Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/91577
THE MESSAGE Gentle Tip of the Hat T he third time was a charm for Angus Winchester of Tanqueray, who was voted Best International Brand Ambassador at Tales of the Cocktail 2012 after three consecutive nominations. "When you are acknowledged by people you respect, it always means a great deal; being judged 'best' was a gentle tip of the hat," said Winchester, whose role in the spirits industry has evolved from career barman to industry thought leader. He'll sit on the Tales seminar selection panel for 2013 and is on the lookout for trends and topics that identify leading indicators of consumer tastes. Winchester was in San Francisco last month headlining Angus Winchester, Brand Ambassador for Tanqueray. the Tanqueray Green Room, a multi-city tour of hands-on labs and seminars for the trade, which was conducted at the Boothby Center for the Beverage Arts. He took time during a break between sessions to talk gin and shed some light on controversial topics, including alcohol abuse within the industry. He calls for smaller, more focused programs that demonstrate "discriminating subjectivity," tightly edited menus and a "let us host you" approach that defi nes all good bars. Winchester has cultivated a perspective that is decidedly global, but it's clear that he hasn't lost sight of priorities. Said in his signature pragmatic fashion: "If you know more mash bills than you know jokes, you're not in the right business." —Deborah Parker Wong Caps Off for KAPPA Pisco Y ou can debate ad nauseam whether Pisco originated in Chile or Peru, but as far as Charles de Bournet and Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle are concerned, it's a Chilean affair—and one that's all in the family. The mother and son team were in New York City recently for the East Coast trade launch of KAPPA, their new luxury pisco from Chile's Elqui Valley. Everything about the new brand refl ects the Lapostolle aesthetic—from the copper still sourced from Cognac to the elegant midnight-blue and cut-crystal bottle (it won a Double Gold for packaging in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition). Charles thinks the market is ripe for the new entrant: double-distilled from 100% organically grown Muscat grapes, KAPPA is "a whole new scale of white spirits that is not as challenging as a gin." Added Alexandra, "It has a lot of personality, but when you taste it, it's smooth." KAPPA presents a fl oral nose—jasmine and rose petal—and a fruity palate of peach, orange blossom, expressions of the D.O. grapes and the valley's terroir. Charles notes the design of the bottle evokes the deep of the Chilean night sky: Kappa is a small star in a cluster of the Southern Cross. The product is launching with a menu of cocktail recipes and a trade education program with Steve Olson. SRP: $34.99. —Lana Bortolot 20 / the tasting panel / november 2012 Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and Charles de Bournet launched KAPPA Pisco. PHOTO COURTESY OF TANQUERAY