Inbox - May 10, 2013

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we aim to 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.  Here is the news that has attracted our attention this week ...

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Jura - New packaging launch

The isle of Jura distillery, which has one of the world's fastest growing single malt brands, has revamped the packaging for its core range.  The idea is to make the brand stand out on shop shelving and to explain the flavour profiles of each whisky more clearly.  Each expression has its own colour palette and carries an image from the island's rugged scenery.  The new packaging will appear shortly.

Gemma Parkinson, the Brand Manager for Jura comments, “2012 was an exceptional year for the brand. We are now looking to build on this momentum and release a new creative look and feel that we hope will resonate with consumers and help them to truly identify with our brand story.”

Macallan - Grab a cocktail
The award winning Speyside single malt brand has teamed up with the iconic department store of Harrod's to create a unique consumer experience. This has been inspired by the forthcoming release of Baz Luhrmann's new film, which is an adaption of the classic The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The store have transformed their wine shop and tasting room in to The Great Gatsby Cocktail Bar, which invites consumers back to the art deco age of the 1920s.  It is in situ until May 20th - they will be serving cocktails (including a Macallan Blood and Sand which uses the new Amber expression) and running cocktail classes until then.

Nikka -  Pops up in London
The Nikka portfolio of Japanese whiskies are being brought to London in the form of the Nikka Pop-Up Bar.  This is being built on the first floor of Smith's of Smithfield in the City of London and it will be the first time that all 17 of Nikka's brands, both single malts and blended whiskies, will be available to taste in one place in the UK.

The Nikka Pop-Up Bar will also be the back drop to the final of The Nikka Perfect Serve bartenders competition, which takes place on May 21.  Some of the participants cocktails will also be available at the bar.  It will be open to the public from 21-31 May between 5pm and 11pm - we love the sound of it, so we will definitely be heading down there.  Maybe see you there?

Tamdhu - New release and packaging 
The Speyside distillery of Tamdhu, which was purchased in 2011 by Ian Macleod Distillers, has relaunched with the first bottling under the new ownership - the Tamdhu 10 years old.  The new packaging has been inspired by Victorian design.  This pays homage to the distillery's Victorian roots and to give maximum presence on the shelves.  It will be available shortly from large supermarkets and selected specialists in the UK, at a cost of £34.99. Other global markets will come on stream throughout 2013.

The launch is backed up by a new website - www.tamdhu.com - and in creased social media and promotional activity.  In addition, they are releasing a limited edition of the 10 years old (just 1,000 bottles), which has been matured in ex-first fill sherry casks.  This will be priced at £100 and will be available shortly.

Leonard Russell, Managing Director of Ian Macleod Distillers, says, “Tamdhu has a reputation for producing exceptional quality single malt and we are excited to re-launch it. We are committed to revitalising and growing Tamdhu and the re-launch has been in the planning for nearly two years to ensure that our casks hit their peak before bottling. We believe Tamdhu’s founders would be proud of this new whisky.”