Staging Dram Scotland

Tag: whisky auction

William Grant & Sons’ #STANDFAST Charity Auction to raise cash for trade charities

Trade charities The Drinks Trust and The BEN Scotland will receive all the funds from the next William Grant & Sons #STANDFAST Campaign event – a charity auction, which will see the family-owned company put their largest-ever archive under the gavel in support of hospitality workers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The auction sees a range of biddable items including rare and aged liquids, physical and virtual experiences, merchandise and unique memorabilia, bartenders essentials, as well as ‘one-offs’ and exclusives.

Hosted by Whisky.Auction from 19th – 28th July, the catalogue will feature items and experiences from Hendrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Sailor Jerry, Tullamore D.E.W., Grant’s, Drambuie, Ailsa Bay and Reyka Vodka, As well as the proceeds going to the two charities the registration fees will also be donated.

Bidders will be able to get their hands on a Monkey Shoulder cocktail Konga Shaker, sets of Tullamore D.E.W. tumbler glasses, jiggers and Sailor Jerry cocktail shaker kits, whilst collectors can also court the unattainable, off-market items, such as a bottle of Glenfiddich Winter Storm – 21-Year-Old – Batch 1 and a hand-crafted Morgan vintage-style sports car from The Balvenie and special aged liquids for the dedicated spirits connoisseurs. In-person experiences include a rare opportunity for the curious to visit the Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Scotland and meet Master Distiller Leslie Gracie, a raffle prize of an at-home cocktail party with the impressive Monkey Shoulder mixer truck, as well as getting shoulder to shoulder with Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE at The Balvenie Blending Lab.

Created to help get bartenders back to work and support the On Trade, the #STANDFAST Campaign has seen William Grant & Sons UK donating to emergency funds via The Drinks Trust and The BEN Scotland, rewarding creativity and passions at home with its Difford’s Guide ‘Bartenders @ Home’ initiative, raising significant additional funds through the Reyka Runners Hospo Half running event, as well as supplying millions of litres of ethanol for hand sanitiser production.

Neil Barker, Managing Director, William Grant & Sons UK & Ireland, commented, “Extraordinary times demand extraordinary solutions. The Hospitality industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, and we are delighted to stand shoulder to shoulder with The Drinks Trust and The BEN in Scotland to alleviate hardship. There is something for everyone in this unique collection of items, experiences and liquids, and we hope to raise a significant amount of money for these great causes.”

Chris Gardner, CEO The BEN in Scotland said, “It’s heart-warming to have received such support from leading spirits brands for workers who’ve seen significant impacts to their livelihoods. We are grateful to see such best-loved brands stepping up and bringing our community together in such a time of need.”

Ross Carter, CEO of The Drinks Trust, added, “This auction comes at a time where the drinks and hospitality industry is in need of assistance more than ever. We are truly grateful to William Grant & Sons for creating this one-of-a-kind #STANDFAST Charity Auction, which is set to deliver much-needed support to our industry which has been affected by the pandemic like no other.”

All items in the catalogue will go live for preview on 15th July. Registration to bid is £5 with all proceeds contributing to the auction donation total for The Drinks Trust and The BEN Scotland, as well as raffle entry to win an at-home cocktail party with the Monkey Shoulder mixer truck. Visit http://Whisky.Auction to pre-register.

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Whisky Ambassadors unite again to raise awareness and funds for the Ben

Whisky Ambassadors from across the world have once again collaborated to raise awareness and funds for Scottish drinks industry charity the Ben.  The second annual online auction will be hosted by Whisky.Auction  (https:/whisky.auction.) between the 18th -27th of August 2019. 
Once again The Ambassadors’ collection is full of rare and special whisky bottles donated by a range of whisky companies. Amongst them a bottle of 43 Year Old Ladyburn, matured in a single cask (bottle number 4 of 60) and bottled at cask strength by independent bottler Blackadder. Also in the auction is a Mystery Bottle of Malt Whisky donated by The Whisky Exchange.
The money raised will be donated to The Ben, a charity that supports people of all ages who have worked in the licensed trade for at least three years full-time with beneficiaries receiving annual financial assistance as well as discretionary grants for emergency situations. As well as financial support, the charity also operates the picturesque BEN Pitlochry Estate on the banks of the River Tay, consisting of 18 bungalows which are rented at subsidised rates for eligible residents.
Last year, Andy Bell, International Sales Manager for Isle of Arran Distillers, and Craig Johnstone, Former Business Development Manager for Brown Forman, came up with the idea of asking industry friends to donate a bottle from each of their distilleries. If they had enough interest they would put a charity auction together.
From this discussion over a dram, The Ambassadors’ Collection was born. To say they had no idea what to expect would be an understatement. Andy and Craig knew that the industry would rise to the occasion, and would have been delighted with a random lot of signed bottles that would be auctioned off as a unique collection. They were blown away by the level of lot on offer.
 Co-Founder Andy Bell said, “The way that everyone heard the call-to-arms and collaborated on this, from managing directors and master blenders to sales people and ambassadors really highlighted the cooperative nature of the Scotch Whisky industry at large. We realised that as well as raising cash for a good cause, auctioning The Ambassadors’ Collection would allow us to show our collaborative nature to the world.”
In August of 2018 the first ever Ambassadors’ Collection auction went live and raised over £10,000 which was donated to The Ben.
Chris Gardner, Chief Executive at The Ben, said, “We really appreciated all the hard work and donations from everyone involved in the Ambassadors’ Collection auction last year. We were so surprised and delighted with the wonderful result of £10,150. The funds helped our 150 trade beneficiaries throughout Scotland and our new mental health campaign and roadshows which we will be rolling out throughout the country in the coming months. A little effort by a lot of people brought us a fantastic result, thank you all once again.”
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