The week in pictures

On Wednesday, Jessica Mili from Canada was crowned Bols Around the World Champion 2017 and Bols Genever Pioneer following the finale held in Amsterdam. Two thousand bartenders entered the competition from 75 countries including Mexico, Malta, Canada, Poland, India, Russia and Japan. Mili presented her winning cocktail, called Still life, with an interactive piece of art where guests could add colour to the artwork, making it their own.

East London Liquor Club has teamed up with 13 London bar, restaurants and hotels for Negroni Week (5-11 June). The venues will take up the challenge of creating their own versions of a Batch 2 Negroni to feature on their menus between 29 May–11 June. Customers will be encouraged to pick up a Negroni Passport during that time from any of the participating venues and collect a minimum of six stamps by trying each venue’s Batch 2 Negroni.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association in partnership with the Department for International Trade travelled to Denmark to showcase some of the best British gin and English wines. Gin and wine were on offer at the tasting event held at the British Embassy in Copenhagen in a bid to tempt some of Denmark’s most influential importers, distributors, bar owners and Michelin star chefs into investing in UK brands.

An exceptionally rare single bottle of 1972 Brora is set to go under the hammer in Hong Kong next Friday. The expression, praised by experts worldwide, is the oldest official bottling of Brora ever to come up for sale and is the only bottle to have been drawn from the cask. Collectors of rare malts and investors from around the globe are expected to battle it out to secure the bottle which has been taken from an ex-Sherry butt stored at a warehouse in Scotland. Pictured is Donna Methven, production team leader at Diageo’s Global Supply Centre in Leven (where the bottle was labelled).

It was an appropriately sunny, spring afternoon on Tuesday when SB headed to Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour in London to host the Breakfast Martini round of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters cocktail competition. Keep your eyes peeled for the June issue of The Spirits Business for the full results.

To celebrate the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 108 Bar has distilled its very own limited edition of 108 Gin, in partnership with Mary-le-Bone Gin. The bar will host the special gin distillery affectionately known as “Isabella”; in residence for the duration of the Flower Show for guests to visit.

SB‘s Nicola Carruthers was treated to a tour of four distilleries as part of the group’s Dewars and The Malts press trip. The group visited Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Royal Brackla (pictured) and Craigellachie distilleries over three days for tastings and demonstrations. Highlights of the trip including a blending class and a hand filled bottling of Aberfeldy Single Cask, as well as a session skimming stones by the beach.

Patrón Tequila has named Benji Ryde as its new brand ambassador, joining Karine Tillard on the Patrón advocacy team in the UK. Ryde hales from a diverse hospitality background, most recently as general manager at Coconut Bar and Kitchen in Reading. Benji also held previous general manager positions at Rynd Bar & Kitchen and Mix Cocktail Bar in Reading.

On Tuesday, leading wine and spirits professionals gathered at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Alumni Event, part of the first WSET Week USA, to discuss the topic of the power of scores for wine and spirit brands. Led by WSET’s international development manager, David Wrigley DipWSET, MW, more than 50 wine and spirit industry professionals, all WSET Diploma graduates or students, joined the conversation to assess the value that the scoring system brings to the wine and spirits selection process.