Hi. I'm David Beckham. See how handsome I am. Drink my whisky And you might become handsome just like me.
So David Beckham graced us with his regal presence to launch a brand new whisky. Perhaps officially putting us down in the whisky map.. or not... but does it matter? Yes. Yes it does.
Most of the stuff you'll read about the local launch was unfortunately, mostly about David Beckham this and David Beckham that... hardly anything about the whisky, but I WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WHISKY!
Truth be told, I'm not sure how Beckham or even Fuller is associated with whisky. But maybe I'm just silly like that.
Anyhoo, I digress. To cut through the clutter, here is some info about the Haig Club whisky which I've compiled from international press releases & websites. You're welcome!
What is Oktoberfest? It's technically a 16-day festival running from end September to early October. Historically, it originated as a celebration of the wedding between King Ludwig 1 and Princess Therese of Saxony back in 1810 in Munich, Bavaria.
Fastforward to today and what does that mean to us? We're in Malaysia and that's thousands of miles away from Germany! Well, really, it's just an awesome nearly-month-long excuse to drink and party with awesome German beer and food. :)
I'm a big fan of Speysides and Glenlivet is one of them labels I personally enjoy. I've had a tiny taste of Nadurra a few years ago and loved it (I think it was a 16 year old one) - but back then it was only released in batches as limited editions (please correct me if I'm wrong, but you can check out Master of Malt and see if my understanding is wrong). But now Glenlivet will be making it a permanent offering.
So, Nadurra means "natural" in Gaelic. It's named so because expressions in this range are non-chilled filtered whisky (hence, most "natural" as it goes through less processing). It will also feature a higher-than-average ABV of 48% and above (single malts are usually bottled at 40-43%).
2 permanent expressions were launched this year. First it was the the Nadurra Oloroso in April, and the second, recently launched in September, is the Nadurra First Fill Selection. Both are No Aged Statements whisky. You can readm about them at The Glenlivet website.
With these, it seems like they may be phasing out the age-statement bottles. ARRGHRGRH! Quick! Get your grubby hands on the 16 year olds before they are gone! Or better yet, DON'T so I can get my grubby hands on them!
"Guinness announces the release of two brand new beers - Guinness Dublin Porter and Guinness West Indies Porter. Inspired by authentic recipes, whose origins lie in the historic Guinness’ brewers’ diaries from the late 1700s and early 1800s, the new beers will be available in selected pubs and retailers from mid-September."
Of course when it says that it is available, it is only available in the UK. It is super odd that I can't find any info about it on its Great Britain website. But there are some mention of it on its Twitter acount via its #thebrewersproject hashtag. Hmm, interesting. I wonder if it'll ever reach our shores?
Well, if you're sore that the 2 Guinness porters are not in Malaysia (yet?), here's a consolation prize.
Introducing the awesome got-money-also-cannot-buy (unless you're in UK, or crazy enough to order it through Amazon) Burts chips in Guinness flavour!
To be horribly honest, these chips tastes nothing like Guinness... though I can't really explain how it tastes like on its own because I inhaled the whole packet in drunken hunger.
But just think about the novelty of having one of these babies! For FREE (well, FREE if you purchase a certain number of pints... tee hee)! It should be available in any outlet that sells Guinness. I believe there's also a promotion running for a bulk order of Guinness too so don't forget to ask for your pack!
Don't worry. It's the same old vodka, just with a bright new.... marketing gimmick to commemorate their 80th birthday.
It's basically a reminder to you, dear alcoholic, that Stoli is still a very relevant, very young-at-heart, old man.
If you're bored, hop on over to their Youtube channel and check out their 2 really odd, kitschy ads.
Or you could just hop on to their very eye-catching website at http://www.stoli.com/
5. Finally to End This Post - A Funny Wine Ad Poking Fun at Wine Snobs.
Check out this freaking silly and hilarious ad about wine snobs who act as if they know everything that is to know about wine, enjoy spitting out random "wine technicalities (aka random rubbish)" all over the place and think that everyone else who doesn't know anything about wine is beneath them. Do you personally know someone like that (not exclusively to wine snobs, but snobs of any other subject matter)? Don't you sometimes wish you could high five them.... in their face....with a chair? Hehe.
Anyway, always feel free to taste (or bond with) your own tipple in your own special way. It's a free world after all... as long as you don't mine me making fun of you!
I hope these ads made you smile. Have a great week ahead!
For some reason, this Texan brewery thought it was an awesome idea to release a 99-pack beer. You know what they say? Everything is bigger in Texas. Beer bellies too, I'm guessing.
Harry Craddock (1876 - 1963) is one of the most celebrated prohibition bartenders.
Said to have created about 240 cocktails in his lifetime, he was the 3rd bartender of the The American Bar at the Savoy Hotel - one of the earliest outlets to introduce American-style cocktails to Europe.
Harry is known for creating the White Lady (gin based) and Corpse Reviver (brandy based, hair of the dog) cocktails, and published the The Savoy Cocktail Book, the hotel's first cocktail book, in 1930. Read more about him here and here. 3. Kirin Glamping Event
Kirin Ichiban wants to bring you on a glamorous camping (glamping) trip filled with Japanese entertainment, food and beer on 21 September 2014.
All you have to do is 1)purchase the bottle, can or draught at any outlets between now and 21 September (does not include purchases from groceries ya!) 2) make sure you receive a Glamping scratch card and 3) register online at kirinichiban.com.my/glamping.
I personally want to go, but I haven't been lucky at getting the scratch cards. For some reason, some outlets are not participating in this or will not give you the card if you don't ask. So make sure you ask about the scratch card first before you buy your beer - otherwise you'll be severely disappointed like me.
Think you've tried all types of aged whisky that earth has to offer? Well how about a whisky that's been aged OUT of this world? Uh huh. Ardbeg sent their whisky into space to be aged back in 2011 and it's coming back on 12 September this year.
Scientists wanted to know if there were any differences between a space-aged whisky compared to its earth--based version. So there is a vial of un-matured malt that's been in outer space for 3 years, and there's another identical bottle at the distillery here to act as a control sample.
It was also a great excuse to launch (haha) Ardberg Gallileo, in commemoration of this first-of-its-kind mission. Of course it's limited edition.
Ardberg is really excited about it and asks you to check out the background and news of their experiment here: www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/ardbeg-in-space
Iggy Pop is with Sailor Jerry rum to launch a limited edition clothing collection. Quite a good fit considering Iggy Pop is punk rock and Sailor Jerry's quite out there too.
Jeff Bridges, who was the star of the Big Lebowski, who enjoys White Russians cocktails, is working with Kahlua in a short film about (surprise surprise!) the White Russian cocktail.
David Beckham's is the face of a new single grain, NAS Scotch called Haig Club (by Diageo) because football and getting drunk go together, or something like that.
Looks like everyone, even big stars, need a little side income. :D
Welcome to the 1st edition of Shots! It's a weekly snapShot of highlights from the past week about booze and everything else that is related to it. Shots - snapshots - also a method of downing a drink? Geddit? :P
Without further ado:
1. Aberlour has reached our shores
Image credit: Pernod Ricard Malaysia
I love it whenever a new whisky is launched in Malaysia. It gives us, the consumers, more options to play with and explore. This particular label is a Speyside, so one could expect it to be a balanced easy-drinking dram. Chances are, if you enjoy the Glenlivet, you're likely to enjoy this... but like I always say, your mileage may vary. :) I haven't personally tried it though, but I hope I will soon! *hint*
Brought in by Pernod Ricard Malaysia, the Aberlour 12,16 and 18 year old expressions should be made available at selected retail outlets soon (if it's not already available) between RM400 to RM900. For more info check out the international Aberlour website.
2. Sailor Jerry spiced rum debut at the MTV Asia World Stage
Previously featured on my insta: Sailor Jerry Mint Julep
You may be too old for over-exciting, huge parties like the World Stage, but you will never be too old for awesome rum which was the featured liquor of the event. Distributed in Malaysia by the folks behind Single & Available, this quirky American label was actually created in honour of a late retired sailor-cum-famous-tattoo-artist named Sailor "Norman Collins" Jerry. Fun fact: Sailor Jerry actually began as a clothing brand until they created the rum which outsold everything else.
This has got to be one of my favourite rums. The serious vanilla toffee scent will remind you of a root beer float, except this is alcoholic at 46% ABV, which makes it even more awesome. Don't take my word for it though, just give it a go. Read about its interesting background at the official Sailor Jerry website.
3. Coincidentally, it was also National Rum Day in the US on 16 Aug
Previously on my insta: mojitos made with fresh mint leaves from my garden!
The origins of this day is hazy. But my guess would be that it was a marketing gimmick coined by some advertising agency to sell more of a certain rum. But hey, I like the idea of making more excuses to drink rum (or anything else, really!).
From having it neat to enjoying it as a delicious cocktail ( a glass of minty, refreshing mojito to quench this Malaysian heat, anyone?) - rum is such a versatile spirit. In belated "honour"of its national day, here are some great rum drinks you can make, or order next time you're in a pub: Click!
4. Kronenbourg 1664's Taste of the French Way of Life
Kronenbourg wants to let you have a Taste of the French Way of Life. What this simply means is this: be prepared for 6 more booze-fuelled and fun-filled parties leading up to a big finale on the 5 December at the end of the year. Wanna be updated on their parties? Hop on over to their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/KronenbourgMY/
Wanna keep your can or bottle drink for a little longer? All you need to do is put this contraption over your drink like a sock. While it is not an original idea, it may be the first local brand that I've heard of. So, you know how the saying goes - Belilah barangan buatan Malaysia.
This is actually the brainchild of the infamous and forever "happy" blogger; Deep of ThirstyBlogger. The Star newspaper gave him some love here. Okay I'll be honest, I'm only plugging Huggaz with shameless hopes that I'll get a free Huggaz. Or two. Check out their official website for more info.
And that's a wrap folks! Until next week, keep on flying!
<3
