William Grant & Sons, has been recognised as Distiller of the Year at the International Spirits Competition (ISC) 2020 for the fifth consecutive year. The competition received more than 1,700 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide.
Brian Kinsman (pictured), Master Blender said,“I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the brilliant team at William Grant & Sons. Despite the challenges that this year has thrown at our industry, quality is always at the heart of everything we do, so to be recognised with this award is even more satisfying than in previous years. I would like to thank our global team of colleagues who work with passion and expertise to ensure we produce the best dram in the valley year after year.”
These trophies are in addition to nine ISC ‘double gold’ trophies presented to the company earlier this year across several of its whisky brands including Glenfiddich, Grant’s, The Balvenie and Drambuie. In total, William Grant & Sons received 74 medals recognising quality across its entire brand portfolio.
Now in its 25th year, ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe. The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, awarding only the highest calibre of spirits companies entered into the competition each year.
Glenfiddich introduced its fourth concept in its Experimental series: Fire & Cane, to the Scottish bar industry on Wednesday (24th October) at The Scotsman in Edinburgh and revealed its plan for the UK launch, which will be focussed on its homeland, Scotland.
Although Glenfiddich has experimented with peated whisky in the past, it wasn’t until 2003 that Malt Master Brian Kinsman trialled a return to this style and the concept for Fire & Cane was born. Fire & Cane boldly marries smoky whisky with non-peated malts that have matured side-by-side in bourbon casks, highlighting Glenfiddich’s sweet and fruity signature style. Taking it a step further, Kinsman finished the whisky in Latin rum casks to produce a surprising and unexpected overlay of flavours with added caramel toffee sweetness.
Fire & Cane will be will be available across bars and independent specialist retailers throughout Scotland and select specialist retailers in other parts of UK from the end of October 2018 with a RRP of £43.
Commenting on the liquid, Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman said: “This new single malt truly encapsulates the spirit of experimentation. We started with a question – what would happen if we did something with peat that we had not done before? The answer is an unconventional and unexpected whisky, one that is truly surprising.”
“During the tastings, some experienced the unusual smoky notes, while others tasted toffee flavours – this phenomenon can be attributed to the Scotch spending three months in sweet rum casks. It’s a bold combination, which I’m sure will appeal and intrigue single malt enthusiasts as well as those looking to try something new and different.”
The fire of the newest expression in the Experimental Series provides an explosion of campfire smokiness with oak and peaty notes, finished with lingering woodiness. The cane provides long-lasting sweetness by merging rich sweet toffee with green fruit character, baked apple, and toasted marshmallow with soft spice. Rum casks also help balance the dryness of the phenols and drive sweetness. Furthermore, by exclusively using naturally sweet American oak – sourced from the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky – Fire & Cane is certified kosher.
Glenfiddich Experimental Series combines the brand’s passion for pushing Scotch whisky boundaries whilst unlocking new possibilities in the true spirit of experimentation. Other releases in the series include the Glenfiddich IPA Experiment, Glenfiddich Project XX and Glenfiddich Winter Storm.
Fire & Cane comes in a coloured glass that seamlessly transitions from a black and brown base to clear glass to display the world’s favourite single malt Scotch whisky. The bottle was designed to showcase the juxtaposing flavours physically with the shift in colour.
William Grant & Sons has launched Ailsa Bay, a new single malt whisky from the Ailsa Bay Distillery.
Ailsa Bay is a state-of-the-art distillery created in 2007. It was initally built to combine the purpose of increasing capacity and supply of malt whisky for blending and growing demand, plus the capacity to develop a new style of peated whisky. With its unique advanced technologies and precise controls, the distillery allowed Master Blender Brian Kinsman and his team the ability to isolate and control more elements from the initial distillation, to the maturation process, which enabled optimal control over the type and quality of liquid produced. Rarely will a Master Blender be able to exercise more control of his craft and, at the same time, be given such space and encouragement to innovate.
Peter Gordon, Director of William Grant & Sons the visioner behind the project comments,“With Ailsa Bay, we wanted to create a very heavily peated whisky with all of the sweetness and smokiness we could muster, but also dial down on some of the medicinal notes that characterise some peated whiskies.”
He continues, “Ailsa Bay is a testament to our whisky-making expertise and the skills of our Master Blender Brian Kinsman. We invest heavily in keeping the innovation conveyor belt going. Hopefully, we can do this in a pioneering way that respects the traditions that our family has passed down through the generations.”
Master Blender Brian Kinsman comments, “Ailsa Bay Distillery has allowed us to do something extremely special. Using our precision distilling methods and a special process for cask maturation, I am able to carefully control the outcome of the whisky. With Ailsa Bay, I took exceptional peated malt and ex Baby Bourbon Hudson casks to create a whisky with a balance of smoke and sweetness, to occupy a new space on the flavour map.”