding: “The agreement to sell to William Grant was not an easy one but is, we believe, in the best interests of all shareholders.”
Stephen Glancey, the Irish firm’s chief operating officer, said the deal value reflected the quality of the brand portfolio and its strong market positions.
Pernod Ricard reports strong growth in key markets
Pernod Ricard is confident of hitting a higher than expected end of year profit target after it reported strong third-quarter above forecasts.
It said the results were largely down to an improved performance in the United States and Russia and strong results for many of its major brands in key markets, particularly within the duty free sector.
Pernod Ricard saw third quarter sales reach £133 billion ahead of City expectations.
On a like-for-like basis sales were up 16% again ahead of expectations of a near 11% rise. Its best performing brands in its most recent quarter included Martell cognac up 16%, Jameson whisky up 11% and Absolut Vodka which climbed 9% in sales.
Its combined sales performance for North and South America was up 3%, 10% for Asia and the rest of the world and 1% in France. Sales were less impressive for the rest of Europe falling 6%.
Inverness and ullapool among venues for showing of new musical
THE final touches are being put to the world premiere of a new Scottish musical that focuses on whisky.
Appropriately, the first performance of Whisky Kisses takes place at a distillery.
Glenfiddich Distillery at Dufftown will host the event on Saturday at the start of an extensive country-wide tour, which includes Inverness and Ullapool.
Theatre company Right Lines Productions is staging the show which began life as an entry in a 2006 competition to find a new Scottish musical.
Company co-founder Euan Martin said: “We came second in that competition, which was called Highland Quest, and because the piece was so well received, we decided to expand it into a full musical. We managed to get lottery funding through the Scottish Arts Council for this production.” The premiere is part of this year’s Spirit of Speyside whisky festival.
The show tells of two international whisky collectors vying at auction for the last bottle of a 100-year-old whisky called The Glenigma.
Whisky Kisses will be at the Victoria and Albert halls, Ballater on Monday next week; New Deer Public Hall on Tuesday; Lossiemouth Town Hall on Wednesday; Portsoy Town Hall on Friday; the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen on Saturday and Buckie British Legion on Tuesday, May 11.
The Eden Court Theatre, Inverness will host the show on May 20 and 21 and the final night on May 22 is at the Macphail Centre, Ullapool.
Maxxium UK, the sales and distribution alliance for The Edrington Group and Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc, today announces the addition of Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky into its portfolio.
Cutty Sark, a premium blended Scotch, has been purchased by The Edrington Group and will now sit alongside the other Scotch whiskies in Maxxium's leading whisky portfolio including The Famous Grouse, Teacher's, The Macallan, Highland Park, Laphroaig and Ardmore.
Cutty Sark, previously distributed by Inspirit Brands, has a heritage dating back to the 1920s.
Maxxium UK managing director Huw Pennell says: "The addition of Cutty Sark premium whiskies to our portfolio will further enhance Maxxium's position as a leading distributor of Scotch whisky and complements our existing portfolio perfectly."
Maxxium UK will take over orders and enquiries for Cutty Sark from Monday, May 17th 2010.
Two hundred year-old whisky brand Glen Rossie has been given a rock-style makeover following investment by Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi, who is to front PR and marketing activity.
The packaging for the whisky, which is owned by The Brand Cellar, has been overhauled by design agency Pocket Rocket. The new-look bottle features a plectrum motif and the line 'Rocking since 1814'.
Meanwhile, creative agency Redroute has revamped the brand's website, Glenrossiewhisky.com, and has been tasked with creating an ad campaign.
"Glen Rossie has a tremendous whisky heritage and as we approach its 200th anniversary in 2014 we want to turn it into a global brand," said David Birchall, chief executive of The Brand Cellar.
Rossi signed up to become the face of the brand earlier this year, with Birchall claiming the rock legend can improve Glen Rossie's success in overseas markets: "As 'front man' for the Glen Rossie brand, we believe he can help us reinvigorate sales not just in the UK but, as someone who has sold 118m records worldwide, overseas too."
The brand made £7m from UK retail sales last year, according to The Brand Cellar.
Preparations under way for Spirit of Speyside Festival
Event will promote whisky and food
PREPARATIONS are going on for an annual whisky festival in Moray.
The five-day Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will feature more than 230 events to keep visitors entertained.
The event is designed to promote the heritage, culture, whisky and food of Speyside.
The festival has a number of free events for visitors including a ceilidh at Brodie Castle on May 1 and a Benromach Forres theme day on May 2.
Speyside boasts more than 50 whisky distilleries in its area but many of the planned tours and events are already fully booked for some of the days they will run.
A canoe trip along the River Spey and train journeys along the 11-mile Keith-Dufftown Heritage Railway are also on offer. The ceremonial transfer of the Spirit of Speyside Festival flag to central Speyside will begin on May 2, leaving from the Benromach Distillery escorted by a mounted cavalcade of more than 20 horses. The flag will be handed over to a mountain biking team at the Dava Way who will reach Grantown where it will be handed back to the cavalcade and finally presented to the keepers of the flag.
For information and online bookings go to www.spiritof speyside.com
THE Glenfarclas Distillery, near Aberlour, was the venue for the latest Moray Chamber of Commerce gathering, a whisky-themed supper with guest speaker Dr Imogen Reid, of Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
Canapes and Glenfarclas were served on arrival, before guests were introduced to the newly appointed chamber vice-president and board director, George McNeil, managing director – retail division, Johnstons of Elgin.
Robert Ransom, director of sales and marketing at Glenfarclas, then gave a walk-through tour of the distillery before guests sat down to dinner in The Ship’s Room.
A sumptuous meal was then served by award-winning chef Tony Allcott, resident chef and owner of Cragganmore House.
During coffee, Dr Reid introduced guests to the chamber’s business manifesto for 2010.
A whisky company has teamed up with a training college to take a modern approach to training its employees.
Burn Stewart Distillers, of East Kilbride, which owns Bunnahabhain and popular blends Black Bottle and Scottish Leader, has enrolled staff into college to learn modern management skills.
The seven workers, including production engineers and a warehouseman at its bottling, blending and distillery operations, have started a year-long Level 3 Management SVQ, which is being run by Intec Business Colleges.
Intec specialises in vocational training for workers across a variety of sectors.
Bill Porterfield, Burn Stewart’s personnel manager, said there had been little in the way of training in recent years and the company wanted a programme that would allow staff to study while they work.
He said: “Other avenues we explored meant staff had to take time out of work. Motivating staff – some of whom had been out of full-time education for a number of years – to go back to college and study was difficult.”
Mr Porterfield said there is excitement about the course, not just for the workers , who are aged mid-20s to mid-40s and some of whom may eventually go on to higher education.
They were chosen by their managers as having potential to progress into management positions throughout the company.
Mr Porterfield added: “This is being done to develop leadership skills. It is difficult to hire management people who have knowledge of the whisky business and its history.
“People here do not necessarily have modern management styles, information and skills to go forward.
“We hope working with Intec is going to fill the gap and we will have experienced whisky workers who are going to learn modern leadership styles.”
The course has been funded as a Modern Adult Apprenticeship by Skills Development Scotland, which is part of Enterprise Scotland.
Ray Smith, sales executive for Intec Scotland, said funding is normally only provided for under 20s, so the apprenticeships for the seven men were unusual.
“They come under the Government’s food and drink category, which is one of the key industry sectors, so they had been targeted.
“If the company gets more funding I would think they would get more people on these apprenticeships.”
SPRINGBANK, the iconic Campbeltown whisky distillery, has this week announced a summertime change of management that will see the first locally-born man take charge of production in over 60 years.
Gavin McLachlan, aged 36, will take over as Manager of Springbank and its sister distillery, Mitchell’s Glengyle, from August 1st 2010.
Neil Clapperton, Managing Director of parent company J&A Mitchell & Co Ltd, said: “Gavin is Campbeltown born and bred and his appointment gives us great pleasure and also reflects our company’s long-term commitment to Campbeltown.”
Gavin, who began his career in the whisky industry in May 2002 as a bottling hall operative at Springbank before quickly moving into malting and distilling within eight months, has been assistant manager for the past four years.
In his new post he will work alongside Director of Production Frank McHardy to oversee the day-to-day operations at Springbank and Glengyle.
Gavin’s promotion follows the resignation of present manager Stuart Robertson, who is leaving the company to take up a new appointment in the north east of Scotland.
Springbank Distillery is Scotland’s oldest continuously family owned distillery and the only distillery in Scotland to carry out 100% of the production process on site.
The company is currently under the ownership of Hedley Wright, present-day chairman and great-great-great grandson of the distillery’s founder.
In 2000, Mr Wright commissioned the construction of the Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery, which opened in March 2004, bringing the number of operational distilleries in Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula on the west coast of Scotland, to three.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
17 Apr
2010
Importance of Scots whisky industry
SCOTLAND’S national drink has produced a sterling performance by recording record export sales at a time of global economic downturn. Figures revealed by the industry show that overseas sales of whisky grew by 3% last year to a new high of more than £3billion, with double-digit growth in the key markets of France and America.
This excellent result supports the appeal by Scotch Whisky Association chairman Paul Walsh for all political parties to appreciate the importance of the drink to Britain’s economy. The fact that overseas sales are increasing while the domestic market remains difficult suggest that the whisky industry should be viewed differently from other drinks when the Westminster and Holyrood governments consider tackling binge drinking through higher taxes or minimum price regulations.
Whisky is rarely the drink of choice for the people the governments need to target and is, instead, more likely to be savoured by people who not only enjoy the distinctive flavour of the different malts and blends, but also know when enough is enough. It is time, therefore, that our politicians recognised this key distinction and the significant contribution Scotland’s whisky industry makes to Britain’s economic wellbeing, and introduced a taxation system which encouraged future growth.
Exports of Scotch whisky reached a record high last year, despite the economic downturn in some major markets.
Figures show the amount of whisky being shipped abroad increased by 4% worldwide during 2009.
The value of these exports rose by 3% to reach about £3.1bn, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
Paul Walsh, chairman of the SWA, said the figures showed the importance of Scotch whisky to the UK economy.
The SWA said there had been a slow start to 2009, partly due to weaker consumer confidence.
But an "impressive" export performance was reported during the second half of the year.
The USA remained Scotch whisky's largest export market by value, with an increase of 13% last year.
The drink is also enjoying increasing popularity in Brazil, where the value of exports grew by 44%.
However in Spain, the third biggest market, the value of exports fell by 5%.
'Leading export'
An extra 3% - or £71m - of blended Scotch was exported last year, compared to 2008, while malt Scotch whisky shipments rose by 1%, or £4m.
Mr Walsh said: "Scotch whisky distillers have delivered record exports in the face of a global economic downturn.
"The industry is continuing to invest and sustain its efforts to secure fair access to export markets."
Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the SWA, added: "As one of the UK's leading manufactured exports, all political parties should recognise and support the Scotch whisky industry, both at home and abroad, during the next Parliament."
Glengoyne Distillery has launched an exciting new menu of tours in time for the busy summer visitor season. Joining the already highly popular and acclaimed selection of tours will be Cask Idol – The Search for the Perfect Dram and A Century of Whisky.
Cask Idol – The Search for the Perfect Dram (£70 per person) offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to become part of the Glengoyne Selection Panel and help select the first ever Glengoyne Distillery Exclusive Single Cask Whisky, to be bottled in 2011.
Following an in-depth Glengoyne Distillery tour and a visit to the legendary Warehouse No. 8, visitors are guided through Glengoyne’s last three Single Cask releases learning to nose, taste and write tasting notes as they go.
Visitors then judge three mature samples drawn from the cask and are asked to write their own tasting notes for each. The most popular cask will be announced in April 2011 and released with one lucky fan’s name and tasting notes displayed on the label. Visitors on the Cask Idol tour will have exclusive first access to the chosen single cask bottling when released.
Perfect for enthusiasts of old and rare whiskies, A Century of Whisky (£150 per person) includes a tutored tasting of Glengoyne Distillery’s oldest, most valuable, and finest Highland Single Malt: the Glengoyne 40 Years Old, worth £200 per dram, as well as the exceptionally rare Isle of Skye 50 Years Old blended Scotch whisky. These two unparalleled whiskies, along with the Glengoyne 10 Years Old, represent a century of maturation.
The Glengoyne team will bring these great drams to life, sharing their distillation, maturation and flavour profiles – exposing 100 years of hopes and fears, of wandering legs and golden tears. Each dram will be tasted in its own bespoke crystal ‘copita’ glass, which guests take home as a memento of the day. This is a truly unique opportunity to taste rare and expensive, top quality whiskies. Only 400 bottles of the Isle of Skye 50 Years Old blended Scotch Whisky, and 250 crystal decanters of the Glengoyne 40 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky were produced, costing £1,000 and £3,750 respectively.
Stuart Hendry, Brand Heritage Manager for Glengoyne commented: “At Glengoyne we make Single Malt Whisky without cutting corners. We fill Scotland’s slowest distilled spirit into the world’s finest casks. These new visits allow us to really take Glengoyne fans inside the cask and let them become a part of the Distillery’s history. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen at normal distilleries.”
The new tours join the existing tasting tours, which start from just £6.50 and have been heralded as ‘THE Best Whisky Tour’ by The Sunday Times. Other options include the Master Class (£100), the most in depth and comprehensive distillery tour in Scotland, as well as the exclusive Master Blender Session (£30) during which guests learn the dark art of the Master Blender and create their very own blend to be bottled and taken home.
To book your place or find out more please contact the distillery on 01360 550254.
For full details of the tour menu, visit: www.glengoyne.com
Glengoyne is one of Scotland’s most accessible distilleries, located just 30 minutes north of Glasgow and looking out over the breath-taking West Highland Way.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
13 Apr
2010
Glendronach 1996 cask 197 released today...but only available at Aberdeenshire distillery!
GlenDronach is delighted to announce details today (April 13) of an exclusive single cask bottling...and it's available only in a secluded corner of the Scottish countryside!
“1996 Cask 197 has been specially selected for devotees of our renowned richly-sherried malt and is only available at our Aberdeenshire distillery,” explained Regional Sales Director Alistair Walker.
"You won’t find it anywhere else in the world so if you want to savour this unique expression, you’ll have to come here to get one of our 576 bottles...but I assure you the journey will be well worth it!”
Alistair added: “Distilled and filled to cask on 16 February 1996 and bottled in March 2009, Cask 197 has been allowed to mature for over fourteen years. From an Oloroso Sherry Butt, it’s bottled at cask strength 59.7% vol. and is a great example of the big, rich, heavily-sherried style of whisky that malt drinkers the world over associate with GlenDronach.”
Cask 197’s tasting notes confirm it’s a classic GlenDronach - smooth, sweet, complex and full-bodied with an incredible concentration of aromas.
Nose: Chocolate toffee sauce and intense raisin notes. Fortified wine elements marry well with roasted hazelnuts and almonds.
Appearance: Rich rosewood with a warm autumnal glow.
Palate: Sweet and full-bodied. Bold mocha flavours with more toasted nuts. An injection of stewed fruit helps to lift this dram to new levels. Chocolate-covered dates and fig jam release towards the finish.
Cask 197 bottles retail at just £47.99 each.
Alistair added: “If you want to get hold of a bottle this spring, I’d advise you to get along to our Forgue distillery as quickly as possible, because once the 576 bottles are gone, they’re gone!”
For more information, go to www.glendronachdistillery.com, or email info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk or visit us any day of the week at The GlenDronach Distillery, Forgue by Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 6DB, Scotland, UK, tel : +44 (0)1466 730 202
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
13 Apr
2010
English firm to scotch myth with release of malt whisky
Hardly an eyebrow was raised when Finland, South Africa or Japan began doing it, but when the Auld Enemy started producing malt whisky at the end of last year, diehard dram lovers almost choked on their Glenmorangie.
After an absence of more than 100 years, the St George’s Distillery in rural Norfolk began producing England’s first malt whisky. Under the banner of the English Whisky Company (EWC), its first effort, named Chapter 6, attracted glowing reviews. But while this first attempt caused few sleepless nights on Islay or in Speyside, the English rival’s next venture may ruffle a few feathers.
In June, EWC releases its first peated malt whisky – and it already has one whisky connoisseur drooling at the prospect.
Jim Murray, author of the best-selling Whisky Bible, said the EWC’s three-year-old peated malt, Chapter 9, was good enough to rival the best drams Scotland can produce. Mr Murray said: “The EWC’s peated whisky is way up there and is of an exceptionally high quality. A number of Scottish distilleries just don’t achieve that. Partly, that is because EWC is a small company and they ensure what they are producing is of high quality and every cask counts. They are on the path to gold.”
The EWC employs just four full-time staff as well as 10 part-time workers, compared to the 10,000 employed in the Scottish whisky industry.
From its base in the Norfolk countryside, the St George’s Distillery and the EWC is the realisation of a lifelong dream of the Nelstrop family, headed by managing director Andrew and his father, James.
In June, the EWC will start distributing 4,000 bottles of Chapter 9. Andrew Nelstrop, said: “We can’t compete on price, so we do everything to absolute levels of perfection and you can’t do that if you are producing millions of gallons of whisky.”
The distillery sits atop England’s largest freshwater source, the Breckland Aquifer, which provides 6,000 litres of water each day to produce the EWC’s whisky. Mr Nelstrop added: “It’s absolutely crystal clean. It doesn’t get more perfect and we don’t treat it. It’s very hard, which gives our whisky a sweeter taste.”
Targeting a niche market of whisky connoisseurs, the EWC expects to shift up to 50,000 bottles this year after signing a distribution deal with Gordon & Macphail, having sold 5,000 bottles in 2009.
The Nelstrop family has not been afraid to tap the expertise of the Scottish whisky industry that is one of Britain’s top five manufacturing export earners, contributing more than £2 billion a year to Britain’s trade balance.
Mr Murray, who samples about 1,000 whiskies each year, added: “The Scots are still making some cracking malt but, sadly, some of the ex-sherry casks in Scotland are of pretty poor quality and that is a major problem for the Scottish whisky industry. By and large, EWC’s casks are of superb quality.”
Maltster issues warning on challenges as profits hit record
Business faces legacy of two bumper European harvests and worst recession since WWII
Record operating profits have been reported by one of the country’s biggest independent maltsters and agricultural merchants.
Simpsons Malt has warned, however, that future trading conditions remain “very challenging” because of the economic downturn and the impact that has had on the distilling and brewing markets.
The Berwick-based firm has already taken action and reduced malt production at its Tivetshall malting site in East Anglia.
The firm said prospects for farming remained reasonably positive.
However, its malting business faced the legacy of two recent bumper European harvests and what turned out to be the worst recession since World War II.
Directors, in their annual report, just released alongside accounts from Companies House, stated: “Whilst the whisky distilling sector has revised its growth protections, this sector has weathered the economic storm better than other sectors and our supplies are largely in line with contracted volumes.
“The UK brewing sector has experienced a very difficult 24 months, with beer consumption consistently declining, although this now appears to be stabilising.”
Simpsons said Britain had entered 2010 with a near-1million tonne surplus of malting barley and prices were below growers’ production costs in most cases.
It recognised the challenges this created, not least the understandable opinion among growers that they should switch to other crops, a move that would put future malting barley production under pressure.
Simpsons, however, said it continued to support its growers and work with its customers.
It has also taken steps to align costs with sales demand. Directors were confident the firm was well placed to meet the challenges and to continue to trade profitability.
Operating profits for the 53 weeks to January 2 were £9.662million.
Pre-tax profits were £6.493million on turnover of £120.04million.
The previous 78-week trading profit saw pre-tax results inflated to £11.228million because of a £6.14million gain on the disposal of assets.
Simpsons, which includes the agricultural merchanting business of McCreath Simpson and Prentice, completed the latest expansion at its Berwick maltings last year. This made the site more efficient and, coupled with strong sales volumes, helped the group achieve a record operating profit.
The directors added: “The merchanting activities delivered a positive contribution to pre-tax profits, despite a very difficult fertiliser market, where values collapsed and growers reduced their fertiliser consumption.”
Dividends of £484,000 were paid through the year by the firm, which employs about 200 staff. The highest-paid director received £270,892.
Net debt at the year-end was down £11.398million to £44.359million.
Single-malt Scotch distillery Glenfiddich announced the launch of a limited edition 40 Year Old expression. It is the 6th set of Glenfiddich 40 Year Old, and only 600 will be presented on the world market at a price of $2,600 per bottle.
This whisky was aged in oak barrels for at least 40 years and then added to the rest of the whisky of the previous year. Glenfiddich's limited editions have been highly praised. But the last release of the 40-year underwhelmed the critics. Jim Murray, author of The Whisky Bible, for example, rated the last 40 Year Old release an 86.5 on his scale. There is more peat in this release than the last, which should make it more desirable.
The bottles make quite a display: the thick glass bottoms have their own numbers, have a hand-written signature and are sealed with wax and have a copper sign. The bottle is placed in a luxury case covered with calf leather; and an engraved copper sign on the top of the case is decorated with delicate filigree. This luxe packaging also contains a lock and a key. The case has a certificate signed personally by Peter Gordon, a CEO of William Grant & Sons and four oldest master of blending at the distilling house.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
03 Apr
2010
Whisky lovers help make Dee Dram a sellout success for river conservation
Sales of limited-edition tipple raise almost £50,000 for projects on waterway
WHISKY enthusiasts have snapped up all 3,600 bottles of a limited-edition dram – and done their bit to conserve one of Scotland’s most important salmon rivers.
Sales of Whyte and Mackay’s Dee Dram, which was launched by comedian Billy Connolly in February, have raised almost £50,000 for projects on the River Dee.
Ken Reid, fisheries development officer for the River Dee Trust, said: “I have had it confirmed that the remaining 180 cases of Dee Dram were bought from Whyte and Mackay on Monday.
“This means that Whyte and Mackay have sold the 600 cases that were initially produced for us on February 15.
“That means we get paid in April. We thought it would take a few months to shift so that is really some going.
“I’d like to thank the agencies who are lining up to support us, the public for buying into this initiative and the licensed trade – most of the pubs in Deeside have this whisky. The scale of this project has really made people sit up and look at what we’re doing.”
Jim Coates, global head of brand for the whisky company, added: “It’s a completely new thing for us so we were a bit unsure how it would be received. But we made a big effort to involve local people from the start.
“A lot of anglers like to have a dram after they have been fishing. So we thought if we could find a way to let them have one at the normal price – but the proceeds could go to the river – then that could work.”
Among the work that the money will contribute towards is a £150,000 fish pass to be installed at the Culter Dam in the summer.
Other important projects include planting native trees on the riverbanks and improving the habitat along tributaries to the River Dee.
Bottles of the limited edition malt, which originally sold for £32, have already appeared on the auction site eBay priced at up to £85 a bottle. Although all the bottles have been sold by the distillery, some remain for sale at www.deedram.com
Bacardi and Brown-Forman Announce Distribution Agreements in Europe
Bacardi Limited, the world’s largest privately held spirits company, today announced that the Company and Brown-Forman have mutually agreed on distribution arrangements in Europe.
Bacardi and Brown-Forman have renewed contracts for Bacardi to distribute Brown-Forman brands in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Andorra effective May 1. In addition a contract was renewed for Brown-Forman to distribute the Bacardi portfolio of brands in the Czech Republic, also effective May 1.
Bacardi will cease distributing the Brown-Forman portfolio in The Netherlands at the end of April and stop distributing in Russia at the end of September where Bacardi wants to focus on its own core portfolio.
“Bacardi has had a long and successful relationship with Brown-Forman encompassing many key regional and local markets – and these decisions allow our unique distribution partnerships to continue to flourish,” said Bacardi Limited Chief Executive Officer Séamus McBride. “We will continue to work together to look for opportunities that suit both our needs around the world.”
The two companies’ cooperation will continue in the United States and the United Kingdom as well in other markets worldwide. Both companies will continue to explore new arrangements where appropriate.
About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets a variety of internationally recognized spirits. The Bacardi brand portfolio consists of more than 200 brands and labels, including: BACARDI® rum, the world’s favorite and best-selling premium rum, as well as the world’s most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world-leader in super-premium vodka; DEWAR’S® Scotch whisky, the number-one selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued premium gin in the world; CAZADORES® blue agave tequila, the top-selling premium tequila worldwide; MARTINI® vermouth, the world-leader in vermouth; and other leading brands. It was founded in Santiago de Cuba, February 4, 1862. For more information, visit www.BacardiLimited.com.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
25 Mar
2010
Drink duty rise leaves bitter taste
Increase of 5.1% for spirits is flawed and undermines industry, says Scotch Whisky Association
The drinks sector was furious at the chancellor’s inflation-busting rise on alcohol duty from Sunday – and a whopping 10% on cider.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said the 5.1% rise for spirits was flawed and would take to 21.6% the increase it had endured in the last two years. The SWA was equally unhappy at Alistair Darling’s decision to keep annual duty increases at 2% above inflation until 2015.
Cider-maker Peter Stuart, of Thistly Cross at Dunbar, East Lothian, branded the 10%-above-inflation rise disastrous. He also said Mr Darling’s pledge to impose “more appropriate taxing” from September on stronger ciders would hit artisan producers who have traditionally produced higher alcohol products than popular brands.
Highland Brewing Company boss Rob Hill said he could be forced to put his plans to hire two new staff for his brewery at Swannay, Orkney, on hold because of the rise.
SWA chief executive Gavin Hewitt said the government would be raking in £6.66 on every bottle of Scotch sold in the UK. He viewed Mr Darling’s duty escalator policy as misguided, saying it had already failed as the revenue collected from all spirits in 2009 fell by £49million.
Mr Hewitt added: “Today’s duty rise by a Scottish chancellor will not secure the increased revenue he is looking for and undermines an industry that brings massive economic benefit to Scotland.”
Abolish
His call for any incoming government to abolish the duty escalator and freeze spirit taxes was backed by Michael Urquhart, joint managing director of Elgin-based distiller and whisky specialist Gordon and MacPhail.
Mr Urquhart warned the rise could set a bad example to governments overseas which may follow Britain’s lead in increasing duty rates.
Mr Stuart said the higher tax take would hit the margins made by the Thistly Cross business he set up in 2008 and which makes cider from the apples grown on a neighbouring fruit farm.
“I did want to be known as Scotland’s best home-produced cider, not Scotland’s most expensive,” he added.
“To put it into context, beer duties have risen by 10% over the last three to four years. We are facing 10% in one year. If we had been able to maintain our margins we might have been able to consider going farther afield and get a distributor to take us into other parts of the country. But something like this ends all that.”
Mr Hill said real ale sales had been one area of growth in the drinks sector, but the chancellor now threatened that. “It’s just evil (the duty increase) as far as the industry is concerned. It does not help us at all.”
Others warned that the duty increases would pile the misery on struggling pubs.
The British Beer and Pub Association said that since imposing the escalator the government had collected an extra £761million in duties on beer at a time when sales were down £650million and 4,000 pubs had closed and more than 40,000 jobs lost.
Glendronach Grandeur will gladden the hearts of connoisseurs worldwide
WHEN the BenRiach Distillery Company purchased GlenDronach two years ago, it signalled a re-birth for this the grandest of East Highland malts.
At the time MD Billy Walker said: "We hope our acquisition of GlenDronach will intrigue, surprise and delight whisky connoisseurs around the world."
And today (March 25), connoisseurs of re-born GlenDronach will indeed be delighted by the launch of a sublime new thirty-one year-old expression selected personally by Mr Walker - the appropriately-named GlenDronach Grandeur.
It's set to gladden the hearts of connoisseurs around the world.
Endearing and enduring, the GlenDronach style is that of a big, smooth, sherried whisky - and Grandeur preserves and perpetuates that great tradition.
Marketing Manager Kerry White said: "The whisky bottled as Grandeur has been specially selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker from some of the oldest and most unique Oloroso casks at GlenDronach.
"A vast selection of barrels, hogsheads, puncheons and butts has been maturing in the traditional dunnage warehouses since the 1960s, and it is the most extraordinary and remarkable of these which have been chosen for this very special bottling.
"This superb expression, a thirty-one-year-old at 45.8 vol. cask strength, is a classical representation of the smooth, complex and full-bodied style that the GlenDronach Distillery is famous for. Individually numbered by hand, each bottle is a one-off and truly unique."
Billy Walker's tasting notes reveal the remarkable subtleties of Grandeur.
Nose - A tremendous concentration of fruits, nuts and berries enveloped in a coffee and mocha glaze. Subtle sweet sherry notes interact beautifully with sticky date pudding aromas.
Palate - Very big and gusty flavours adorn each mouthful, yet with perfect balance and refinement. Initial spiced orange flavours and rich old Oloroso sherry are met mid-palate with roasted almonds, coffee and treacle. The dry concentrated flavours from the almonds and the oloroso sherry are balanced in perfect harmony with sultanas, chocolate and honey.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
23 Mar
2010
Fire-ravaged woollen mill is set to reopen with Whisky Shop
Rebuilt spean bridge shop to trade again from April 1
A Lochaber tourist attraction is set to reopen at Easter after rising from the ashes of a fire last year.
The Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop at Spean Bridge will trade for the first time in 14 months on April 1.
Many of the 22 original staff will return to the mill, which has been entirely rebuilt following the blaze.
The fire in January 2009 tore through the popular stopping-off point for tourist coaches, which had provided a boost to the local economy.
Area manager Graeme McDermott said yesterday: “Everyone is very excited about getting back to Spean Bridge and welcoming new and old customers.
“Spean Bridge has always been an exceptionally popular store, attracting thousands of visitors every month, and we can’t wait to open our doors and have the customers flood back in.”
He added: “All the staff are delighted with the store and really proud that we have turned what was a devastating blow into an opportunity to build a top quality retail facility fit for 2010 and beyond.”
The new building will feature a Spirit of Scotland Whisky Shop, a coffee shop and a new weaving demonstration area.
A further attraction is the installation of a new weaving loom, on which there will be demonstrations of weaving techniques for visitors by weaver Mary Carol Souness.
An open evening is planned for people at Spean Bridge to mark the reopening.
Pre-tax losses up sharply at Chivas Brothers business
Spokesman says accounts not fully reflective of financial performance
Chivas Brothers, one of the main subsidiaries of French alcoholic drink giant Pernod Ricard, plunged to heavy losses in the year to June 30, 2009, according to its latest annual report and accounts, just released by Companies House.
In their report, the directors said the company’s sales volume for its strategic whisky brands Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet had been 11.9% below budgeted levels.
For non-strategic brands – among them the Clan Campbell, Aberlour, 100 Pipers and Royal Salute whiskies – sales were 4% below budget.
Turnover for the year was 6.8% ahead of budget, however, mainly thanks to favourable currency effects.
Accounts show that Chivas Brothers, led by chief executive Christian Porta, made pre-tax losses of £65.15million for the year, sharply up on the £6.09million losses reported the year before.
Turnover for the period was £451.25million compared with £396.83million the previous year.
The Paisley-based company was profitable to the tune of £167.12million at the operating level, up from £112.84million a year earlier, but a steep increase in interest payable to other group companies dragged it to pre-tax losses.
Accounts show interest payable amounted to £270.34million.
The previous year, interest payable had also been high, at £149.77million.
A spokesman for the company said: “The results of the Chivas Brothers Scotch whisky and gin business are split across a number of separate UK legal entities within the Pernod Ricard group.
“As a result, the statutory accounts of Chivas Brothers Limited on a standalone basis do not fully reflect the financial performance of the business in the quoted year.”
The accounts also show that Chivas Brothers’ unnamed highest-paid director received emoluments of £765,000 during the year, up from the £746,000 paid out the year before.
Whisky supplier Whyte & Mackay has warned it may have to cut 83 jobs, under Scottish government plans for minimum alcohol pricing.
The company had previously told MSPs the policy could cost it 300 posts, but later clarified this was based on a UK-wide introduction of the policy.
Whyte & Mackay has continued to base its figures on a minimum price per unit of alcohol set at 50p.
Ministers have used an example of 40p, but have yet to decide the final level.
In a previous evidence to Holyrood's health committee, which is scrutinising minimum pricing as part of the government's Alcohol Bill, Whyte & Mackay said introduction of the policy could result in the closure of its Grangemouth bottling plant, which employs 200 people, while an estimated further 100 distillery jobs would be put at risk.
As the company's chief executive John Beard was recalled to the committee to give evidence for a second time, Whyte & Mackay, which supplies brand and own-brand whisky to supermarkets, it made a revised submission to MSPs which said the impact of a Scotland-only minimum price would hit 83 jobs.
However, Whyte and Mackay has insisted on sticking with a 50p per unit estimate, saying the government's own assessment of the policy used examples of 25p, 50p and 70p, adding it was a "fair assumption" to adopt the mid-range price.
'Lack of information'
The firm's head of PR, Rob Bruce, said once ministers had confirmed the final price, it would provide a revised assessment.
He also stated: "This does however raise the wider issue about the lack of information being provided to stakeholders about the Scottish government's plans for a minimum price and what the level is likely to be."
Meanwhile, supermarket giant Tesco was also recalled to appear at a future meeting of the committee, in the wake of evidence from the company's corporate affairs manager Tony McElroy.
He previously said the supermarket would be prepared to discuss minimum pricing with ministers, but expressed some reservation about the policy.
That, the health committee said, seemed at odds with evidence given by senior Tesco director David North, when he told a House of Commons select committee his company was in favour of minimum pricing.
The minority Scottish government currently does not have enough support from Holyrood opposition parties to pass its plans for minimum pricing.
World’s oldest bottled Speyside single malt is opened
The world’s oldest bottled Speyside single malt whisky – costing £385 a nip – has been opened at long last and sipped by special guests who soaked in the atmosphere of Edinburgh Castle yesterday.
A precious bottle of Gordon and MacPhail’s Mortlach 70-Year-Old was piped into the Queen Anne Room under the escort of soldiers from The Highlanders 4th Battalion.
Only 54 full-size 70cl decanters will be sold at £10,000 with £2,500 for the smaller 20cl version.
The spirit from Speyside’s Mortlach Distillery was casked on October 15, 1938, on the order of John Urqu-hart, the grandfather of Gordon and MacPhail joint managing directors David and Michael Urquhart.
David Urquhart said: “We believe Mortlach 70-Year-Old is a malt without comparison. Whisky fans and people wishing to own a piece of Scotland’s liquid history will be excited about it.”
The whisky was matured in a former sherry cask made from Spanish oak. It has been bottled in a teardrop-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with a silver stopper.
Connoisseur Charles Mac-Lean, one of the select group of tasters, wished his sample could have been bigger. Describing it as “remarkable”, he praised its attributes of waxiness and smokiness, “uncommon today, more usual before the 1960s”. He said the spirit was the colour of sun-bleached polished mahogany, with a mellow, waxy, fruity aroma and fresh and juicy hints of apricot jam, flaked almonds and whin flowers, which become light coconut oil.
It was surprisingly lively tasted straight, with a smooth, waxy mouth feel, said the whisky expert, who found dried fig and tobacco notes, and an intriguing light smokiness. “I could have continued to smell and taste it for hours,” he said.
Companies raise concerns over possibility of darling imposing substantial increase in duty
Panicking distillery companies have been urgently lobbying MPs and ministers in fear of a substantial increase in the duty on Scotch in the Budget later this month.
Representatives of Diageo and other companies are believed to have been telling politicians privately they can reluctantly absorb a 5% increase in duty from the RPI-plus-2% increase – about 32p more per bottle – which the chancellor had been expected to impose. But they say they fear Alistair Darling has a significantly higher increase in mind as he struggles to raise revenue in the middle of the economic crisis.
A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association said: “There are growing concerns that Scotch whisky will face a discriminatory duty rise in the Budget, on top of a 16% duty rise since 2008.
“Such a move would be counterproductive – damaging Scotch whisky and the Scottish economy, while lowering government revenue at a time when public finances are under such pressure.”
But there have been signs the climate of public opinion has moved in favour of higher taxes on alcohol in a bid to curb widespread drunkenness among the young – which caused the Scottish Government, which has no tax powers, to propose compulsory minimum prices – making it easier for Mr Darling to act.
One MP said he would rather raise tax and see the revenue flow to the Exchequer than have a high minimum price contributing to producers’ profits. Last year’s Budget saw the rate of duty on whisky increased by the highest amount since 1975 to 72% of the price of a bottle of whisky.
The industry has been arguing for equality of taxation per unit of alcohol instead of higher duty on Scotch.
It suggests tax rises should be concentrated on beer – particularly strong, cheap lagers and the alcopops favoured by younger binge drinkers – and ciders.
Angus Robertson is vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Scotch Whisky Industry Group and MP for Moray.
He said: “Once again it seems the chancellor is treating Scotland's whisky industry as a cash cow. It's an absolute disgrace.”
He said whisky was one of Scotland's key industries in export, earnings and employment. “Jeopardising this vital contribution to prop up Treasury coffers after a decade of financial mismanagement would be an unforgivable betrayal by the Labour government,” he added.
Aberdeen North Labour MP Frank Doran said: “The whisky industry is extremely important for Scotland, one of our biggest exports and an important source of employment.
“I accept the duty on alcohol should be considered for an increase, but the government will balance the importance of raising revenue with the importance of these jobs.”
Argyll and Bute Liberal Democrat MP Alan Reid said the rate of duty is already higher on whisky than other drinks and to increase it further “would not make sense”.
What the industry needed was a level playing field between whisky and other drinks which would require a freeze in the duty on whisky but rises in the duty on wine, beer and cider, he said.
CairnGorm toast for 100,000th skier of a magnificent season
Further cold weather raises hopes for more to come
CAIRNGORM Mountain yesterday welcomed its 100,000th skier of this record-breaking season.
Mark Craig, from Highbury, London, was presented by chief executive Ian Whitaker, to mark the occasion, with a bottle of the mountain’s own 16-year-old Ptarmigan malt whisky – a whisky which was laid down in 1995, coincidentally the last year when there were this number of skiers at CairnGorm.
Mr Craig said: “I last skied here before the funicular was built and I have been boarding abroad for the past few years, but thought, with the amount of snow you have had here, this would be a good time to get back into ski-ing.
“I am here for a week and have been cross-country skiing, as well as downhill here at CairnGorm.”
With cold weather set to continue for the foreseeable future, CairnGorm Mountain is expecting good ski-ing conditions to last for the Easter holiday break, which begins at the end of March and runs through until April 19.
It is hoped that many holidaymakers will take advantage of the better weather with longer daylight hours and head for the Scottish slopes over Easter.
Whyte and Mackay warns 300 jobs will go over minimum pricing
Whisky maker says Scottish Government plans will force it to close Grangemouth bottling plant
Leading whisky maker Whyte and Mackay has said it will cut 300 jobs and be forced to close its bottling plant in Grangemouth if the Scottish Government introduces minimum pricing for alcohol.
The drinks manufacturer of brands such as Famous Grouse and Bell's Whisky warned the plans would be "disastrous" and could "decimate" the own label drinks market. The firm, which employs 480 people in Scotland, will speak out against the controversial measure at Holyrood today.
Members of the Health Committee are considering proposals put forward by ministers to tackle Scotland`s drink problem. They will question John Beard, chief executive officer of Whyte and Mackay, on the issue.
In a submission to the committee, the whisky boss said minimum pricing could lead to 300 job losses in his firm, stating: "We anticipate that our bottling plant in Grangemouth, which employs 200 people, would close.
"Our production levels would also be affected, so there would be a knock-on effect at our distilleries. Our best estimate is that another 100 jobs would be at risk."
Mr Beard said the firm was the leading supplier of own label whisky and added: "From our company perspective, we have no doubt that minimum pricing will decimate the own label market. This, in turn, will lead to significant job losses at Whyte and Mackay, across our distilleries, our bottling plant and our distribution centres."
Mr Beard argued minimum pricing could mean that own label whiskies would be in the same price range as brands such as Famous Grouse and Bell's Whisky and added: "That being the case, the role and need for own label products disappears altogether.
"As the leading supplier of own label whisky, this would be disastrous for our business."
Mr Beard continued: "Whyte and Mackay, a company established in 1844, would essentially cease to exist in anything but name only."
The committee will also hear from drinks giant Tennent's, which has already giving its backing to minimum pricing.
In his submission to the committee, Mike Lees, managing director of Tennent Caledonian Breweries, said there was an "issue with a small group of consumers who purchase cheap alcohol in bulk, drink excessively at home and then go out into pubs and clubs and get into difficulties".
He added: "We believe that, if implemented appropriately, minimum pricing could be part of the solution by increasing the price of alcohol, particularly of high-strength products, and is one way of addressing the alcohol abuse issues that we face in Scotland.
"Consequently, Tennent's supports the proposals to introduce minimum pricing so long as the measures proposed are fair, proportionate and part of an overall programme to reduce the abuse of alcohol.
"We believe passionately that responsible adults have the right to enjoy drinking sensibly and we believe that minimum pricing, when combined with other measures, may contribute to an improvement in society."
TWO family-owned Scottish treasures which put ingredients, passion and taste at the heart of what they do, picturesque Glengoyne Distillery and the fabled Monachyle Mhor hotel, are offering two exceptional culinary travel breaks perfect for the ultimate food and whisky lover.
The packages, designed to embody Glengoyne’s “Real Taste of Malt, Real Taste of Food” credentials, are available as a one-night break from £280 per couple or a two-night master class packed with fine food and rare whisky from £684 per couple.
The Mhor Food and Whisky master classes have been designed with the food-loving whisky fan in mind. Taking food and whisky pairing to the next level, this exclusive two-night break includes not only the finest food the area has to offer, but a taste of Glengoyne’s oldest, rarest and most valuable whisky – The Glengoyne 40 Years Old, worth more than £200 per dram.
Hosted by renowned chef Tom Lewis and Glengoyne brand heritage manager Stuart Hendry, these special events encompass the finest seasonal ingredients from Mhor hill farm, cottage garden and shooting estate, old and rare Glengoyne whiskies, great wine and a touch of fun.
Included in this very special event are:
Two nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast at Monachyle Mhor Hotel.
A welcome dram of Glengoyne 21 Years Old on arrival at Monachyle Mhor served with a traditional Scottish delicacy created by Mhor to match the whisky.
Seasonal cooking demonstration and lunch with Tom Lewis at his Mhor Fish cafe in Callander.
A master-blender session at Glengoyne, Scotland’s most beautiful distillery.
Transport through the Trossachs with the mobile tutored nosing session using Glengoyne’s specially designed kit, along with a guide to talk through the history of whisky-making in the local area.
Rare opportunity to taste the exceptional Glengoyne 40 Years Old.
Evening meal at Monachyle Mhor hosted by Stuart Hendry and introduced by Tom Lewis pairing the best local ingredients that Scotland has to offer with Glengoyne whiskies and Glen Guin wines, another quality brand with its history rooted in the local area.
These very exclusive, two-night special events take place four times per year on June 16, September 8 and November 10, with prices starting from £684 per room, based on two sharing.
Alternatively, the one-night Whisky, Food and Mhor break includes dinner, bed and breakfast at the sumptuous Monachyle Mhor Hotel.
On arrival at the hotel, enjoy a dram of the exceptional Glengoyne 21 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, together with a traditional Scottish black bun specially created by Mhor to complement the rich honey flavours of the whisky.
The following day, guests make their own way through the picturesque Trossachs for a special experience at Glengoyne Distillery.
The master-blender session will guide enthusiasts through the distillery and into the spectacular sample room, where each guest will create their very own blend with a word or two of encouragement from the expert blender. The creation is then bottled to take home and enjoy.
The one-night Whisky, Food and Mhor break is available all year with prices starting from £280 per room, based on two sharing.
Glengoyne and Mhor are within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh, set in the spectacular scenery of the Trossachs.
For further information or to book, visit www.glengoyne.com or www.mhor.net
Ardbeg whisky ecommerce site generates £500,000 in sales in first week
Glenmorangie has generated £500,000 worth of revenue and increased membership of its fan club by 2,000 since it launched an ecommerce site for its Ardbeg whisky brand last week.
Glenmorangie launched the ecommerce site, created by Edinburgh-based agency Story, to boost global sales of its special-edition Ardbeg Rollercoaster whisky.
Ardbeg Rollercoaster was issued to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Glenmorangie’s relaunch of the Ardbeg brand.
Hamish Torrie, brand director at the Glenmorangie Company, said the campaign generated orders for 10,000 bottles in its first week. Ardbeg Rollercoaster retails at £50 a bottle.
The campaign also encouraged an additional 2,000 consumers to sign up to Glenmorangie’s 50,000-strong fan club, the Ardbeg Committee, according to Torrie.
The company generated interest in the ecommerce site through a direct mail campaign in the run-up to launch. “Through this mix of old techniques and new technology we generated huge demand,” said Torrie. “Ardbeg is a very cult brand so we wanted to keep a hand-made element to the campaign.”
The title of Scotland’s best-loved single malt whisky has changed hands for the first time in over a decade.
After 13 years, Glenmorangie has lost its top tipple title to rival Glenfiddich.
Latest sales figures show sales of Glenfiddich have increased by 24%, while Glenmorangie purchases have fallen by the same figure.
The Dufftown-brand is already the leading single malt in the UK market but according to trade magazine The Grocer, this is the first time it has claimed the Scotland title.
Owner William Grant & Sons put Glenfiddich’s success down to its continued investment in the brand.
Glenmorangie was bought by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2004.
Edinburgh-based whisky writer Charles Maclean told the Scotsman newspaper he was surprised to hear the figures.
He said: "It's difficult to understand why this change has happened. I would think it comes down to advertising and pricing. From a taste perspective, Glenmorangie have upped their game. Its little things like filtration that have enhanced the flavour, and that can be influenced by a whole range of factors in malt whisky.
"Generally distillers don't like to change the flavour of their produce because customers don't like it. And 90% of whisky goes into blends.
"But I think Scots are shopping around a bit more. Both Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich are relatively light styles of malt whisky compared to McCallum's, for example."
Glenmorangie are due to move its headquarters from Broxburn, West Lothian to the east end of Edinburgh before the end of the year.
In 2008, the top brands in the UK were Glenfiddich, followed by Glenmorangie Original, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie 10 year old, Laphroaig, Highland Park, Aberlour, Glen Moray, Isle of Jura and Talisker.
Euro blow to SNP’s minimum pricing plan for alcohol
Judges in Luxembourg rule that similar measures for tobacco in other countries are illegal
Scottish Government plans to put a minimum price on alcohol suffered another blow yesterday after a judgment by the European Court of Justice.
The court in Luxembourg ruled that similar measures on tobacco in Ireland, France and Austria were illegal and went against European directives.
It said the restrictions on tobacco “undermines the freedom of manufacturers and importers to determine the maximum retail selling prices of their products and, correspondingly, free competition”.
As opponents argued the ruling undermined the government’s plans to impose a minimum price per unit of alcohol, ministers insisted the ruling did not alter their plans because it was restricted to tobacco.
The ruling upholds an opinion by Europe’s advocate general in October that minimum pricing unfairly distorts competition. It also appears to support case law going back 30 years.
Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Gavin Hewitt said: “The government must now recognise the legal realities.
“It cannot introduce a trade barrier in breach of the UK’s European obligations by imposing minimum pricing on alcohol in Scotland.”
Minimum pricing is included in the alcohol bill going through the Scottish Parliament. It has yet to be established what price might be imposed but 40p is the most quoted figure – which would mean a bottle of wine costing no less than £3.90, six cans of lager £4.22, a bottle of cider £6, a bottle of vodka £10.50 and a bottle of whisky £10.90.
Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie said the ruling was a “severe blow” to the SNP’s plans.
“We can only assume that ministers have failed to clear up doubts over their plans because they have something to hide.
“Minimum unit pricing is the wrong policy but it now looks increasing likely that it is also legally incompetent.”
Tory chief whip David McLetchie said: “The SNP plan for blanket minimum pricing has been given its legal comeuppance by the European Court and should now be ditched.”
But the Scottish Government said the ruling would not change its strategy. It said because there is a bill on the issue it has been declared legally competent by the presiding officer.
A spokeswoman said: “We have already made clear that this long-running case concerns tobacco and a specific directive on tobacco. It does not relate to minimum pricing for alcohol.”
SMOKEHEAD, Ian Macleod Distiller’s Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has been awarded two Gold Medals in the highly respected Beverage Testing Institutes’ (BTI) 2009 International Review of Spirits Packaging Competition in the USA.
Chosen by a prestigious judging panel of top design artists, spirits writers, retail and on-premise buyers, Smokehead was selected from over 100 entries to win Gold Medals in the Creativity and Graphic Design categories.
Created by London-based design group Navyblue, the strong upbeat design and packaging uses a variety of adjectives such as Robust, Monstrous and Boisterous to allude and celebrate the explosively smoky and peaty flavours of this powerful Islay Single Malt.
The Smokehead bottle also received a Bronze Medal in the Style category and was named overall Best Bottle Runner-up, while its innovative embossed and debossed presentation tin received a Silver Medal in the Graphic Design category.
Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, commented; “We are delighted that Smokehead’s standout design has been recognised by such an internationally respected institution as the BTI. We are very proud of Smokehead’s bold, contemporary and exciting style, which commands attention and appeals directly to the discerning and adventurous ‘modern drinker’.”
Since its launch in 2006, the quality of both Smokehead’s design and taste has received a number of prestigious accolades, including gold medals in the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge and the Wine and Spirit Design Awards, as well as the overall trophy for Design of the Year 2006/07. Other products in the Smokehead range include the one litre bottle, Smokehead Extra Rare (Travel Retail Exclusive) and the premium 18 Years Old Smokehead Extra Black.
Founded in 1981, the BTI is one of the world’s foremost authorities on alcoholic beverages, independently reviewing thousands of wines, beers and spirits every year. With a mission to create fair and reliable reviews for consumers, its buying guides have appeared in many publications including The New Yorker Magazine, Wine & Spirits International, CNBC, BBC Radio International and The Chicago Tribune.
A full list of winners the International Review of Spirits Packaging Competition 2009 can be viewed www.tastings.com
Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt. The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat.
Smokehead is available in the USA and worldwide. Details of some global stockists can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
03 Mar
2010
Glenrothes whisky tasting
Claire Hu savours the atmosphere, and flavour, of a vertical Glenrothes tasting in Speyside.
Tasting whisky at a distillery in the midst of a Scottish winter, following an ethereal trek through the glittering snow to get there, was an almost spiritual experience. Glenrothes was not distilling the day we visited, and as we worked our way through the range and night fell, it became eerily quiet. The graveyard opposite added to the atmosphere.
The tasting gave clues about the main influences on single malt, which appeared to be less about the raw materials (malted barley, water, yeast) when compared to wine and more about the type and length of wood ageing; interaction between the spirit and the copper still; the length of distillation and where the middle “cut” is taken.
Speyside whiskies are generally unpeated so lack the intense smoky notes of some of the Islay whiskies, for example.
Tasting 1977, 1985 and 1998 malts from cask, drawing up the spirit using a type of giant metal straw, gave an interesting insight into stylistic variation. The youngest, having been matured in ex-oloroso sherry butts, was a mahogany-brown in colour and notes of molasses and Coca-Cola while the oldest had a gorgeous perfume and depth.
Personal highlights of a tasting of the range were the Select Reserve (B), a lifted malt bursting full of orange marmalade, freshly baked brioche, marzipan, pears, lemon zest and steamed pudding. Absolutely yummy.
The Glenrothes 1991 (B) was my favourite vintage, showing toffee, caramel, prunes and a hint of cough syrup. It was mellow in the mouth but still had an edge of refreshing bitter orange acidity, and the wood was well-integrated - a bit like standing near a freshly polished mahogany piano.
The 1985 (B) had a savoury edge and an amazing nose - packed with opulent notes of blossom, baking apples, cloves, with a savoury and herbal edge and a very long length. I found the newer bottlings, such as Robur Reserve 25 year old (B), exclusive to Duty Free, and Alba Reserve (B), matured in ex-Bourbon casks and with a coconut, vanilla and aromatic edge, less interesting.
We ended on a 1966 (B) - a real treat. Treacle, dried fruit, oak, candied walnuts, roast chestnuts, incense - the list of its qualities was seemingly endless and it would make an ideal fireside whisky.
Delicately finished in untouched American and European oak casks, Glenfiddich today honours the distillery's long history of wood mastery with the release of the 14 year old Glenfiddich Rich Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
The use of untouched European oak casks is a first for the single malt whisky industry, and the Glenfiddich Rich Oak is the latest in a long line of groundbreaking whiskies from the world's most awarded distillery, and First Drinks.
The Glenfiddich Rich Oak is testament to the pioneering spirit of the distillery's founder William Grant, and the skill and precision required by Glenfiddich's sixth Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, who has been instrumental throughout the final stages of a nurturing process that has given rise to a whisky of exceptional quality and flavour.
To celebrate the whisky's unique association with virgin European wood, Glenfiddich is planning to plant a Glenfiddich Oak Forest, to provide an ever-lasting legacy to the launch of Glenfiddich Rich Oak.
The current Chairman and fifth generation descendent of the distillery's founder, Peter Gordon, will plant the first sapling in March 2010, ahead of a grand opening in November.
Whisky company Glenmorangie has found a new home for its headquarters in the centre of Edinburgh.
The company has announced it is to move to The Cube building in the east end of the city centre.
The move, from its current offices in Broxburn, West Lothian, is expected to be completed by September 2010.
Officials said the new location was chosen due to its "excellent transport links and amenities" and contemporary design.
Work is also underway at the Glenmorangie Company's new bottling facility at the Alba Campus in Livingston.
The purpose-built, bottling facility will allow for an increase in production of Glenmorangie and Ardbeg to meet future demand for premium single malt whisky in growing markets such as Asia, Europe and the USA.
Paul Neep, the Glenmorangie Company chief executive, said: "Moving our headquarters into Edinburgh's city centre, Scotland's cosmopolitan capital city, is another exciting step in the Glenmorangie Company's ongoing development."
The Cube was designed by Allan Murray Architects, constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine and is owned by German Real Estate company, IVG.
Portsoy distillery hoping to offer visitors an even warmer welcome
Proposal to convert original Glenglassaugh offices into hospitality suite
A new visitor centre is on the cards for a north-east distillery which has been brought back into production after being mothballed for 22 years.
Glenglassaugh Distillery, near Portsoy, has tabled plans to convert office space into a visitor centre, exhibition area and shop.
The proposed development is the latest venture at the plant, which was reopened in 2008.
Managing director Stuart Nickerson said: “We have had a number of requests from people who want to look round the distillery.
“Last year we showed between 300 and 400 people round, but we don’t have proper hospitality facilities.
“Our visitor centre will not be large, but it will cope with the demand.”
The plan is to convert the distillery’s original offices for the development.
“We will use three areas for an exhibition, whisky tasting and a shop,” said Mr Nickerson. “The offices are fundamentally in good enough condition and ideal for this purpose.”
The planning application has been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council and Mr Nickerson hopes the centre will be ready for summer.
He said it would bring benefits to the distillery and could also act as a draw to the general area for tourists.
“Visitors might want to go to Portsoy or Cullen after they have been to the distillery for meals or shopping,” he said.
Glenglassaugh, which was built in 1875, was mothballed in 1986 when distilling companies reviewed the economics of small distilleries.
It was bought by European investment house Scaent in a £5million deal and was officially reopened by First Minister Alex Salmond.
Scaent executives said the company had been keen to purchase a distillery with a sound heritage.
As part of the purchase deal, Scaent acquired existing stocks of whisky which have been released in limited editions.
Mr Nickerson said that, since production resumed, the Glenglassaugh brand had been introduced to 15 countries worldwide.
Producers fear malting barley returns will not be worth effort
Claim that Many farmers set to turn backs on crop because of price woes
A substantial number of arable growers appear unlikely to sow malting barley this year because of the poor prices they are being offered for their grain.
Charlie Birnie, the commercial director of farmers’ co-operative GrainCo, yesterday said growers did not see any profits in a crop that is the main ingredient in whisky and beer production.
He said: “At this moment in time there are a number of farmers who are intending not to sow unless they see a contract from the maltsters with a good price on it. This is more than a handful of growers. It is quite a substantial number. It may well be what is going to be needed to reduce the tonnage of grain as there has been a huge carryover of malting barley.”
The price woes stem from farmers last year ignoring market signals about the state of the economy and likely poor demand from maltsters, distillers and brewers.
Instead of growing less barley, they planted more with the result the market was deluged with grain because of a near record harvest across Europe.
Malt production this year is again expected to be lower than normal. Bob King, the commercial director at the Crisp Malting Group, expects malting barley demand to be down 1-1.5million tonnes across the EU. And he warned that with maltings expected to only be operating at 80-85% capacity in the year ahead this would have considerable implications on the market, with a potential surplus of up to 400,000 tonnes if the UK manages to produce its normal 2million-tonne harvest this summer.
Mr King was not surprised to hear growers questioning the viability of the malting barley, adding that with fertiliser prices increasing the economics of growing it did not add up, particularly in Scotland.
Both he and Mr Birnie also said the weather could have a substantial impact on spring sowings as the rain, snow and frost of recent months had meant little field work had been done since the autumn. This is likely to mean land being left fallow because of a huge backlog of work and the possibility of insufficient being left to both plough and drill.
Mr King said any drop in production would normally support prices, but he added: “The hangover of 2009 crop malting barley and lack of signs of increased demand from the end market give no relief to the continued bearish tone to the market.
“There is very little buying interest from maltsters for crop 2010 barley, what purchases that are made are predominantly for delivery January 2011 onwards, with malt production in late 2010 being made using existing stocks of crop 2009 barley.”
Going forward Mr King said the expectation for 2011 was for some market stability, although he doubted any significant increase in malt demand. He added: “For growers, particularly in the UK, the priority for harvest 2011 will be to produce as much wheat and oilseeds as possible as they are both potentially the most profitable crops they can grow.”
That, Mr King believes, will reduce the available area for spring barley, which could potentially bring supplies back in line with demand.
The outlook remained bearish, but he said: “All forecasts for the next 18 months are predicated on the old adage that farmers will, on a warm, sunny day get on their tractor and plant a crop rather than see a bare field. Perhaps this spring some will not.”
A Stornoway-born Glasgow publican is preparing to make whisky history by bringing home a cask of the first spirit to be distilled legally on the Isle of Lewis in more than 160 years.
Mike Donald, manager of Glasgow’s Sub Club and head of marketing for music bar MacSorleys, is setting off tomorrow on a 600-mile round trip to secure the only cask to leave Lewis free from the threat of the dreaded excise man since killjoy prohibitionists demolished the island’s sole distillery in 1844.
The “new make” spirit is only two years old, and will not officially become whisky for another 12 months, but a handpicked group of drinkers will be given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to taste the new dram when Mr Donald returns to the city on Thursday.
Made by the purpose-built Abhainn Dearg distillery in Uig, the Spirit of Lewis whisky, as it will be known, is described as “intensely floral” and “extremely drinkable” in its underage spirit form.
Drinkers should be warned, though, that at 65% abv, the new make spirit packs a punch that will take the breath away from even the hardiest of Scottish tipplers.
Mr Donald will be joined on his quest by colleagues Mike Grieve and Paul Crawford, the owners of MacSorley’s bar, and photographer Brian Sweeney, who will document the three-day journey.
The bar’s island-born marketing manager said it was fitting Abhainn Dearg should make its debut at MacSorley’s, a Glasgow bar with more than 100 years of heritage as one of the city’s best-loved Highland haunts.
“I’ve been doing a lot of digging about the history here,” said Mr Donald, “and the thing that kept coming up was that it was a real Highland bar, a home away from home for Highlanders.”
The owners of Abhainn Dearg – meaning “red river” in Gaelic – have agreed to release a 40-litre cask to MacSorley’s, which took its name from the publican who opened it in 1899.
Special whisky will get the conservation cash flowing
A SPECIAL limited-edition whisky which will help raise funds to conserve one of Scotland’s most important salmon rivers has arrived in Deeside.
The first 100 cases of the Dee Dram, a partnership between the River Dee Trust and The Dalmore, part of the Whyte and Mackay group, were unveiled at Aboyne this week.
Money from sales of the whisky will be donated to the Dee Trust towards conservation work on the river.
The Dee Dram got a positive response when it was unveiled at the opening of the river earlier this month with Billy Connolly.
Among the work that the money will contribute towards is a £150,000 fish pass to be installed at the Culter Dam near Culter in the summer. The pass will help salmon and sea trout access more than 60 miles of river that has been closed to them for more than 100 years.
“It will allow us to introduce migratory fish into the territory and produce a lot more fish for the river,” said fisheries development officer Ken Reid.
Other important projects include planting native trees on the riverbanks and improving the habitat along tributaries to the River Dee.
A limited supply of 3,600 bottles will be produced of the Dee Dram and sold online and from George Strachan’s shops at Aboyne, Braemar and Ballater.
For every £32 bottle sold, £30 will go to the trust, which includes match-funding from Europe. “We have taken orders for 100 cases in two weeks after the public opening,” said Mr Reid.
“What we are trying to do is bring the whole community together. There is more and more local production getting out to the community.”
The 12-year-old malt whisky has been half aged in Oloroso sherry wood and half in American white oak casks.
To order a bottle go to www.deedram.com or phone George Strachan at Aboyne on 013398 86121.
Visitscotland chief points to varied attractions on offer to visitors
New group will highlight vital role of tourism trade
The importance of the tourist industry to Moray will be in focus at the launch of the new Moray Tourism Development group.
Development and promotion of the sector will be among the main issues explored at the event at Glenfiddich Distillery.
VisitScotland chairman Peter Lederer, with other representatives from the national group and local industry members, will be in attendance.
Mr Lederer said: “The new group will encourage people to think about the great range of tourism opportunities in the area.
“Moray offers visitors many experiences, from whisky tasting to wildlife watching, and it is important that we work together to identify opportunities for collaboration and growth.”
The launch takes place next Wednesday and will include presentations and meetings involving VisitScotland representatives, local businesses, communities and other organisations.
Moray Tourism Development group chairman Andrew Martin will be officially introduced at the event.
He said: “I am passionate about what the Moray and Speyside area, and Scotland generally, has to offer.
“This event will provide a fantastic opportunity to bring together key players in the region.
“I am confident we can generate a sense of pride and belief which will lead to success for Moray.”
Tourism is worth £106million annually to the local economy and helps sustain more than 3,700 jobs.
Tourism bosses hope the figure can grow to £130million by 2012.
Moray tourism businesses have responded enthusiastically to the Glenfiddich event, and all places are filled.
Police have appealed to the public to report any suspicious sales of whisky after a raid in southern Scotland.
Thieves made off with Grant's whisky worth about £250,000 from the Currie Group site near Dumfries last week.
The two trailers were spotted being towed north towards Moffat but were later found empty in Wigan and Widnes.
Det Insp Graham Kerr said anyone being offered Grant's whisky or any other brand for sale in the area should contact police immediately.
"They will be on the market somewhere, whether it is further down south in England where the lorries were disposed of or elsewhere," he said.
"If anybody is offered any Grant's whisky or any other whisky that they think is suspicious then we would be glad if they came and contacted us and let us know."
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has been studying CCTV footage at the site of the theft and also where the trailers were recovered.
Det Insp Kerr said he remained "hopeful" that police could capture the people who carried out the raid.
North-east college offers course to locals and overseas enthusiasts
SCOTLAND’S national tipple is under scrutiny at a two-day course at Elgin.
A whisky course at Moray College has attracted both local and overseas students keen to discover the secrets of the “craitur”.
It has been organised by the college, retailers and whisky specialists Gordon and MacPhail, Elgin.
The course, which began yesterday and ends today, looks at all aspects, from the history of the drink to production and marketing.
Course students also have an opportunity to study nosing and tasting techniques.
Among the students are overseas visitors Craig McCormack and his uncle Alex McCormack from South Africa and Leah McDonnell and Bill Sommerville from Ontario, Canada.
They joined staff from Gordon and MacPhail and customers of the firm.
Moray College principal Mike Devenney said: “I am delighted we are in partnership with Gordon and MacPhail to offer this fascinating and unique course.”
The firm’s joint managing director David Urquhart said: “The international mix of participants in this course shows the appeal of whisky around the world.”
The course is available on an open learning course and takes the form of 20 hours of study using a CD-Rom format.
A distillery in Scotland has produced a whisky to commemorate the volunteers who dug out Cairngorm earlier in the winter. It's called The Big D.
In January there was so much snow at Cairngorm that the resort was forced to close. No sooner had the access road been cleared than it was snowed under again. The same was true up the mountain with lifts buried under the snow.
We reported on the problem here and the huge efforts made, but even the diggers and heavy machinery couldn't get things open.
The solution was to ask for an army of volunteers to turn out to dig the resort out so it could open for skiing. Hundreds arrived.
In commemoration of their efforts the local Tomatin whisky Distillery has produced a finest blend Scotsh whisky and says it will present it to those involved in the dig out.
"It was a team effort on a huge scale involving paid employees as well as volunteers and contractors and it reminded me of the sense of community which is very much part of Tomatin Distillery's heritage - one worth acknowledging and celebrating" said the managing director of Tomatin, Tom McCulloch.
"This generous and unexpected gesture from Tomatin is hugely appreciated by all of us who work at CairnGorm Mountain" said Ian Whitaker, Chief Executive at CairnGorm Mountain Ltd.
However on some local ski chat forums people complain that they haven't been given a bottle yet for all their hard work and others say that it is just a blatant publicity stunt.
The good snow is continuing and drawing in record crowds to Cairngorm particularly this half term week.
'We are already fully booked for much of the week with 55 instructors working I am sure the rest of the week will also be full soon as the phone is red hot, and we are struggling to keep up with enquiries," says the director of the local ski school, Mike Shepherd.
"It just seems to carry on with a bit of fresh snow each night. We've had some misty days however the snow is good and the long term forecast seems to suggest it will stay cold with more snow on the way. Yippee!"
It is likely there will be queues for services like the ticket office, ski hire and ski school.
The resort is offering the following advise for anyone travelling to Cairngorm.
"Please check electronic signs on the ski road for car park status updates. A public bus service runs from Aviemore Station on a regular basis we would encourage the public to use this service if car parks are full. Car sharing is also highly recommended so we can maximize car park space."
Morrison Bowmore Distillers has achieved a 12% hike in sales of its flagship Islay single malt, despite the global economic downturn.
Japanese parent company Suntory has revealed to The Herald that almost two million bottles were sold in 2009.
This jump was achieved against the backdrop of what Suntory estimates was a flat market for the single malt category last year and amid tougher times for distillers attempting to sell to a recession-struck US market.
Toshihiko Kumakura, executive general manager of Suntory’s international liquor division, told The Herald during an interview in Tokyo that 164,000 cases of Bowmore single malt were sold last year.
He said this was up from the 146,000 cases sold in 2008 and hoped sales would hit 200,000 cases a year in the “near future”. Each care contains 12 bottles.
Kumakura also pointed out the fact that this Islay malt was selling just 21,000 cases in 1990.
Suntory acquired a stake in Morrison Bowmore in 1989. It took 100% ownership in 1994.
Kumakura hailed Suntory’s successful efforts to make Morrison Bowmore a profitable business by reducing its reliance on the
volatile bulk whisky market and focusing on building the brands. Suntory’s own figures put its Japanese single malt Yamazaki in number nine position in 2008, with this whisky the only non-Scotch brand in the top 10.
The Bowmore single malt achieved a 7% rise in exports to Japan last year, to 12,000 cases.
Kumakura said a boost in sales of Bowmore in the US in January was achieved despite tough times with US distributors de-stocking amid the global downturn.
Morrison Bowmore’s portfolio includes Auchentoshan, which Suntory describes as the biggest-selling lowland single malt, the Glen Garioch single malt from Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, and McClellands.
Explaining the sharp rise in Bowmore’s sales since 1990, and the profitability which had been established, Kumakura said: “We invested in the brands.”
He said Morrison Bowmore previously did much more bulk, as opposed to bottled, trade: “Bulk business is not stable business.”
Suntory also achieved a rise in sales of its Yamazaki Japanese
single malt whisky last year.
The bulk of Yamazaki sales continue to be in Japan but Suntory aims to boost export volumes.
Keita Minari, global brand manager for Yamazaki, revealed plans to increase exports of this single malt to Europe from 11,392 cases last year to 35,000 cases by 2012 and 60,000 cases by 2015.
Asked if he saw Bowmore and Yamazaki as complementary to each other, or in competition, in export markets, Minari replied: “Japanese whisky is very different from Scotch whisky, especially the Islay whiskies, so I don’t think we compete with each other.”
Referring to Suntory’s move into Scotch whisky with the start of distillation in the 1920s at Yamazaki, located between the Japanese cities of Kyoto and Osaka, Kumakura said: “We learned from Scotland how to make whisky 80 years ago but now Japanese whisky is considered very unique, I think because of the climate in Japan.”
More than £100,000 worth of whisky has been stolen from a Scottish transport depot.
Police are investigating the theft of two trailer loads of Grant's blended Scotch whisky, from yard in Dumfries on Wednesday, February 10.
CCTV footage indicates that two trailers were removed from the Currie Group Yard at Heathhall at around midnight.
The tractor units; one a white Scania and the other a blue Daf were later seen towing two Currie trailers north on the A701 towards Moffat.
Detective inspector, Graham Kerr, senior investigating officer in the case said: We are seeking the help of the public in trying to track the movements of these two tractor units, either prior to the theft without the trailers, or after the theft with the trailers attached.
"It seems that a good deal of planning went into this theft and anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in or around the yard in the days prior to the theft are asked to contact us. No piece of information should be considered too small in a crime like this, it may well be that it fits into the jigsaw that we are trying to piece together”
Contact 0845 600 5701 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Whisky firms claim alcohol price controls would hit sales
Industry fears law change could cost £600m in exports and lead to job losses
The whisky industry insisted yesterday that it would lose out if minimum prices were applied to alcohol.
A Holyrood committee heard claims that the Scottish Government plan could wipe up to £600million from annual exports and lead to job losses.
Some MSPs argue that only a tiny proportion of the industry’s sales will be affected by the proposed Alcohol Bill, given the “premium” cost of whisky.
But Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Gavin Hewitt told the finance committee other countries would use the legislation to create trade barriers to protect their domestic brands.
He was concerned that “critical markets” such as Korea would argue for “health-based” restrictions on whisky imports.
Mr Hewitt offered support for attempts to tackle alcohol abuse, but he added: “I think it is important to recognise that we understand the overseas market and the effect of the overseas market.
“We’ve been working in that area for a very long time and I just wish that MSPs and government ministers would take some of our concerns about the effect of minimum pricing.”
Details of the proposed minimum price have not been decided by ministers, but a guideline of 40p per unit has been used as an illustration.
The UK accounts for 8% of world whisky sales, of which 20% is sold in Scotland. Of that, MSPs were told, 30% falls under the 40p guideline.
The SWA conceded that, overall, “value” sales were small but said some businesses relied on the market.
Mr Hewitt also argued that minimum pricing might be illegal under European Union trade rules – a claim the government rejects.
In a written submission to the committee, Mr Hewitt added: “The minimum pricing proposal will have significant financial implications for the Scotch whisky industry and the wider economy which relies on the sector.
“This impact will be exacerbated by the continuing economic uncertainty.”
The committee also heard from Scottish Grocers’ Federation chief executive John Drummond.
He said the pricing plan would stop supermarkets running “loss-leader” promotions on alcohol.
But small retailers would be forced to spend time and money altering their pricing structure.
He also argued that some shoppers in the south could cross over the border to England, further penalising small traders.
The Isle of Lewis' first whisky distillery in 170 years is aiming to double its production and to increase the quantity of island grown barley that it uses over the coming year.
Abhainn Dearg, or Red River Distillery, which will bottle its first single malt next year, is working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to identify its goals and create a growth plan. HIE shares the business' aspirations to build on the world wide interest their unique island produced dram is already creating.
Local businessman Marko Tayburn fulfilled a dream when he re-developed a former salmon hatchery at Uig to create the distillery. Tastings of the new spirit at Abhainn Dearg have already received critical acclaim. The single malt, which takes a minimum of three years to mature, will be available for the Royal National Mod's return to the islands in 2011.
"The Western Isles is a very resourceful area, with many different products being made using high quality methods. I had felt for a long time that there was an opportunity to make our own whisky and to do it in a traditional way, from field to bottle," said Marko.
He added: "Last year about 10% of our grain was grown on Lewis. We have had significant interest from local crofters and I hope that figure will grow this year. I also plan to double our production levels."
Abhainn Dearg is a one of 350 growing businesses and social enterprises from across the region which HIE has been building an on-going client relationship with over the past two years. The aim is to create development plans which will have positive outcomes for businesses and their communities. The closer working relationship and shared goals means that HIE support can flow from the needs of the business.
Marko commented: "HIE has helped me throughout the process. In the early days I went to Bruichladdich to look at the distilling process. HIE has also used their network of contacts to put me in touch with high level whisky business experts who gave me advice and boosted my confidence. And just this month I have been working with Scottish Development International to look at global markets."
HIE's Margaret MacLeod says that the work with Abhainn Dearg is representative of what HIE is about.
"Marko has a true entrepreneurial spirit and his re-introduction of a distillery to the islands is an exciting project in many ways. There will be more benefits to local communities in terms of employment and already the distillery has increased visitor numbers to the islands. As the business aspires to achieve 'field to bottle' malt whisky Abhainn Dearg has put Uig, and the Outer Hebrides on the international whisky map."
Article Courtesy of Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Five crates of Scotch whisky and brandy belonging to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton have been recovered after more than 100 years in the ice.
They were buried beneath Shackleton's Antarctic hut, built in 1908 for a failed expedition to the South Pole.
Some of the crates have cracked and ice has formed inside, which means experts will face a delicate task in trying to extract the contents.
The ice-bound crates were first discovered three years ago.
The master blender at whisky company Whyte and Mackay said the find was a "gift from the heavens" for whisky lovers.
Richard Paterson, whose firm supplied the Mackinlay's whisky for Shackleton, said: "If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated.
"Given the original recipe no longer exists this may open a door into history."
The alcohol was removed from the ice by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, which had initially believed there to be just two crates.
Al Fastier from the trust said: "To our amazement we found five crates, three labelled as containing whisky and two labelled as containing brandy.
"The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labelled Chas Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited, Allandale, are a real bonus."
Mr Fastier said the trust was confident the crates contained intact alcohol, given that liquid could be heard when the crates were moved.
The smell of whisky in the surrounding ice also indicated full bottles of spirits were inside, albeit that one or more might have broken.
Shackleton's expedition ran short of supplies on their long trek to the South Pole from Cape Royds in 1907-1909 and they eventually fell about 100 miles (160 kilometres) short of their goal.
Shackleton's expedition sailed from Cape Royds hurriedly in 1909 as winter ice began forming in the sea, forcing them to leave some equipment and supplies, including the whisky, behind. However, no lives were lost.
The pole was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
Speymalt Whisky Distributors, which trades as Gordon & MacPhail, last week received its latest shipment of barley for its Benromach Organic product.
Millions upon millions of tiny golden grains of local organically-grown barley arrived at Benromach Distillery in Forres to boost production of the fast-growing whisky brand’s innovative organic malt whisky.
Since 2006, Speyside’s smallest distillery has been using this barley to produce Benromach Organic, which was the first bottled single malt to be fully certified by the Soil Association.
The award-winning malt, which has been described in whisky circles as “an absolute treat” and proved popular with drinks enthusiasts worldwide, was created last year.
Benromach Distillery manager Keith Cruickshank said: “It’s a pleasure to be taking delivery of 30 tonnes of organic barley grown just a few miles from where I stand.”
Cruickshank added: “It will be several years before the spirit produced from this particular batch will be bottled and presented as Benromach Organic, but in the meantime we hope fans of our whisky continue to enjoy the stock we have already laid down and continue to bottle every year.”
In December, the company revealed that one of the biggest drivers behind its announced 13% sales increase was Benromach Traditional, as the company attempted to innovate its way out of the slump.
Speymalt’s strategy demonstrates how a small distiller can manoeuvre its way through a global downturn.
Michael Urquhart, a director at Speymalt, said: “We look to be flexible and innovative.
“We were the first to introduce a fully certified organic whisky in the world, for example.”
He also said sales were supported by Benromach Peat Smoke and Benromach Origins, an “innovative series of special bottlings, crafted to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky-making can make a difference to the final character of the malt.”
Five crates of Scotch whisky and brandy belonging to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton have been recovered after more than 100 years in the ice.
They were buried beneath Shackleton's Antarctic hut, built in 1908 for a failed expedition to the South Pole.
Some of the crates have cracked and ice has formed inside, which means experts will face a delicate task in trying to extract the contents.
The ice-bound crates were first discovered three years ago.
The master blender at whisky company Whyte and Mackay said the find was a "gift from the heavens" for whisky lovers.
Richard Paterson, whose firm supplied the Mackinlay's whisky for Shackleton, said: "If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated.
"Given the original recipe no longer exists this may open a door into history."
The alcohol was removed from the ice by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, which had initially believed there to be just two crates.
Al Fastier from the trust said: "To our amazement we found five crates, three labelled as containing whisky and two labelled as containing brandy.
"The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labelled Chas Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited, Allandale, are a real bonus."
Mr Fastier said the trust was confident the crates contained intact alcohol, given that liquid could be heard when the crates were moved.
The smell of whisky in the surrounding ice also indicated full bottles of spirits were inside, albeit that one or more might have broken.
Shackleton's expedition ran short of supplies on their long trek to the South Pole from Cape Royds in 1907-1909 and they eventually fell about 100 miles (160 kilometres) short of their goal.
Shackleton's expedition sailed from Cape Royds hurriedly in 1909 as winter ice began forming in the sea, forcing them to leave some equipment and supplies, including the whisky, behind. However, no lives were lost.
The pole was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
Wine and spirit merchant Berry Bros and Rudd (BB&R) said yesterday it had agreed to sell its Cutty Sark blended whisky brand to Edrington Group.
The deal also sees BB&R acquiring The Glenrothes Speyside single malt brand from Edrington.
Meanwhile, the Glasgow-based maker of The Famous Grouse and The Macallan, has signed long-term supply agreements with BB&R and will retain ownership of Glenrothes Distillery at Rothes.
The value of the transaction, due to be concluded by April, was not disclosed.
An Edrington spokesman said the deal could see a small number of BB&R workers transferring to the new Cutty Sark owner, while job cuts – if any – would be kept to a minimum.
He added: “Employment opportunities are the subject of ongoing discussions.” Edrington will take over all distribution contracts in force for Cutty Sark at the time of completion.
Sales-and-distribution joint-venture Maxxium will continue to distribute The Glenrothes in key international markets.
Maxxium is also expected to provide a distribution option for other brands within BB&R’s “super-premium” spirit portfolio.
London-based BB&R, said its sale of Cutty Sark and acquisition of The Glenrothes – “one of the world’s fastest growing single malts” – were in line with a long-term vision. Managing director Hugh Sturges said: “We are convinced that future growth will come from us focusing even more on our strengths.
“That means targeting our sales and marketing efforts on brands and sectors where we can compete most effectively and develop market positions that will drive real value long-term.”
Edrington chief executive Ian Curle said the deal would bolster his group’s position in the whisky industry via an unrivalled and well-established portfolio of leading blended and single malt brands.
He added: “It improves our distribution in key territories and strengthens our position as an independent premium brand company.”
Edrington has supplied blended whisky for Cutty Sark for more than 70 years and is currently responsible for all aspects of producing the brand.
Cheap alcohol ‘damaging’ drinks industry, say distillers
Whisky producer comes out in favour of Scottish government’s minimum pricing plan
Cut-price promotions on alcohol are damaging the drinks industry, says the owner of Scotland’s smallest independent whisky distillery.
Edradour distillery, in Perthshire, is the latest manufacturer to back a controversial Scottish Government plan for minimum pricing.
Last week, Tennent’s announced that the plan could be “part of the solution” to the country’s £3.56billion alcohol problem.
Brewer Harviestoun and the Society of Independent Brewers Scotland, which represents 30 independent breweries, are also in favour of the plan.
Edradour owner Andrew Symington said: “We do not engage in irresponsible promotions and believe the industry is damaging itself when it does.
“On occasions, you can buy bottles of alcohol in supermarkets for less than bottled water, and in some cases alcohol is sold for less than the actual cost of duty and VAT.
“It does not make any sense or do the industry any good at all. We hope that the Scottish Parliament passes sensible legislation on this soon.”
Harviestoun Brewery owners Sandy Orr and Donald MacDonald said most medical opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of minimum pricing for alcohol.
Douglas Ross, of the Society of Independent Brewers Scotland, said: “Minimum pricing is potentially a way of protecting our pubs, their customers and, ultimately, the health of the nation.”
Drinks giant Diageo and brewer SABMiller are against minimum pricing, while the Scotch Whisky Association has claimed it may be illegal under EU law and may damage the whisky industry.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said there was a “growing coalition” in favour of minimum pricing, which included the four chief medical officers of the UK, the BMA, the police and the pub trade.
“Minimum pricing is not a magic bullet,” she added, “but it is a step in the right direction.”
Labour yesterday pointed to recent government-commissioned research which showed that supermarkets were in for a £90million windfall as a result of minimum pricing.
Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “We need to consider radical measures to reduce the level of problem drinking, but minimum unit pricing is not the answer.”
Tory spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said minimum pricing would hit responsible drinkers rather than those who had a problem.
Glenfiddich has released a new batch of its 30-year-old whisky and a limited number of bottles of 40-year-old.
The annual release of 30-year-old will bear an individual bottle number and batch number for the first time with the precise casks used to create the whisky identified.
The spirit used in the whisky has been matured in Bourbon and oloroso sherry casks and the whisky has updated packaging design for the 2010 bottling.
The 30-year-old is being released globally, rolling out from this month and retailing with a guide price of £225 per bottle.
It is bottled at 43% abv.
Just 600 bottles of 40-year-old are being released, the sixth edition of the malt.
Peter Gordon, chairman of brand owner William Grant, said: "It is a great honour to release such a distinguished whisky to enthusiasts around the world and add to our existing portfolio of rare and precious aged single malts."
Glenfiddich 40-year-old is bottled at 45.8% abv and has a guide price of £1,700 per bottle.
New evaporation system drives efficiency at leading whisky distillery
A new evaporation system based on Alfa Laval plate heat exchanger technology has helped one of Scotland’s largest independent malt whisky distilleries increase the concentration and quality of its Pot Ale.
Glenfarclas Distillery on Speyside was established in 1836 and is still owned and run by the Grant family who originally acquired the business in 1865. The distillery uses traditional processes and skills to produce its world-renowned single-malt whiskies, but it also invests heavily in the latest technology to maintain efficiency and quality. Consequently, while the still house glows with the reflected warmth of the traditional copper pot stills –the largest on Speyside - the Pot Ale area bristles with modern technology.
Pot Ale – or spent wash - is a by-product from the first distillation stage in malt whisky production. In the early days of distilling this valuable product was simply poured away. Once its value was appreciated, however, more effort was made to recover it and improve its quality. Concentrated into a syrup and rich in proteins, carbohydrates and yeast residues, it makes a highly-nutritious livestock feed; either on its own or mixed with Draff - spent malted barley grains - to produce what are known as Dark Grains. These days, Glenfarclas produces around 4 tonnes of Pot Ale syrup a day for sale to feed producers around the UK.
At Glenfarclas, Pot Ale is concentrated to around 45% solids using evaporation. Prior to the installation of the Alfa Laval system, Glenfarclas employed a conventional falling film, shell & tube evaporator for this duty.
As Shane Fraser, the distillery’s production manager explains, it was very inefficient and extremely difficult to maintain.
“The old evaporator gave us a lot of problems simply because it fouled so easily,” Shane said. “It was extremely difficult to clean and maintain because it was over 6 metres high and impossible to access. Towards the end, we were probably operating at 50% efficiency because the evaporator was fouling so badly.”
In the autumn of 2007, Shane contacted Alfa Laval to discuss the installation of a new Pot Ale evaporation system. The brief was for the equipment to offer high levels of thermal efficiency yet to be low fouling and easy to access for maintenance and cleaning. Alfa Laval’s plate heat exchanger technology suited this description and provided the added advantage of compact size and low weight which kept the space needed for the total installation to a minimum.
Since Alfa Laval is also a leading supplier of sanitary flow equipment, they were able to design a plant which incorporated all of the sanitary pumps, valves and ancillary controls in addition to the core heat transfer technology. The complete system was assembled and readied for installation in the Alfa Laval workshops before delivery to Glenfarclas in mid 2008.
At the heart of the system are two Alfa Flash evaporators, providing two effects; an M6 Plate Heat Exchanger which is used as a pre-heater and an AlfaCond condenser. The Alfa Flash’s high wall shear keeps viscosity low and the risk of fouling to a minimum, which, in turn, extends cleaning intervals, while the true counter-current flow of all three heat exchangers ensures optimal heat transfer efficiency between the media and enhances the efficiency of the CIP system.
As a first step in the concentration process, Pot Ale, at roughly 4%, enters the 2nd Effect evaporator and is part concentrated using vapour from the 1st Effect as the heat source. From the 2nd Effect, it then travels to an M6 Plate Heat Exchanger where it is further heated using heat recovered from the condensate from the 2nd Effect. Finally, it is pumped to the 1st Effect evaporator where it is concentrated to the desired thickness of 45%. The AlfaCond semi-welded plate condenser is used to condense the vapour from the 2nd Effect AlfaVap. Its cooling water channels induce high turbulence while the welded vapour channels feature a wide gap with extremely low pressure drop.
The Scotch Whisky industry has always been clever at recycling products and energy. As well as recovering and marketing Pot Ale and Dark Grains, distilleries have, traditionally, used steam or hot water recovered from firing the pot stills to power other processes. Glenfarclas is no different in this respect, except that with the new evaporator system, they have taken energy recovery to a higher level. The energy required for evaporation is recovered from the distillation process, but they now also collect exhaust flue gases from two of the principal pot stills to pre-heat boiler water.
The new Alfa Laval evaporator system started operating in August 2008. Initially, there were teething problems, with one of the evaporators losing efficiency due to fouling. However, according to Shane Fraser, this was where the decision to go with plate evaporators was vindicated. “We were able to open up the unit very easily and quickly clear the accumulated product . It was apparent we had over-concentrated the wash and so it was simply a question of adjusting the concentration to the optimum level. “
“With regular CIP, there has been no repetition. Apart from a scheduled summer close-down, the system has run without interruption, producing the quality and consistency of Pot Ale we want. In fact, when we inspected the heat transfer surfaces during the summer shut-down, they were clean as a whistle.”
Legal win for ‘Scotch Whisky’ in key Asian markets
Efforts by the whisky industry to ensure that only products made in Scotland can bear the name “Scotch Whisky” have paid off with legal victories in two key Asian markets.
Malaysia and Thailand, which together account for more than £40m of exports of the drink from Scotland, have granted applications for “Scotch Whisky” to be protected as a “geographical indication of origin” (GI).
The victories come as representatives of the Scotch Whisky Association, which was behind the cases, jet off to India this week to support an identical action there, and weeks before the association visits China to further an application for GI status which was made there in 2007.
Alan Park, legal adviser at the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “Scotch whisky has broken new ground in Malaysia and Thailand. Consumers will be better protected from imitations and Scotch whisky’s international reputation for excellence is being recognised.”
Scotch whisky is the first spirit drink from the European Union to receive such a high level of protection in Malaysia.
In China, seen as a key market due to its rising middle class, Scotch whisky is protected by domestic laws, which include a collective trademark granted in 2008. GI status would bolster this protection.
World Trade Organisation rules mean that countries must protect GIs.
Chivas whisky bonds’ roof repairs at Keith could take up to six years
The job is also likely to result in a bill of millions of pounds
The repair job to fix the snow-damaged roofs of 38 football pitch-sized whisky bonds could take up to six years, it emerged last night.
Roofs of the Chivas Regal brand’s Keith buildings, where French company Pernod Ricard is maturing 100million gallons of malt whisky, collapsed under the weight of snow earlier this month.
Last night, a source close to the company, who asked not to be named, estimated a six-month repair job for each roof.
He said each bond stored 100,000 casks which would have to be painstakingly lifted out one by one.
He added: “We can’t put people into the sheds for the safety aspect.
“They are going to have to crane people in from the top and they are going to have to be on a platform.
“They cannot go inside with forklifts and take them out six at a time because of the safety aspect of it.
“It is going to amount to millions for the repair job.
“Hiring helicopters and cranes and digging their way in with men and machines. It is going to cost a fortune.”
It is understood casks of high-value whisky destined for the Asian market will reach maturity in three warehouses next week.
The source said: “They have been a priority.
“They were worried that they would get lost, that would be a lot of money down the drain.”
A spokesman for Chivas Regal said last night the damage was still being assessed.
He said: “It will probably be quite a bit of work.”
Haiti earthquake miracle survivor lived on whisky and sweets
A British rescue worker has told how she crawled through the rubble of the Haitian earthquake to free a survivor who had been entombed for 11 days.
Carmen Michalska, 36, from Sheffield, squeezed down a tiny hole to get to Wismond Exantus Jean-Pierre, 24, who was trapped under a 20ft heap of tangled concrete slabs, wooden beams and corrugated iron.
When the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Jan 12 he was working as a cashier in a grocery shop called Tapolin under the two-storey Napoli Inn hotel on Port au-Prince's Rue de Centre. He survived by drinking whisky, beer and Coca-Cola, and nibbling on sweets.
As she emerged from the wreckage moments after the rescue on Saturday, Scottish-born Miss Michalska told The Daily Telegraph: "To save somebody's life was amazing.
"When we got here we started pulling away the rubble with our hands and tools we found in the street. People were saying 'There's someone alive down there' and we were saying 'Are you sure? Are you sure?'
"We got communication with him and then, when the heavy equipment turned up, they made a gap but it wasn't very wide. The guys were too big to get in so I said 'I'll go' because I'm only 5ft 5ins."
Rescue co-ordinators sent her and a French woman colleague into the tunnel they had dug with chainsaws and drills.
"It was a tight squeeze and rather smelly and claustrophobic with concrete overhead," said Miss Michalska. "When we got down to the bottom I could see his head behind a piece of wood. He smiled and was so happy to see us.
"I think he had climbed up some shelves to get to where he was and he was covered in hair dye.
"He held our light for us while we sawed the wood in front of him away. I couldn't talk to him because I don't speak French but he said 'Merci'." While he was trapped Mr Jean-Pierre heard other people knocking from below him in the rubble.
"He said there were four guys and a girl in there and we're going to keep looking for them," said Miss Michalska. However, rescue workers later said they had no indication that anyone was left alive inside.
Miss Michalska, who works in security, was attached to the Hellenic Rescue Team from Greece, who were first on the scene. They fought their way through gangs of machete-wielding looters just to get there after hearing reports of a survivor.
"There were guys with knives. It was horrendous. We had to run from across the street," she said.
Her Greek colleague Apostolos Dedas said: "We nearly died on the way here. We were attacked by the locals. They were looting and police were shooting." During the two-and-a-half hours it took to extract Mr Jean-Pierre looting continued nearby.
Close to tears, the rescued man's brother Enso Jean-Pierre, 23, who lost six relatives in the earthquake, said: "I had a dream that my brother called to me and told me he was alive. He told me to come get him and I have been coming every day."
Later, lying on a camp bed in a tent at a French field hospital, his arm attached to an IV drip, Mr Jean-Pierre looked healthy and said he felt "good".
He said: "I was hungry but every night I thought about the revelation that I would survive. I would eat anything I found. I didn't know when it was day and when it was night. I prayed.
"It's a big miracle for me. When I leave the hospital I will give my heart to the Lord because he saved my life."
He was knocked out by the earthquake and woke up to find himself under the rubble. He had a mobile phone in his hand but the battery had run out so he could not call for help.
Nearby he found a large bottle of Dewar's White Label whisky which he drank when he was in pain. He also consumed large quantities of Coca-Cola, and ate sweets and crisps. Every time he thought he would pass out he sniffed soap to stay awake.
Gilles Gueney, a French paramedic, said: "He has no fractures, just some cuts on his arms. He is tired and a bit dehydrated."
Edderton distillery a ‘dram’ fine wedding location
THE home of Balblair malt whisky at Edderton, near Tain, has hosted its first wedding.
Lynne Keating and Gregor Black, both police officers from East Lothian, thought the picturesque Easter Ross distillery would be a “dram” fine place to tie the knot after friends who own the nearby Carnegig Lodge Hotel recommended it.
The couple visited, met distillery manager John MacDonald and were so impressed by the beautiful location that they booked it for the big day.
After arriving fashionably late in a Rolls-Royce, the bride was piped in by renowned local piper Willie Fraser before minister Susan Brown, from Dornoch – who married Madonna and Guy Richie in 2000 – made them man and wife.
Accompanied by 20 friends and family, the ceremony took place in the barns of the distillery, which were decked in tartan drapes, flowers and candles.
Mr MacDonald said: “This is the first wedding to take place at the Balblair distillery, which is remarkable considering what a lovely setting it is.
“When Lynne and Gregor approached us, we were delighted to let them have their special day here and to join in a celebratory dram to congratulate them.”
For further details on Balblair, the second oldest working distillery in Scotland, call 01862 821273, or see www.inverhouse.com
200 events at Speyside festival featuring three-day masterclass
AN ALCOHOL-INSPIRED musical and a three-day malt school will be among the highlights at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
The programme for the 11th annual whisky event, which will run from Wednesday, April 28, to Tuesday, May 4, was announced last week.
More than 200 events will take place around Speyside, including the prestigious annual whisky awards, professional and student chef competitions, and tours and tastes from distilleries which are not normally open to the public.
This year will also feature the second annual Malt Whisky School, a three-day masterclass for a select number of whisky enthusiasts.
Highland theatre company Right Lines Productions will also stage its world premiere of musical Whisky Kisses during the five-day event.
The show, which will be held at the Glenfiddich Distillery, tells the story of two international whisky collectors who battle it out for the last bottle of a 100-year-old malt whisky, called The Glenigma.
Other activities will include ceilidhs, music events and concerts.
Tickets for the festival’s events went on sale on Friday night and many of the events have sold out already.
A festival spokeswoman said: “The programme of events went live at 8pm on Friday and some popular events sold out within one and a half hours.
“A record number of tickets were sold this year in the first few hours, with almost 500 tickets in just three hours and just under 1,000 tickets in one day.
“As expected the most popular were the unique tours and tastings at distilleries not normally open to visitors.
“The launch attracted interest of many international visitors from around the world and judging by the online bookings made so far we will be seeing many visitors this year from Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Holland, US, India and Japan, emphasising the international character of this festival.”
The festival was established in 1999 to celebrate Scotland’s malt whisky country and to help promote tourism to Moray.
For more information and to book tickets for any of the events, visit www.spiritofspeyside.com
Two family-owned Scottish treasures, who put ingredients, passion and taste at the heart of what they do, picturesque Glengoyne Distillery and the fabled Monachyle Mhor hotel, are offering two exceptional culinary travel breaks, perfect for the ultimate food and whisky lover.
The packages, designed to embody Glengoyne’s ‘Real Taste of Malt, Real Taste of Food’ credentials, are available as a one night break from £280 per couple or a two night Master Class packed with fine food and rare whisky from £684 per couple.
The Mhor Food and Whisky Master Classes have been designed with the food-loving whisky fan in mind. Taking food and whisky pairing to the next level, this exclusive two-night break includes not only the finest food the area has to offer but a taste of Glengoyne’s oldest, rarest and most valuable whisky – The Glengoyne 40 Years Old, worth over £200 per dram!
Hosted by renowned chef, Tom Lewis, and Glengoyne Brand Heritage Manager, Stuart Hendry, these special events encompass the finest seasonal ingredients from Mhor hill farm, cottage garden and shooting estate, old and rare Glengoyne whiskies, great wine and a touch of fun.
Included in this very special event are:
Two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Monachyle Mhor Hotel A welcome dram of Glengoyne 21 Years Old on arrival at Monachyle Mhor served with a traditional Scottish delicacy, created by Mhor to match the whisky Seasonal cooking demonstration and lunch with Tom Lewis at his Mhor Fish cafe in Callander A Master Blender Session at Glengoyne, Scotland’s most beautiful distillery Transport through the Trossachs with the mobile tutored nosing session using Glengoyne’s specially designed kit, along with a guide to talk through the history of whisky making in the local area Rare opportunity to taste the exceptional Glengoyne 40 Years Old Evening meal at Monachyle Mhor, hosted by Stuart Hendry and introduced by Tom Lewis, pairing the best local ingredients that Scotland has to offer with Glengoyne whiskies and Glen Guin wines, another quality brand with its history rooted in the local area.
These very exclusive, two night special events take place four times per year on 6 March, 16 June, 8 September and 10 November with prices starting from £684 per room based on two sharing.
Alternatively, the one night Whisky, Food and Mhor break includes dinner, bed and breakfast at the sumptuous Monachyle Mhor Hotel. On arrival at the hotel enjoy a dram of the exceptional Glengoyne 21 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, together with a traditional Scottish Black Bun specially created by Mhor to complement the rich honey flavours of the whisky.
The following day guests make their own way through the picturesque Trossachs for a unique experience at Glengoyne Distillery. The Master Blender Session will guide enthusiasts through the distillery and into the spectacular Sample Room where each guest will create their very own unique blend with a word of encouragement or two from the expert blender. The creation is then bottled to take home and enjoy.
The one night Whisky, Food and Mhor break is available all year with prices starting from £280 per room based on two sharing.
Glengoyne and Mhor are within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh, set in the spectacular scenery of the Trossachs.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
13 Jan
2010
Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Announces Sponsorship of 2010 United States Curling Association
Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch, the most richly flavored of all Scotch whiskies, is proud to announce its 2010 official sponsorship of the United States Curling Association (USCA) just in time for the 2010 winter games. The sponsorship kicks off a year-long celebration of Scottish heritage by one of the world's most popular single malt Scotch whiskies.
"We're excited Laphroaig has been named the official scotch of the United States Curling Association," said Michael Cockram, senior director, Laphroaig. "We look forward to sharing the rich, flavorful taste and history of our classic whisky with curling fans."
"There are few brands out there that have as deep a Scottish history as Laphroaig," said USCA President Leland Rich. "We are honored to have such a respected brand sponsor the United States Curling Association. This truly brings the spirit of the winter games to new heights."
Starting February, whisky enthusiasts across the country can visit www.Laphroaig.com to register as a Friend of Laphroaig and receive updates regarding the Laphroaig sponsorship and regular product news.
"This sponsorship gives new meaning to the phrase 'scotch on ice,'" said Scotch Malt Master Simon Brooking. "It is always a pleasure seeing two grand traditions from my homeland, Laphroaig and curling, enjoyed in America."
"Chess on Ice"
Often referred to as "chess on ice" or "winter golf," curling originated in Scotland in the 16th century and has recently gained a significant following in the United States. During the past two Winter Olympic Games, curling led television ratings for all Winter Olympic sports*. For more information on the USCA, visit www.USACurl.org.
Friends of Laphroaig
The Friends of Laphroaig began in 1994 as a way to communicate news about the distillery and connect with other Laphroaig lovers around the world. Today it has grown to more than 300,000 members from more than 150 countries. Each fan receives a lifetime lease on a square foot of land next to the distillery that they can visit, view online and collect a dram of 'rent' for, should they ever visit the island. Membership is free with proof of purchase of 10 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 25 Year Old, 30 Year Old, Quarter Cask or Cask Strength Laphroaig. For more information, visit www.Laphroaig.com.
About United States Curling Association
The United States Curling Association (USCA) is the National Governing Body for this Olympic sport. The USCA's mission is "to grow the sport and win medals in world championships and Olympic Games." The USCA is headquartered in Stevens Point, Wis., and has nine regions and 145 member clubs across the nation. For more information, visit www.USACurl.org.
Article Courtesy of Press Release
Press Release
12 Jan
2010
Whisky could be stored at RAF base
Snow damages roofs of bonds
THE RAF was ready last night to fly to the rescue of millions of gallons of whisky stored under snow-damaged warehouse roofs.
William Grant is considering transferring casks from three huge warehouses whose roofs have suffered damage from unprecedented snowfalls to spare hangar space at RAF Kinloss in Moray. Talks have still to take place between the company, which distills, processes and stores the famous Glenfiddich and Balvenie malts and other whiskies at Dufftown, and the base.
An RAF spokeswoman confirmed last night it had been approached as a possible site for storing of casks of whisky. She said: “We have been approached and I believe we do have some space available if it is needed and if we can come to some arrangement, but at the moment it is only a potential solution.”
A spokesman for William Grant said the roofs of three warehouses at the complex had suffered damage but there is no immediate threat to their valuable contents.
He said: “We are looking for potential storage space, but we are still at the early stages looking at contingencies.”
He said discussions were under way with Moray Council, and customs and excise would need to approve the transfer of bonded goods to another site.
The difficulties facing the distillery were revealed by Moray SNP MP Angus Robertson, who said: “The whisky industry is crucial to Speyside and the extreme weather conditions are causing problems. I am pleased that both the RAF and Moray Council are able to work with William Grant to find a solution to the problem, just as in the community where people are coming together to help each other.”
Moray Council spokesman Peter Jones said: “As the local authority we are keen to minimise the impact of the weather conditions on local businesses, particularly one so important as the whisky industry.
“To that end we initiated contact between the RAF and the distillery.”
THE Scotch distiller behind Famous Grouse and Macallan has fired a furious broadside at Gordon Brown’s Government for imposing “swingeing” export taxes on whisky.
Sir Ian Good, chairman of The Edrington Group, said in the company’s accounts that plans to raise excise duty by 30 per cent by 2013 were “very disappointing”.
His comments came as Edrington revealed the financial pressures that led it to close its site in Speyside last November. Profits fell 17 per cent in 2008/9 as the global recession flattened sales, the accounts show.
Sir Ian said: “On the one hand, politicians claim they want to encourage leading industries in the UK to be world-class yet impose swingeing domestic taxes on a truly world-class industry.
“It is particularly harmful as we argue for fair treatment from governments abroad.”
Edrington’s exports to the US market fell 11 per cent in the year to March, with worldwide volumes down 5 per cent. Famous Grouse managed to increase its volumes and profits partly thanks to two new blends.
Whisky warehouse roofs collapse under weight of snow and ice
Companies throughout Moray monitoring conditions as they battle against the big freeze
The roofs of 21 football pitch-sized whisky warehouses where more than 100million gallons of malt whisky are stored have collapsed under the weight of snow.
Many of the valuable casks lay hidden beneath metal roofing sheets last night in the Chivas Regal brand buildings of the French company Pernod Ricard, which also owns the Strathisla Distillery at Keith.
The company was said to be considering spraying de-icing chemicals that are normally used on airport runways and using ton-sized heaters in their battle against the ice.
A source close to the company said the roofing had given way in 20 buildings at the company’s 120-acre maturation site called Malcolmburn at Mulben, near Keith.
He said the roof of another warehouse in Alexandra Road had also caved in.
He said: “The ice has frozen on the roof and it can’t go down the drain pipes and get away. It just lies there. The weight of the fresh snow just adds to it.”
A company spokesman last night said the damage was still being assessed and he could not confirm the number of buildings damaged.
He added: “We are experiencing issues with some of our warehouse roofs under the weight of snow and ice.
“There have been no injuries and no spirit loss has been detected. As a precaution Chivas Brothers’ two major maturation sites in Speyside (Mulben and Keith) have been closed to day-to-day operations until the weather abates.”
The company employs about 200 staff in Moray and the product is exported to some 200 countries. The most expensive whisky maturing is the 38-year-old £350-per-bottle Royal Salute, a spokesman said.
Moray MP Angus Robertson said: “With the impact of the whisky industry to Speyside as a whole, everyone will be hoping that the damage is not serious.”
A Scotch Whisky Association spokesman said member companies had been warned to be vigilant.
Whisky giant Diageo, which also has maturation warehouses in the area, said they were monitoring the situation regularly but currently had no issues.
Heavy snow at Keith also threatened the roof at the town’s Tesco store at Moss Street.
A company spokeswoman said the store was closed briefly on Wednesday afternoon to carry out roof checks as a precaution but was “absolutely fine”.
Snow and ice are also wreaking havoc across other parts of Moray yesterday.
Two steadings roofs are believed to have caved in at two farms at Dallas. It is not known if cattle were injured.
Both farmers were unavailable for comment.
Cattle on a Banffshire farm escaped uninjured after the roof of the steading in which they were kept collapsed under the weight of snow.
The 100 cows and 40 weaned calves at Torbay Farm, Dufftown, were transferred to other housing after the building’s roof fell on top of them. Owner Allan Ross, of Wardhead, Strichen, said it was a “miracle” all the animals escaped.
Almost half of Moray’s 53 schools are expected to remain closed today. Buckie and Speyside High Schools, and Keith Grammar School will be shut, as will 22 primaries.
Moray College has also been affected, with all students advised to stay at home until Monday at the earliest. Staff have been advised to attend if possible.
Seafield Primary at Bishopmill, Elgin, opened as usual, but one parent decided to keep her 11-year-old daughter Brooke off, claiming the school’s heating supply was not up to scratch.
Alison Kennedy, of the town’s Whytes Place, said pupils had been forced to sit with their jackets on when the heating broke down before Christmas, and claimed a burst pipe meant the youngsters were left in the cold again yesterday.
The 47-year-old said: “If they wanted to open the school they should have made sure everything was OK first. I’m not prepared to send my daughter back until the heating is fully up and running.”
A spokesman for Moray Council said a pipe had burst, affecting the heating in two classrooms which was being sorted.
“Meantime pupils have been moved to other rooms and extra temporary heating has been introduced,” he said. “The classrooms must achieve 60 degrees by 10am, and this is happening. It may be a little chilly to start with and the pupils may choose to wear extra layers for that period, but that's all.”
The bad weather also affected rail travel as the Inverness-Aberdeen line closed between Inverurie and Elgin.
Passengers were stranded as ScotRail was unable to provide alternative transport due to the severe weather.
A spokeswoman for the firm apologised for the inconvenience.
Network Rail issued a reassurance that the country’s 130 level crossings were safe after the control panel in the Elgin one froze, meaning the barrier was stuck in a closed position.
Ninety years after Johnnie Walker stopped making Scotch in Annandale, David Thomson wants to put the distillery back on the whisky map of the world.
The plant, 19 kilometres from where he grew up in southern Scotland, closed in 1921. With £5 million ($11 million) in cash, Thomson plans to open it up again next year.
"We can make so much more of malt whisky as an industry," said Thomson, 54, who submitted plans for local government approval on November 12. "We haven't even begun to tap into the potential interest."
More money is being invested in whisky than at any time since the late 1960s, according to the Scotch Whisky Association in Edinburgh.
The reason, producers like Diageo say, is to make sure they have enough of it to serve China and India, as well as to cater for the growing demand among malt buffs.
"The Chinese have bought into Scotch whisky," Gavin Hewitt, chief executive officer of the association, said at his office in the Scottish capital. "There's a huge new middle class and they want to make a statement about themselves."
Companies announced expansion plans during the past two years costing more than £500 million, according to the industry group. Whisky is Scotland's biggest export, excluding oil and gas, it said.
The liquor being distilled today can't be called Scotch whisky until it's three years old and then often has to age for at least another seven before it's bottled as a single malt. It also has to be made in Scotland.
The largest single investment during the past two years was by London-based Diageo, the world's largest liquor maker and biggest producer of Scotch.
Its net revenue from whisky, including top brand Johnnie Walker, rose 7 per cent to £2.42 billion for the 12 months to June 30, the company said.
Diageo, whose best-selling malt is Talisker, spent £40 million on a plant at Roseisle in northern Scotland, part of £100 million of investment.
"It's about growth over the next two or three decades," said Ken Robertson, Diageo's head of corporate relations for whisky. "You have to lay products down well in advance."
Glenmorangie, which Paris-based LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA bought in 2005 for £300 million, is increasing capacity at its plant at Tain in the Highlands by 50 per cent.
Along with new bottling and warehousing, the investment over two years amounts to £45 million, Glenmorangie said.
Thomson said he first had the idea to go into the whisky business in the late 1980s and early 1990s when 25 distilleries closed as more liquor was produced than the world could drink.
Scotch whisky makers show spirit of survival despite Johnnie Walker closure
When workers at Diageo's Johnnie Walker packaging plant in Kilmarnock agreed a redundancy deal days before Christmas it ended six months of bitter protests over the drinks group's decision to sever links with the Ayrshire town after 189 years. The plant's closure marks the culmination of a tough year for the scotch whisky industry which has been forced to slash jobs in the face of a deep recession.
As with many of its consumers, scotch producers partied through several bumper years only to face a major financial headache last year. Demand for the spirit began to slow in early 2009 and cracks began to appear in some of the industry's traditional export markets. Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) figures show sales, by value, were down 3.5% at £2.1bn for the first nine months of 2009.
After the high of three boom years, which culminated in record exports of £3.1bn in 2008, last year was one of the toughest in recent memory for the industry. Diageo prompted union fury by pushing through restructuring that will eliminate 900 jobs and end Johnnie Walker's historic links with Kilmarnock. Whyte & Mackay, owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya, cut a third of its workforce, while in November the Edrington Group announced plans to mothball Tamdhu, the Speyside distillery – whose malt is a main component of Famous Grouse – for only the second time in its 112-year history.
But SWA public affairs manager David Williamson says the figures for 2009 were "encouraging" as conditions had improved after a "tough" first quarter: "Scotch whisky has been recession-resilient if not recession-immune." A surge in exports to countries such as Venezuela, which jumped 83%, helped offset problem markets such as Singapore where sales slumped 20%.
Diageo says the restructuring of its Scottish operation was not a defensive move but the magnitude of the global recession is seen to have hastened its progress. Johnnie Walker sales fell 11% last year while J&B, a favourite tipple of Spaniards when mixed with Coke, was off 13% as whisky exports to the recession-ravaged country plunged 26%. Edrington said the mothballing of Tamdhu was to "rebalance its distillation capacity" after the downturn "flattened" sales.
It is not the first time the industry has faced a hiatus. In the late 1970s, exuberant sales estimates resulted in the so-called "Whisky Loch". But distillers were forced to turn down production and mothball sites after growth fell short of expectations. Exports also slumped during the Asian economic crisis: dropping from £2.4bn in 1997 back to £2bn in 1998.
About 9,500 people, many in economically deprived parts of Scotland, are employed directly by the industry – though the UK supply chain has more than 60,000 workers. Geography was a significant factor in the political firestorm that followed Diageo's decision to close the Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas grain distillery in Glasgow, even though 400 new jobs are being created at its Cameron Bridge grain distillery in Fife. The bitter six month-long dispute was only resolved in recent days when workers voted to accept the redundancy package.
Diageo says history is not repeating itself and that its strategy remains unchanged despite straitened times. "The industry got it badly wrong in the 70s," says Ken Robertson, head of corporate relations at Diageo Whisky, who says consolidation and sophisticated forecasting methods mean the industry is a leaner, more efficient beast today. "The restructuring was not driven by the recession but by a long-term view of our business and the way we see investment panning out in the future."
Scotch accounts for a quarter of Diageo's sales with the lion's share of its whisky output, which also includes Bell's, Bushmills and Benmore, destined for export. "We need to get our business to a place where we can meet long-term sustainable growth," adds Robertson.
He says the industry learned a harsh lesson from the "Whisky Loch" years as they were followed by two decades of tough love, when growth bumped along at 0.5%. It was only five years ago that flowering demand from India, China and emerging markets gave the industry grounds for optimism.
"We have had to put on capacity to meet long-term demand and I'd argue that is the right call to make," says Robertson, who adds that the company has factored several recessions into its growth plans. "Individual companies will be making adjustments based on what they see ahead and the amount of stock they are sitting on."
The SWA insists that scotch producers still have a bright future. The export figures for 2009 will not be available for several weeks but Williamson says the final quarter is an important period accounting for 40% of malt sales and 30% of blended scotch.
He adds that making whisky is a marathon not a sprint: to be labelled scotch whisky, the spirit must mature in oak casks for at least three years. "It is a long-term business," he says. "What is distilled today will not be scotch whisky by law until after the London Olympic Games [in 2012] – or bottled by the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016."
Despite the gloom that descended last year, SWA figures suggest investment is running at its highest level since the early 1970s, with more than £500m earmarked for new distilleries, extensions and bottling plants in the past two years. After the drastic cuts in the 1980s the number of licensed distilleries has risen to 109, with a further seven in prospect, including Diageo's new malt whisky distillery at Roseisle in Speyside, which will open in the spring.
The export potential of scotch has been boosted by sophisticated marketing that has helped shed the bagpipes-and-shortbread image and acquire a luxury cachet. Mallya's £600m acquisition of Whyte & Mackay in 2007 was viewed as a defensive measure ahead of the eventual opening-up of the vast Indian market, where just 1% of whisky drunk is scotch, and there is a burgeoning middle class.
"Right now things are difficult on a global basis," adds Robertson. "The industry has to hold its nerve and keep its long-term perspective."
New world whiskies put Scottish pride on the rocks
A tough year for exports of scotch whisky coincided with some big blows to Scotland's distilling pride. In the awards stakes, 2009 was a year of success for overseas whiskies and Scotland's claim to be the world's finest producer came under threat from distilleries in America, Japan, India and even England. Early this year international whisky authority Jim Murray named 18-year-old Sazerac Rye from Kentucky in America the finest whisky in the world.
Its top billing in Murray's 2010 Whisky Bible pushed Ardbeg Supernova from Islay into second place, while there was further upset for the scotch industry with his third place choice – it went to a single malt distilled in Bangalore called Amrut Fusion. Japanese producers have also been enjoying widespread acclaim for their malts, piling up awards and exporting their whiskies around the world, including onto the shelves of UK supermarkets. England got in on the act in 2009, as the English Whisky Co bottled the first English whisky for more than a century at its distillery in Norfolk and has even been shipping to Scotland.
