Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 10, 2014)

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.  It's been a bit of a quiet one this week, but here is the news that has caught our attention from this week ...

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Arran - New look

The independently owned Arran distillery have revealed a new set of packaging for their increasingly popular core range of single malts.  The makeover is designed to mirror the landscape of the rugged isle of Arran where the whisky has been made since the distillery was founded in 1995.

The flagship 10 years old expression is a mossy green to reflect the hills around the distillery, the cask strength 12 years old is a granite grey like the rock upon which the island sits and the 14 years old is presented in shades of purple like the heather found across the island.  The new Lochranza Reserve expression is blue to reflect the often dramatic skies of Arran.  They will be available shortly.

Euan Mitchell, the Isle of Arran Distillery Managing Director, said: “Arran is known as ‘Scotland in miniature’ and offers in a single location the stunning and varied landscapes for which Scotland is noted – we could have no better inspiration. It offers us so many perfect conditions for making top quality whisky and as so many of our expressions are inspired by the legends and landscapes of Arran, so it makes sense that the packaging does too.”

Girvan - Ups the strength
William Grant & Sons, the owners of the Girvan single grain whisky range, have announced a new addition to the current line up.  The new Proof Strength joins the No.4 Apps no age statement, the 25 and 30 years old expressions.  This limited edition is bottled at 57.1% ABV and will be available in specialist whisky retailers, initially in the UK only with Asia, Europe and the USA following in 2015.  The recommended retail price will be £75.

Kevin Abrook, Global Whisky Specialist at William Grant & Sons commented; “We’re thrilled to release a proof strength expression for whisky enthusiasts looking for something different – a vibrant, punchy single grain whisky with a surprisingly light aftertaste. The release demonstrates our commitment to quality and just how versatile single grain whiskies can be”.

Haig Club - Global launch
Earlier this year we reported on the development and soft launch of Haig Club, the new single grain Scotch whisky from Diageo.  Having been initially exclusive to the UK market, last weekend saw the official global launch of the product.  This saw David Beckham, who along with entrepreneur Simon Fuller helped to develop the whisky and the brand, host and speak at a special dinner held in Scotland.  Below is a short video from the event.  Welcome to Haig Club ...