Inbox > August 5, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. Inbox was born as we sadly cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So here goes with this week's edition. Enjoy ...
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Johnnie Walker > Blue Label rebrands
Diageo, the owners of the popular blended whisky brand of Johnnie Walker, have released details of a new bottle design for their premium Blue Label blend. The new design is inspired by the brand’s original bottle from 1867 with its thick light blue glass base and sides. The design was recently launched in Delhi, India. To commemorate the launch, the first 1,867 bottles have been numbered in order to pay homage to the original 19th century design.

Laphroaig > New website launched
The distillery on the island of Islay, which is world famous for its smoky, peaty whiskies, has launched its new website – www.laphroaig.com. The new website carries a number of interesting updated features and replaces the old website, which had served for the last 10 years. Sections within the new site include pages on the whiskies, distillery, history, Islay, online shop and the Friends of Laphroaig – a fan club which is free to join and entitles you to occasional discounts and limited edition bottlings. All sections include short descriptive films which bring the distillery, its people and its whisky to life. The Friends of Laphroaig pages allows members to customise their profile and is interactive. A very good upgrade, which makes this famous distillery very personable. Check it our by clicking the link above.

Macallan > Masters of Photography winners announced

Some time ago, we covered the launch of the second Masters of Photography competition which was being run by Macallan, the famous Speyside whisky distillery. This was to be judged by a panel headed by esteemed photographer Albert Watson. The result has now been announced and the winner is Luke Bhothipiti from America with his photograph ‘Waiting For The Eclipse’ (pictured, above). This shows a group of Luke’s friends sitting around a campfire at night waiting for a once in a lifetime view of a lunar eclipse last December. Over 7,000 entries were registered for the competition and nearly 95,000 people voted for their favourites online. Congratulations to Luke, who wins another once in a lifetime experience – a photographic masterclass with Albert Watson. As two former photographic students, we are jealous!

Talisker > Hosting an unusual movie event!
The iconic single malt from the isle of Skye has announced its sponsorship of a movie event with a difference. Next week is the famous Cowes Week – an annual international yachting event held at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, off the southern English coast. On Friday 12 August, a huge cinema screen is being erected in Cowes harbour! Named the Talisker Sail-In Cinema, this screen will show the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and participants in the various competitions are invited to ‘park’ their boats and watch the movie, in a similar way to the drive-in movie screens found in America. In addition, the public can also watch the event for free from the quayside. The film begins at 7pm. The screening will be followed by a fireworks display, which traditionally closes the week of competition each year. For more info, go to Talisker’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/talisker.