Friday, August 31, 2012

Inbox - August 31, 2012

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.  So what has grabbed our attention this week?  Find out below ...

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Bowmore - Create new recipes
The oldest distillery on Islay has teamed up with John Wright (the UK’s leading foraging expert) and top chef Gill Meller for an exciting new collaboration. Both (pictured, above) are from celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage cafe and they have launched a series of seafood and dessert recipes to match perfectly with Bowmore single malt. Having explored Islay, which is home to some of the finest seafood ingredients in Europe, John and Gill developed some mouth-watering recipes using their foraging skills. The dishes are below,
  • Bowmore Dry Cured Oak and Peat-Smoked Sirloin and Crispy Gutweed 
  • Pine-Fired Mussels with Spear-Leaved Orache 
  • Devilled Dressed Brown Crab on Toast with Bowmore 12yo
  • Wood-Roasted Lobster and Scallops with Wild Sorrel Sauce 
  • Sea Lettuce, Clam, Potato and Oyster Rostis 
  • Chocolate and Seaweed Pannacotta with Bowmore Butter Shortbread 
  • Chocolate and Bowmore-Soaked Prune Fondant 
Kirsteen Beeston, Head of Brands at Morrison Bowmore (the owners of Bowmore) adds,  “We’re really excited to be further establishing Bowmore’s relationship with food and the outdoors with the foraging activity. The partnership with Gill and John is a great fit for the brand, we hope the recipes will inspire consumers to enjoy whisky and food in a fresh and innovative way". 
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Diageo - Special Releases 2012
Earlier in the week, we (and most other whisky blogs to be honest) reported on the announcement of this year's Special Releases series by drinks giant Diageo.  Each year they release a special limited edition set of whiskies which highlight hidden gems or rarities from within their portfolio of 28 distilleries, including some from closed distilleries.  In case you haven't seen the list of bottlings, which are to be released in October, we have compiled a summary below ...
  • Auchroisk 30 years old/maturation - ex-bourbon & ex-sherry casks/no. of bottles - 2,976/strength - 54.7% ABV/ price - £230
  • Brora 35 years old/ex-bourbon casks/1,566 bottles/48.1% ABV/£400
  • Caol Ila 14 years old (unpeated)/ex-sherry casks/5,958 bottles/59.3% ABV/£66
  • Dalwhinnie 25 years old/ex-bourbon casks/5,358 bottles/52.1% ABV/£185
  • Lagavulin 12 years old/ex-bourbon casks/'limited' numbers/56.1% ABV/£71
  • Lagavulin 21 years old/ex-sherry casks/2,772 bottles/52% ABV/£350
  • Port Ellen 32 years old/ex-bourbon & ex-sherry casks/2,964 bottles/52.5% ABV/£600
  • Talisker 35 years old/ex-bourbon & ex-sherry casks/3,090 bottles/54.6% ABV/£525
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Wild Turkey - New expansion
Campari America, the owners of Wild Turkey distillery in Lawrencebury, Kentucky have announced plans to expand the site n the form of a new visitor centre. The new Wild Turkey Visitor Center will see a dramatic upgrade of the current facilities and will offer vistas of Wild Turkey Hill and the Kentucky River.  The new building will occupy 8,500 square feet (2,590 square metres) and is to be located behind the new distillery expansion, which opened last year. It has been designed by De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop.

The new two-story visitor centre is due to be opened in April 2013 and is expected to welcome 70,000 visitors a year, doubling figures of the previous facility. Large windows will look over the Kentucky River and a terrace will be host picnics, events and musical performances. Inside, whiskey fans will see a blend of the distinctive history of Wild Turkey and the bourbon industry presented through modern technology. The building will also house an expanded gift shop, interactive displays, a seminar room and a tasting area.

Umberto Luchini, the Head of Marketing for Campari America says, “Our goal with our new visitor centre is to offer bourbon fans an experience befitting the iconic Wild Turkey brand that will serve as a tourism cornerstone in Eastern Kentucky on the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour. With the Wild Turkey brand growing at more than 22 percent globally and we are dedicated to advancing consumer education of Kentucky’s native spirit .” 

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