Notorious Beam Team

Your eyes are not deceiving you. These bottles of Ballantine's are indeed flashing. And not just flashing randomly, but pulsing to the beat of the music.

Why? Well, rather than me trying to work it out, here's what Marketing Magazine wrote about it:

"Designed by London-based packaging agency The Core, the Ballantine's Finest self-illuminating bottle, which can be powered by batteries or mains, is only available to the on-trade.

The bottle design is modelled on a graphic equaliser, the dark blue spray coated bottle appears to react to the tonal quality of audio passing through it, by lighting up intermittently to achieve back-of-bar standout.

The working bottle forms part of an on-trade campaign for Ballantine's Finest, entitled ‘Listen to Your Beat'. Rolling out across bars and nightclubs in the UK and other markets, the campaign is based on the idea that ‘by listening to your own beat and following your own instincts, you will make choices that leave an impression on others.'

Global marketing director for Ballantine's, Peter Moore, said "The ‘Listen to Your Beat' campaign will energise our on-trade accounts by engaging consumers in a creative and eye catching manner.""

I'm lost for words.

Connosr is a social network for whisky lovers. It uses Google Maps to identify the origin of each whisky, plus whisky-related event listings and discussion boards. There are also affiliate links to partner sites where you can purchase whiskies. There is an iPhone version of the site.

Monkey Shoulder is trying to recruit younger drinkers by creating a treehouse in Shoreditch. Check out the details from their press release below and having a look at their website.

Secret hideaway: Made from reclaimed whisky barrel timbers, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House is the perfect place to unwind, relax and enjoy an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt Scotch Whisky cocktail, served direct to your table by the Monkey Shoulder chimpettes.

Carefully crafted: Just like the whisky itself, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House has been carefully crafted. Made by Cheeky Tiki, the conceptual designers behind London’s Mahiki bar, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar is made from ¹pine, larch and cedar wood and also includes timber from reconditioned oak whisky barrels. The Monkey Shoulder Tree House is a friendly space for up to 40 guests in the bar area
and surrounding pods, which are accessed by a walkway, and offers plenty of outdoor seating. At night, the Tree House will be transformed by the warm glow of orange lanterns on the inside and outside of the wooden structure.

Monkey mixology + board games: If you’re the sporting type you can indulge in a little healthy competition, Monkey Shoulder style, playing original board games, like backgammon and snakes and ladders, which are carved into reconditioned whisky barrel heads and used as table tops. Bond with your mates, or make new ones, over an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Tree House cocktail, made by Monkey Shoulder’s smooth, Scottish, mixologist and Monkey Shoulder Whisky front man, Jamie Forbes. He’s a modern cocktail genius and even if you’re not a whisky drinker before you visit the
Monkey Shoulder Tree House, you will be by the time you leave.

Contemporary whisky cocktails include Show Me The Monkey, combining Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Drambuie, apple juice and fresh mint, and the Monkey Mule, a modern twist on a classic, mixing Monkey Shoulder with fresh lime, sugar, syrup and ginger beer.

Where and when?: Celebrate the start of the whisky season with the perfect autumn rendez-vous at The Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar in Ely’s Yard, at the Truman Brewery, in East London.

Ever since I first read about The Tasting Sessions, via Londonist’s report on their Generation XO cognac event, where they showcased Courvoisier Initiale, I was hooked. So when the chance to participate in an unusual whisky tasting in a speakeasy popped up, I got rather excited.

The idea behind The Tasting Sessions, is to find surprising and interesting ways of experiencing wine and spirits tastings. They are always held in cool venues and find a way of being different but in a way that sets off the liquid being tasted. Their speakers tend to be very entertaining and the diverse crowd is full of people you’d like to spend the evening talking to. Their model is to showcase top class, unusual drinks in an interesting manner.

To get into the event you had to utter the password before you were let into the illicit speakeasy called Barts on Sloane Avenue. It proved to be a brilliant venue as you’ll see from the photos below.







Before the official tasting kicked off we tucked into some awesome whisky cocktails such as a stunning Manhattan and a Whisky Sour. Whatever ice needed braking, was smashed by the time the tasting officially started!

We were guided through a flight of 6 whiskies by Jen Dickson from The Whisky Exchange with each dram being paired with a cheese by La Fromagerie’s Jon Schofield. For each whisky we were encouraged to position it on a tasting map which helped to give us a frame of reference.



We started with Clynelish 14 year old which had a salt and pepper finish that meant it paired very nicely with some strong Tobermory cheddar from the Isle of Mull. Whilst the cheese matched well, it was the salty, caramely chocolates that appeared that stole the show.

My favourite whiskey came next. Stranahans from Colorado is an American single malt whisky which makes it very unusual. It contrasted strongly with the Clyenlish and had a mellow, vanilla note running through it. I’d love to have a bottle to tuck into whilst writing. The Doddington cheese is well known for its caramel flavours and nutty characteristics which brought out the almost desert like quality of the whiskey.

An Irish whiskey from Connemara emerged next with a puff of smoke that gave away it’s peaty charms. It matched well with a cheese from the Basque region called Zelu Korlaria.

Ever since seeing Lost in Translation, I’ve wanted to learn more about Japanese whisky. The Nikka Yoichi 10 year old was well balanced and, in my mind, quite delicate. Whilst I liked the whisky, the star was the Ami de Chambertin soft cheese washed in brandy from Burgundy which I am ashamed to say I had several helpings of!

Then we were subjected to the humiliation of a blind tasting where a peppery, slightly banana-ry spirit was showcased which blew the tasting apart. It was paired with a lemony, salty soft goat’s cheese which should have rung a few alarm bells as the “whisky” turned out to be El Tesoro Paradiso tequila. The idea was to show that top quality, aged tequilas can be sipped and enjoyed just like a whisky. I’m hoping Angella and Hayley think about hosting a tequila tasting soon as this is a really interesting area.

We finished on a stratospheric high with a glass of Port Ellen 1978 8th Release which is extremely rare and more importantly delicious. My palette by this point was pretty overwhelmed, so all I can say (rather hopelessly) is that it was very complex. Which meant it had to be matched with a pair of cheeses, making it the John Prescott of the whisky world – Two Cheese Port Ellen. The parmesan crumbled and gave a salty, granular edge whilst a Bleu d’Avergne added a creamyness and salty tang.

Hats off to Hayley and Angella. The whole event was brilliant from start to finish. Jon and Jen were both cracking experts and made the complicated world of whisky and cheese seem fun and accessible.

Barts is a tremendous venue and added to the illicit mystique of the night. I’m just upset I didn’t make the most of the dressing up box – given that I had a marmalade stain on my shirt the gorilla outfit would have been a huge improvement!

I’m now waiting on tenterhooks to see what The Tasting Sessions dreams up next. We should think about working with Hayley and Angella to showcase some of our drinks in their events as they have yet to do a rum, tequila or bourbon event.

All photos are courtesy of Nathan McDonald

I ventured out to Barts on Sloane Avenue having been tipped off by a friend at work. It claims in the same breath to be both "a new concept for eating and drinking" and London's worst kept secret.

I'm not going to give the game away and just leave this signs as clues for you...





We were greeted by a shifty looking chap in prohibition era get up who asked us for a password before letting us into the drinking den.



Once inside we were overwhelmed by the design. Its brilliant. Quirky. Inspiring. As if it has been curated by someone with far too much time on their hands. We loved the "computer says no" Mona Lisa and the luggage racks. It transforms a room in an apartment block into a speakeasy by paying attention to minute details.





A dressing up box encourages everyone to get stuck in too...



... which was embraced wholeheartedly by the buzzing crowd.





The evening was sponsored by Glenmorangie who were launching their soda siphon (which we've covered before). Drinks such as Glen'Malone (whisky, ginger, lemon grass and soda) and Sweet as Candy (whisky, candied orange, rose cordial and soda water) initially put some of the girls off. But once they'd got past the idea of whisky there was no stopping them. Personally, I loved the gingery cocktail and thought the idea behind the event and its execution were fantastic.





It would be a great venue for a Le Nez event, or better still a whisky event or two. I'm quite keen to organise a party there soon. I just hope this article is enormously unpopular and no-one finds out where it is!




Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Jameson's activity in Belfast focuses on their sponsorship of the Belfast Film Festival. The popcorn ad-shell injects some fun into the promotion and gives a nod towards the famous 3M busstop ad which is filled with money.

All material is from Chris Kileen's site who has also featured some interesting work for Stoli.

From the Glasgow Evening Times:

"Around 650 workers at the Diageo Johnnie Walker factory in Kilmarnock will be sent home for a week in March and a week in April following an internal review. They will, however, continue to be paid while production is halted.

And Diageo today stressed that the hi-tech plant in Hill Street remained viable and had a long term future...

A company spokesman said: "In response to our current volume outlook we have decided to temporarily close our Kilmarnock packaging site for two weeks during which the employees affected will continue to be paid.

"We will continue to work closely with employee representatives during these difficult times - and ensure regular communications with all our employees.""

For more on this have a look at Luxist's article on Johnnie Walker and also a more detailed look into the Diageo restructure.

Very cool design for a range of Islay Elemental whiskies...

Designed by Speciality Drinks Ltd.

Spotted on Liqurious and showcased on Below the Clouds.

I like it. It's fresh and different. And the elemental aspect appeals to my nerdy instincts.

Great coverage of an event from Basil Hayden, one of Beam's special bourbons. From Intoxicologist. All images are from Beam Global.

"Tailored specifically for celebrated designer Cynthia Rowley to debut with the 2009 Collection during NYC Fashion Week, the Basil Hayden Wish received a comment of “Perfect” for the show by the designer herself. The Basil Hayden Wish embodies Rowley’s assertive, yet whimsical spirit while pulling inspiration from the rich red hues and wishbone features from the 2009 Fall Collection. Cynthia Rowley Fashion Show Bar Featuring Basil Hayden Wish - Beam Global Spirits & Wine Photo Credit

Fashion week draws a sexy crowd of elite trendsetters, stylists and models who desire to wrap themselves in luxury and fanciful delight. And why not? Beverage staples during a typical Fashion Week consist of champagne and vodka. The Basil Hayden Wish brought a refreshing twist to the predictable cocktail scene and started a new fashion trend of its own by becoming the new luxury cocktail of choice for the fashionable “It” crowd.

Blushed with a hint of passion and bitten with the tang of lust this cocktail is sure to fill you with a desire for fashion and flavor."

Personally I'm really interested by the insight that people are bored of champagne and vodka cocktails and want something with more depth. The kind of depth that you get from high quality brown spirits. There's a lot in this.

From Luxist:

"Australian liquor producer ASM Liquor operates under the premise that spirits without chemicals will deliver less of a hangover. The company has a range that includes vodka, rum, gin and tequila with the quirky names, Vodka O, Kinky Nero dark rum, Kinky Lux white rum, Jinn Dry Gin and Tequila Blu. The latest is a whisky called Naked Scot. As Bill Dowd reports ASM Liquor has the whisky distilled on the Isle of Mull and aged three years. They claim that the whisky is free from residual herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides (it doesn't mention if the product is organic)."

You can see the range of other spirits they have launched below:



When you read the article on the Dowd's Spirits notebook you realise that this product has caused a stir. David Williamson, Scotch Whisky Association said in a comment:

"As you can imagine, we were surprised to read (this) article ... and the
inference in the headline. To be clear, as a result of the science of the whisky distillation process, there is absolutely no question of "residual herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides" being in a bottle of Scotch whisky. The inference made is inaccurate and misleading.

Can I ask that the point be clarified in a future article, please? That would be much appreciated.

Separately, there also appears to be some confusion as to whether the brand is a single malt or a blended Scotch whisky. This may be a result of the PR material being distributed by ASM Liquor, and it is a good example of why the new Scotch whisky regulations -- which should be implemented later this year -- are needed to avoid potential consumer confusion. The regulations will require that it is made clear on the bottle what category of Scotch whisky it is.

You should also be aware that initial enquiries at the only distillery on Mull raise the need for further investigation of the product."

Whatever the outcome, it's getting talked about. But a 3 year old Scotch sounds pretty iffy to me. And if Naked Scott is setting the benchmark in terms of quality, I doubt the rest of the range will be any good.

And as an aside. I couldn't hate the tartan cap on the bottle any more!

Glenmorangie have brought back the long lost soda siphon, but given it a bit of a modern twist. Or to use Jess's expression they've given it a "jhujh" (or however you spell this ridiculous expression).

From this site.

These two ads for Jamesons were both in Shorlist last week - but they don't really feel like they are from the same brand...

Is that a problem? Yes. The "Seriously Playful" ads should reflect the same personality as the "cult film" promotion. Personally, I don't they don't seem to gel very well.

What are Jameson basing their "cult films" credentials on? And also, what are they basing their seriously playful ads on? Because it's triple distilled and Irish? And does this matter? I mean, Heinken claimed to refresh parts of the body other beers couldn't reach...

I've got a soft spot for Jameson because a drunken Irish vicar christened me "Jonathan Jameson Brown" rather than "Jonathan James Brown"! But even with this, Seriously Playful just seems a bit too try hard and contrived.

Here are 3 Glenfiddich brand ads... based on the idea that taking time makes better whisky. All quite generic. And it's a territory we constantly dance around with all of our spirit brands.







These two are for Glenfiddich 15 Year Old - which go into more depth about coopers and aromas. All very product focussed. Very discerning. All very whisky.





I like the clean look and feel. The fact that they match the base brand ads will greeted with cheers of delight from the consistent look and feel merchants...

It's all very safe and far from revolutionary. Old school stuff.

From Luxist:

"I've been hearing lots of buzz lately about the Glemorangie Signet, people really want to get their hands on this bottle. The whisky is causing a stir for several reasons, the first that it is not touting the age on the bottle and the second that the whisky uses a chocolate malt mixed in with barley to create the mash. The word being used to describe it is "voluptuous" and both a Businessweek article and Bill Dowd seem to heartily concur while John Hansell of Malt Advocate seems a bit more reserved although he does declare it to be a fun whisky. It has notes of sherry, maple, marmalade, tobacco and yes, chocolate.

The age of whiskies in Signet hasn't been revealed but it's likely a younger concoction and a smart move to make one at a time when Scotland is feeling the pinch of a shortage of older whiskies ready to tap. The Signet is priced like an older whisky, $185 a bottle but so far the tasters seem to think its worth it. It should start showing up in stores this month."

Sherry, maple, marmalade, tobacco and chocolate sounds delicious. The use of chocolate in the malting process is very interesting, acting as a very simple point of difference.

In addition, this is a good example of generating both online and traditional PR with opinion formers in the early phase of the launch to create credibility and desire before Christmas.

Add the mystery of how old the whisky is and it's a talkability recipe.

From Luxist and Brand Republic:

"Scottish whiskeymaking and Scottish photography combine with the launch of The Macallan Masters of Photography Rankin Edition. Rankin is a famed Scottish photographer and he was chosen to Easter Elchies House, the "spiritual home of The Macallan." He spent a summer interpreting the The Macallan Estate through his camera lens. The result is 1,000 unique bottles of The Macallan Fine Oak 30 year old single malt whisky each bearing an original Rankin image, captured on Polaroid. Since Polaroid was discontinued this year,The Masters of Photography represents the end of an era. The black-and-white pictures include artistic studies of the lovely Tuuli, Rankin's muse, shown on this bottle, as well as pictures of Easter Elchies House, shots of craftspeople at the distillery, and still life images of the surrounding flora and fauna at the estate. Each bottle comes in a black leather box lined with velvet and containing an original Rankin Polaroid. Each bottle will have an individually printed label which matches the specific Polaroid contained within the box and a booklet of authenticity signed by Rankin. Each bottle sells for around $1,300."

This is really impressive stuff. A great way of putting together a product that people really want. What I like most is:

1. Even though this is a limited edition of 1000, it is interesting to people above and beyond people who might buy a bottle.

2. The photography of Rankin draws in people who are interested in art, design and photography who wouldn't otherwise have felt connected to Macallan

3. The photography gives people the ability to disperse the Macallan story - given the range of the shots this idea is spreading beautiful little nuggets of Macallan around the web

4. The black and white style of Rankin's photography feels very premium and on a basic look and feel level gives Macallan the gloss that it is well known for

5. Given that each photograph is unique it makes each bottle very special. Typically, limited editions will feature a signature and numbering... but this goes much further... making each bottle feel precious

6. It's worth talking about

From Luxist

"If your palate craves the creme-de-la-creme of Scotch whisky than you'reabout to be treated to a sensual experience...if you can get your hands on one of the fifty-seven bottles produced. Bowmore's 1965 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is only the second single malt produced at Bowmore since the Queen visited in the 1980's which makes it all the more covetable. Matured in bourbon and a percentage in Oloroso sherry casks it carries a special essence marked by the premium peat grown on the island of Islay where Bowmore is located. Islay's malts are characterized by smokey, marine aromas and palate and this particular single malt speaks of fruity and floral aromas paired with smoked oak chips. The one-liter bottle of honey colored Scotch whisky is priced at £6,000 and is available for sale exclusively at Heathrow Terminal 5."

This was also picked up by Luxury blog, Lussorian.

This is the blurb from BAA's airport gift site:

"If you’re flying this Christmas, the airport gift list site is the ideal way to find those perfect presents. We've picked a selection of the best products and invited celebrities to tell us what they are buying this festive season. Have a look at the great range of products available at our airports and start building your wish list now."

It seems you can pre-order stuff to pick up at the terminal which isn't a bad idea. Celebrity lists is fun. But it seems everything is more expensive than on Amazon or elsewhere.

From Luxist

"The folks at the beloved Bruichladdich Scotch distillery on Islay have released a bottling of their first single malt from the year the famed distillery was resurrected in 2001. Founded in 1881, Bruichladdich was closed in 1994 before being brought back to life 7 years later. Conceived as an homage to the Harvey Brothers, the original owners of 1881, the bottle design is nonetheless extremely modern, done completely in light blue. The whisky, of which only 24,000 bottles are being produced in a limited, numbered edition, is described as a lightly peated, refined, floral and fruity spirit."

For additional posts from Luxist about Bruichladdich click on the link.

Glenfiddich have commissioned design agency Johnson Banks to bring their use of barrels to life with a series of artworks.

From PSFK:

"The creative team decided to use the barrel as their muse, exploring it in its singular parts, as a way of depicting the distinctive characteristics of Glenfiddich’s five signature whiskies, aged 12 to 30 years. The end result of the project is a stunning display of industrial pieces that give weight to the passage of time. The image pictured at right illustrates “the angel’s share,” the amount of whisky that evaporates during distillation, the words “For 21 Years We Take a Share” cut into the wood. With so many alcohol companies spending top dollar on advertising campaigns promoting vacuous experiences, it’s a nice change to see a celebration of tradition and taste which is ultimately the thing being sold anyway."

Here's a snapshot of some of the pieces:











For more images and an interesting glimpse into the creative process visit the Flcikr set here.

And for debate about the pros and cons of this project visit the Creative Review blog which is generally in favour of the idea, but many of the commenters feel that the creative execution wasn't radical enough. Maybe they should have commissioned an artist rather than a design agency? That said, I think the work is very impressive. It is something we have thought about for a number of our whisky and cognac brands in the past. Getting people to talk about whisky isn't easy and this project seems to have achieved it.

Teachers aspires to become the most relevant and accessible Scotch whisky for men aged 30 + by appealing to their need for ‘manspace’, a place where they can escape the pressures of the modern world, find inspiration and allow them to become an authority on subjects of their choice.

Teacher’s helps men identify this space under the ‘Create your space’ platform, developed in 2007, and evolved in April this year with the launch of the ‘Win an Airstream travel trailer’ or ‘1 of 250 Mountain bikes’ on-pack promotion. This was supported by a Press campaign and a uniquely illustrative website designed to challenge the ‘dusty’ brand perception and encourage interaction via an online quiz. The promotion finished last month with over 18,000 applications which gave an impressive 12% redemption rate





September launched phase 2 of the campaign with an offer to ‘Win a Classic Car plus an Expert Mate to help you look after it for 1 year’ OR ‘1 of 250 fully equip toolkits’ for runners up. The Classic Car promotion runs until the end of March next year.




For more information on the promotion visit the website www.teacherswhisky.com/space