David Kiley
BMW to Show 6 Series Coupe in Shanghai
BMW will unveil its 6 Series coupe at the Shanghai Motor Show next month, highlighting in part the importance of the China market for the German automaker.Media insiders got a look at a "concept" 6 Series coupe last September at the Paris Motor Show, but this will be the final production version. It will arrive in European and U.S. showrooms by this Fall.
The coupe will face stiff competition against the Jaguar XK and Mercedes E-Class coupe, as well as the recently introduced Cadillac CTS-V Coupe -- which has been extremely well received by the motoring press.
The 650i will come with an 8 cylinder gas engine, while the 640i is powered by a 6-cylinder. Both are fitted with an 8-speed sports automatic gearbox as standard equipment. A diesel powered version will follow the launch.
The price in Europe for the 640i Coupe will be about $106,000 (74,700 euros).
Jack Daniel's Launches Tennessee Honey: First New Whiskey in a Generation
Jack Daniel's is about to roll out its first new expression in a generation: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey.The new libation starts with Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 and mingles it with a special honey liqueur. The result is a smoother, sweeter version of Jack that is just 70-proof. It is a clear and understandable attempt to pull more women into drinking Jack. There is even a cute honeybee on the label. Older drinkers might take a shine to it, as well. I can see my late Aunt Letitia or even my North Carolina Gram sipping Jack's Honey.
The addition of liqueur does give the finish a vaguely medicinal, cough-syrup taste in the background of other flavors like butterscotch, pear and honey.
Bartenders are just getting samples to play with, but I can see Old Fashions being made with Jack Honey, as well as Mint Juleps that are made with Old No. 7 instead of Kentucky Bourbon. The Derby is right around the corner, too.
Price: About $22.00 for a 750 ml bottle.
The Dalmore Launches Rivers and Castle Leod
The Dalmore whiskey label has released the second generation of its Castle Leod special edition, which raises money for the restoration of Castle Leod in Scotland.Previously, The Dalmore had released an expression, MacKenzie, which raised 20,000 pounds toward renovation costs. Castle Leod was built in 1606 and is occupied by descendants of the original family owners--members of the MacKenzie Clan. It is located in the town of Strathpeffer in the Highlands.
The whisky was distilled in 1995 and has spent the majority of its time since maturing in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, before transferring for the last 18 months to red wine casks that previously held Cabernet Sauvignon wine and were sourced from a Premier Cru vineyard in the Bordeaux region of France.
There will be just 5,000 bottles made available for sale of Castle Leod. The price is 100 pounds per bottle, or $161.00.
The color is dark amber and the nose is rich and powerful with exaggerated aromas. There are notes of caramel, treacle, oranges and malted barley grains. Subtle notes of honey and vanilla are join in, and finally the red wine aromas kick in.
Five Awesome Irish Whiskey Sips for St. Patrick's Day
Irish whiskey makers will have a prosperous St. Patrick's Day as their particular brand of elixir remains one of the fastest growing segments of the spirits business.
Jameson Irish whiskey, the world's leading brand, reported a strong 16 percent spike in sales by volume (shipments to liquor stores) in the last six months of 2010. The brand sold more than three million cases during 2010, with one million of these cases consumed in the United States. In the U.S., sales were up a hefty 27 percent.
Though the market is dominated by two brands, Jameson and Bushmill's, there are several other brands of Irish whisky to consider laying in for the holiday, or giving as a gift.
Bulleit Shoots a New Premium Rye Into the Market
When Bulleit Bourbon hit the shelves in 1999, it's high Rye content, as well as its unique apothecary-style bottle put it on the map right away with Bourbon fans. A dram more than a decade after it started rolling through the market, Bulleit has come forth with a straight rye.Rye is on the rise, especially with bartenders who seem to have rediscovered it in the last couple of years. But rising popularity is still relative. Heaven Hill, for example, says it can produce a year's worth of its Rittenhouse Rye in about a day. Some of the popularity and increased consumption is coming about because of new brands and expressions, though, like Jim Beam's Ri1.
Straight rye whiskey must have at least a 51 percent rye mashbill. But Bulleit Rye is 95 percent with the remaining 5% from malted barley. That contrasts with Bulleit Bourbon, which is just 28 percent rye.
Tom Bulleit, founder of the brand, says he has been working on the rye for seven years. The company says that it sources its rye from Germany, Sweden, Canada and the United States. Bulleit Bourbon is made at the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Four Roses Distillery.
Bulleit Rye is aged in new, white-oak barrels that are charred to the maximum #4 level, says the company, before being filled. The whiskey is bottled at 90 proof (45 percent alcohol by volume), the same as Bulleit Bourbon. And the suggested retail price is $27.99.
Audi A3 Sedan To Join Mercedes B Class and BMW Front-Drive Cars
German luxury car brands are continuing to reach lower in price and smaller in size to attract more Generation Y premium shoppers, as well as some Gen X and Baby Boomers who have seen their wealth, if not their taste in brands, shrink in the last couple of years.The latest is Audi's apparent plans to bring the A3 sedan to the U.S. for the 2013 model year. Audi currently sells just the Audi A3 five-door hatch in the U.S. The German company sold 6,558 of those last year, and there is speculation that the company could sell some 10,000-15,000 sedans a year if it brought it to the U.S.
Anticipation Builds For LVMH's Nashik Sparklers from India
The global wine industry took notice when LVMH's Moet Hennessy bought its first 150 tons of grapes that were crushed in Nashik, India, where about 60 wine producers call home.The Times of India quoted Indian wine writer, Alok Chandra as saying, 'Moet's move to enter India's wine sector is significant as it has a history of investing ahead of the curve in most big wine markets outside France.'
Moet's plan is to produce a local Nashik sparkling wine by 2012. In fact, the producer of Moet Chandon and Dom Perignon Champagne is buying land to construct a sparkling wine production facility over the next two years. [A Nashik vineyard pictured]
Brown Forman Introduces Collingwood Canadian Premium Whisky
Brown-Forman, the parent company behind Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, Early Times and Southern Comfort has launched Collingwood Canadian whisky, a new premium brand in the company's portfolio.Collingwood, a blend of two whiskies, takes its aging in white oak barrels, but receives a finishing stage in casks made of toasted maple wood. Master Distiller Chris Morris perhaps not coincidentally this year released a new expression from Woodford Reserve Masters Collection that is maple finished.
"Sugar maple does not lend itself to barrel making the way oak does," Morris told Luxist in a recent interview. "But we can work with it in finishing stages, and it imparts a very unique flavor and finish to the whisky that is very desirable."
Water for Collingwood is spring water drawn Ontario's Georgian Bay. The whisky is triple distilled. And the new brand is bottled in a unique flask-style bottle with a large "over-cap."
The whisky is smooth at 80-proof, and not as rye-centered as other Canadian whiskies. Notes of applesauce, cedar, butterscotch and molasses are in the nose.
The new brand is initially available in Texas, Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana, hitting more markets throughout 2011. A 750ml bottle will retail for around $27.
Cadillac Named Customer Service Champ
Cadillac was named best automotive brand for customer service by J.D. Power and Associates, rising from the number-two spot it occupied last year.The honor comes after the research firm measured five key customer touch points: people, presentation, process, product and price. According to GM, Cadillac's improving customer service scores are due, in part, to sales associates training with Ritz-Carlton service consultants. Cadillac partnered last year with the luxury hotelier on its first series of training programs, called "Defining Moments" aimed at elevating the customer experience.
Consumer Reports Names Infiniti G37 "Top Pick" Sports Sedan
The 2011 Infiniti G37 has been named a "Top Pick" by influential Consumer Reports in the sports sedan category, besting such competitors as the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.CR is highly regarded because it accepts no advertising -- so is seen as isolated from pressure from advertisers. The magazine's testers buy cars anonymously to ensure they are typical of what you'd get. Most other auto testers evaluate vehicles borrowed from automakers, which have been specially maintained and are often loaded with features.
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