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The week in pictures

William Grant & Sons UK’s Highland Festival returned to London’s Haggerston Park at the weekend for the third consecutive year. The event saw the UK’s top bartenders battle it out to win a trip to Berlin. This year, eight brand teams competed for the title, with Team Monkey Shoulder (pictured) coming out on top, winning the crown and a once-in-a-lifetime prize. The competitors were faced with a new challenge, Sucker Punch, along with 2016 favourites; Bootcamp Challenge and Last Man Standing, The Ramos Fizz Cocktail Relay and Tug of War.

Bacardi and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Luis Fonsi joined forces in New York City on Wednesday to mark National Rum Day with a ‘Remix Your Rum’ celebration. Bacardi and Fonsi harnessed their Caribbean roots and brought together beats and booze aboard the colourful Chivas buses, which made its way through New York City in honour of the holiday. Guests onboard the Bacardi Rum Trucks were hosted by Fonsi and enjoyed signature rum cocktails, including the Refresco Superior and El Coco.

Drambuie’s The Brass and Crimson returned to London for its third consecutive year with headline act Canadian music group BADBADNOTGOOD wowing the intimate crowd. The first in the 2017 series, the night showcased Drambuie’s hospitality as guests sipped on Drambuie Collins’ whilst soaking up the sounds of established and emerging contemporary artists influenced by jazz.

Amarula’s new campaign Don’t Let Them Disappear – created to raise awareness of the declining population of African elephants – kicked off last Saturday on World Elephant Day. A life-sized ice sculpture of an African elephant was built in NYC’s Union Square, melting before spectator’s eyes and representing the jarring fact that currently, only approximately 400,000 African elephants remain, as one African elephant is lost every 15 minutes to poaching.

Whisky Live, Europe’s largest whisky event, is back for its 14th edition in Paris, where whisky and spirits aficionados can revel in the world’s best selection of aged spirits. Whisky Live Paris 2017, held on the 23–25 September, is dedicated to honouring 150 whiskies and spirits from over thirty countries, while guests can experience exclusive tastings and inventive cocktails.

The Bloomsbury Club Bar in London has appointed George Mitsiou as head bartender. Mitsiou, who has previously worked at Mayfair’s Coya and Novikov, will be bringing his many years of experience in the industry and will oversee the continued development of The Bloomsbury Club Bar. George began his career at Jägermeister as a special events bartender where he was responsible for Northern Greece. He continued to work across the country creating cocktails and designing new drinks menus, eventually taking up the role as head bartender at the five-star Excelsior Hotel, Thessaloniki.

On Wednesday, SB editor Amy Hopkins visited the picturesque Cotswolds Distillery, located near Stourton in South Warwickshire. The tour, led by CEO and founder Daniel Szor took in the whisky still, gin still, maturation warehouse, as well as a gin tasting. The distillery’s inaugural whisky – the Cotswolds Single Malt –  is set to be released in October. Limited to 4000 bottles, the initial release has already sold out online.

Johnnie Walker has launched its latest campaign ‘Keep Walking Mexico’, aimed at recruiting a new generation of millennial legal purchase age consumers. The campaign spans digital, TV, out of home advertising and social media. Diageo has also launched the ‘Johnnie Walker Red Hour’ to support the campaign in the on-trade and off-trade by reaching millennial consumers through music festivals and Formula 1. Across the Scotch portfolio in Mexico, net sales were up 17% driven by strong performance across price tiers and brands.

Maker’s Mark is set to launch a new bartender engagement programme in the UK hosted by recently appointed brand diplomat Amanda Humphrey. The new programme, titled The Makers’ will offer a series of workshops for bartenders exploring four key elements of the brand: wood, wax, wheat and paper. Humphrey, who took up the post of Maker’s Mark brand diplomat on 1 August, will host bartender workshops in cities across the UK. Each session will offer information about cocktail menu design, personalising barrels, baking bread using red winter wheat (used to create Maker’s Mark) and personalising wax sealed stamps.

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