Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round-up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way into our WFE email. Inbox features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Here is this week’s whisky news.
Chivas Regal
The popular Scotch blended brand of Chivas Regal has collaborated with Charles Leclerc, F1 driver and Chivas’ Global Brand Ambassador, to create a new travel retail exclusive whisky. The Chivas Regal 16 Years Old Charles Leclerc Edition saw him team up with Sandy Hyslop, the Master Blender for Chivas Regal. They have created the first ever 16 years old expression for the brand.
It features 16 whiskies, which are all aged for a minimum of 16 years, with an emphasis on ex-sherry cask maturation. The feature distillery is Longmorn in Speyside, which heavily influences many expressions of Chivas Regal. The number 16 has huge significance for Leclerc and is his F1 car racing number.
The new whisky is being premiered from today (May 1) in Miami international airport ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. Other US and world airports will follow after the activation in Miami ends on May 30. This includes the option of driving a lap in the Chivas track simulator and then enjoying a cocktail made with the 16 Years Old. The limited edition is bottled at 40% ABV and will cost US$60/ £64.
Isle of Raasay
The Isle of Raasay distillery has announced their latest limited edition bottling in its Oak Species Maturation Series – the Isle of Raasay Hungarian Oak Edition. The series explores different botanical species of the oak and how these varieties influence flavour and texture. The Hungarian oak (Quercus Petraea) was sourced from the Zemplén Mountains in Hungary. These were made into barriques and used to mature Oloroso sherry in Spain.
The ex-Oloroso sherry barriques were then sent to Raasay, with some filled with peated spirit and others with non-peated spirit. After maturation, these were married for the final bottling. The Isle of Raasay Hungarian Oak Edition is released at 50% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. There are just 8,000 bottles and these are available now from the distillery website and selected specialist UK retailers. Global markets will follow in the coming weeks. Each bottle will cost £80.
Johnnie Walker
The world’s best-selling Scotch whisky brand has launched a new travel retail exclusive bottling for its fabled Blue Label range. The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Azure is a limited edition release for the Summer travel season. It has been created by Emma Walker, Master Blender for Johnnie Walker. The whisky is designed to have a vibrant and coastal feel, which is reminiscent of hot Summer beach holidays. The new expression is bottled at 43% ABV and will cost £320/ US$430 a bottle.
The innovative release comes with a striking bottle design, created in partnership with renowned Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz. She is known for her coastal aesthetic. The bespoke bottle is housed in an exclusive custom bottle bag. This is designed to live on long after purchase, and providing effortless transportation for global travellers. The whisky will initially be available in UK airports, including a pop-up tasting bar in London Heathrow Terminal 4. This will be followed by major travel hubs across the world including Singapore Changi, Incheon, Hong Kong, Bogota, Nice and Paris.
Rosemaund
The English distillery of Rosemaund, which is located in the county of Herefordshire, has announced its second bottling. Rosemaund The Orchard Cut is a 10 year old single malt that has been matured exclusively in American oak ex-bourbon casks, and arrives just eight month’s after the distillery’s debut whisky release. It has been inspired by the renewed optimism of Spring at the farm distillery.
Rosemaund The Orchard Cut features just nine such casks that were filled between 2014 and 2016. These have yielded just 1,500 bottles. Half of these will be available via a ballot by Rosemaund – the enter this ballot, please sign up at www.rosemaund.com. The other half will be made available to selected specialist whisky retailers in the UK once the ballot has closed on May 30. Each bottle will cost £125.
