Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16170
SCOTCH REPORT July and August are traditionally quiet months for Scotland’s distilleries; with distilling at a standstill, most take time to undertake vital maintenance or install new equipment. But there’s no rest for the marketing and sales teams, who are gearing up now for the fall and holiday selling seasons. So what’s going on? by Ian Buxton Chivas Brothers “Age Matters” campaign, reported last issue, has attracted controversy on whisky blog sites, with some trashing the message as simplistic or downright misleading. But they are in the main home to hard-core enthusiasts with impressive knowledge. Chivas’s research suggests that around 90% of consumers don’t even understand the age claims on Scotch, so “Age Matters” might be thought of as Whisky 101. Manifestly, malt mavens may moan, but the mass market makes money! And those drinkers need some help. Staying with Chivas, their fl agship Glenlivet distillery has released its $1,200 1973 Cellar Collection. It should be appearing on shelves now, but if you want a bottle for your bar, better hurry—with only 11 casks surviving from 1973, a mere 1,000 bottles were produced. PERNOD RICARD USA Rivals Glenmorangie are trumpeting kosher certifi cation for their Original and Astar expres- sions and Ardbeg 10 Year Old. Kosher authority Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, the Orthodox Union’s VP of Communications and Marketing, tells THE TASTING PANEL, “It was rewarding for OU kosher’s team, headed by Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz and Dr. Avraham Meyer, to collaborate with Glenmorangie to bring these renowned products to an ever-growing kosher marketplace.” You bet. Tough work, but someone’s gotta do it! MOËT HENNESSY USA Meanwhile, in a radical packaging overhaul, Bacardi is rolling out completely new packaging for the full line of Dewar’s whiskies. Out goes the iconic Highlander, a brand stalwart since 1953, making way for designs described as “perfect curves, tempting colors and a revolutionary style . . . thoroughly modern, cohesive and bold.” Echoing the funky feel, Dewar’s worked with rock-and-roll photographer Danny Clinch— known for iconic portraits and solid-gold album covers—to capture the new look. Says Clinch, “I was very inspired by the shape of the new Dewar’s bottle, and the way the curved edges resemble the shape of a guitar.” Somebody get this man a chair. BACARDI USA Edrington’s Black Grouse reports success from its Florida launch market and this fall will push this smoky blend in new states, including Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and New York. And fi nally, a “fun, social, informal way for novice and/or inexpe- rienced scotch drinkers to learn about and enjoy one of the world’s best single malts”—that’s the Celebrate The Macallan show which will tour NYC, Philly, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, L.A., Houston, Atlanta and Boston from late September. RÉMY-COINTREAU USA 22 / the tasting panel / september 2010