Guy Ritchie may become the latest celebrity to have his own liquor brand. The Sun reports that the film director and spouse of Madonna is interested in creating his own malt whisky. But for Ritchie no ordinary tipple will do, He's been sampling 33-year-old malts lately at The Punch Bowl pub, in London's Mayfair area that he and Madonna bought recently. He feels that he could create the most expensive and prestigious brand in the world.Gallery: Celebrity Liquor
Just in time for Father's Day, artisanal British spirits company Compass Box has released a new limited edition bottling of its rare old "Hedonism" Scotch grain whisky. Compass Box calls Scotch grain whisky the "forgotten" spirit. Its origins go back to the early 1800s, but these days it's not made to be drunk on its own. Made from wheat or corn and distilled in a continuous still, it's not aged like malt, but rather used to as a base for the marquee brands of blended Scotch - filler, in other words. Gallery: Compass Box Whisky
Scotch whisky is getting more and more popular.The Scotch Whisky Association has reported that the value of exports reached a new high of £2.8b billion last year. With the rise in exports comes the demand for more and more premium bottles inspiring whisky distillers to create more and more expensive bottles. Case in point, the latest from Highland Park, a 40-year-old single malt whisky which is the oldest in their portfolio. The whisky is described as a "a balance of toffee, dark chocolate, orange zest and heather peat smokiness" and comes in an oak stained wood box with a leather booklet explaining the history of the brand. The whisky will sell for £899 per bottle. Hopefully this whisky won't get lost in transit like some of their 32-year-old single malt recently did.
A Canadian whisky has to surrender its name as part of the ongoing battle to protect the name of Scotch whisky. A court has decided that Glen Breton, the only single malt whisky produced in Canada, has to drop the "glen" part of the name because it might fool people into thinking the brand is Scotch whisky. Scottish brands often have names such as with a "glen" in the title such as Glenfiddich, Glenlivet or Glenmorangie.
Yesterday I mentioned the Edrington Group's investment in The Macallan but they have also divested themselves of a few smaller distilleries. One of them, the Glenglassaugh distillery, which was built in 1875 but hasn't been operational since 1986, has been sold to a Dutch investment house for £5 million. The distillery in the village of Portsoy on the Moray coast, will be brought up to full working order over the next year and could make up to one million litres of whisky once it gets going. It is expected to appeal to malt collectors around the world in search of smaller brands. Certainly the investors in this project are buying a name and a history as much as physical property similar to those who are picking up the smaller wine estates in France.
Glenmorangie whisky have a new treat this Valentine season. The whisky maker has teamed up with Paul A Young Fine Chocolates, to create whisky truffles made from the Trinitario cocoa bean and the Glenmorangie Quarter Century. The truffles are handmade and hand painted with gold and gold leaf. The truffles are meant to be a perfect pairing for the Glenmorangie Quarter Century whisky. A box of eight sells for £40.
We don't celebrate Burns night here in the States but January 25, which celebrates poet Robert Burns is a big celebration in Scotland and other places. The traditional Burns celebration supper includes the Scottish delicacy haggis and readings from Burns's work. Along with the store Harvey Nichols, Glenmorangie has created the ultimate 'Glenmorangie Burns Night Hamper' to accompany a Glenmorangie Burns Night Dinner uniquely hosted by 'A Burns Night Specialist.' With the hamper the customer receives a Harvey Nichols 'Chef's Consultation' to help with food and whisky pairing and suggest alternatives to the traditional Burns Night dinner (haggis is definitely not a taste everyone enjoys). On the night, the hamper will be delivered by a Burn's Night host who will host the dinner, creating Glenmorangie cocktails through out the evening. At the end of the dinner the rare Glenmorangie Quarter Century will be served in a Riedel decanter and glasses with Paul Young chocolates that have been especially hand-crafted with platinum gold leaf created to be paired with the whisky.
One of Scotland's oldest distilleries may be reopened after being closed for more than 20 years. The Glenglassaugh distillery at Portsoy in Banffshire is part of the Edrington Group, which includes The Macallan, Famous Grouse and Highland Park. They are reportedly selling to a consortium of buyers from Eastern Europe for as much as £3 million. The distillery, was founded in 1875 and closed since 1986. ScotchWhisky.net has pictures of the distillery including the gleaming copper stills.
The Islay Weblog has another update on the question of the age of the "1851 Mutter Bowmore," the whisky bottle that fetched $59,200 in September. The actual age of the bottle has been questioned with a variety of people pointing out that the bottle and the label seem to indicate that the bottle might be younger than the date given. Iain Russell, the archivist at the Scottish Brewing Archive based at Glasgow University, has pointed out anomalies that would date the bottle in the 1890s. 
In the past few years, we've seen wine producers in various countries fight to protect the integrity of their product. The UK government is figuring out how to enact a similar type of protection for Scotch whisky. The government is seeking to create a new law that will define Scotch's geographical origins and make it harder for foreign imitations to compete against Scotch in the world. Potential legislation would define the descriptions of Scotch whisky, such as single malt or blended grain, as well as the terroir such as Highland or Islay . With markets like China and India proving to be huge markets for Scotch and with the amount of whisky fraud steadily on the rise, it is becoming increasingly important for the identity of Scotch whisky to be firmly, and legally, established.
The George Dickel Whisky company seems to be interested in testing the laws of supply and demand. While most whisky makers are figuring out ways to make more whisky in order to satiate the growing Chinese and Indian markets, George Dickel actually shut down production of its George Dickel Whisky No. 8 from 1999 to 2003, trying to reduce inventory of the whisky. Now there is a shortage of the Tennessee tipple. Dickel has now turned the decision into a marketing campaign placing ads apologizing for the shortage and blaming it on the the popularity of the brand. Dickel hasn't released their production figures. The No. 8 must be aged for five years. The company faced a glut of Dickel during the 1990s. The company would like consumers to know that there are many other varieties of Dickel available.
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