The next TWAS Tasting is now set.

Where: Lark Distillery, Hobart.
When: Monday, 28th May, 2007
Time: 7pm
Price: $50 per person
Theme: Japanese Whisky

I hope to see everyone there…

RSVP via email to: richard@twas.com.au

Gatherings | Comments Off

Hobart’s Lark Distillery, makers of superb single malt whiskey, is doing great business and has big plans for the future.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Graeme Sturges, says the company is an outstanding success story.

“Lark currently employs seven people and has identified further interstate and overseas markets following a visit to the US recently.”

“The State Government, through the Department of Economic Development, recently awarded the Lark Distillery an Enterprise Growth Program Grant of $10,000 to assist with the preparation of a strategic plan for a potential Tasmanian investor.”

“A Tasmanian investor is looking to make a substantial investment in the business for a small share of the equity.”

“Lark has identified new markets in Scotland and the US and is proceeding quickly to expand production to meet this demand.”

“Such has been the success of the business that it is looking to move to a new five acre production facility at Cambridge to satisfy demand for their product, ” Mr Sturges said.

The State Government’s Enterprise Growth Program helps businesses meet the costs of engaging expertise to assist with business growth.

To be eligible for a grant, businesses must be based in Tasmania, have an indicative annual turnover of $500,000, be exporting, have the capacity to grow and be able to demonstrate net benefits to the Tasmanian economy.

Anyone interested in applying for an Enterprise Growth Program grant should contact the Department of Economic Development’s Business Point number 1800 440 026.

Bill Lark from Lark Distillery can be contacted on 6231 9088, he will be back at work on Tuesday 10 April.

Australian Whisky, News Items | Comments Off

French wines and spirits group Remy Cointreau has launched its most expensive ever cognac which, at 7,000 euros ($A11,503) a bottle, may also be a world record.

Company spokeswoman Joelle Jezequel said the limited-edition version of Remy Martin’s top Louis XIII cognac, sold normally for 2,000 euros ($A3,286) a bottle, was designed to satisfy booming global demand for super-premium brands.

“We are sure collectors will snap this up,” she said.

Just 786 numbered bottles of the “Black Pearl” cognac are being produced, all drawn from a single 100-year-old barrel.
 
Each hand-blown carafe is made from special smoked glass by luxury crystal maker Baccarat.

“I think it must be the most expensive (cognac) ever,” Jezequel said.

Rival cognac makers Martell and Hennessy , which are also both seeking to tap the super-premium market, were not immediately available to comment.

^{Source: NineMSN}

General | Comments Off

A Scotch whisky blend bottled two years ago to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johnnie Walker may fetch as much as 16,000 pounds (USD$31,600) when sold later this month, according to the auctioneer.

The bottle of Johnnie Walker 1805 was produced by Diageo Plc, the world’s largest liquor maker, from a mix of whiskies at least 45 years old and mainly from distilleries that have since closed. It goes on sale in London on April 25, the Bonhams auction house said in an e-mailed statement today.

The prices collectors are willing to pay for Scotch have risen, though typically for older, single malts. Bonhams sold a half-sized bottle of malt about 150 years old for 14,750 pounds in November, while an anonymous Asian collector paid the equivalent of USD$74,700 in September 2005 for the last bottle of 1926 Macallan malt whisky, a record for a public auction.

“This will probably be the most expensive bottle of blended Scotch ever sold,” Charles McLean, an Edinburgh-based whisky consultant to Bonhams, said in an interview. McLean, the author (more…)

Scotch Whisky | Comments Off

Lovers of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label have a new way to satisfy their love of the top shelf whisky.

The Johnnie Walker King George V Edition comes in a crystal decanter with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. The whisky is made with the same techniques during the reign of King George V and features only whiskies from distilleries operating during that era.

The blend includes the Port Ellen Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a distillery which no longer exists and whose preserved stock is expensive due to its scarcity . The crystal decanter comes in a silk-lined presentation box with a display holder for showing the bottle in whisky cabinets. The whisky sells for USD$400.

^{Source: Luxist Website}

Scotch Whisky | Comments Off