Inbox - June 21, 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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Bushmills - Reaches the Summit
The heads of state attending the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland this week have been presented with a special bottling of single malt to mark the occasion.  The Bushmills distillery, which is the only whisky distillery in Northern Ireland, bottled a special 12 years old single malt and this was presented to the world leaders by British Prime Minister David Cameron.  Each bottle was personalised and signed by the Master Distiller of Bushmills Colum Egan.

Egan said, “We say that getting to know Bushmills whiskey is like building a friendship – the more time you spend with it the more you appreciate its character and personality. The chance to make friends with world leaders only comes along once in a lifetime, so we are all proud that Bushmills has forged new friendships with the heads of some of the most powerful nations on earth.” 

Glen Keith - Re-opens after expansion

The Glen Keith distillery, which is located in the Speyside town of Keith, has been re-opened.  The distillery has been out of use since closing in 1999 and has undergone major renovation work prior to production beginning last Friday (June 14).  The single malt produced there is earmarked for use in the premium blends of owners Chivas Brothers, such as Chivas Regal and Royal Salute.

The renovation work means that Glen Keith will be producing 50% more malt whisky than previously.  This has been achieved by installing new malt storage facilities, a new mash tun, six additional washbacks and refurbishment the six stills.  A new energy conversion system is also to be used and will make it the most energy efficient distillery in the Chivas Brothers portfolio.

Glen Keith was officially opened by Richard Lochhead (pictured, above right), the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment in the Government, and Christian Porta, the Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers.

Porta (pictured, above left) said, “It is wonderful to see this distillery re-opened and producing spirit once again. The fact that we are re-opening a silent distillery shows just how strong the demand for our luxury Scotch whiskies is. With this new increased distilling capacity, we are well placed to continue to meet this demand and safeguard the future of our award-winning brands for decades to come.”

Glenrothes - 2001 : A whisky odyssey
The Speyside distillery of Glenrothes is releasing the latest in their Vintage whisky series, as announced by Berry Brothers & Rudd - the Glenrothes 2001.  The whisky has been constructed by Gordon Motion, the Berry Brothers Malt Master, from a selection of casks.  All were distilled in 2001 and the whisky has been designed to have "soft, stimulating and conversational properties".

It will appear in the Asian market, where it will be bottled at 40% ABV, and the European and US markets where it will be 43% ABV. A bottle will cost £45, €55 or $67 USD.  The Glenrothes 2001 is also the first Vintage to appear in the brand's new packaging.

Teeling Whiskey Co -  A good vintage?
Ireland's Teeling Whiskey Company have announced a new range of premium whiskies, and the first release in the series.  The Vintage Reserve Collection will consist of handcrafted small batch releases which will showcase rare and old Irish single malt whiskies, including some of the oldest ever bottled.  The first is the 21 years old Vintage Reserve, with 25 and 30 years old expressions also planned in the range.

The whiskey was distilled in 1991 and has been matured in ex-bourbon casks, before being allowed to marry in ex-Sauternes dessert wine casks. Each cask was hand selected and there are just 5,000 bottles in the final batch.  It will initially only be available in Ireland, including at The Celtic Whiskey Store and in Dublin Airport, before being rolled out to other markets such as Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and the UK.  A bottle will cost £125, €150 or $185 USD.

Jack Teeling, founder of the Teeling Whiskey Company, commented, "We are proud to be able to release some of the oldest ever bottlings of Irish single malt with our Vintage Reserve Collection. These offerings are central to our goal to play the lead role in bringing an independent voice back to the Irish whiskey category and will help drive diversity in the category."