Useful information from the whisky industry in October 2009

Below is a full list of whisky news on Planet Whiskies. But if you would like to browse through the latest news month, by month please click on the below links and this will take you to the month in question. I have only been collection the latest whisky news for the last few months, but over time these links will increase.

Before March 2009 ~~ March 2009 ~~ April 2009 -- May 2009 ~~ June 2009 ~~ July 2009 ~~ August 2009

September 2009 ~~ October 2009

Planet Whiskies will bring you the latest whisky press releases from around the world - October 2009

Latest News from the whisky industry - The Famous Grouse - The Black Grouse - 27th October 2009

The Black Grouse spreads its wings

27 October 2009 - The Black Grouse, distributed by Maxxium UK, has secured a significant increase in off-trade listings, with new accounts including over 400 Tesco stores, 171 Asda and 300 Morrison stores nationwide in addition to its existing listing with Sainsbury’s.

This expansion builds on the success the brand has enjoyed since it launched into the UK in 2008, which has seen the brand grow by +18% in the last 9 months.

The Black Grouse is a brand with significant investment behind it this Christmas. It is being supported by a nationwide sampling campaign in 64 ... Click to read more

Latest News from Drambuie - THE ROYAL LEGACY OF 1745™Takes Gold at Cannes - 22nd October 2009

22 October 2009, Edinburgh: DRAMBUIE® is celebrating the highly successful launch of the world’s finest cask infused malt whisky liqueur, The Royal Legacy of 1745™, receiving a Gold Medal in the prestigious Drinks International Awards at TFWA Cannes.

Revealed for the first time at the world’s largest travel retail exhibition, The Royal Legacy of 1745 was awarded a Gold Medal for Best Drinks Launch at TFWA Cannes 2009, a category which included strong competition from the likes of Remy Cointreau’s Louis XIII Rare Cask and Nicolas Feuillatte’s Cuvee 225 Rose Champagne. ... Click to read more

Latest News from the whisky industry - Scottish Whisky Association - Thursday 22nd October 2009

Minimum pricing illegal European court rules

Serious blow to Scottish alcohol minimum pricing plan - In a major blow to Scottish Government plans to introduce minimum prices on alcohol the
European Court’s Advocate General today ruled that minimum pricing is illegal.
The Opinion said minimum prices were ‘not necessary in order to protect public health’ and were a distortion of competition.

The ruling follows complaints to the Court by the European Commission against Austria, Ireland and France for violation of EU rules in trying to impose national minimum pricing for... Click to read more

Latest whisky news - Smokehead at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards - 22 October 2009

Smokehead at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Award - Plus the chance to win tickets to Classic Rocks’ Award Week gigs

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is to be served at the iconic Classic Rock Roll Of Honour awards, cementing its position as an edgy, top quality... Click to read more

Latest News from the whisky industry - Drambuie® Unveils THE ROYAL LEGACY OF 1745™ - Travel Retail Exclusive - 19th October 2009

19 October 2009, Edinburgh: DRAMBUIE® is delighted to announce the launch of the world’s finest cask infused malt whisky liqueur - The Royal Legacy of 1745™.

Launching this week at the Travel Retail exhibition, Cannes TFWA, The Royal Legacy of 1745 celebrates the centenary of the first commercial bottling of Drambuie in Edinburgh in 1909. A travel retail exclusive, The Royal Legacy of 1745 is a sublime interpretation of the original royal spirit enjoyed by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745... Click to read more

Latest Whisky News -Glengoyne strengthens its Travel Retail offering -12 Years Old Cask Strength Single Malt -19th October, 2009

19 October, 2009, Broxburn, Scotland: Ian Macleod Distillers is building on the success of its award-winning Travel Retail range, with the introduction of an new exclusive, one litre Glengoyne 12 Years Old Cask Strength at this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

The overall design of the 12 Years Old Cask Strength Single Malt reflects all of the elements at the heart of Glengoyne, especially the brand’s commitment to its heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship. Presented in a black matte tube with glossed embossing and gold foiling, additional exclusive luxury cues for the Travel Retail market include greater emphasis on the terms ‘Cask Strength’ and ‘Natural Colour’ and a .... Click to read more

Latest Whisky News - New look for Glengoyne Burnfoot - 19th October, 2009

19 October, 2009, Broxburn, Scotland: Ian Macleod Distillers will today unveil an exciting new design for its award-winning Travel Retail exclusive, Glengoyne Burnfoot at the Cannes TFWA World Exhibition.

Since its original launch in 2007, Glengoyne Burnfoot has received a number of accolades for its innovative and creative design. Building on this, the new packaging strengthens Burnfoot’s position within the multi-award winning Glengoyne range, while maintaining its successful marriage between modern, .... Click to read more

Latest News from the whisky industy - The Whisky Show 2009 - 15th October 2009

Latest News from the whisky industry - Hopscotch Festival - 13th October 2009

VANCOUVER, BC - October 13: FoodConnect.com’s Hopscotch Festival returns for its thirteenth year in 2009 as Canada's biggest whisky and premium beer festival; with many new and exciting changes on hand. The week long event, taking place November 16 – 22nd, brings industry experts and brand ambassadors from across the globe into Vancouver to celebrate “the water of life” while ramping up the excitement within the city, as we gear up for the 2010 Olympic Games.

There are a limited amount of tickets left for one of the festival’s main events, the Thursday Night Grand Tasting Hall.   Between 6-10pm, on November 19th, guests can taste and learn about the more than 200 whisky... Click to read more

Latest Whisky News - Ann Miller awarded whisky festival ambassador of the year 2009 - 12th October 2009

12.10.09 - Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard is celebrating another Spirit of Speyside achievement with the news that their International Brand Ambassador Ann Miller has been named the whisky festival’s Ambassador of the Year 2009.

Miller was recognised for her commitment to the Festival since its inception over ten years ago, including planning and organising the Grand Finale Homecoming Music Event in Aberlour, which was attended by more than 1,200 ... Click to read more

Latest Whisky News - Chivas Brothers reveals premium seasonal gift offerings - 12th October 2009

12.10.09 - Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has unveiled eye-catching seasonal offerings for premium brands Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet and Aberlour. Combining luxury and style, the gift packaging aims to attract new and existing customers during the busy holiday period.

Chivas Regal, the flagship Scotch whisky brand of Chivas Brothers, has introduced a limited edition gift tin for its 12 Year Old expression. The contemporary new design embraces the heraldic icons synonymous with the brand, displaying them in a variety of finishes. The striking, contrasting graphics on the metal...Click to read more

Templeton Rye Whisky news - Straight from the still - 9th October 2009

Greetings from Templeton!

Our beautiful summer is over in Templeton and the harvest is in full swing. The distillery is busy as usual, and we've had lots of visitors during our last few open tour days.

Many of you have been asking about our increased allocation during the holidays so I wanted to take a minute to explain this to you. As you may know, our product spends at least four years aging in the barrel. We can't go back in time and make more so we "have what we have" until some of our scaled-up production becomes available late next year. We've chosen to allocate the product we...Click to read more

Latest Whisky News -Glengoyne goes down a storm at ScotFest 2009 - 5th October, 2009

Glengoyne Distillery proved the big pull at the one day ScotFest celebrations in Central Scotland earlier this month, tempting visitors to the Glengoyne Tent with tutored whisky tastings and offering samples of their handcrafted, multi-award winning whisky throughout the day. The Glengoyne team also hosted special blending sessions giving visitors the chance to learn the art of the Master Blender and create their very own unique blended whisky.

The tasty aromas and culinary creations of chef Tom Lewis of Monachyle Mhor hotel, also appearing in the Glengoyne Tent, enticed visitors with his cookery demonstrations, blending Glengoyne’s Real Taste of Malt with ingredients from... Click to read more

Latest News - Whisky industry - Highland Park Distillery, Orkney - October 1st, 2009

The best spirit in the world announces partnership with the UK’s most spirited publisher

Highland Park single malt whisky, distributed by Maxxium UK, has entered a partnership with leading independent publishing house Canongate, winner of UK Publisher of the Year 2009, to create unique literary themed sampling experiences at specially selected book festivals across the UK.

The Orcadian whisky’s sponsorship will focus on delivering a strategic sampling activation programme amongst an audience of over 170,000 book lovers at Cheltenham Literature. ...Click to read more

Latest Whisky News - Glengoyne 12 Years Old joins award-winning core range - 1st October, 2009 

Dumgoyne, 1 October 2009: Glengoyne Distillery is launching an exciting new edition to its acclaimed core range: Glengoyne 12 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Like all of Glengoyne’s Single Malts, the 12 Years Old is distilled from air-dried barley, untainted by harsh peat smoke, capturing the authentic ‘Real Taste of Malt’. At 43% strength, with a natural, golden colour, the 12 Years Old has scents of coconut oil, lemon zest, honey and dried malt. With a warming mouthfeel, its initial palate is of toffee apples and cinnamon spice, while a touch of water brings out ginger, fresh orange and shortbread. The balanced finish is further mellowed by hints of sherry and soft oak....Click to read more