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 that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.
Within Inbox we 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.
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| Weisberger and a couple of birdies |
Ballantine's - Championship Blend
A couple of weeks ago we reported in Inbox about a very limited edition expression of the popular Ballantine's whisky brand that had been produced. The Championship Blend was specially created to celebrate the Ballantine's Championship golf tournament in Korea.
It was created by the Ballantine's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop with the help of the 2011 winner Lee Westwood. A bottle was presented to the winner of this year's tournament as part of his prize. Bernd Weisberger from Austria (pictured, above) won by five shots and bagged a cheque for $487,000, plus the first of only 10 bottles of the Championship Blend ever produced to celebrate his victory.
Balvenie - Masters of Craft
The famous Speyside distillery of Balvenie have announced that they are to run their successful
Masters of Craft competition again this year. The initiative, which launched for the first time last year, is designed to highlight the quality and variety of handcrafted skills that are currently thriving in the UK.
This ethos mirrors the handcrafted nature of the production of Balvenie single malt whisky. Categories include Stone, Wood, Metal, Glass & Ceramics, Textiles and Leather, plus the new category of Artisan Food. Other prizes include the Young Master of Craft (open to 21-30 year olds), the David Stewart Life Time Achievement Award (named after Balvenie's legendary Master Distiller) and the overall Master of Craft 2012.
An esteemed panel of judges have been assembled for the competition and they include David Stewart himself, TV presenter Kevin McCloud and Chairman of the Heritage Arts Council, Robin Wood. Nominations are now open and remain so until Friday 1 June - if you wish to nominate someone, please go to the
Masters of Craft website.
Bulleit - Shake it up for the Kentucky Derby
The Bulleit American whiskey brand have created a couple of cocktails to enjoy over this coming weekend. This is to celebrate the brand's association with the famous Kentucky Derby horse race which is run on Saturday 5 May.
The first is exotically named the
Ginger Julep '68 Fastback and is made using 1½oz of ginger infused Bulleit bourbon, ½oz of organic brown sugar, ¼oz of peeled minced fresh ginger, 1½oz of soda water and a lemon twist. To make it, muddle the ginger and brown sugar together until the sugar is nearly dissolved. Add a dash of soda to finish dissolving the sugar, stir in the Bulleit and finish with ice, soda to taste and a lemon twist.
The second is a
Bulleit Rye Mint Julep and is made using 1½ oz of Bulleit Rye whiskey, 1 ½-2 oz of
Stirrings Simple Syrup and fresh mint leaves. To make it, muddle mint leaves,
Stirrings Simple Syrup and crushed ice. Then add Bulleit Rye, fill the glass with ice and pour into cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and serve in rocks glass with fresh mint garnish. Have fun and enjoy the race!
Dalmore - Goes stellar with new releases
The Highland distillery of Dalmore have announced a significant range of limited edition single malts to add to their seemingly ever expanding portfolio of whiskies. The
Constellation Collection is a selection of single cask bottlings ranging from between 1964 and 1992. There are 21 casks in total and each has been bottled at its natural strength and colour. This initial release consists of around 4,000 bottles.
The prices range from £20,000 a bottle for the
1964 Vintage to £2,000 for the
1992 Vintage. There is also the option to buy the entire set of 21 bottles for £158,000. The whiskies are available for the first month exclusively through the World Duty Free Group's main shop in Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport. They will then be available through other specialist retailers.
Now, a Dalmore release wouldn't be a Dalmore release without some 'Paterson-speak'. The Master Blender had this to say about the
Constellation Collection - "
In selecting these casks, we have identified our brightest stars from our darkest warehouses. We’re very proud to share the shining lights of our distillery with whisky lovers the world over.” Classic stuff.
Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox has been born! 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. So here goes with this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy ...
The American brand, owned by Diageo, has announced a new addition to its whiskey range - Bulleit Rye. The new whiskey has initially been launched in the USA, but will reach the Australian, German and UK markets within months. Bulleit Rye has reportedly the highest rye grain content of any American whiskey, being made from a recipe with 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The recipe is a modern adaption of one that was produced by the brand's founder, Augustus Bulleit, in 1830. It has been matured for a minimum of four years in new oak casks and is bottled at 45% ABV for the US and 40% for the other markets. The recommended retail price will be $27.99.
A couple of weeks ago we featured the launch of a Glenlivet 70 years old single malt from the Elgin based independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. The whisky (pictured, left) is extremely limited (there are only 100 bottles) and has a recommended retail price of £13,000. Gordon & MacPhail have decided to donate bottle number 1/100 to be auctioned, with all proceeds going to the British Red Cross Japan Appeal - one of the charities that is helping with aid to Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami devastation. The auction is being held at Bonham's auction house in Edinburgh on next Tuesday evening 29 March at 7pm in. The main event is preceded by a reception and talk by whisky expert Charles Maclean.
The famous American distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee has announced the launch of a new product - the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. The product will be available in all US states from April, will have a recommended retail price of $22 and will come in different sized bottles. It is made with Jack Daniels' famous Old No.7 whiskey and a honey liqueur made with honey from hives located on the distillery site. Jack Daniel's Master Taster Jeff Norman says, "Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey brings together two complementary tastes in a new way. Whether it's chilled, straight or served in drinks with other mixers like lemonade, tea or ginger ale, we think you will really love its unique taste and smooth character".
Bulleit Bourbon is a multi award winning American whiskey. It was first created by Augustus Bulleit in the 1830s. Bulleit had moved to America from France in the early 1800s and lived in New Orleans, until moving to the state of Kentucky in 1830. Kentucky is the heart of America's whiskey industry and Bulleit, who had produced brandy in France, fell in love with bourbon and decided to make his own. He experimented with different recipes before settling on one that contained malted barley and a particularly high percentage of rye. Bulleit produced his bourbon in small batches and its popularity grew rapidly. In 1860, Augustus Bulleit mysteriously disappeared and with no-one to take over, the distilling was stopped shortly afterwards.
