Following work Christmas parties, festive family get-togethers and Hogmany suppers, I wonder how many bottles of whisky will have featured on the tables of merry-makers this winter?
Whisky has long been a favourite of gentlemen, royalty and Robert Burns’ fans. The spirit has provided cures for toothache, colds and ailments and has been recommended for teething babies and nursing mothers. Steeped in tradition and superstition, many whisky distillers will provide strict instructions on how the drink should be best enjoyed. Whisky distillation is an institution and most famous Scottish distilleries use recipes that are over 200 years old to create the perfect malt! Quite understandably, there are very few new whisky producers and so when a new brand comes to market, its products will always be met with a critical eye.
However, in early December, Adnams, the English brewer and distiller, officially entered the market by unveiling not one, but two new whiskies. The tasting event, held at the wonderful Adnams Cellar & Kitchen store in Bloomsbury, marked one year until the new whiskies will be available to buy. As English whisky is very much a rarity, the Westgate team wanted to maximize the press attention surrounding this unusual tipple and invited journalists and whisky connoisseurs to attend the unveiling.
Many key drink and spirit journalists from national newspapers, consumer and trade magazines and bloggers came to the tasting. We also used the event as an opportunity to secure press trips to the distillery in Southwold for other media, to try the whisky there together with all the other drinks in the Adnams range.
Jonathan Adnams, CEO and John McCarthy, head distiller, introduced the tasting and presented the two types of whisky that Adnams has produced. The first is a single malt whisky made with East Anglian malted barley, which has been matured in new 100% French oak casks. The second is made with three malted grains: barley, wheat and oats, which have been matured in new American oak barrels.
The event provided us with a great opportunity to showcase the new spirits, as well as strengthen Adnams’ relationships with key journalist contacts and bloggers. We will continue to update all key media throughout the year as we countdown to the whiskies being launched.
We recommend that drinkers order the whisky before it is released in December 2013 so that they can look forward to settling down with a glassful of Adnams Whisky in front of a roaring fire. For us, the whisky was the perfect accompaniment to the cold, icy day and gave us a nice warm feeling before we headed outside to face the cold once more, proving that it is a truly brilliant winter warmer.