Inbox > September 19, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. Inbox was born as we sadly 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 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.

However, following our holiday to Cuba the Whisky For Everyone email was bursting at the seams upon our return - so we decided to split last week's Inbox in to two parts.  Sit back and enjoy this bonus edition, before we return to the normal format on Friday.

Arran > New 12 years old launched 

Cool, classy packaging

The award winning Isle of Arran Distillers have announced a new product – the first batch of a 12 years old Cask Strength. This release will be at the end of September and will consist of 12,000 bottles. The whisky has been constructed, using a combination of first-fill and second-fill ex-sherry casks, by Master Distiller James MacTaggart. The cask strength is 54.1% ABV. Euan Mitchell, Arran’s Managing Director says, “The influence of the sherry casks has resulted in a powerful, spicy and rich whisky with notes of dark chocolate, toasted oak and baked apples. Adding a splash of water brings further depth with subtle flavours of citrus fruits and cinnamon”.

Balblair > WIRED Magazine photo competition

Timed to perfection ...

The north Highland distillery of Balblair, owned by Inverhouse Distillers, has teamed up with popular magazine WIRED to create an exciting new photography competition.  The first prize is a VIP trip to the distillery and a bottle of Balblair 1965 Vintage - their oldest vintage released to date, worth £1,500.  The theme of the competition ties in with Balblair tag line - Timed to Perfection.  Entrants are asked to interpret that expression and submit photographs, which will be judged by Steve Peck, the WIRED Picture Editor, and Edmund Clark, the Editorial Photographer of the Year 2010.  The closing date is 14 October and the winning photo will be published in the January edition of WIRED.  For further details and to enter - click here.

Black Grouse > Team up with RSPB

Helping the RSPB

An award sponsorship scheme between the Black Grouse whisky brand, owned by the Edrington Group, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has been extended for a further three years. The scheme was originally started in 2008 and was created to raise awareness about the critical decline of the black grouse in the UK. This was prompted by a dramatic slump in numbers, which had fallen from 25,000 male birds in 1970 to only 5,000 in 2005. The scheme has already raised £300,000 and has seen numbers beginning to rise steadily, almost doubling in some locations. A further £150,000 will be given in the next three years to continue the good work. The extension was announced by Gerry O’Donnell, the Director of the Famous Grouse brand, and Stuart Housden, the Director of RSPB Scotland.

Glendronach > Tee off with a special whisky

Donald's favourite

The award winning independent distillery of Glendronach have announced that they will be supplying a limited edition whisky to celebrate the opening of Donald Trump's controversial new golf course near Aberdeen.  The tycoon invited a number of distilleries from the local area to submit samples and selected a Glendronach 25 years old single malt as the winner.  The whisky, which was selected by Managing Director of The Benriach Distillery Company Billy Walker, will come in 500 commemorative bottles and will be released to coincide with the grand opening of the £750 million golf complex next Summer.  No further details are available, but Billy Walker described the whisky as, "classic Glendronach - a silky and smooth fusion of sherry sweetness and concentrated fruit".

Jim Beam Red Stag > Try a new cocktail

Ahoy me hearties!

Believe it or not, today is ‘International Talk Like A Pirate Day’. Yes you read that correctly, but that is not the news here. To celebrate this day (question – is anyone really celebrating this?), the people behind Jim Beam Red Stag – the American bourbon infused with black cherries – have created a special cocktail. The Cherry Sour Sea Dog (pictured, left) can be made as follows - muddle four cherries in a dash of lemon juice in the bottom of a shaker glass, add 50mls of Jim Beam Red Stag and a drop of Angostura bitters and shake hard over cubed ice, then put all contents into a tumbler and garnish with a fresh cherry and lemon snap. Sounds delicious – try it out.

Whisky Socials @ the Athenaeum Hotel
Here's one for anyone in London - the Athenaeum Hotel, which is located on Piccadilly, has announced a series of whisky evenings where they will play host to some of the world's best known brands.  The Whisky Socials will incorporate a tutored whisky tasting with food matchings thanks to specially created menus for each event.  Each event will cost £39 per head and places can be booked by visiting www.athenaeumhotel.com or by calling 020-76403322.  The events are as follows ...
6 October 2011 - Aberfeldy & Dewar's with the legendary Roger Mallandine.
24 November 2011 - Balvenie with Dr. Andrew Forrester, the UK Brand Ambassador.
25 January 2012 - Burn's Night Special with The Macallan.
There is also a date in March 2012, yet to be confirmed, which will see Richard Paterson hosting a Dalmore evening.

New releases > Jim Beam Red Stag

Iconic American producer Jim Beam, the world's best selling bourbon, have launched a new product on to the UK market called Red Stag - a version of the famous Jim Beam White Label bourbon which has been slowly infused with natural black cherries. Bottled at 40% ABV, Red Stag will retail at £21.75 a bottle and is currently available from the Tesco and Asda supermarket chains. It is recommended to be consumed straight, chilled or as part of a cocktail. We were delighted to be invited to the UK launch party recently - footage of which can be seen in the video clip below.

Jim Beam is the biggest selling bourbon brand in the world and sits comfortably in the global top 10 for total spirit sales. The current distillery was built at the end of the Prohibition period in 1933 and is located in the town of Clermont, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky is the famous home to America's bourbon industry. The Beam family have a longer whisky heritage, with their first distillery dating back to 1795. This was founded in Washington County, Kentucky by a German immigrant called Jacob Boehm (his surname later became Americanised to Beam). The distillery is currently run by the sixth generation of his family. The Beam empire has grown massively and Beam Global are now one of the biggest drinks companies in the world, holding a vast array of worldwide brands in their portfolio including the famous Scottish whisky distillery of Laphroaig.

Our tasting notes
We have tasted Red Stag straight and at room temperature for these notes. The colour is a rich golden yellow and the nose is delicious and rich. It is packed with vanilla, oak, coconut and sweet cereal grain aromas from the bourbon, with the addition of ripe red cherries (think of a cocktail/maraschino cherries) . More sweet aromas come through in the form of honey, as does an interesting floral note (imagine honeysuckle or maybe orange blossom). On the palate, the vanilla and oakiness are immediately prominent before quickly being complimented by plenty of sweet, luscious and juicy black cherry flavours. The liquid feels rich, soft and warming in your mouth. The warmth is quite spicy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg) and further mellow sweetness created by the cereal grains and honey notes. The finish is long with a combination of the cherry sweetness and the drier, oaky bourbon characteristics vying for attention. The warm spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) really come through as does a citrus note, reminiscent of candied orange peel, before one final blast of sugary cherry.

What's the verdict?
The Red Stag is certainly unique. Other American companies have produced similarly infused items - think of Evan Williams' Honey or the recently released Jack Daniel's Honey - but we have not tasted or come across a bourbon infused with fruit. Is it a gimmick? We don't think so and we both really enjoy it. We like the idea of new products that try and attract new drinkers, as long as they are of a good quality and well produced. Red Stag is good taken straight but is better chilled from the fridge and sipped from a shot glass or as part of a simple cocktail.



Cocktail idea?
We came up with an Old Fashioned type cocktail which seems to suit Red Stag well and tastes delicious - all you will need is a tumbler glass, some orange zest, ice cubes and Red Stag. Put the orange zest in the tumbler style glass, add three or four ice cubes and a good measure of Red Stag. Stir for a minute or so with the end of a spoon, repeat the ice cubes/Red Stag measure and stirring stage, before garnishing with a fresh red cherry (or a maraschino cherry if real cherries are out of season). Yum :)

Inbox > April 22, 2011

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 was 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. There is not much this week, as marketing departments shut down for the double Easter/Royal Wedding public holidays. Here is this week's news ...
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Diageo > Visitor numbers increase
Whisky tourists are visiting Scottish distilleries in increasing numbers according to global drinks company Diageo. The company which owns 28 distilleries in Scotland, of which 12 have visitor centres have reported a 19% increase over the last two years. Just over 210,000 people visited the 12 distilleries in 2010 with Talisker on the Isle of Skye being the most popular. Over 50,000 visitors went there, despite its relatively remote location. Diageo say that the increase mirrors the rising interest in the subject of whisky, especially in the numbers of visitors from emerging whisky markets such as China, India and Russia. Steve Blake, General Manager of Diageo’s Visitor Centres said, "the growing popularity of Scotch whisky combined with the high quality of visitor experience offered at the distilleries are key factors in the increase. It is clear that people love the magic, the mystery and the history of our whisky industry."

Red Stag > Launches in the UK
Iconic American producer Jim Beam, the world's best selling bourbon, have launched a new product on to the UK market - Red Stag. This is a version of the famous Jim Beam White Label bourbon which has been slowly infused with natural black cherries. Bottled at 40% ABV, Red Stag will retail at £21.75 a bottle and is currently available from the Tesco and Asda supermarket chains. It is recommended to be consumed straight, chilled or as part of a cocktail. We were delighted to be invited to the UK launch party and will be reporting about it shortly, including tasting notes and further information. All we will say for now is that Red Stag is delicious stuff!