The week in pictures
Bruce Willis turned his hand to flairing this week with a bottle of his own Sobieski Vodka. On hand to teach him a few tricks were flairtending legends Tomek Malek and Marek Posluszny.
Max Wagner, head of new vermouth brand Belsazar, held court at a topsy turvy banquet held in London this week in collaboration with Bompas & Parr. Made near the Black Forest in Germany, Belsazar was founded in 2013. There are currently four vermouths in the range: a dry, red, white and rosé, which were showcased at the banquet in unusual ways.
With our scallop carpaccio starter served on an upside down plate, and pork belly main giving the trimmings the spotlight, dessert came in the form of a Belsazar-infused upside down Martini jelly.
Rounding off the evening was a reverse vermouth cocktail served inside an ice ball that had to be smashed with a hammer before being enjoyed.
The Speyside Distillery unveiled their Michael Owen Scotch whisky expression at the Tower of London this week. Joining CEO John MacDonaugh (second from left) was John MacDonaugh Snr (far left) Michael Owen himself and Liberal Democrat MP and chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander (far right), whose constituency covers Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey.
But the star of the show was the whisky itself, which in its gold bottle and Michael Owen sticker is designed to appeal to an Asian audience who are already fans of the ex-Manchester United and England footballer.
The Balvenie hosted an exclusive tasting event at The Connaught Hotel where guests were invited to sample a selection of 24 different expressions ranging from the brand’s core single barrel range to travel retail exclusives and limited edition cask bottlings.
Whyte & Mackay led a group of journalists and bloggers underground beneath Waterloo station in London for the reveal of its latest Jura expression, inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian novel.
Beneath the arches that line Leake Street, otherwise known as Banksy alley, Jura marketing director Steven Pearson introduced the expression under the watchful eye of Orwell’s fictional oppressors.
