Inbox > July 22, 2011

Whisky For Everyone has been quiet for the last two weeks, as we have been away on holiday. We made our annual pilgrimage to Spain to take in the beautiful city of Valencia and the FIB music festival in the coastal town of Benicassim. We have come back refreshed and ready to write about whisky again, which is good ... as we have plenty of news, samples and new products to write about over the coming weeks, plus the occasional whisky related adventure!

We will kick things off with a bumper edition of Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has 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. Here's some news from the last two weeks ...
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Drambuie > Launches 15 years old in the US

Drambuie, the popular whisky liqueur owned by Bacardi, has introduced a new premium expression to the US market - the Drambuie 15 years old - at the Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans. The liqueur is made using 15 year old single malts from the Speyside region of Scotland and has been successful in travel retail and UK markets. The US version is bottled at the same strength as in other markets (43% ABV) and will be available nationwide at a recommended retail price of $56 per litre.

Glengoyne > Afternoon tea anyone?
Cameron House, a five star resort located on the banks of Loch Lomond, has joined forces with the nearby Glengoyne Distillery to offer a new Whisky Afternoon Tea. It has been created by new Head Chef Ryan Neill and consists of various snacks served with a mug of tea and a dram of Glengoyne 10 years old on slate platter. The snacks (pictured, below) include roast beef & mustard sandwiches, haggis sausage roll, smoked salmon roll, mini Aberdeen Angus burger, black pudding scotch egg and slices of Glengoyne whisky fruit cake. The Afternoon Tea is served in the hotel’s Whisky Bar and is available daily from 2-5pm at £26 per head. To book a Glengoyne Whisky Afternoon Tea, please telephone the Whisky Bar at Cameron House on 01389 722 581 or contact www.cameronhouse.co.uk.

Glengoyne have also announced a joint initiative with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT). This has seen the brand invest £170,000 on a new wetland area within the distillery grounds, which will help to process distillery waste and by-products more efficiently and offer a haven for local wildlife. As part of the initiative, Glengoyne will also donate £3 to the Trust from each personalised bottle and £4.50 from each bottle of the core range sold to WWT members via their
website.

Glenrothes > Whisky Makers Contest
A few months ago, we reported on a competition being held by the Speyside distillery of Glenrothes. This was called the Whisky Makers Contest and following thousands of entries from all over the world, the winners were treated to a series of challenges, tastings and lessons in the manufacturing of single malt whisky in June. The winners came from England, Taiwan and the USA and were guided and tutored by the experienced staff and the legendary Global Brand Ambassador for Glenrothes, Ronnie Cox. The short video below shows some of the highlights from the winners’ trip to Speyside.



Highland Park > Earl Haakon released

The Highland Park distillery on the northern Orkney islands have announced the release of the Earl Haakon, the much anticipated third and final edition in their Magnus series. The first two bottlings in the series – the Earl Magnus and Saint Magnus -celebrated the influential 11th century Viking Magnus (the clue was in the name!). This one is named after Magnus’ deceitful cousin Haakon, who was extremely violent as legend says and actually ordered Magnus’ death. Therefore, this new whisky highlights the darker and more sinister nature of its namesake. The Earl Haakon is 18 years of age, is bottled at a cask strength of 54.9% ABV and consists of just 3,300 bottles. These will be available shortly from specialist whisky retailers and via www.highlandpark.co.uk for £160 a bottle (which is made of handsome black glass). We have just received a sample and will be reviewing it shortly … watch this space!

Sydney Whisky Fair

Whisky connoisseurs, boutique whisky distillers and industry leaders will descend upon Sydney this September for the launch of the Sydney Whisky Fair - a tasting experience for avid Australian whisky & spirit enthusiasts organised by retailer The Oak Barrel. The fair is being held at the company’s facilities in Elizabeth Street, Sydney on 2 and 3 September and there will be over 100 whiskies and spirits on show including exclusive products not normally available for tasting and new products. Master classes will also be held over the two days with limited tickets being released for each session. Ticket price ($60 per head) includes entry, a tasting glass and & light snack to keep you going throughout your whisky journey - check out The Sydney Whisky Fair website to purchase tickets and for more info.