The week in pictures
London bar Cahoots isn’t quite ready to wave goodbye to summer yet, and is readying to launch the Squiffy Picnic – a tranquil garden party hosted underground. Guests will be treated to quintessentially British cuisine served in wicker hampers accompanied by live jazz, swing and lindyhop.
This week, Beefeater Gin’s master distiller Desmond Payne was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gin guild’s Annual Autumn Installation. After receiving the award, Payne said: “I am incredibly honoured to receive this award and feel so fortunate that I have been able to be part of the great gin renaissance that we are experiencing today. Gin has conquered the hearts and palates of bartenders and drinks enthusiasts alike and I look forward to continuing the work with The Gin Guild to take the category even further.”
Grande Champagne Pierre Ferrand Cognac has officially finished harvesting its grapes and started the long distillation process, which must legally end at midnight on 31 March 2016.
Rum lovers took over the UK capital last weekend to celebrate the first ever Rum Experience Week, which culminated in the ninth annual RumFest 2015. Bars, chefs, distillers and brands were all on hand to showcase their top rum products, cocktails and culinary delights, including an exclusive rum masters dinner and interactive lice tasting in the Shard with Appleton Rum.
The Diageo Global Travel and Middle East (GTME) team headed to TWFA Cannes this week and hosted an event to celebrate the new Johnnie Walker global campaign, Joy Will Take You Further. The event included a “lively” panel discussion on shoppers’ experience, the joy of giving and how joy was harnessed to create a new short film for the brand, called The Gentleman’s Wager II. Forming the panel were Dr Matt Killingsworth, leading psychologist and happiness expert; Giancarlo Giannini, Oscar-nominated Italian actor and star of the film; Doug Bagley, managing director for Diageo GTME; and Peter Fairbrother, global marketing director for Diageo GTME.
Stuart Cassells, general manager of Glenturret Distillery, Scotland’s oldest working distillery, recently took a trip to Kings County Distillery in New York, which is the city’s oldest operating whiskey distillery. Cassells met up with Kings County Distillery’s founder Colin Spoelman, in an effort to demonstrate that age is just a number. For while Glenturret prepares to celebrate its 240th anniversary next month, Kings County Distillery is readying to reach the ripe old age of five.
To celebrate Back to the Future Day on Wednesday, 1980s London club Maggie’s hosted “Doc Brown” at the venue who pulled up outside in a replica DeLorean “time machine”. The famous vehicle was on show outside the club for fans of the classic film to admire, and this Saturday it will be on hand again cruising around Chelsea as Maggie’s throws a 30th anniversary shindig in honour of the day.
On Thursday, Patrón Tequila popped into SB‘s office for an afternoon of Margaritas, Old Fashioneds, Patrónics (Patrón and tonic) and a special tasting of the brand’s Gran Piedro expression. Between sipping cocktails and Tequila, one by one we were whisked away to the Hacienda in Mexico via the brand’s latest technology – the Patrón Oculus. The immersive tour featured 360º views of the Hacienda, through the agave fields and the distillery documenting each intricate stage of the Tequila making process.
The drinks industry’s most ardent whisky geeks gathered excitedly at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London this week to attend the launch of Diageo’s Special Releases 2015 – a range of nine rare bottlings from across the group’s Scotch whisky distilleries. Many of these whiskies are rarely released as single malts or grains and are instead used in blends, while some are from closed distilleries. Click here to see the full line-up.
It was the busiest week in the travel retail calendar as the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Exhibition World Exhibition & Conference was held in Cannes. 470 exhibitors packed into the trade show space, with followed an insightful opening conference on the Monday. Eric Juul-Mortensen, TFWA president, pictured, gave an excellent opening address, despite bearing the bad news that the industry actually contracted during the first half of 2015.
SB hosted our annual travel retail Beach Party during TFWA, celebrating the finest spirits in our Global Travel Retail Masters and Global Travel Retail Masters while enjoying a cocktail at sundown. Congratulations to all our winners – don’t miss the December issue of the magazine for the winners in full.
William Grant & Sons used TFWA week as the opportunity to launch a brand new blended Scotch whisky brand: House of Hazelwood. SB was invited to an exclusive launch event for the 1920s-inspired art-deco release, which pays tribute to the Janet Sheed Roberts’ vibrant life. Initially a travel retail exclusive, the brand will be on-shelf from February 2016, with a wider roll-out from September 2016.
TFWA World Exhibition also saw Stoli unveil its first bottle redesign in 80 years. Lars Vestbirk, marketing director for Stolichnaya (pictured) said the revamp reflects the “brand’s substance and heritage”. We admired the design while enjoying signature serves the Vanil Martini and the Stoli Mule.
SB was treated so a sublime whisky experience on Tuesday when we joined the Edrington Global Travel Retail team in Cannes for a lunch marking the launch of The Macallan Rare Cask Black. We enjoyed cocktails on a Cannes rooftop before Stuart Macpherson, Macallan master of wood, talked guests through a guided tasting of the subtly peated expression. Then a true whisky highlight: a dram of a 1948 Macallan, this time peated to a much higher PPM. Delicious.
William Grant’s travel retail team had a particularly busy Cannes. As well as launching a number of new products, the company also hosted a science-inspired cocktail party celebrating new TR-exclusive range, Grant’s Elementary. Brand ambassadors were on hand to concoct all kinds of cocktail creations – we particularly enjoyed the Carbon incarnation, the construction of which is pictured.
Another travel retail product launch in Cannes, Pernod Ricard Travel Retail unveiled the first TR-exclusive range from Jameson: the Jameson Deconstructed Series. An innovative guided tasting, complete with inventive lighting, was accompanied by live music, cocktails and a lively, party atmosphere. The perfect way to spend a Cannes evening.
Barrio Central, one of London’s favourite late night hangouts, has relaunched as Barrio Soho following it’s recent refurbishment project. The newly-reopened Barrio Soho celebrated its launch this week, and will feature a new chef, a Mexican-centric food menu and a delicious re-vitalised cocktail menu, while retaining the live music and party vibes for which the bar has become so popular.
Portobello Road hosted the official launch party for their new Director’s Cit 2015 – the first in a series of “slightly unusual” gins distilled at The Portbello Star in London. The expression is believed to be the world’s first London Dry Gin made with asparagus – and so use of the quirky (and revealing) Twitter hashtag #NoItDoesnt was thoroughly recommended. The bon vivants behind Portobello Gin guided guests around the venue’s Ginstitute and blending rooms, with the opportunity to taste the individual botanical distillations. A menu of asparagus-themed cocktails – including the aptly-named Negreeni – rounded off the night.
