Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/49694
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT William Deutsch Honored W illiam Deutsch, Chairman of W. J.Deutsch & Sons, has been promoted to Commandeur of the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole by the French government. Deutsch was named Chevalier in 1986 and promoted to Offi cier in 1992. Deutsch was presented the medal by Philippe Lalliot, Consul General of France in New York. The ceremony took place in front of family and W. J. Deutsch employees at the company's headquarters in White Plains. In presenting the honor, Consul General Lalliot praised Deutsch's long-time commitment to the promotion of wine, particularly French wine: "Thanks to close partnerships with French winemakers and distributors, you have been able to provide a consider- able contribution to promot- New Scottish Gin B y rights juniper, the main fl avor in gin, should grow freely in Scotland. But it's actually quite scarce. Why? The wood gives off very little smoke and its berries help fl avor harsh new spirit; consequently, much was used in illicit distilling and the trees largely wiped out. William Deutsch, Chairman of W. J. Deutsch & Sons, receives the Commandeur of the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole from Philippe Lalliot, Consul General of France in New York. ing French wine and spirits on American soil. Your energy and wonderful promotional and commercial creativity have made you a particularly effi cient French wine ambassador." A Restyled Dos Equis D The folks at Bruichladdich—famed for their Islay single malt—have begun to turn the tide. Using the world's only Lomond still and combining their distilling exper- tise with an unprecedented 31 botanicals, 22 of which were locally harvested, they have created Islay's fi rst artisanal gin, The Botanist. As Master Distiller Jim McEwan explains, "It may be heresy, but 200 years ago illicit whisky made on the hills probably tasted more like gin than whisky. It was a clear spirit fl avored with whatever was at hand." The Botanist Gin is bottled at 46% and non-chill-fi ltered. Available from Winebow with an SRP of $35/750 ml. — Ian Buxton os Equis is sporting a refreshed look for its primary (bottles and cans) and secondary (outer pack) packaging designs. The changes include an updated typeface of the iconic "XX" and rays on the front label to increase brand visibility, a change of direction for the signature profi le of Aztec leader Moctezuma, who now faces right instead of left to represent the brand's momentum and forward thinking, and the addition of a heritage line on the front label to highlight the unique Dos Equis story. NEW READS The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy (Sterling) is a collection of liquid creations from Jim Meehan, General Manager and mixologist at NYC hotspot PDT. Hello, Halo G lazer's, Inc. has closed on the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Halo Distributing Company, a 6.5 million case malt beverage distributor servicing over 3,500 retail outlets in the San Antonio, Texas market, which includes eight counties. Halo distributes MillerCoors and many other strategic beer suppliers, including Heineken USA, Diageo Guinness USA and New Belgium. Glazer's President and CEO Sheldon "Shelly" Stein stated, "This is the largest acquisition in Glazer's history as we expand our footprint in the beer distribution business." Don Gallian will become General Manager for Glazer's malt business in both San Antonio and South Texas. 10 / the tasting panel / december 201 1