Inbox > April 15, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox was born! 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. Here is this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy!
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Bowmore > A Taste of Islay is launched
The iconic Islay distillery of Bowmore, which is the oldest distillery on the famous whisky producing island, has announced A Taste of Islay. This is aimed at people interested in outdoor pursuits and will take the form of tasting experiences at a number of consumer events throughout the year including the Outdoor Pursuits show in Edinburgh, the Royal Bath & West Show and the Kendal Mountain Festival. Bowmore will also sponsor the Ben Nevis Challenge on 20 August, which sees teams scale the peak of Ben Nevis in aid of Capability Scotland - a charity that works with disabled people and their family and carers throughout Scotland (for further details of this - click here). Kirsteen Beeston, the Head of Brand Marketing for Bowmore said: "Bowmore has always been a champion of nature and the great outdoors, so we’re delighted to be broadening our campaign this year to bring a Taste of Islay to more of our target audience in a relevant and memorable way.”

The Drambuie Pursuit
In another piece of outdoor news, four members of the Royal Air Force have won a £2,500 donation for the RAF’s Benevolent Fund after securing a place for The Drambuie Pursuit – a high octane Scottish endurance race. Team ultRAFast (including Squadron Leader Alan Rutledge, Flight Lieutenants Tom Kinsley and Simon Ramsden plus Flying Officer Chris Carrington-Smith) will take part in the event which runs between 13 and 15 May. The Drambuie Pursuit covers 100 miles of the Scottish Highland’s rugged terrain and includes activities such as rock climbing, white water rafting, mountain biking, kayaking and buggy racing. Team ultRAFast will compete against nine other international teams. Drambuie - one of the best selling whisky based liqueurs in the world – is again sponsoring the tough Scottish pursuit event. For more information on The Drambuie Pursuit please visit www.drambuie.co.uk/pursuit.

The Macallan > Royal Wedding bottling announced
The famous Speyside distillery of Macallan has announced the release of a limited edition single malt to commemorate the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29. There will be only 1,000 bottles of this special whisky, which has been constructed using just two hand premium casks - both were put in to their casks on April 29, one in 1996 and one in 1999. This mirrors a similar Macallan bottling that was produced for the wedding of William's parents in 1981. A specially designed label and packaging has been produced by David Holmes, who was also the creative force behind the 1981 packaging. Each bottle will cost £150 and are available from the visitor's centre shop at the distillery or via www.themacallan.com.

The distiller's tasting notes are as follows > Colour – Golden Amber. Nose – Cinnamon, ginger, clove, toffee apples, vanilla, chocolate orange, summer fruits, lightly floral and barley notes. Palate – Abundant wood spices deliver an initial hit to the palate, slightly oily texture. Fruits develop, balanced with soft oak tones. Orange zest, floral notes and barley make an appearance later. Finish – Soft, full, long lasting.