The week in pictures
Pierette Trichet officially handed the baton of Rémy Martin cellar master over to her protégé Baptiste Loiseau during the culmination of a tour to commemorate her retirement. After 38 years with the House of Rémy Martin, Trichet is retiring from the company, having become its first female cellar master in 2003. The pair also introduced the new Centaure de Diamant Cognac, to be widely released in July.
Bartenders from across the UK strutted their stuff behind the bar of Steam & Rye in London for the chance to win the 2014 Galvin Cup, as the BBC’s Nigel Barden (centre) compered.
SB visited the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, home to the three GTR-exclusive Cask Collection marrying tuns.
Brian Kinsman, master blender at Glenfiddich, demonstrates the art of blending whisky in the distillery blending room. The demonstration is part of the service retailers will recieve when creating their own bespoke blend as part of the Rare Cask Reserves programme.
CaskStrength’s Joel Harrison indulged in a, dare we say, juvenile selfie during the visit, much to master blender Brian Kinsman’s obvious surprise and displeasure as he attempted to explain the Glenfiddich 15 solera process.
SB‘s Melita Kiely jetted off to Cartegena, Spain, the home of liqueur brand Licor 43 for a tour of the brand’s distillery and bottling factory, plus a tour of the recently opened Experiencia 43 visitors’ centre.
Licor 43’s Experiencia 43 delved deep into the history and heritage of the family owned Spanish liqueur brand, which included the evolution of the product image, advertising and marketing campaigns, plus a variety of objects and materials that were once used to create the spirit.
Once the tour was over there was no better way to combat the Spanish heat than with a selection of Licor 43 cocktails, including Blanco 43 (a blend of milk and Licor 43), Spanish Water (a blend of Licor 43, cava and freshly squeezed orange juice), and Cafe 43 (a mix of Licor 43 and a hot espresso poured over ice).
As the mercury nudges into the mid-20s, Londoners have been flocking to Bunga Bunga for the Negroni Festival, which is offering a selection of six different flavoured Negronis throughout June from Tuesday to Thursday.
Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre officially opened the doors to its new restaurant, The Bond, this week, which will offer “high-end” gastro-pub style food with a whisky infused twist, using locally sourced Irish produce.
One Canada Square in Canary Wharf played host to the Gin Masters 2014 this week where our panel of judges tasted more than 70 different gins.
Here is one flight lined up ready for the panel of expert judges to begin tasting. Look out for the results of the competition in the July issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
SB also attended the launch of The Dorchester Old Tom Gin on Wednesday, sampling an array of specially-created signature cocktails which showcase the historic recipe. Here is The Dorchester’s bar manager Giuliano Morandin presenting the gin, which he co-created with The City of London Distillery.
