The week in pictures

The great and good of the drinks industry descended on Cannes this week for the annual TWFA Duty Free and Travel Retail Global Summit. The highlight of the week, if we say so ourselves, was the spirits business beach party – a glittering event in which we celebrated the winners of the spirits business Vodka Masters 2014 and Travel Retail Masters 2014.

Bill Lumsden, Francois-Agathange Hallopeau, creative services director at Glenmorangie, Becky Paskin, editor of the spirits business, Neil Aitkin and Daisy Jones, associate publisher of the spirits business.

Held at the Carlton Beach Restaurant guests to the event, now in its seventh year, were treated to Tequila Corralejo and El Ron Prohibido cocktails expertly crafted by Du Kuyper’s team of bartenders, while revered bartender Nicholas St Jean returned for another year.

Team db weren’t the only ones to make an appearance in Cannes this week. Football superstar David Beckham also dropped by to promote his Haig Club Single Grain Scotch Whisky. Beckham joined Diageo executives in discussions with customers to talk about Haig Club’s potential and positioning in the travel retail channel.

No fewer than 29 award-winning wines, as judged in the drinks business Global Masters, were showcased at Bettane and Desseauve’s London Wine Experience this week. Organised by two of France’s most respected critics, the event took place at London’s Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea on 24 and 25 October. The Global Masters is a competition in which wines are judged blind based on grape, eliminating any prejudice about their country of origin. The wines showcased had all achieved either a gold or master medal in the Global Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon or rosé Masters.

The Glenlivet took over private members bar The Library in London, where global brand director Nicky Burgess unveiled a new “core expression”, Founder’s Reserve.

There was also a chance to sample another recent addition to The Glenlivet range: this 50-year-old single malt, which forms the first part of the brand’s Winchester Collection – yours for just £18,000.

Virgin Wines has raised £8,000 (R150,000) in support of the Pinotage Youth Development Academy in South Africa – an initiative that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds gain vocational skills. The business raised the donation by joining forces with M’Hudi, one of the Academy’s partner wineries, to sell the M’Hudi Pinotage to its 150,000 customers via the Virgin Wines website.

Sipsmith got into the Halloween spirit early at the launch of their shiny new distillery in Chiswick earlier this week with this artfully crafted pumpkin boasting the brand’s signature swan motif.

The evening saw entertainment provided by a jazz band, copious Sipsmith cocktails and venison burgers from The Wild Game Co., but it was the distillery’s three stills – Patience, Prudence and Constance – that stole the show.

db needed no persuading to head down to the Polo Bar at the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair this week to test drive its new cocktail menu. Highlights included the Scarlet Gem – a powerfully smoky martini cocktail made with Mezcal Joven and orange marmalade; and the Spiced Apple Daisy – a blend of Ketel One and Zubrowka vodka infused with chilli, lemon and bramble apple jam.

The bar, which recently won ‘London Bar of the Year’ at the 5th annual London Lifestyle Awards, also boasts a stellar bar menu with this tuna carpaccio dish, served with soy sauce and edamame beans, was a particular highlight.

Mitja Herga, winemaker at the Slovenian P&F Wineries, paid a visit to db towers this week to showcase its range of wines which focus strongly on the use of Furmint, a grape Herga believes to be one of Slovenia’s biggest strengths. P&F wineries is the biggest exporter of Slovenian wine globally exporting to more than 24 countries including the UK, USA, Brazil and Russia and was recently named Slovenia’s Winery of the Year. Both Waitrose and Tesco carry a selection of its wines with the winery recently teaming up with Bibendum to drive sales of its on-trade exclusive wine, Gomila.

db’s Andrew Oliver cut a lonely figure on the dance floor at the Côtes du Rhône quiz night yesterday. He was, fortunately, joined by three other members of the db team to take part in the annual quiz held at the The Law Society in London. Sadly db’s quiz knowledge was not up to scratch with the team finishing far from first place.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association gathered with members of the trade at Westminster this week to thank MPs for their support in abolishing the UK’s alcohol duty escalator in the 2014 Budget. Prior to the event the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, was presented with a framed message of gratitude on behalf of the wine and spirits industry Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive, in recognition of his decision. Since it was introduced in 2008, tax on wine had increased by 50% and by 44% on spirits, which campaigners argued was costing the industry “vital jobs and unfairly hitting consumers in the pocket”.

Bernard Hine, of Hine Cognac, found his sea legs aboard London’s HMS Belfast to celebrate the launch of the house’s Domaines Hine Bonneuil 2005 – a single estate vintage Cognac from its vineyards in the Grande Champagne and made from 100% Ugni Blanc.

And finally, Brandon Phillips took home the title of US winner of the Beefeater MIXLDN competition, which took place earlier this week. Judges were impressed by his Hackney Handshake – a serve comprised of Beefeater Gin, Lustau Manzanilla Sherry, “Movie Night Syrup” (made with Movie Night Tea from David’s Tea), a splash of lemon juice and egg white soda.