June 2018

Heineken is looking to Birra Moretti for growth with its innovative new draught beer system, BLADE.

Italian import Birra Moretti will combine with BLADE to deliver a premium, international craft draught beer experience and a “taste of home” to consumers in Italian restaurants, pizzerias, and other on-premise accounts that may have considered their beer volume too low to warrant the traditional draught system investment. Birra Moretti and BLADE is a way for smaller volume accounts to boost their beer profits with a unique system that guarantees brewery-fresh draught for 30 days and, with nearly 100% yield, ensures less waste.

Birra Moretti, Italian in origin and brewed with simple yet exceptional ingredients, has been chosen to lead the effort by Heineken USA to expand distribution of both the brand and the new draught system.

“Birra Moretti understands the genuine pleasure of pairing a great beer with great food in great company. Italian credentials, pleasure in ingredients and food, and authentic Italian cuisine and culture differentiates Birra Moretti from its competitors. With BLADE, this experience can be brought to new points of distribution, including pizza cafes, small restaurants, concessions and food halls.”
– Amberly Hilinski, Senior Brand Manager, Five Points Trading Company

Birra Moretti and BLADE

Birra Moretti and BLADE are being sold through Heineken USA’s Five Points Trading Company. Chicago, Boston and Metro New York are first up in the launch, followed soon thereafter by Baltimore, Albuquerque and the New England states.

“While Heineken is a world leader in managing and growing big brands, Five Points provides a dedicated and focused selling organization to smaller brands like Birra Moretti, so we can partner closely with distributors and adapt quickly to market opportunities. Birra Moretti and BLADE are set to capitalize on consumer curiosity about different international beers and to meet trade demand for profitable draught delivery.”
– Amberly Hilinski

BLADE fits on a countertop in a 12” x 19” area, requires no cleaning or maintenance, no installation, and weighs only 38 lbs. BLADE operates with Heineken USA’s proprietary BrewLock® system that pushes air between multiple layers within an 8-liter disposable PET keg, squeezing the inner wall and driving the beer out. The beer remains untouched by outside influences and is served only with the natural carbonation that is already in the beer. BLADE requires no keg deposit or costly line cleaning or CO2. Birra Moretti is a premium quality, award-winning Italian beer made in the traditional way utilizing a production process that has remained unchanged since 1859.

On-premise accounts who may have assumed their beer volume was too low to justify a traditional draught program, can now get into the game easily and profitably with a unique new system paired with a beer brand that satisfies their customers’ demand for choice. BLADE and Birra Moretti is the new way to operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

For more information, email ConsumerAffairs@FivePointsTradingCompany.com, or order the BLADE unit directly at OrderTheBlade@MicroMatic.com.

For more information, visit HEINEKENUSA.com.

The post Heineken Taps Birra Moretti to Drive Tabletop Draught ‘BLADE’ Innovation appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The Macallan, the world’s most admired single malt Scotch whisky, has revealed its new distillery and visitor experience, now officially open.

Located on the stunning Easter Elchies estate, the property has been home to The Macallan since 1824. From humble beginnings, the brand has become the leading international single malt by value and enjoys top positions in some of the world’s most significant Scotch whisky markets including the United States, Taiwan, and Japan. It is the first distillery in Speyside to be designed by an internationally acclaimed and award-winning architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, known for their groundbreaking work on projects such as the Terminal 4 Madrid Barajas Airport and International Towers in Sydney.

The Macallan New Distillery

Edrington, The Macallan’s parent company, is investing £500 million ($674M USD approx.) in the brand of which the £140 million ($255M USD approx.) distillery is the centerpiece. This program increases investment in whisky, warehousing, and particularly in The Macallan’s signature sherry-seasoned oak casks. When the distillery and visitor experience opens its doors, guests will be able to experience The Macallan’s Six Pillars like never before. Each of the Six Pillar exhibits feature an interactive and tech-driven interaction that brings the brand’s legendary whisky making process to life. From the sherry casks seasoned in Spain, to the curiously small stills, each point of the production is showcased for visitors to experience.

Announced in 2012, the project build began in December, 2014, taking three years and six months total to complete.

The Macallan New Distillery

Elgin-based construction company Robertson has delivered the complex architectural design, working with 25 contractors to bring the vision for the new distillery and visitor experience to life. During construction, up to 400 people specializing in more than 20 different trades were employed on site. The striking piece of contemporary architecture is cut into the slope of the land, taking its cues from ancient Scottish hills and maximizing the aesthetic beauty of the building whilst minimizing the visual impact on the Speyside landscape, which has been classified as an “Area of Great Landscape Value.” The undulating timber roof structure is one of the most complicated timber roof structures in the world, comprising 380,000 individual components.

The new stills within the working distillery were crafted by Scottish coppersmiths Forsyths, who have been making the brand’s distinctive, “curiously small” stills for The Macallan since the 1950s—the new stills are an exact replica of the originals. While the new distillery will allow for production to increase, the same great quality of The Macallan will remain untouched.

The Macallan New Distillery

“This is an exciting occasion for Edrington and The Macallan. The unsurpassed quality of The Macallan is in high demand and we face the future confidently with this new distillery. It’s an authentic, abiding, ambitious investment that will match consumer expectations for generations to come. When the doors open in June, we expect this new Macallan enterprise to deliver significant benefits for the tourism industry, Scotch whisky exports, and the economy.”
– Ian Curle, Chief Executive, Edrington

The Macallan New Distillery

“As The Macallan has grown globally it has been very important that we make sure we can sustain demand for this wonderful amber liquid. We’ve taken exceptional care in making sure that the spirit that is produced in the new distillery is identical to the spirit that we produced in our previous distillery. This is the beginning of a really exciting new chapter in the evolution of this wonderful brand that is The Macallan.”
– Ken Grier, Creative Director, The Macallan

The Macallan New Distillery

“The Macallan estate truly is a special place; a place we have come to love and respect hugely. The vision was always ambitious but this enabled us to challenge our own thinking to create something so dramatic and awe-inspiring. It has been an honor to play our part in shaping the next chapter for The Macallan.”
– Graham Stirk, Senior Partner and Lead Architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The Macallan New Distillery

For more information, visit US.TheMacallan.com.

The post The Macallan Opens New Distillery and Visitor Experience in Speyside appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Brockmans Gin has given a contemporary twist on one of the most classic drinks.

Summer Negroni

Summer Negroni

A delectable take on the classic 

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Brockmans Gin
• 1 part Sweet Vermouth
• 1 part Aperol
• 4 Raspberries

Preparation: Muddle 4 raspberries in a shaker. Add ice and all the other ingredients and shake until chilled. Double strain into a rocks glass over an ice ball and garnish with a slice of dehydrated orange.

The post Chilled Drink of the Week: Brockmans Summer Negroni appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. has announced its latest gin moonshot.

An amplified, assertive Juniper forward expression of a distilled American Dry Gin—Double distilled in American made alembic copper pot-stills, using a grape brandy base and honey with no neutral spirits. The Moons Of Juniper is non-chill filtered with no added flavors post-distillation.

“Our ambition is to be America’s most imaginative brandy producer, and also to perhaps aspire to be its most inventive gin distiller. We’re looking at exploring across the universe. This is a very confident gin, it could very well blow your mind and sweep you off your feet. You may start to say F* me! like a Gallagher brother and begin singing Wonderwall.”
– Joe Heron, Copper & Kings Founder

Crushed whole juniper berries together with honey and classic gin botanicals; sweet orange peel, coriander, cardamom, angelica and grains of paradise are macerated for an extended period in warm grape brandy low-wine, then re-distilled together with vapor-distilled pulverized whole juniper berries, additional sweet orange peels and jasmine in the vapor basket.

“Nightswimming in Kentucky. Like a shooting star in an inky dark night at the lake. This is a wonderful gin, very drinkable. We wanted to make it accessible at 96 Proof versus a higher over-proof. We added honey during distillation to smooth out some of the harsher edges of aggressive juniper and layer smoothness and viscosity to the overall libation. There’s a TON of Juniper in this, and juniper, especially crushed and pulverized, is quite oily, so we have a gin that has a nice cloudy tendency. We used sweet orange to add warmth and accessibility, and lime and grapefruit for brightness, for an overall relaxed tonality. I could describe it in this way—if a standard gin is a ‘lager’ in terms of intensity, then the Moons is an ‘IPA’ in terms of Juniper assertiveness. For all its sense of drama it’s not clumsy at all, very well built, a nice thoughtful structure with beautiful harmony.”
– Brandon O’Daniel, Copper & Kings Head Distiller

Moons of Juniper Gin

“This is the sun shining on the shaft of a sharp knife. It acts like summer but walks like rain. It’s very drinkable, totally comfortable in an expressive junipery gin & tonic, it can stand up to spicy ginger beer in a Gin-Gin Mule, a mighty Gibson, and for those bartenders who like to work—the Ramos is stunning. Overall, it’s a big-ass gin, with lovely citrus notes but still piney crisp on the palate.”
– Michael Padgett, Copper & Kings Head Bartender

Copper & Kings The Moons Of Juniper Dry Gin (96 proof/48% ABV) $40/750mL is available at the distillery and through a limited number of select fine retailers and bars across the Copper & Kings distribution footprint.

For more information, visit CopperAndKings.com.

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Source: Mixology News

North American CEO and Beverage Industry Veteran Charles Gibb Leads Talented Team.

Fever-Tree, the world’s leading producer of premium tonics and mixers, following a six-month transition period, has taken over direct control of its U.S. operations through its U.S. subsidiary, Fever-Tree USA. Headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y., Fever-Tree USA will be responsible for all aspects of the Group’s North American business including importation, warehousing, distribution, marketing, sales and direct customer relationships.

Established in 2005 by Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, Fever-Tree has been the pioneer of the global premium mixer category, putting quality, choice and excitement back into a long-neglected category. Recognizing the growth in premium spirits was not being matched by the accompanying mixers, Charles and Tim set out to change this, going back into the history books and travelling to some of the world’s most remote, beautiful and dangerous places in their quest to source the highest quality ingredients to create their range of premium tonics, ginger beers, and ginger ales.

Fever-Tree Product Range

Since first entering the U.S. market in 2007, this pioneering approach to taste and quality has seen Fever-Tree become the fastest growing and No. 1 premium mixer brand in the U.S., endorsed by the country’s leading taste makers and spirits brands, helping to transform the perception and quality of the wider mixer category within both on-premise and off-premise.

Today marks the next step forward, signaling Fever-Tree’s commitment to and focus on the North American market. The U.S. premium mixer sector represents a significant opportunity given the existence of the dynamic trends of premiumization, authenticity and mixability that exist in the market today. As the market leader already, Fever-Tree USA intends to expand further, driving both innovation, as well as new products and formats to enhance every drinking experience.

Fever-Tree USA is spearheaded by Charles Gibb, Fever-Tree’s North American CEO, a beverage industry leader with nearly three decades experience at Moët Hennessy, Diageo and Bacardi, latterly as President and CEO of Belvedere Vodka. Charles will lead a team of over 30 full time Fever-Tree employees across sales, based in key metropolitan areas, marketing, finance and supply chain.

“The last 11 years has seen Fever-Tree establish a great platform in the U.S. and this move to a directly controlled structure underscores our belief in the tremendous opportunity that exists in the market. Thanks to Fever-Tree’s entrepreneurial culture, we have rapidly built an exceptionally talented team and infrastructure in less than five months and we are set to hit the ground running. With the same trends of premiumization across the wider spirits category and a move to simple long mixed drinks as witnessed by the growing popularity of the Mule and other simple cocktails, the U.S. represents an incredibly exciting opportunity for Fever-Tree. With a designated team in place and ample resources, Fever-Tree USA looks forward to working closely with our key customers and distributor partners as we continue to innovate and disrupt the wider mixer category.”
– Charles Gibb, Fever-Tree’s North American CEO

Resources are aimed to scale the growing business, broadening awareness of the portfolio and reinforcing the simple concept the brand has held since inception: “If 3/4 of your drink is the mixer, mix with the best.”

For more information, visit Fever-Tree.com.

The post Fever-Tree Takes Over Direct Control of U.S. Operations appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Crown Royal has released the third expression in its Noble Collection, Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash, a rare stock of the Canadian whisky made with a corn-forward mash bill.

Carefully aged in new, charred American oak barrels for no less than 13 years, this is the first age statement offered from the Canadian whisky brand, the world’s best selling Canadian Whisky. It is a rare stock of Canadian Whisky made with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% barley malt, and is one of the five unique whiskies that comprise of Crown Royal’s signature blends. The complexity of the liquid intensifies with the aging process, bringing out richer and deeper notes of caramel and fruit. This remarkably smooth and layered whisky is hand selected from reserve stock, revealing its noble roots with every sip.

The Crown Royal Noble Collection is a series of limited annual releases that celebrates the skilled craftsmanship of thier distillers and blenders, and their dedication to the art of creating extraordinary whiskies.

Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash, and each Noble Collection expression to follow, will be available nationwide in limited quantities and will provide an opportunity for the Crown Royal distillers and blenders to experiment with different techniques offering unique, limited edition whisky.

Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash

• Appearance: Amber

• Nose: Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash begins with a nose of orchid fruits, butterscotch with a hint of toasted oak

• Taste: Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash encompasses the taste of rich caramel, vanilla and toffee notes

• Look and Feel: Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash is packaged in a sleek bottle with a crystal-cut style base and a re-sealable cork top. A thick, purple bag with gold accents encases a bottle and the carton is a rich purple with an iridescent glow

Crown Royal 13-Year-Old Blenders’ Mash was named Best Canadian Whisky and received a Double Gold Medal at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

For more information, visit CrownRoyal.com.

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Source: Mixology News