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The week in pictures

Christmas arrived early at The Clydeside Distillery this week as the new facility began filling its first whisky casks.

Distillery chairman Tim Morrison supervised the process, filling ex-American Bourbon casks with new-make spirit, which will now be left to mature for at least three years until it can be officially called Scotch whisky.

The distillery and visitor centre opened on the banks of the Clyde last month and house Glasgow’s first operational copper stills in more than a century.

The East Imperial Gin Jubilee 2017 crowned Imelda Ng from the Blue Bar at Hong Kong’s Four Seasons as the creator of Asia’s best G&T.

Judges were impressed by Ng’s creation, which comprised Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin, East Imperial Burma tonic, Mancino Secco Vermouth infused with mulled spices, caramel syrup and fresh lime.

The judging panel loved Ng’s take on the drink and felt that she delivered a winning cocktail with a riveting presentation.

This week marks 20 years since Diageo formed following the merger of Grand Metropolitan plc and Guinness plc.

The company behind Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Tanqueray has been celebrating its 20th anniversary with a time capsule at Cardhu distillery, the home of Johnnie Walker, and a dram of Johnnie Walker Black Label.

The company launched on 17 December 1997, and Diageo’s chief executive, Ivan Menezes, along with the company’s team of Scotch whisky blenders, opened the market at the London Stock Exchange to mark the anniversary.

Dubai-based fine wine and luxury spirits retailer Le Clos is celebrating after a successful association with this year’s Dubai International Film Festival.

The partnership saw Le Clos sponsor the VIP lounge at the festival, which culminated with the Middle East premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

While hosting the VIP lounge, Le Clos created a unique pop-up to launch Patrón En Lalique Serie 2, which was attended by famous faces including Sir Patrick Stewart and Cate Blanchett.

Glasgow has launched a new city-wide gift card to spend on dining out, distillery tours and cocktails. The new card is the first of its kind in the city and can be spent at more than 70 outlets across Glasgow.

Bridgeen Mullen, visitor centre manager at The Clydeside Distillery, said: “When we heard about this new gifting offer for Glasgow, we couldn’t wait to be a part of it all and support the Glasgow Gift Card. Anything that drives tourism and shines the spotlight on our exceptional visitor attractions is a winning combination.”

Aberdeen-made Porter’s Gin has appointed Dandelyan bartender Jack Wareing as its brand ambassador. Wareing will be responsible for leading the on-trade education and advocacy programme, as the gin brand seeks to grow its presence in the UK and international on-trade markets.

Ben Iravani, who co-developed the recipe for Porter’s Gin, said: “Jack Wareing is a rising star in the industry with bags of knowledge about botanicals and enthusiasm for pushing boundaries in the drinks world.”

SB named Jose Hau as the winner of the 2017 Wenneker Swizzle Masters competition.

Hau’s creation, Perfect Day, was a twist on the Breakfast Martini and combined Hendrick’s Gin with Wenneker Cinnamon Red, Campari, rose water, ginger marmalade and a dash of lemon.

The judges described Hau’s creation as a “very fun-looking cocktail with a lovely, balanced aroma and a nice bitterness from the Campari.”

Keep an eye on www.swizzlemasters.com for the latest information on next year’s competition.

Diageo has collected almost seven million pledges to never drink and drive as part of a celebrity-backed campaign.

The Join the Pact campaign, associated with the Johnnie Walker brand, exceeded its target to collect 5m pledges a year earlier than expected.

The campaign has been supported by Johnnie Walker’s sponsorship of Formula 1 and is fronted by former and current F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Mika Häkkinen and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Luxury London hotel The Wellesley is marking its five year anniversary with the launch of a brand new cocktail menu.

Drinks on the new menu have been created to honour different aspects of the hotel, with the Medio Tiempo dedicated to the hotel’s cigar collection and the Silver Lady honouring the Rolls Royce used to chauffeur guests across London.

Pasquale Bartiromo, bar manager at the hotel’s Crystal Bar, curated this five-year anniversary menu, which is available from bars throughout the hotel now.

Luxury vodka brand Grey Goose launched its giant snow globe activation at Toronto Pearson International Airport this week.

The French vodka maker’s giant snow globe is the centrepiece of a French Alps-themed space, which offers shoppers a relaxing area to unwind and sample a seasonal Grey Goose cocktail.

Shoppers can pick up a ‘snow-ready’ prop and strike a winter pose in the giant snow globe to create seasonal greetings cards or electronically animated GIFs.

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