Israeli firm corrals a chunk of Drinks Americas

It's difficult to think of, oh, say Willie Nelson, as Israeli. Or Donald Trump. Or Kid Rock.

But, in the global alcoholic beverage industry, ownership makes for strange bedfellows.

Drinks Americas Holdings Ltd. has sold a chunk of its brands portfolio to its partner, H. Pixel International Trade Ltd. of Israel.

The deal reportedly calls for a $3 million total payment over the next 15 years.

Drinks Americas concentrates on high-profile names in developing, marketing and distributing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic premium beverages. Among its holdings are Willie Nelson's Old Whiskey River Bourbon, Trump Super Premium Vodka and Kid Rock's BADASS Beer and Aguila Tequila.

It also owns such other labels as Olifant Vodka and Rheingold Beer. The company has a working partnership with Universal Music's Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records to develop and launch beverages.

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Glenfiddich 50 in very short supply

William M. Dowd photo illustration

• This is part of "Gotta Have ...", an ongoing series of occasional postings on unusual spirits products.

This is almost not worth mentioning, simply because the domestic supply is virtually non-existent. However, in the interest of keeping up with the good life ...

Glenfiddich has announced the U.S. debut of its Glenfiddich 50 Year Old expression, but it will be in extremely limited supply -- "a tiny handful" of bottles, the company says. If you really want to get your hands on a bottle, you can always join in the bidding at a charity auction where precisely one bottle will be sold off.

"For half a century, two casks of whiskey have aged undisturbed in Glenfiddich’s Warehouse 8, under the tender care of the industry’s most experienced malt master, David Stewart," says a company press release.

"Beginning in December, the results of Stewart's extreme patience will be available exclusively at just three U.S. hotels. American drinkers can bid for a single bottle of the fabled hooch at a charity auction held concurrently at New York’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, the Peninsula hotel in Los Angeles and Miami’s Fontainebleau hotel Monday. These establishments will be the sole locations where the whisky will be available by the glass, at least until the next batch -- started in 1960 -- is released in 2010."

Auction proceeds will go to Friends of Scotland, the charity founded by Sean Connery to benefit war veterans. Call (646) 356-8350 if you're a serious bidder.

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What will they think of next? (December edition)

• This month's trio of cocktail recipes takes aim at holiday entertaining needs. To hit that target, I'm republishing a lineup of recipes introduced last Deceember but regularly requested by readers since then.

CONQUISTADOR

Ryan Duvenage won the 2008 International Bartending Association World Championships qualifying spot from South Africa. This is one of the two original cocktails he created en route to the title.

50ml Havana Club Anejo Reserva
12.5ml Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
10ml Monin Raspberry
10ml Monin Blackberry
10ml Balsamic Vinegar
2 dashes Peychauds Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail or champagne glass. Garnish with an orange twist and a nasturtium flower.

GOLDEN CADILLAC
The International Bartenders Association, which turned 59 this year, has a list of "official" cocktails. This is one of the after-dinner ones.

2 parts Liquore Galliano
2 parts Créme de cacao (white)
2 parts fresh cream

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly for few seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

IN-LAW HOUSE RULES COCKTAIL

This cocktail was inspired by the in-laws of owner Chris Ojeda for The Edison restaurant and lounge in Los Angeles. It's a hot toddy-ish recipe you can make to sedate your family after holiday dinners. There, I said it.

2½ ounces applejack bonded or applejack
3 ounces of hot water
½ ounce mulling spiced syrup*
Slice of a baked apple**
Lemon peel (expressed in the drink)
Star anise
Grated nutmeg

In toddy glass or mug place the baked apple slice in the bottom and slightly muddle to break up. Pour the applejack, mulling spiced syrup and water and stir. Add the star anise and grated nutmeg for garnish.

(* Mulling spices syrup: Make simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water) and let the spice steep like you would a tea over a low heat. Turn off heat and let them steep for 30 minutes and strain out. Mulling spices are available at most grocery stores or health food stores.)

(** Bake an apple for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.)

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Canned tequila cocktails hitting U.S.

We live in a world in which convenience is the key to marketing most things. Even cocktails in a can.

The latest thing in the RTD (ready to drink) niche comes from El Jimador which is sending its New Mix canned tequila cocktails to the U.S. market.

El Jimador, made by Casa Herradura and owned by Brown-Forman of Louisville, KY, is the top-selling tequila RTD in Mexico. This month it is being made available in California, with a nationwide rollout of the product targeted by next spring.

The product line includes the Paloma, the most popular tequila cocktail in Mexico, the Margarita and the Spicy Mango Margarita. Each cocktail comes in a 12-ounce can at 5% alcohol by volume (10 proof), and is sold by the can or in a four-pack.

El Jimador New Mix was introduced to the Mexican market in 1997. The can being sold in the U.S. has a slightly different design that emphasizes the El Jimador brand name more prominently.

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A celebri-quote: Jim Murray

• Jim Murray, author of the United Kingdom's renowned Whisky Bible, ruffled a lot of feathers with some comments he made while releasing the 2010 edition of his guide, the top-selling such publication in the UK. His top pick was Sazerac 18 Year Old, a Kentucky rye.

"There is still a sneering attitude in some quarters that, if it is not made in Scotland, then somehow it is not proper whisky.

"I don't think the Scots have a lot to be complacent about at the moment in terms of whisky. While the best is still exceptional, there is a lot of Scotch whisky out there which is really not good at all."

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Guide names Sazerac Rye world's best whiskey

Sazerac Rye isn't the most recognized whiskey in the world, but it certainly is a respected one.

Its latest accolade comes across the pond, where the 2010 Whisky Bible, the UK's top-selling guide, has named the 18-year-old Sazerac Rye from Kentucky THE best whisky/whiskey, including the UK's beloved Scotches.

It topped 3,850 other whiskies that were considered, with Ardbeg Supernova from the Hebridean island of Islay as No. 2 after dominating the awards for the past three years. Interestingly, an Indian whiskey, Amrut Fusin from Bangalore, was No. 3.

Jim Murray, author of the guide, described the rye as "reaching previously unknown heights. ... In beating all other world-whiskey types, Sazerac 18 has set the bar for rye whiskey and it will be fascinating in forthcoming years to see what is bottled to at least match it."

Harlen Wheatley is the master distiller at the Franklin County, KY, facility of Buffalo Trace, which makes Sazerac and other brands.

Murray told news media that "There is still a sneering attitude in some quarters that, if it is not made in Scotland, then somehow it is not proper whisky. I don't think the Scots have a lot to be complacent about at the moment in terms of whisky. While the best is still exceptional, there is a lot of Scotch whisky out there which is really not good at all."

In recent years, Buffalo Trace has emerged as arguably the world's top whisky maker if one goes by industry awards.

Malt Advocate magazine's Malt Society names the Sazerac 19 top American whiskey in 2001 and 2005; Malt Advocate Distiller of the Year in 2000, 2005 and 2006; Whisky Magazine (a UK publication) Distiller of the Year in 2005 and 2007; Wine Enthusiast Magazine Distiller of the Year in 2006, and so on.

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A celebri-quote: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga (a/k/a Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), 23, is arguably the hottest dance music star in show biz today. The irrepressible, gaudily-attired American singer (her latest album is "The Fame Monster") didn't get that way by wasting her time doing the club scene, as she noted in an MTV interview.

"I don't go to nightclubs. You don't see pictures of me falling out of a club drunk.

"I don't go -- and that's because I usually go and then, you know, a whiskey-and-a-half into it, I got to get back to work.

"Because I love my work so much, I find it really hard to go out and have a good time."

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First English single malt going to market

Chalk up one more single malt whisky for the UK, but don't credit this one to Scotland.

The English Whisky Co., which operates St. George's Distillery in Norfolk, has gone to market with its own single malt, complete with a label showing St. George in dragon-slaying mode.

David Fitt, distiller at St. George's, tells local news media the reaction from the Scots has been fast and sometimes furious. One angry e-mail proclaimed, "You've betrayed Scotland."

The whisky which will go on sale beginning December 16 has been aging since 2006, when the first barrels were produced.

St. George's is the first and only registered whisky distillery in England. It is using barley grown in Norfolk along with Breckland water. Forsyths of Rothes, which has been servicing the whisky industry since the late 1800s, built the equipment in the distillery, including the copper stills. Iain Henderson, a former manager at the Laphroaig Distillery, oversaw the initial production.

The company says next year it will bottle a peaty spirit distilled by Henderson. It also plans to experiment with sherry and Madeira casks, and plans a special English whisky for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in the UK.

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New vodka a protein-infused style

Some years ago, in a TV commercial for a certain brand of cheese, an actor turned up his nose every time the voiceover informed viewers that a competing brand contained "casein."

To many people, that meant casein -- from the Latin word for cheese and pronounced kay/scene -- was a bad thing. To those who know it is the main phosphoprotein that makes up 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and cheese, we wondered what the big deal was. But, as always, advertising won out.

The creators of a new vodka called Devotion are hoping drinkers will accept casein as a good thing, because they've added it to their spirit and are pushing the drink as a jolly way for athletes to hydrate for muscle recovery.

Devotion Spirits is a San Francisco company founded last year by Drew Adelman, a nightlife and dining aficionado and fitness buff. The 80 proof vodka, triple distilled from corn, is infused with PeptoPro® casein.

“My own personal mantra has always been, if you are going to be bad you might as well be good,” Adelman said. “With Devotion Vodka I can stay devoted to my regimen while stepping out for a good time. I used to actually take my own protein out with me when I went for a night on the town. Then I realized there were millions of people like me who wanted to take care of their bodies and also have a good time. From that passion, Devotion Vodka was born.”

The new spirit is being marketed for $29.99 for the 750ml bottle in California, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut at the moment. Market response will dictate its future distribution.

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First Ontario micro-distillery goes to market

Ontario Province's first micro-distillery has released its first spirit to the domestic market.

Still Waters Distillery, located in Concord, Ontario, has created a single malt vodka from two-rowed Canadian barley usin artisan distilling techniques. It is made by hand in small batches using a pot still.


Unlike most vodkas, which are produced by industrial processes from a mix of grains, Still Waters Distillery uses only single malt barley, similar to Scotch whisky. Its vodka is distilled from the grain then triple distilled.

Still Waters Vodka retails at $36.95 ($35 US) for a 750ml bottle. It is being supplied to Canadian outlets now, with a U.S. launch in the near future.

“After years of planning, we are excited to be Ontarioʼs first true micro-distillery, joining the growing artisan distilling industry in North America," said Barry Bernstein, co-founder with Barry Stein of Still Waters Distillery. “We personally produce our vodka starting with handling of the grain, through distillation and final packaging.”

Still Waters Distillery started production in March of this year. It also is making single malt and rye whiskey to be available in several years once it has matured in locally-constructed oak casks.

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Heaven Hill tops U.S. Whisky Icons

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Heaven Hill Distilleries has been voted the best distiller in the U.S. in this year's "U.S. Icons of Whisky," conducted by Whisky Magazine.

The judges said of the family owned company that it had "quietly been getting on with the job and releasing some stunning whiskies."

It distills and distributes such brands as Evan Williams and Elijah Craig bourbons.

The Icons celebrate the people and places behind the greatest whiskies in the world, with the judging process taking place in regional heats including the U.S., Scotland and "Rest of the World." Whisky Magazine, published in the UK, is the world's leading magazine devoted to such spirits.


The awards ceremony took place at Bourbon's Bistro here. The U.S. winners now go head-to-head with the Scottish and "Rest of the World" winners, and the final World Icons will be announced at a ceremony held on the eve of "Whisky Live: London" on February 25, 2010.

Winners were:

DISTILLER OF THE YEAR: Heaven Hill Distilleries

VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR: Buffalo Trace Distillery

AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR: Frank Coleman, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS)

INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR: Woodford Reserve

RETAILER OF THE YEAR (SINGLE): Park Avenue Liquors, New York

RETAILER OF THE YEAR (MULTIPLE): Binny's Beverage Depot, Chicago

Heaven Hill, located in Bardstown, KY, won "Distiller of the Year" honors last year from Whisky Magazine, as well as "Visitor's Attraction of the Year."

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