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The week in pictures

Rachel Barrie, master blender for Brown-Forman’s Scotch whisky portfolio, was this week inducted as a Keeper of the Quaich during a ceremony at Blair Castle in Scotland.

On Monday (7 October), Barrie attended a private ceremony at the castle where she was welcomed into the international society, which was established by the Scotch whisky industry to celebrate the commitment of those who produce and promote the category.

Barrie has more than 27 years of experience in the industry and in her current role with Brown-Forman works across The GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh Scotch whisky brands.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, industry festival London Cocktail Week continued this week with a host of brand activations, pop-ups, bar takeovers and the opening of the Cocktail Week Village at London’s Old Truman Brewery.

One of the events taking place as part of the festival saw Bacardi celebrate the launch of its latest expression at its Rum Room pop-up at the Cocktail Week Village.

The Puerto Rican rum brand celebrated the release of its 10-year-old bottling with a party featuring an exclusive DJ set from Maya Jama (pictured).

Over the course of the evening, Jama played a DJ set inspired by the rum brand’s Caribbean heritage while guests sampled the latest release.

Bacardi also recently hosted its annual Spirit Forward Summit at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.

The event brought together more than 500 guests for a day of speeches, panels and activities aimed to empower and educate women. The summit’s theme, Be You, Be Better, covered topics such as inclusivity, paying it forward, financial empowerment and more.

The event saw speakers such as head of global reflections at Bacardi, Paula Glickenhaus; MSNBC journalist and author of Perfectly You, Mariana Atencio; and regional president at Bacardi in North America, Pete Carr, host talks and workshops.

French spirits producer La Martiniquaise-Bardinet hosted a private party at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes, France, last week.

The drinks maker was at the conference to showcase its limited edition street art-inspired Label 5 Scotch whisky bottling, as well as its new Glen Turner Rum Cask, which has been finished in agricole rum casks from Martinique.

The brand’s private party at the Vega Luna in Cannes was a chance for guests to sample its spirits and dance the night away, or simply stand back while the professionals threw some shapes.

William Grant & Sons-owned Scotch whisky brand The Balvenie this week announced the release of its new book Pursuit: The Balvenie Stories Collection.

Independent publisher Canongate and The Balvenie have brought together authors from around the world to tell their tales of human endeavour, resulting in an anthology of short fiction and non-fiction works.

The new release commemorates the launch of The Balvenie Stories range, which features 12-, 14- and 26-year-old whiskies.

SB headed to German’s capital for the annual Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) show, which saw more than 430 drinks brands exhibit at the event.

An unmissable show for the global on-trade, BCB showcases the latest spirits and cocktail trends, as well as new products including Havana Club’s new additions to its bartender-created Professional Editions range.
Bartenders Alex Kratena (pictured right) and Carina Soto Velasquez teamed up with Havana Club to create Professional Edition C and D.
At BCB, the duo held a workshop to showcase the expressions and discuss the Cuban rum category, called ‘Flavour Revolution Meets Rum Tradition’.

Last night, (10 October) SB was invited along to a special dinner at Ryan Chetiyawardana’s London restaurant Cub that paired Discarded Vermouth cocktails made by pop-punk bartending duo Trash Tiki with six innovative dishes.

The evening, hosted by Trash Tiki co-founder Iain Griffiths, saw six of his waste-reducing cocktails served up with dishes from the team at Cub, including a selection of fermented vegetables paired with a Green Wine Sprits; a dish of potatoes, preserved grapes and whey served with a twist on the Clover Club; and venison paired with a Punch made by filtering Discarded Vermouth through fruit trimmings.

English spirit producer Manchester Gin was commended at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards with the title of Best Artisan Drinks Producer of the Year.

The annual awards took place following 12 days of festivities that celebrated the city’s best independent food and drink.

Co-founder and master distiller Jen Wiggins said: “We’re honoured to have won this award, and it being voted for by the people in our home city makes it even more special to Seb [Heeley, co-founder] and I. We’re just two people that love gin and want to share that love with everybody.”

Cask whisky marketplace Cask Trade celebrated its official launch this week.

An exclusive launch event for the new company took place at London wine club 67 Pall Mall, at which guests were treated to a tasting of six cask strength whiskies as well as a presentation on whisky investment by the owner of Cask Trade, Simon Aron.

Whiskies tasted over the course of the evening included Glenlivet 1978 and Aberlour 1989. The tasting was hosted by Keeper of the Quaich Sir Colin Hampden-White and whisky expert Charlie MacLean.

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