Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 3, 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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Beam Suntory - Peated Malts of Distinction

The leading drinks company Beam Suntory have announced a new initiative that showcases the peaty, smoky whiskies and distilleries producing them.  The Peated Malts of Distinction has been created and highlights the new Ardmore Legacy, Bowmore Small Batch and new Laphroaig Select from Scotland and the Irish whiskey Connemara Original.  All are designed as entry level whiskies in to the smoky/peaty category.  The campaign will be supported in the on and off trades by global marketing activity from now until Christmas.

Lee Walker, Regional Brand Manager for Premium Malts at Beam Suntory, comments: “The peated malt category is a dynamic segment demonstrating strong growth. We have ambitious plans to utilise our expertise and product range to further innovate and expand the category. We’re in a unique position where we can offer drinkers a variety of taste experiences from gentle to rich peat, and we hope that this unique story will appeal to both novice and whisky enthusiasts the world over.”

Benromach - Need Proof?
The Benromach Distillery Company Ltd, which is owned by independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail, have announced a new whisky to slot in to the core range.  The Benromach 100° Proof is a cask strength version of the regular 10 years old expression and is bottled at 57% ABV.  It will be available shortly and is presented in the contemporary packaging, which was introduced to the range earlier this year.  No details of price were including in the press release,

Michael Urquhart, Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: “We are custodians of the time honoured crafts of distillation and maturation and we enjoy experimenting to present different styles of Benromach for consumers to enjoy. The 100° Proof will have a strong appeal and exemplify the versatility of what is a contemporary and sophisticated Benromach brand.”

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard - Academy open

The leading Irish whiskey producer is to open its acclaimed Irish Whiskey Academy to the public and announced a series of courses that they will be running there.  The Academy, which was opened for internal company training and trade activity in September 2013 and is based at the Midleton distillery in Co. Cork, aims to improve understanding of all aspects of Irish whiskey including production, history, provenance, styles and flavour profile.

The courses will have particular focus on the brands within the Irish Distillers portfolio including Green Spot, Jameson, Midleton Very Rare and Redbreast.  The courses on offer are of differing lengths and include short four hour tutorials, plus one and two day courses offering more in depth teaching.  These will be led by David McCabe (pictured, above), the International Whiskey Ambassador for Irish Distillers.  For details, dates and to book - please visit the website www.irishwhiskeyacademy.com.

David Byrne, Head of Brand Education & Visitor Centres at Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, said: “After years of planning, we’re delighted to finally be welcoming whiskey fans from around the world to our Irish Whiskey Academy. As the first of its kind, the Academy heralds a new era of knowledge and understanding of Irish whiskey and we look forward to welcoming people to Midleton and helping them to discover the heritage and unique flavour profile that Irish whiskeys have to offer.”