Another couple of weeks pass by, and the world of whisky has plenty to say. First off, Eden brewery in St Andrews is joining the distilling game:
“The craft brewer, headed by former Molson Coors sales chief Paul Miller, has built a microdistillery at its Guardbridge base. The expansion means Eden will house Scotland’s only combined brewery and distillery, and restore whisky-making to a site for the first time in more than 150 years.”
I imagine they’ll do very well with the St Andrews branding. What I particularly liked was that around 30 of the casks produced in their first year will be up for grabs. Customers can “watch the whisky being made, choose the wood for its maturation, and attach their name to it.” How nice is that?
The Macallan is getting a monstrous new and incredibly forward-thinking distillery and visitor centre:
“Drinks giant Edrington Group has secured planning consent from Moray Council for a proposed £100 million distillery and visitor centre development. Work is expected to get underway immediately with the view to opening the new facility for it core brand The Macallan, in the spring of 2017.”
Basically, they’re building it alongside the current operation, so they can simply switch over when it’s completed. In more trivial news, Ballantine’s is calling for a whisky ’emoji’. This disconnect between consumer and product is what happens when you have too much money, no ideas and employ a creative agency to completely run your marketing campaign.
Fancy buying a a pub and its 700+ bottles of whisky? For £250,000 you could pick up this bargain:
“Mike and Karin Willgoose, landlords of The George Hotel in Leadenham, Lincolnshire, have collected more than 700 whiskies over the last 35 years, all of which are on offer to their patrons – the most expensive being a 50-year-old 1937 Pride of Strathspey which sells for £500 a dram.”
Diageo’s lawyers have been sent back with their tails between their legs, after a Manhattan ruled their Explorers’ Club whisky profited off the name of the famous club. The judge said:
“It is clear that Diageo’s adoption of the name of the Explorers’ Club was for the purpose of leading the public to believe that it was connected or affiliated with the club.”
Ouch. But let’s end on a high note: the 2014 World Whisky Masters have been decided. Take a look at the winners here.
