Whisky For Everyone: tweet of the week

Showing posts with label tweet of the week. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2012

Inbox - February 24, 2012

Where's the popcorn?

Black Grouse - Goes to the movies
The Oscar's are on 26 February and the Black Grouse blended whisky brand have created a range of simple cocktails to sip on while you are watching the ceremony. In a slightly tenuous link, the three cocktails are all named after movies and/or the stars that appear in them.

The Smooth Talker (pictured, left and 'inspired' by George Clooney) mixes the blend with cola, a wedge of orange and ice. The Silence Is Golden pays homage to the incredibly hyped silent movie The Artist - it's Black Grouse, apple juice and a squeeze of pink grapefruit over ice. The Dragon's Breath is named after the Hollywood remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and mixes Black Grouse with freshly squeezed lime and ginger beer over ice. For further information, visit www.black-grouse.com.

Jameson pour homme

Jameson - Paul Daly strikes again
The world’s best selling Irish whiskey has again collaborated with Irish artist Paul Daly to produce a limited edition bottle design for St. Patrick's Day. Daly’s design first appeared in February 2011 and was inspired by the legendary Celtic illustrations in The Book of Kells - an important part of Irish heritage that depicts the four gospels and was believed to have been produced in 800AD. This year it will be sold in over 30 markets around the world including Australia, Spain, Russia and the USA.

The brand is also planning a number of high profile events to mark St. Patrick's Day. These include the Jameson Global Broadcast (a special radio show direct from the Old Jameson Distillery building in Dublin), the Jameson Global Party (the main event takes place in Dublin, with other events planned in Dubai and Sofia, Bulgaria) and a new mobile phone app.

Pub quiz, Jack?

Jura - Whisky Pursuit kicks off
The distillery on the isle of Jura have announced a new consumer competition. The 'Whisky Pursuit' is a quiz based losely on the popular Trivial Pursuit board game and is aimed at the members of Jura's Duirachs club. Each week for a total of six months, a question will be set on the Duirachs part of Jura's website. These will be from one of six categories and each week a person answering correctly will win a bottle of Jura Superstition.

After six months, the Duirach members with the most correct answers will be entered in to a prize draw - one will be drawn out and win a bottle of Jura's limited edition 1976 Vintage (pictured, above). This is worth £500 and there are only 500 bottles in the release. To join the Duirachs and/or to enter the quiz, please visit www.isleofjura.com.

Tweet of the week
@whiskylondon - Top 10 #whisky blogs on Twitter: No.4 is @whisky4everyone (http://bit.ly/xl0poL) via Cision

- We like this kind of tweet, M&K :)

Friday, February 17, 2012

Inbox - February 17, 2012

Famous Grouse - New book released
The popular blended whisky has teamed up with whisky writer Ian Buxton to produce a book named The Famous Grouse - A Whisky Companion. The book looks at the history of Scotch whisky in general and the Famous Grouse brand in particular. It covers the role of the brand in the increased popularity of whisky and is littered with interesting facts, figures and trivia about Famous Grouse. The book also contains 45 whisky based recipes and cocktails which all use Famous Grouse.

The recommended retail price for The Famous Grouse - A Whisky Companion is £9.99 and it is due to be released in a couple of weeks time. It is currently available for pre-order through Amazon and other book retailers.

Glenfiddich - Under the hammer
A couple of weeks ago, we reported on an upcoming auction of a very special bottle of whisky - the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve. The whisky is an extremely rare 55 year old single malt that has been bottled to celebrate the 110th birthday of Janet Roberts, the grand daughter of Glenfiddich's founder William Grant. There are only 11 bottles - one for each decade of Janet's life - and these are being auctioned one at a time.

Last Friday (10 February) saw the auction of Bottle No.2 at The Honourable Artillery Company in London and it was sold to an un-named telephone bidder for a staggering £44,000. All proceeds from the sale are being donated to the charity Walking With The Wounded. We plan to keep you updated with the further auctions in the series.

Glengoyne - Auld Enemy Dram
The award-winning distillery from the southern Highlands has announced a new single cask whisky with the help of a Scottish rugby legend. The launch was held on 3 February - the eve of this year's Scotland v England rugby match. Proceeds from the sale of the Auld Enemy Dram, as it has been named, will go to two charities - Help For Heroes and The Bill McLaren Foundation. Former Scotland player Scott Hastings (pictured with Glengoyne's Commercial Director Neil Boyd) led the speeches at the launch dinner, where he was joined by other ex-Scottish team mates and some of his English counterparts/enemies.

The Auld Enemy Dram is a single cask Glengoyne that was distilled in 1990, matured in an ex-sherry cask and bottled at 21 years of age. There are just 300 bottles available and these are at the natural cask strength of 54.4% ABV. The published tasting notes state a rich mahogany colour with a heavy, robust nose of hazelnut, prunes, cocoa powder, and liquorice with BBQ spice. The palate is powerful with good balance of red apple, raisins, wafer cone and subtle citrus. The finish maintains strength with increased fruits and dry spice. A bottle will cost £195 and can be purchased from Glengoyne's website.

Tweet of the week
@glenglassaugh - whisky review 238 3/3 with Ralfy & Ronnie - Glenglassaugh Octaves: http://youtu.be/MhEHBJJT_oI

Friday, February 10, 2012

Inbox - February 10, 2012

The new 12 years old

Bowmore - New packaging
The famous Islay distillery of Bowmore has announced a re-brand of its packaging. The re-design covers both the domestic range and global travel retail ranges. This incorporates a refreshed bottle label, a new gift box, a slightly enhanced bottle shape and a more modern depiction of the distillery on the label. The new packaging is the result on consumer research by Morrison Bowmore, the brand's owners and has been undertaken to enhance Bowmore's position as a premium whisky gift.

Kirsteen Beeston, Head of Brands at Morrison Bowmore Distillers, says “This re-design has been a key priority focus for us over the past year as we wanted to ensure the design not only better represents the brand’s core values but also develops a stronger, more defined brand personality that consumers can engage with.”

Bowmore 100 Degrees Proof

Bowmore - New whiskies
More news from Bowmore in the form of three new whiskies which will be available from March in the travel retail/duty free market. The first is 100 Degrees Proof which is cask strength and will retail at £50. The second is SpringTide which has been predominantly matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks and will retail for £120. The final release is a 1983 Vintage - the first of a series of single casks from the 1980s which will be released to travel retail - which will retail for £500.

Dalmore Cromartie

Dalmore - Cromartie on its way
It seems that not a week goes by without some news from Dalmore about a new release. The latest is the Cromartie, the third release in their Mackenzie series which is helping with the restoration of the Mackenzie family home. The previous two bottlings - the Mackenzie and Castle Leod - have now sold out and raised over £35,000 towards the renovations. The distillery is located close to the Mackenzie clan's land, which forms part of the ancient region of Cromartie.

The whisky is a limited release of just 7,500 bottles, which will retail for £100. It will be available across Europe in specialist whisky retailers and the travel/duty free sector from late February. The Cromartie has been matured in American white oak casks and then ex-Oloroso sherry casks. The published tasting notes include elements of bergamot, mandarin, lemon grass, dark bitter chocolate, rich Columbian coffee, old English marmalade, Pedro Ximenez grapes and spicy cinnamon.

Tweet of the week
@CompassBox - Fantastic news just in. Whisky Advocate has voted #GreatKingStreet 'Blended Whisky of the Year'! - tinyurl.com/7cuzeah

We would like to add our congratulations to the many that our friends at Compass Box have received for this award. It shows that we weren't alone when we voted it No.1 in our Top 10 Whiskies of 2011! Well done to John, Chris, Gregg & Celine - M&K

Friday, January 27, 2012

Inbox - January 27, 2012

Cutty Sark - Tam o' Shanter bottling
The famous blended whisky brand has announced a new limited edition version of their 25 years old expression, so as to coincide with this year's Burns Night celebrations. The liquid is an enhanced version of the current 25 years old within the core range, and is the first creation of Cutty Sark's new Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell. The new expression is named Tam o' Shanter after Robert Burns' famous poem.

The link between the brand and Burns is interesting - the famous ship was named after the scanty clothing of the sexy witch in his Tam o' Shanter poem. A newly designed bottle, based on an antique version of the Cutty Sark bottle, is packaged in a wooden box and a book illustrated by figurative artist Alexander Goudie. All show scenes from the famous poem. The Cutty Sark Tam o' Shanter is limited to just 5,000 bottles and will be available shortly for a recommended price of £199.

Highland Park - Thor arrives
The distillery from the Orkney islands have announced a new range of single malt whiskies, and the first release within that range. The award-winning brand will release four whiskies in The Valhalla Collection, all of which will be named after and inspired by Norse legends and gods. The Orkney islands have a rich Norse heritage dating back to ancient times and Highland Park consistently use this as a thread through their limited edition whisky ranges.

The first release in The Valhalla Collection is the Highland Park Thor, named after the most famous of the Norse gods. His hammer is depicted on the bottle and the release is a limited edition (if you can call 20,000 bottles limited ...). It has been bottled at 16 years of age and at the natural cask strength of 52.1% ABV. It is presented in an extraordinary wooden box, which represents the head piece on a Nordic long boat. The retail price will be around the £120 mark. Thor will be available to UK consumers from Monday 30 January via Highland Park's shop, and then elsewhere in the UK and around the world from early February. For further information on the Thor release and The Valhalla Collection - visit the special website www.whiskyofthegods.com.

Tweet of the Week
@WhiskyParty - What are US micro distillers up to lately? Chuck Cowdery has the lowdown - http://bit.ly/xwhK2q

Friday, January 20, 2012

Inbox - January 20, 2012

Benriach - Sweet seventeen
The innovative Speyside distillery of Benriach have announced the launch of a new single malt in to their core range. The Septendecim is a peated, smoky whisky which joins the Curiositas and Authenticus in the award-winning smoky section of the range. The new release sits in between the two in terms of age at 17 years old. Septendecim is the Latin word for seventeen. The Septendecim is bottled at 46% ABV and will be available worldwide shortly.

The Sales Director of Benriach, Alistair Walker says, “Septendecim is a real robust heavyweight, full-bodied and beautifully balanced with enormous impact. It’s another fine example of our distillery going back to its nineteenth-century roots - a time when, unlike today, the majority of Speyside distilleries were producing peated whiskies.”

Dalmore - The Cigar Malt returns
The Highland distillery of Dalmore has announced the re-birth of a classic whisky from their collection. The previous incarnation of the Cigar Malt was retired in 2007. This new version is named the Cigar Malt Reserve and has been matured in a combination of ex-Oloroso sherry, ex-American oak bourbon and ex-Cabernet Sauvignon red wine casks. The CMR is aimed at whisky connoisseurs and cigar aficionados and is bottled at a strength of 44% ABV. It will be available from February in specialist whisky retailers and in the travel retail sector, costing £70 a bottle.

Dalmore's Master Blender Richard Paterson says, “Many fans were disappointed when the old Cigar Malt left the range, so we set about creating an even better whisky that would allow those fans to experience a great single malt that has been specifically crafted with cigar pairings in mind. It’s a great match to a number of cigars but I would highly recommend enjoying it with a Partagas No.2 cigar as the flavours work in perfect harmony together."

Tweet of the week
@PenderynWhisky - Complete the sentence: If I were a whisky, I'd be... (and tell us why!) - click here to tell us.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Inbox - January 13, 2012

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. This week also includes a new feature - Tweet of the week. This is our favourite piece of news or information that we have seen on Twitter recently.

Things are slowly getting back up to speed in the whisky world following the festive period - here is what has caught our attention this week ...

Glenrothes - Last chance to create a Vintage
Back in October, we reported on the launch of the Glenrothes Vintage Maker 2012 competition. With the entry deadline fast approaching, the Speyside distillery have released the short video below to help with some inspiration. In it, Glenrothes' Brand Ambassador Ronnie Cox talks about the Vintages and the competition. There will be three separate competitions resulting in four winners each from the UK, the USA and from the rest of the world. The winners will be recruited to work as The Glenrothes Vintage Makers to create the Glenrothes Vintage 2012.

This will involve learning the art of making The Glenrothes and spending time working at each stage of the production process - this includes testing the purity of the water source, milling the malt, mashing, adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation, distilling new make spirit in copper pot stills and making casks at the cooperage. The winners will also nose single malt from maturing casks and will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. For further information and to enter, go to www.theglenrothes.com/vintagemaker.

Morrison Bowmore Distillers - Announce new Master Blender
The company which owns the three Scottish distilleries of Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen Garioch have announced the appointment of Rachel Barrie to the newly created position of Master Blender for their single malt whiskies. She will also head Morrison Bowmore Distillers' laboratory and Spirit Quality Control units.

Rachel Barrie is best known for her recent work in the positions of Product Development Manager and Master Blender at The Glenmorangie Company, where she was responsible for the creation of such award winning master pieces as the Glenmorangie Signet and Ardbeg Corryvreckan. She will report to Andrew Rankin, the Operation Director and Chief Blender for Morrison Bowmore Distillers. He comments, "We have a very strong blending team within the company and this appointment will massively strengthen and reinforce our commitment to producing the ultimate in quality single malt Scotch whiskies.”

Tweet of the week
@TheBenRiach - Update from the malt floor: we're starting to malt our own barley in March/April. Earlier than expected. Good times ;)

Welcome To Whisky For Everyone

Blogging about whisky since 2008.

Whisky For Everyone is a blog for all lovers of whisky - beginner, keen enthusiast or connoisseur. Whisky is one of the most popular spirit drinks in the world and its sales and number of drinkers are increasing each year. This blog includes regularly updated tasting notes of all manner of whisky from the popular, inexpensive ones to the limited edition, rare bottlings.

We also try to demystify the sometimes daunting world of the whisky industry by explaining in layman's terms about the language, processes, terminology and answering commonly asked questions. We also have a weekly whisky news round up feature called Inbox, which includes news on new whisky releases, events and other items of interest. There is a Whisky For Everyone and we will help you discover yours ...