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The week in pictures

The Old and Rare whisky show returned to London for two days of tastings and masterclasses at One Great George Street, Westminster.

The show celebrated the extremely rare whiskies produced in bygone eras and saw more than 800 visitors sample in excess of 650 drams over the weekend.

Masterclasses over the course of the two days included a tasting of the largest private collection of whisky ever to be sold at auction with Jonny McMillan and Iain McClune.

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day (17 March), Jameson took a group of Irish whiskey fans to the “world’s highest Irish bar” in Namche Bazaar, Nepal.

Ahead of the annual Irish celebration, Jameson and a group of fans hiked to the ‘venue’, which is located 3,440m above sea level.

Also said to be the “world’s most remote Irish pub”, the ‘bar’ is deep in the Himalayan mountains in a spot that is often the last stop adventurers make before trekking to the Everest Base Camp.

As part of its Will You Accept This Rosé? campaign, Smirnoff and The Bachelorette hopeful Mike Johnson visited fans of the show to let them know that Smirnoff Seltzer Rosé is the official hard seltzer of The Bachelorette.

The partnership saw Smirnoff and Johnson crash a watching party in Chicago, where samples of Smirnoff Seltzers were handed out and Johnson posed for photos with those attending.

Smirnoff will continue to surprise fans of the US TV show ahead of Bachelor in Paradise in July 2020. Consumers will also be able to pick up a limited edition Bachelor-themed pack.

On Thursday night, SB’s editor Melita Kiely stepped through the regal entrance of London’s Natural History Museum for The Benevolent Ball.

The annual event hosted hundreds of drinks industry professionals who were on top form to support the charity. Hosted by wine expert, writer and TV presenter Olly Smith, guests indulged in a sumptuous three-course dinner, lashings of wine and Champagne, while digging deep into their pockets to donate as much as they could to a brilliant cause.
The evening also unveiled a rebrand for The Benevolent, which has evolved into The Drinks Trust. Keep your eyes peeled on The Spirits Business for more details, coming soon.

Adam Gonna from The Beachcomber in London and Joe Rapson from The Dead Canary in Cardiff have been crowned the winners of Rhum Damoiseau’s Real Bottle Top Challenge.

The contest challenged UK bartenders to collect as many Rhum Damoiseau bottle tops before the end of 2019. Each top in the range was worth different points and entrants needed to upload images of themselves holding the relevant bottle of Damoiseau as they updated their tally of tops.

The pair will receive an all-inclusive trip to Guadeloupe in May, which includes a private distillery tour, cultural visits and a private beach party with the owners of Rhum Damoiseau.

SB headed to the soon-to-be-opened new Callooh Callay in Chelsea, London, on Tuesday night for a masterclass with tonic and mixer brand Franklin & Sons.

The brand was celebrating the launch of its new flavours: Pineapple Mixer with Almond, and Mandarin Mixer with Ginger.

Guests were treated to a selection of serves made using the new Mixer Collection, accompanied by a delicious assortment of hot canapés.

Indian whisky brand Rampur Single Malt partnered with London’s Benares Restaurant to create a sharing platter that celebrates the Holi festival.

Designed to celebrate the festival of colour, which ran until 10 March, the platter contained rabdi infused with Rampur Select single malt whisky, rose almond thandai, malai burfi and gujia.

Available until 15 March, the Holi Mithai Wala sharing platter aims to help Londoners celebrate the festival, which often sees Indians cover streets, parks, buildings, friends and family with coloured powders to celebrate the arrival of spring.

A bottle of Havana Club 1519 edition was this week sold at auction for €2.4 million (US$2.7 million), with funds raised from the sale being used to support the development of Cuban Public Health.

The “ultra-prestigious” rum was offered alongside a five-foot tall cabinet humidor filled with 550 Cuban Cohiba cigars.

Alexandr Gorokhovskiy, marketing activation manger for Havana Club’s prestigious Icónica collection, said: “The rums used in the unique blend, from 1519, are so exclusive and ancient that only 500 individually numbered bottles were released – one for each year of the city’s official existence.”

London’s May Fair Bar has partnered with the House of Suntory’s Roku Gin to celebrate the arrival of Japan’s cherry blossom season.

To celebrate, the bar will be adorned with blooming, blush-hued cherry blossom to transform the space into a “tranquil escape”.

Running until 29 August, the activation will incorporate bespoke cocktails, including the Sakura & Peach, made with cherry blossom-infused Roku Gin, Rinquinquin Peach Liqueur, Select 1920 and Rose & Kirakira cherry blossom liqueur, and the Natsu, a fresh and bright mix of Roku Gin, Italicus, strawberry, Campari, Rtaafia and Moet & Chandon Rosé.

In celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March), soft drinks manufacturer Fentimans launched its She is Fearless campaign.

Running throughout March, the campaign invites individuals working in the drinks industry to nominate women whose individual actions, behaviours and mindsets have contributed to making a difference in the world of drinks and hospitality.

Named in honour of founder Thomas Fentiman’s family dog, Fearless (pictured), all nominees in the campaign will receive a Fentimans She is Fearless award at their place of work.

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