Captain Morgan: Live like the Captain? No thanks…

This professor was surprised last night to see a Captain Morgan’s ad’ in between a break for the England-Ukraine football international. Not only does it seem odd to see a spirits ad in media usually dominated by beer advertising, but there was something so forced about the away the spiced rum was trying to push it’s way into the male mindset.

Based on the male-stereotype of the “so-desperate-to-escape-to-the-pub-that-he’ll-pass-up- a- jacuzzi-with-his-girlfriend” boyfriend, the “Live like Captain Morgan” TVC shows the various stand-ins put in place by these pub-depseradoes in attempt to distract their other halves from discovering their actual whereabouts. Tricks include a totem pole in the shower and a stuffed gorilla in a hot tub.

As well as just fueling the idea that having a girlfriend means no pub time and being so badly dubbed it might as well have no dialogue, this advert is just annoying for the way it steps on WKD territory. Where WKD has succeeded with it’s “show your wicked side” campaign is its use of ironic self-deprecation, the Captain Morgan’s ad fails is the way it button holes men into pub going rum drinkers.

Looking into the brand’s comms a bit further however, I am curious to know why the brand hasn’t pushed some of the ideas it is currently using online. It’s Youtube channel is supporting young and up-coming musicians, why hasn’t it carried this approach into its above the line? This is most likely to be because of the Jack Daniel’s music dominance in the UK, but if the brand were so content on repeating such a typical advertising formula, why not go for something which has a little more depth?!

See why this Professor is so miffed right here- this German version explains the UK dubbing problems:

 

The fatted Grouse

The Famous Grouse has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest bottle of whisky ever made. In celebration of their 107^th birthday, The Famous Grouse has produced a 228 litre bottle of blended whisky, smashing their 200 litre target, and crushing the previous Jack Daniels 184 litre record out the window! The bottle is a staggering 5 ft 3 inches tall, and took 3 hours to fill. There’s a challenge to anyone willing – empty it faster! Who knows what they really plan to do with this bottle. But whether it’s taken to a party to make things messy, or left for show as a work of art in the Famous Grouse Experience lobby as they currently plan, it is definitely a bottle worth reckoning with!

Jack Daniel’s goes for gold

Even though London 2012 has every sort of sponsor you can imagine, from energy to snacks, I doubt very much that there was the opportunity for a brand to become “Official alcohol partner of London 2012”. Aside from the Champagne houses probably getting very excited over this idea, looking at Jack Daniel’s latest press ad, the Bourbon may have given the likes of Moet and Bollinger a run for their money.

Using the Olympics to drive awareness of the liquor’s numerous accolades, JD has added to it’s campaign with this tactical.

As well as getting a pat-on-the-back for yet another strong outdoor ad from JD, the brand should also get some credit for managing to get the words “gold”, “medal” and “London” into the same piece of long copy.

Ballantine’s goes for the glow

Blended whisky Ballantine’s Finest last month launched a new bottle and label design for the on-trade market. Following the success of it’s Equalizer bottle, the Pernod Ricard brand has recruited French designer Francois Brument to create the next step in its unique bottle designs. The new label cleverly emphasises Ballantine’s “night-time” identity by reacting to changes in the light. Brument has also created 12 limited edition textured “feature” bottles, (characteristic of some of his other work), which are more on a par with the previous Equalizer bottles, which surely attracted many collectors when they went on sale at concept store Colette.

Stoli starts with an Absolut blank?

The flavoured vodka brand, Stolichnaya, (Stoli for short), has recently launched a new TVC campaign showcasing the “Most Original Night”. Through the eyes of director Jonas Akerlund, (famous for making videos for Lady Gaga and Madonna), we see how Stoli vodka literally brings colour to your night as a group of party goers dressed completely in white are sprayed with paint as they sip on specially infused flavoured vodka cocktails.

cocktails.

The TVC leads with the idea that the “Most Original People deserve the Most Original Vodka”, and its clear that Stoli are trying to combat the Absolut and Smirnoff prominence in the category of flavoured vodkas. The media choice alone shows a concerted effort by the brand to push itself to the forefront of young consumers minds, with the TVC appearing on main terrestrial channels during prime time shows.

In my mind, the ad’s party vibe along with the use of a giant white surface being spattered with paint is verging on Absolut Blank territory. Whilst the soundtrack, “Blessed” by Tom Hangs, adds the club feel necessary of lower-end vodkas. Nevertheless, by targeting the idea of orginality, Stoli are able to connect with hipsters who like nothing better than thinking they are original or breaking away from the norm, with a chili or honey flavoured vodka, for example.

In short, I like this ad. It makes me want to go out with my friends and get covered in paint. Whether it makes me want to drink a flavoured vodka is another matter, but it does make me want to do something different and original, which is exactly what I think these guys are after.

Macallan and the Masters of Photography

In July the Macallan will launch the third installment of its Masters of Photography series. This time the brand has teamed up with the prolific American photographer, Annie Leibowitz, who follows in the footsteps of previous partnerships with Rankin and Albert Watson.  No stranger to luxury brands, having previously worked with Louis Vuitton, Leibowitz’s involvement with Macallan’s project clearly cements luxury art credentials, further emphasising its claim that it is “the last word in luxury”.

Macallan’s project asked Leibowitz to interpret the emotion of the new whisky blends through the lens and the results are 4 vignettes, entitled, “The Gallery”, “The Bar” (shown here), “The Library” and “The Skyline”, shot in true sun-kissed Leibowitz style. These photographs are already leading Macallan’s global press advertising and the behind-the-scenes footage provide valuable content for the brand online.

Heading to the dedicated website, as well as being able to register your interest in the limited edition blends, users can also upload their photos to the 2012 Masters of Photography competition and register interest in purchasing a bottle of one of 4 limited edition blends which will officially be on sale at the start of July, with an RRP of £1,700.

Whisky heist film wins at Cannes

A film named after the 2 % of whisky which evaporates annually from each cask before bottling has won the Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival. The Angel’s Share, directed by Ken Loach, tells the story of Robbie, a new father living in Glasgow who along with a group of men who he meets whilst on community service, plot to steal a rare barrel of whisky valued at £1 million.

Have a look at the trailer below to see what all the fuss is about :

A seat at the Jager table

To many Jagermeister is the spirit of choice for those on a night-out. The cry for Jagerbombs- a shot of Jager with RedBull, (the cause of many a hangover)- is an all too common occurence amongst students and those-trying- to- relive- their- student-days alike on a friday night.

With this idea entrenched so heavily in the partying mindset, it is interesting, to see an ad from across the pond which tries to break-away from this idea.

As part of the Stronger Bond campaign the TVC, a ‘Seat at the Table’ for Jagermeister shows a secret elite brotherhood of made up of figures from American sporting teams and popular culture who welcome a new member before raising a toast with their favourite tipple, a shot of Jager. As the VO tells us, places at the table are earnt and it is clear that if you are to be a Jagermeister drinker you should be a person who has achieved something.

In some ways, the brand is staying true to the image we already have of it- the Jagerbomb ritual is probably the closest we will get to the traditional idea of a toast on a night out. On the other hand however, Jagermeister is stepping away from its ‘night-out’ charcteristics by setting up figures of aspiration for consumers.

This ad is perhaps not the best execution in the world, but is interesting to see how a spirit which has so greatly embedded itself in party culture, is trying to create a brand identity itself rather than relying on popular culture.

Balvenie: A lesson in bottle shots

In their latest press ad, Balvenie have really demonstrated how to effectively position their whisky into the field of type of genuine intellectual refinement a culturally-minded Asian market will aspire to.

By placing their bottle against a hand scribbled music manuscript, Balvenie are clearly saying that they are the whisky of choice for those leanred enough to, for instance, write their own classical music. They are making their whisky part of an artwork, as the copy line suggests, it is literally a product of ‘Art of Handcraft’.

There is, also a clear artistic link between product and graphic. The bottle itself complements the background. The numerous serial numbers and handwritten details make this whisky appear authentic and individual: as if it has come straight from the distillery, rather than massed produced in a bottling plant.

This ad, in short, is a great example of how to use imagery to make a bottle shot a little bit more than just a bottle shot, instead making it a testament to the brand experience.

 

Glenfiddich: One day you will climb Everest

In 2010, scotch single malt Glenfiddich, launched its ‘One day you will’ campaign which attempted to establish a brand identity promoting the pioneering spirit of the founder, William Grant. An online CRM initiative, ‘Glenfiddich Explorers’ ran alongside a visually-lead press campaign, asking consumers to join an online community and contribute to a  quasi-Pinterest predecessor, detailing all sorts of adventure ideas from Hiking the Smokies to Unusual Restaurants. In short, Glenfiddich wanted to show a more exciting and inspiring brand identity than a traditional scotch.

A year later, the brand took this one step further, moving into the world of sponsorship. The brand became the primary sponsor of an expedition run by the charity Walking with the Wounded which recruited a group of injured servicemen to climb to the summit of Everest. The sponsorship was integrated into their above-the-line and online advertising and this spring appeared heavily outdoor.

Alongside this, Glenfiddich ran a competition looking for 4 ‘adventurers’ to join the expedition as far as Everest Base Camp. As well as gaining a place on the expedition, the lucky winners will experience a whisky tasting to be streamed online and designed to ‘bring a taste of the Highlands to the Himalayas’.

The move into sponsorship shows an intelligent development of the ‘One day you will’ campaign which perhaps initially had difficulty in connecting to the product. Firstly, the activity enhances the brand’s promotion of discovery and pioneership which it sparked with the ‘Glenfiddich Explorers’ initiative. Secondly, this sense of wanderlust allows Glenfiddich to shake off the slightly stuffy image of a traditional scotch. And thirdly, by pairing itself with a charity supporting the forces, Glenfiddich is tapping into the timely sense of patriotism, particularly pertinent in the UK.

However, given the heavy focus on the charity expedition the tactical campaign falls down to some extent in how it advertises the product. The outdoor and press executions do not include any bottle shots and could be easily be confused with an ad for hiking attire. Granted, the ad builds a strong brand identity, but it fails to show any ‘ownable’ whisky territory or situations the audience could really relate to whisky drinking. Moreover, Glenfiddich has chosen to place these sponsorship ads all over outdoor but has not noticeably done the same with executions for the rest of the ‘One day you will’ campaign, meaning that some of the brand messaging these executions established has become lost.

Nevertheless, the continuing development of the Glenfiddich brand, lead by the ‘Glenfiddich Explorers’ campaign, is definitely one to watch in the spirits world. Not only has it really found its feet and enhanced its brand identity with sponsorship of an event, but it really seems to have pulled on the heartstrings of its UK market. Instead of setting its CRM as a point of social aspiration, like other brands such as Johnnie Walker have done, Glenfiddich is becoming an advocate for adventure, encouraging consumers to go beyond the everyday. Whether their product branding will start to reflect this is another matter, but for now the brand has achieved strong links to values beyond the world of whisky and stuffy connoisseurship.

Any the Wiser?

To be ‘wise’ according to one reliable dictionary source is ‘having or showing experience, knowledge and good judgement’. In the modern-day mindset of Canadian whisky brand, Wiser, this translates into saving face whilst shopping with you girlfriend:

On the one hand, like the Fireball ad a few months ago, it is nice to see a bit of humour being injected into a category which is still shrouded in the image of old men in tweed. Granted, The Wiserhood and The Society of Uncompromising Men is a creative idea but you do wonder, if the brand wasn’t so keen to gain exposure, it would have come up with something a bit more sophisticated than just playing on the ‘wise’ in ‘wiser’….

Space, the final Whisky frontier?

Ardbeg, a Scotch distillery on the west-coast isle of Islay has become the focus of the Edinburgh Science Festival. In October last year, the ingredients for one of their single malts was blasted into orbit to join the International Space Station in an attempt to discover the effects of gravity on the maturation process, specifically on terpenes- the molecules which give a whisky its aroma and flavour.

The American company responsible for the research, NanoRacks LLC, hopes that the experiment will help other industries in the development of new products, both in and outside the world of food.

Despite the whisky’s origin, thanks to the strong guidelines on what makes a scotch, Scotch the unmatured malt in orbit can only be labelled as ‘crafted molecules’ as it will not have been matured in oak casks on a Scottish isle for 3 years, as the rules dictate.

Any hope of a revolution in flavour development will have to wait however. Scientists will not be able to test the new substances until 2014 when the cargo spacecraft returns to Earth. Dr Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation at Ardbeg, (pictured) nevertheless remains optimistic: ‘We are all tremendously excited about this experiment- who knows where it will lead?’

 

Happy Whisky Day Whisky fans!

Yesterday saw the first, of hopefully many, World Whisky Days. The event was started by Blair Bowman, a student at the University of Aberdeen, and celebrated with over 150 events in over 30 different countries, from Germany to Singapore. Bowman, who grew up in Edinburgh, hopes that the day will spark interest in the industry and boost tourism to Scotland.

The Global World Whisky Day Effect

Either way, pat-on-the-back for Bowman for creating an event, long over due which gives us all another great reason to enjoy a wee dram!

Find out more about the event: http://worldwhiskyday.com/

Absolut London

The artist responsible for the Gorillaz has become the latest artist to put his brush to the Absolut bottle. In his signature style, Jamie Hewlett’s design shows stereotypical English characters over the last 200 years, from the 18th century English dandy to a 1960s punk and a 21st century WAG against a backdrop of a modern London skyline.

 

With the world’s attention on London in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics this is likely to be one of many London souvenirs which will be coming our way, even if not raving about the Games itself. Hewlett’s red, white, black and blue colour scheme adds to the patriotic feel of the bottle and will probably appeal to art collectors as well as vodka lovers.

Look out for the bottle on sale now in Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, for a very reasonable £20.99

Ain’t no party like a (Whisky endorsed) Paddy’s Day Party

As a whisky brand priding themselves on their Irish heritage, Jameson are adding to their digital activity this week by promoting St. Patrick’s Day in true Irish-let’s-have-a-party fashion. 

The whisky’s Facebook gives visitors tips on cocktails and ways to ’embrace your Irish spirit’, (clever piece of copywriting there), more importantly acts as the publicising force for the Jameson Global Party on the 17th itself.

Jumping on the music band-wagon so often recently adopted by other alchohol brands, (Smirnoff, Jack Daniel’s, Tuborg), Jameson has got Razorlight and Mylo on board to play at a gig which will be streamed online alongside other events in Prague, Mumbai, Dubai and Sofia, giving Jameson the continental credentials it needs to compete with other global brands such as Ballantine’s and Johnnie Walker.

Users can also download branded material to make their party a true reflection of the Irish spirit, i.e. Jameson. From making cocktails to paper hats, Jameson can help you do it!

The idea is a pretty simple one in comparison to what other brands are doing with music and admittedly it seems like more of a tactical approach from the brand rather than a full scale campaign. Given the level of success from the Nightlife exchange project, one wonders how far Jameson can gain territory in the world of music credibility. The use of an indie band, a folk band and a dj is an interesting one, going in between the rock territory of JD and the DJs of Smirnoff but it does leave the band maybe feeling a bit lost.

Anyway, it’s a good time for Jameson to elbow in a bit of publicity amongst the market dominated by Scottish brands. In the mean time, Happy St. Paddy’s Day and even though Guiness may look like the drink of choice, remember whisky, in any form, is far better.

A new diplomatic role for whisky?

Even though the Argentines are not exactly the Brits’ best friend right now, there’s still one thing they like about their Falkland rivals: the whisky.

90% of revenue for Kent based whisky brand, Old St. Andrew’s, are now from overseas and they are expected to increase by 30% following the firm’s recent deal with an American distributor.

Old St. Andrew’s itself also brews Clubhouse and Twilight whiskies as well as a healthy gin portfolio and bespoke products made to order. However, despite its recent success, 4 years ago the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. It wasn’t until Bob Gorton bought the company that the brand’s overseas potential was realised.

Now in partnership with a distributor the brand has already received orders from as wide a range of countries as America, Estonia and South Korea. Even though this is a good example of ‘the new owner done good’, the level of interest from developing markets and BRIC region also makes Old St. Andrew’s a prime example of the new potential growth market for whisky.

You never know, whisky could be the answer to the Falkland problem? Let’s send over a few crates and see…..

Fancy visiting a temple for your tipple?

Well, Johnnie Walker’s new opening in China may be exactly what you are looking for. Diageo, this month has opened up the very luxurious Johnnie Walker House in the French Concession district of Shanghai in a bid to try and bring whisky to the Chinese and increase the competition against rivals- Chivas Regal and Remy Cointreau.

The £2 million villa is open to select invitees, preferrably those with a bit of cash to burn, (cue the bankers and trust-fund boys and girls), and offers exclusive opportunities to pay homage to Johnnie and his distilled beverage. The bar/villa/temple offers guests tasting opportunites as well as a luxurious environment in which to enjoy your favourite dram of $2,000 limited edition 1910 Edition JW.  The walls, among other things, are decorated with whisky bottles, barley and peat!

On the surface of things this is a rather expensive PR exercise. Below the surface, however,  this effort strongly shows Diageo’s desire to take advantage of the growing and emerging oriental alcohol and luxury markets market. Diageo already has a 27% share of the whisky market in China but sits behind its rival Pernod-Ricard which has 37.5%. Add to this the fact that Cognac is already well-established here and you can see why Diageo is keen to expand. As the British analyst Trevor Stirling points out, with this venture, Diageo hopes  they will be able to influence a change of habit amongst younger drinkers by encouraging them to indulge in whisky rather than Cognac.

For a brand with such a vast range of prices and qualities, the Johnnie Walker House definitely sets up the brand as an aspirational product and as long as its PR is handled correctly, being in Shanghai, Diageo could see a very good return.

Can you handle the F-Bomb?

Canadian whisky brand Fireball have launched their latest ad campaign. The press forms part of a multi-platform strategy, running alongside Twitter and Facebook activity. On further investigation, the social media seems to be working nicely. The feeds are well monitored and have effectively kick-started what every brand is looking for in social media, a conversation with consumers. Like other successful Facebook brands, such as Innocent smoothies, Fireball asks consumers questions outside the realm of their product adding personality and a sense of community to the brand’s online environment. 

The print, included, however, is both grim and crass. I understand that Fireball is probably a challenge to swallow but I doubt looking like this guy will be aspirational to anyone! If I’m out with my friends I wouldn’t want to look like that after a shot of Fireball. The good thing here is the push towards social media and the call to action of handling the ‘F-bomb’, which will at least attract sales amongst ‘true lads’ the world over on a night out.

The spirit itself is essentially whisky blended with cinnamon, but the interesting thing here is that it seems to have succesfully marketed whisky to a younger audience, (like our friends at the Whisky Blender are trying to do). Granted it will sit alongside other ‘shot’ spirits rather than be appreciated by whisky connoisseurs but at least its getting whisky physically out there.

 

‘Freedom and Whisky gang thegither’ – Don’t forget the Haggis!

If you’re planning on celebrating a belated Burns Night this weekend then make sure you don’t forget to complement your drams with some haggis!

For those of you who don’t know, the Scottish festival celebrates the birthday of the famous poet Robert Burns, (his 253rd this year), who, throughout the 18th century penned many verses like the one you see above. The evening orientates around a meal which is punctuated with extracts of Burns’ work, praising both the Haggis- the traditional Scottish dish of a stuffed sheep’s stomach- and toasting the ‘lassies’.

So for the numerous toasting’s necessary for the evening, it would only be appropriate to choose Scotch, but the question is, which one? Whisky experts Neyah White and Taylor Boetticher agree that you should choose one which is lighter and sweeter. Boetticher advises against choosing a smokier whisky, suggesting ‘ a more malt-driven’ blend would go better with the oats and organ-meat Haggis recipe. Whiskies from the Speyside region such as Glenfiddich, The Macallan, BenRiach, Glenrothes and the Balvenie are recommended and if you would prefer a blend, try the 8-year old Sheep Dip.

 

BYOW*

Are you a little bored of your whisky cabinet or fancy a dabble in DIY whisky? Well, whiskyblender.com could help. This ingenious site lets you choose your own blend, bottle and even more importantly your own budget! Once you’ve entered ‘The Lab’, you can choose to combine a wide-range of flavours, from ‘Smoke on the Water’ to ‘Burnt Puddin’, and the end results don’t look half bad either. The bottle is le-git and you can make a pretty good blend for about £40 so not too expensive either.

The Scottish team at Whisky Blender describe the idea as a ‘wee bit of fun’ and are very quick to assure that they would never want to take away attention from the hard working blenders at the distillery. After my over-excited and mish-mashed effort I think this is definitely worth remembering!

The website also acts as an online community for whisky fanatics and offers classes from the Master of Malts, John Lamond. Instead, which is the danger of whisky, seeming like something you might drink with a pipe in a stuffy drawing room after a gluttonous supper, the website makes whisky seem modern and fun. All-in-all this is a very clever way to raise awareness of the Scottish industry and bring the world of whisky to a younger, more digitally-orientated audience. 

Try it for yourself at: http://www.whiskyblender.com/index.php

*BYOW- Blend your own whisky

 

Baby it’s cold outside

Jack Daniel’s has unveiled a blissfully wintery new bottle design for their Winter Jack Apple Punch.  As in their print advertising campaign, Jack Daniel seems to be playing on American, log cabin nostalgia. The idea that Dean Martin may sip away on some old Jack Winter Punch whilst crooning away about it being ‘Cold outside’ isn’t far off when you see this bottle!

Can you believe it?!

So last year we reported on the sale of Arkay. Now this beverage caught our attention for two reasons: Number one for its 0% alcohol credentials and number two because it came in a can. At the time, this was not the most pressing detail, it was the former which really got our minds racing. Now, however, the ‘whisky- in- a- can’ element seems to have set a precedent for the arrival of a new canned whisky this time containing 8 shots of whisky with a reported 80% strong alcohol rating. The blended scotch, called Sir Edwin’s, will hopefully be on sale in the US by February 1st and cost a mere $5.

Of course the nature of the cost and packaging has sparked accusations of encouraging heavy drinking, particularly as once opened the container cannot be resealed. However, the product’s launch remains on-hold until developers can find a way to reseal the can. Nevertheless, company representatives have already jumped to Sir Edwin’s defence, claiming that the can idea is a simple economic solution to packaging and that the drink is intended to be sipped not gulped.

Sir Edwin’s has already attracted some fans, including Brad Danler, owner of New York’s whisky-bar Char No. 4, who has said:

‘I understand why beer makes sense going back into cans, but with whisky it’s certainly a surprise…I can’t say that it makes much sense to me, but if it is delicious, then I will gladly crack one open and enjoy 12 ounces.’

Despite the company’s best intentions, the economical and ecological credentials of Sir Edwin’s, this concept has definitely managed to remove some of the luxury associated with whisky. Whisky is generally associated with luxury, whereas cans are a little less prestigious, and the whole experience of selecting a glass, unscrewing the bottle top, pouring accurately and savouring a wee dram does not sit well inside an alluminium can! Particularly if every time you choose Sir Edwin’s you have to force down 8 shots of the stuff, let’s hope for those convinced Sir Edwin’s is the way forward they solve that resealing  problem!

(Apologies to anyone offended by the pun…Happy New Year Whisky fans)!

The importance of pronunciation, according to Cockburns

I think this ad’ says it all, finally the Port and BETC London embrace the brand’s rather interesting name:

Jim Murray in your pocket

‘Appy Christmas to all you whisky lovers!

For all of you who hang on the word of the renowned whisky expert Jim Murray, you will be pleased to hear that you can now carry him around in your pocket, (smartphone ownership-status permitting), on your next trip to the off-licence. The author of the Whisky Bible has launched two versions of the application, (available through iTunes and Android app’ stores), which contain up-to-date tasting notes and advice.

The standard version of the application will cost £1.39 and is designed for the more ‘inexperienced whisky buyer’- offering 13 sets of tasting notes from the main regions of the whisky-world- whilst the ‘pro 2012’ format, costing £12.99, will carry the full 4,500 entries of the 2012 Whisky Bible. With each version, users will be able to search by brand, region or distillery to find out more about their favourite tipple.

Murray, very enthusiastic on the subject, has said: ‘…For the first time ever whisky buyers will be able to draw upon my experience, knowledge and my vast collection of tasting notes at a time and place where it matters most…’, (i.e. at the checkout, so i’m guessing the whisky vendors will be rubbing their hands with glee)!

 

Janet’s a keeper

A bottle of  the 55 year-old Glenfiddich malt whisky we reported on a couple of weeks back has been sold at auction for a, (European) record breaking £46,850. The bottle is only one of 15 bottles produced to celebrate the birthday of Janet Roberts, Scotland’s oldest resident, who turned 110 earlier this year, is a member of the Grant family, (founders of the whisky), and lives next to the distillery in the Scottish Highlands.

The lady herself

The Janet Sheed Robers Reserve was put into casks in 1955 and finally bottled last month. The guide price in the Bonhams catalogue suggested anywhere between £30,000 and £35,000 with all proceeds going to the charity WaterAid.

If anything, Janet should be proud that she has become such a good marketing tool for Glenfiddich, who have made various reserves to celebrate her birthday in the past. In my view, it’s a very endearing story so here’s to another couple of 100 years to Mrs. Roberts!

That’s Aldi price

In the early hours of thursday morning, dedicated Aldi shoppers and whisky lovers, queued outside the discount supermarket in the hope of getting themselves a bottle of a 40-year old single malt whisky. 3000 bottles of the Glenbridge malt went on sale in 450 stores across the UK at the bargain price of just £49.99. The whisky itself is said to be from a Speyside distillery which has yet to be named. The supermarket claimed the bottle could be worth up to £300, indeed a spokesman for the store said he would not be surprised to see the bottles to fetch up to far more on eBay.

With only about 6 bottles at each store, many shoppers were left disappointed. Those arriving at one supermarket near Oxford at 8 am were told they had been beaten to it by even more enthusiastic shoppers who arrived at 6 am.

The supermarket says that those lucky enough to sample the Glenbridge malt will discover ‘a beautiful mahogany liquid, with the aroma of dark chocolate and dried figs,
the sweet taste gives off a marmalade zestiness and the dry oak tannins fade into a lingering sweet and mellow finish.’

With so few in circulation, Aldi’s claims will be hard to verify.

Holidays are coming…

So, the first week of December has been and gone, which means one of many things, but in particular whisky-fans, you are probably wondering when to buy your Christmas tree? But if you want to go one better than the neighbour’s no-drop Norwegian spruced- up pine-flavoured spruce, then maybe you should have a look at how our festive friends at Jack Daniel’s are celebrating.

Jack Daniel’s,with the help of Arnold KLP, Arnold Worldwide and UM London has created the barrel tree.  The 26 foot high ‘tree’ has been built out of 140 barrels and constructed in Lynchburg Tennessee. It will form an integral part of the brand’s global winter communications message, ‘…it’s not what’s under the tree that matters. It’s who’s around it’, running across TV, OOH, press and Facebook.

The appropriately sentimental TV ad’ sums up Jack Daniel’s’ recent sense of pride and does leave you feeling all warm and festive. So pat-on-the-back for the Bourbon choosing to edge in on the festive season in a way which is more than just a ‘limited edition’ bottle with a red ribbon tied around it. This at least will get people talking, or at least plotting how to do one better.

Personally, I think JD should also be praised for their excellent recycling endeavours. I mean America doesn’t have Guy Fawkes so I don’t think they’d be able to get away with a giant bonfire so this the most logical solution for all those pesky old barrels isn’t it?

Anyway, holidays are indeed on their way so I doubt this will be the last bit of festive advertising we see, but, for now, have a look at the TV spot and start thinking from where you might be able to get some of those barrels… I for one would love to build one in the office, answers in a comment please.

Step Together with Johnnie

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your Saturday night TV preferences, this is not  a new latin dance number. Instead, Johnnie Walker have decided, with the help of BBH, to continue the ‘Keep Walking’, ‘working-for-the-greater-good’ ethos, creating a new TV spot to be shown in Bulgaria, Brazil, Greece, Lebanon, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam.

The campaign will be integrated with a Facebook campaign, already active in Spain, which will encourage consumers to collect ‘steps’ as a virtual currency which they can then put towards a certain iniative which will benefit their community.

The ad’ itself was shot in Iceland and involved lots of extras and set building. It’s a pretty epic ad’ and it’s nice to see they have continued with the same tone and colouring as the Robbie Coltrane ad’ from a couple of years back. Welldone Stink & Glassworks London.

Jose Cuervo joins forces with OKGO

Ever wanted to be a rock-star? Well now Jose Cuervo is offering you that chance, allowing consumers to share the stage with the American band OKGo celebrated for their viral videos, (including a dance routine on treadmills)

The campaign revolves around the idea that a shot of new Cuervo cold doesn’t last forever and that fans, wanting to watch the band on stage, will have to pay close attention to the brand’s website to find out more about the up and coming gigs.

The band will take part in a series of shows across Sao Paulo and Rio which will culminate tonight in the first ‘shotcast’ a live video stream featuring the profile pictures of fans who have chosen to follow the band on Facebook, Twitter or use the gadget on the webpage.

In true OKGO fashion the images will not simply be displayed but will be instead become pixels of an entire image.

Overall, it’s a good bit of content, (courtesy of Albion, London), but I wonder if the brand’swish to make the feeling of Tequila last longer is a good thing?

How to spot a fake

Physicists at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland, have developed a tool to make sure the whisky you’ve spent your hard earned cash on isn’t a fake.

Using the principles of ‘spectroscopy’, (that’s ‘the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy’ to you and me, thank-you Mr. Wikipedia), the team have created a device which, when put together, looks like a flat piece of plastic, (polymethylsiloxane to be precise), a couple of centimetres thick with 4 channels in it all leading to the centre. When put into action, 2 channels will contain your precious whisky and the other 2 fibre optic cables connected to the spectrometer.

The device is useful for 2 things. Firstly it tests the level of alcohol,  (a note to any budding whisky distillers, you need 40% alcohol to qualify), and secondly it checks for certain essential chemicals, (collectively called ‘congeners’), and traces of wood from the barrels the whisky would have been matured in.

By comparing samples, scientists have been able to deduce a whisky’s brand, age and even the type of cask. So quite a clever bit of kit for all you gadget-enthusiasts, for others, it’s quite good information for the pub quiz.