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Week in pictures: 14-20 October
This week in the world of drinks: Douglas Blyde heads to Berry Bros. to try some exceptional casks, and Jessica Mason attends the Brewers Congress.
Berry Bros. & Rudd: Exceptional Casks Dinner
Douglas Blyde writes: “Global brand ambassador for spirits at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Joe Whittaker, who ascended to the role since the retirement of the legendary perma-red sock-wearing, former Brands Heritage Director, Ronnie Cox, hosted an Exceptional Cask Dinner in the former barrel cellar, The Napoleon Cellar. Whittaker, a trained textile artist turned manager of Quo Vadis cocktail bar, then business development manager for Berry Bros. & Rudd noted, ‘every cask has a character’ as the tasting of a quartet of releases ensued for key trade accounts, press and influencers. On show: Benriach 1991, bottled in 2023 at 48.3% (£800) stemmed from a Speyside distillery mothballed in 1900 after a mere two years of production, which reopened 65 years later. With cardamon and praline notes and a waxen character, this was tonight’s lightest dram.
Next, a Blended Malt from 1979, bottled in 2023 at 52.6% (£451.25) almost certainly contained the spirits of Glenrothes and a brand ‘named after a certain tea clipper’ said Whittaker. To much laughter, he found aromas of ‘delicate hemp’, alongside desiccated coconut, and proved a favourite with the room. The third cask showcased the most expensive of the selection. Dufftown 1975, bottled in 2023 at 40.1% (£1,000) was selected by head of spirits management at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Felix Dear, in the job for two months having previously worked at Atom Brands in a similar role. Formerly a mill, its spirit has long been a component of the Bells blend, and here, featured sandalwood and smoked pineapple notes. Finally, from a lesser-known distillery in the Chivas Brothers portfolio, Miltonduff 1990, bottled in 2023 at 54.1% had fleshy peach and stewed apple notes. While the first three are currently available, this final dram is set for launch on 7th December at £550. ‘We’re proud to be the oldest independent bottler of spirits in the UK, having been doing it for over a century,’ concluded Whittaker.”
G0lden Vines Diversity Scholarships
At a press conference at Sotheby’s in Paris: Gary Owen, head of UK wine sales at Sotheby’s, Nina Basset and Romané Basset, co-founders of The Gérard Basset Foundation, with Sachindri Rana, Amrita Singh and Eduardo Bolaños, the winners of the Gérard Basset Foundation’s 2023 Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships.
Brewers Congress
db beer editor Jessica Mason attended the Brewers Congress at the London Design Centre in Islington, hearing from experts across the beer industry. While there, she spoke with John Keeling, former brewing director of Fullers, Smith & Turner, about the challenges the beer industry is facing.