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Top 10
The week in pictures
Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell unveiled the newest edition to the Master’s Keep series – 1894, as part of his Masters of Conviction tour – a series of intimate masterclasses across Sydney and Melbourne. Products featured during the masterclasses will include Wild Turkey Rye, Rare Breed, Kentucky Spirit and both Master’s Keep Decades and the new 1894. To celebrate the launch of 1894, bottles have been personally marked with the golden thumbprint of Russell.
The Rt Hon David Mundell MP, the Secretary of State for Scotland, meets Stewart, Scott and Andrew Laing at Ardnahoe Distillery, on the east coast of Islay, overlooking the Paps of Jura. The new £8 million distillery is being built by Hunter Laing & Co and is expected to start distilling in Spring 2018. Mundell was visiting the site to learn more about investments being made in the sector and hear about the industry’s priorities for Brexit.
Scottish crystal and glassware company Glencairn has been presented with the Queens Awards for International Enterprise. This is the company’s third Queen’s Award since 2006, making Glencairn one of Scotland’s most successful family-owned. The company received their award from John Brown, vice lord lieutenant, and Margaret Morton, deputy lieutenant.
On Saturday, Diageo’s Plainfield, Illinois facility celebrated its 50th anniversary with a festival for its employees and families and a ceremony attended by several government officials. Plainfield is the only Diageo location in the world that houses both a technical center and a full production facility. Representative Randy Hultgren presented to the facility a flag that was flown over the US Capitol in honour of Diageo Plainfield’s 50th anniversary, and will now be raised at the Plainfield Facility.
Joe’s Southern Table and Bar in London’s Covent Garden has teamed up with Bulleit to create two limited edition ‘freakshakes’. The Espresso Martini Freakshake combines Bulliet Bourbon with Kahlua and espresso before being topped with salted caramel ice cream. Nutella cream, biscotti and chocolate and vanilla wafers are then added for decoration. The Mama’s Bourbon Cobbler Freakshake features Bulleit Bourbon shaken with peach liquor before being topped with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream.
Mixer brand Double Dutch held a launch event for its new flavours Ginger Beer and Soda Water at Rotunda in Kings Cross on Tuesday. Guests were invited to taste cocktails and explore different tonic pairings with founders Joyce and Raissa de Haas.
Buffalo Trace Distillery kicks off its tour to its famous “Bourbon Pompeii” on Monday. Officially called the E. H. Taylor Tour, the tour will visit three sites at this National Historic Landmark Distillery, two of which have not been open to the public for touring previously. The tour will visit the Old Taylor House, a small white house built in the 1790s, which is the oldest house in Franklin County, the O.F.C. Building, and Warehouse C located across from the Visitor Centre.
On Tuesday, William Grant & Sons held a launch event at Black Rock for its new Monkey Shoulder line extension – Smokey Monkey. Smokey Monkey is set to launch this month in the on-trade in the UK and France. The brand has also simultaneously launched a new bar tool, the smoke injector, which releases smoke over the final cocktail serve.
It’s been a busy week for SB as we hosted the Luxury Masters competition, a blind tasting of whiskies, gins, rums, Cognacs, Tequila and liqueurs. Held at Masala Zone in London’s Camden Town yesterday, judges were put through their paces with more than 50 spirits to taste.