Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/455266
12 / the tasting panel / january/february 2015 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Palm Bay International and Wemyss Malts Announce a New Import Agreement P alm Bay International has been appointed exclusive U.S. importer for artisanal spirits producer Wemyss Malts. Based in Scotland, the Wemyss (pronounced weems) Malt spirits offerings include Wemyss Malts and Darnley's View London Dry Gin. To aid consumers, expressions from the Wemyss Malt whisky range are uniquely named using the aromas and tastes of the whiskies to uniquely identify each bottling. The range includes blended malts such as Peat Chimney, The Hive and Spice King; additional U.S. exclusives include the single cask and single malt bot- tlings Heathery Smoke and Winter Larder. Darnley's View London Dry Gin celebrates the meeting of Mary Queen of Scots and her husband, Lord Darnley, at the family seat of Wemyss Castle in 1565; it has six key botanicals, including juniper, elderflower, orris root, coriander, angelica and lemon peel. William Wemyss, founder and Managing Director of Wemyss Malts, comments, "The U.S. is extremely important for us due to the rising interest in craft spirits, and we're delighted to announce our agreement with Palm Bay International. Palm Bay will bring us additional coverage in this market and we look forward to growing with them as they increase focus on craft imported spirits." PHOTO: ROBERT ASCROFT Yee-Haw! C alifornia's award-winning wine brand, Leese-Fitch, has partnered with multi-platinum recording artist and country music star Sara Evans to create a dynamic and dream-fulfilling 2015 consumer promotion. One Leese-Fitch wine-loving consumer will win a grand-prize package that includes an opportu- nity to meet Sara Evans, as well as tickets to the multi-day, multi-stage live country music event Stagecoach, happening in Indio, CA during the last weekend of April 2015. Leese-Fitch has partnered with country music star Sara Evans. APPOINTMENTS W irtz Beverage Group announced the appointment of Scott Blazek to Senior Vice President of Wirtz Beverage Nevada. Blazek will be responsible for leading the company's statewide sales and marketing teams. Blazek joins Wirtz Beverage Nevada with two decades of beverage industry experience. Most recently, Scott helped lead Heineken USA as Senior Vice President of Sales as a member of the company's national Executive Management Team. The award- winning, Bonita Springs, FL res- taurant, Angelina's Ristorante—which features a 30-foot wine tower with more than 4,000 bottles of wine—has appointed Ryan Fredstrom as Executive Chef. With more than eight years of restaurant experience, Fredstrom was previously Sous Chef at LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort and Carolina Catering Co. in Naples, Yardbird Southern Table and Bar on Miami Beach and gigi in Miami.