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Release Notes
One of 222 bottles drawn from a Sauternes Hogshead in 2024. Originally distilled in 2007. Finished in the Sauternes Hogshead for 4 years since 2020.
From the Bottle
Deliciously vibrant and fruity, this 16 year old whisky from Craigellachie, re-racked into a Sauternes cask in 2020, displays notes of papaya, guava, tinned peaches in syrup and juicy mango to name a few.
This bottling will be available in the following markets: Germany, the USA and the UK.
This bottling will be available in the following markets: Germany, the USA and the UK.
Cadenhead's
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Nose: Papaya, guava, dried apricots.
Flavour: Caramel, vanilla beans, tinned peaches in syrup.
Finish: Mango, honeycomb, golden syrup.
Flavour: Caramel, vanilla beans, tinned peaches in syrup.
Finish: Mango, honeycomb, golden syrup.
Cadenhead's
The Bottler: Cadenhead
| Established: 1842 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6HZ |
| → website |
The firm of William Cadenhead Ltd, Wine and Spirit Merchants, was founded in 1842 and is Scotland's oldest independent bottler. The company was was in the ownership of the same family until taken over by J & A Mitchell & Co.Ltd in 1972, the proprietors of Springbank distillery.
For 130 years prior to this, the firm of William Cadenhead Ltd traded from the same premises in the Netherkirkgate, Aberdeen. It was what subsequently became number 47 that Mr George Duncan established himself as a vintner and distillery agent. The business prospered and in little over 10 years he was joined by his brother-in-law Mr William Cadenhead. In 1858 Mr Duncan died following a short illness. William Cadenhead acquired the business and changed the trading name to that of his own. Whilst not much is known of George Duncan, a great deal is on record about his brother-in-law. It must be said that this is not because of his distinction as a vintner but because he was a local poet of renown throughout the Victorian era. Born in 1819, he began working at an early age in a small thread factory where he gained a great deal of respect from his employer. From there he became an overseer in the yarn sorting department of Maberly & Co at their Broadford works, now Richards PLC. About 1853 he left the company and joined his brother-in-law as traveller for Cadenhead's until Duncan's death in 1858 where he acquired the business. Apart from his enviable reputation as a poet, he became a prominent citizen taking part in all aspects of local affairs during his long life.
Early on Sunday morning, 11 December 1904 William Cadenhead died. He was succeeded in the business of Wine and Spirit Merchants at 47 Netherkirkgate by his nephew Robert W. Duthie. He was a quiet unassuming man, unlike his uncle, but developed what the firm became most famous for, namely single malt Scotch whisky and Demerara Rum. He advertised extensively on the back of buses, theatre curtains, concert programmes and in much else under the slogan 'By test the Best'. In addition Mr Duthie developed Cadenhead's brand whiskies, the de-luxe blend Putachieside and the more plebeian name The Heilanman.
In 1931 in the depth of the depression, the business of William Cadenhead was not in good shape financially. Mr Duthie was on his way to a meeting with his bank manager when he was unfortunately run over by a tram car whilst crossing the street. Duthie was a batchelor but left two sisters who knew nothing about the Wine and Spirit trade but were determined that the name of William Cadenhead should survive. Responsibility was handed over to a long term employee, Miss Ann Oliver, an eccentric lady who ran the business exactly as she wanted, refusing to move with the times. However, administration was lax and several bad decisions were made during this time forcing Ms Oliver to retire and sell the business.
Both the bonded and duty paid warehouses were full from the roof to the cellars of stock, the value of which no-one knew nor for which there were any records. In the end Christie's who had liquidated considerable stocks of rum were contacted. The result was a two-day sale of the entire stock and was at that date the largest sale of wines and spirits ever held in Great Britain. The sale took place in London on 3rd and 4th of October 1972 and although there were many bargains, on the whole it was most successful and contrary to expectations it resulted in a six figure surplus over liabilities for the firm.
Thereafter the goodwill, premises etc. of the firm William Cadenhead were sold to J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd., proprietors of Springbank Distillery, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries still owned by descendants of its founder. The name of Cadenhead is now a household name in the whisky world, and the present owners have expanded the Cadenhead business whilst still keeping the goals and traditional methods the firm began with in 1842.
For 130 years prior to this, the firm of William Cadenhead Ltd traded from the same premises in the Netherkirkgate, Aberdeen. It was what subsequently became number 47 that Mr George Duncan established himself as a vintner and distillery agent. The business prospered and in little over 10 years he was joined by his brother-in-law Mr William Cadenhead. In 1858 Mr Duncan died following a short illness. William Cadenhead acquired the business and changed the trading name to that of his own. Whilst not much is known of George Duncan, a great deal is on record about his brother-in-law. It must be said that this is not because of his distinction as a vintner but because he was a local poet of renown throughout the Victorian era. Born in 1819, he began working at an early age in a small thread factory where he gained a great deal of respect from his employer. From there he became an overseer in the yarn sorting department of Maberly & Co at their Broadford works, now Richards PLC. About 1853 he left the company and joined his brother-in-law as traveller for Cadenhead's until Duncan's death in 1858 where he acquired the business. Apart from his enviable reputation as a poet, he became a prominent citizen taking part in all aspects of local affairs during his long life.
Early on Sunday morning, 11 December 1904 William Cadenhead died. He was succeeded in the business of Wine and Spirit Merchants at 47 Netherkirkgate by his nephew Robert W. Duthie. He was a quiet unassuming man, unlike his uncle, but developed what the firm became most famous for, namely single malt Scotch whisky and Demerara Rum. He advertised extensively on the back of buses, theatre curtains, concert programmes and in much else under the slogan 'By test the Best'. In addition Mr Duthie developed Cadenhead's brand whiskies, the de-luxe blend Putachieside and the more plebeian name The Heilanman.
In 1931 in the depth of the depression, the business of William Cadenhead was not in good shape financially. Mr Duthie was on his way to a meeting with his bank manager when he was unfortunately run over by a tram car whilst crossing the street. Duthie was a batchelor but left two sisters who knew nothing about the Wine and Spirit trade but were determined that the name of William Cadenhead should survive. Responsibility was handed over to a long term employee, Miss Ann Oliver, an eccentric lady who ran the business exactly as she wanted, refusing to move with the times. However, administration was lax and several bad decisions were made during this time forcing Ms Oliver to retire and sell the business.
Both the bonded and duty paid warehouses were full from the roof to the cellars of stock, the value of which no-one knew nor for which there were any records. In the end Christie's who had liquidated considerable stocks of rum were contacted. The result was a two-day sale of the entire stock and was at that date the largest sale of wines and spirits ever held in Great Britain. The sale took place in London on 3rd and 4th of October 1972 and although there were many bargains, on the whole it was most successful and contrary to expectations it resulted in a six figure surplus over liabilities for the firm.
Thereafter the goodwill, premises etc. of the firm William Cadenhead were sold to J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd., proprietors of Springbank Distillery, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries still owned by descendants of its founder. The name of Cadenhead is now a household name in the whisky world, and the present owners have expanded the Cadenhead business whilst still keeping the goals and traditional methods the firm began with in 1842.
from Cadenhead
The Distillery: Craigellachie
| Established: 1891 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Craigellachie, Aberlour, Banffshire, AB38 9ST, Scotland, UK |
2001 - The old cast iron mash tun is replaced with a (more modern) Steinecker full lauter mash tun.
The Craigellachie distillery was built in 1891 by Craigellachie Distillery Co. Limited, a group of blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward. Two years later (1893) it was incorporated as a limited company and in 1896 it was reconstructed as Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery Ltd.
The town dates back to before 1750 when records show that there was a ferry across the river Spey. The ferry was eventually replaced by Craigellachie Bridge, built by one Thomas Telford in 1814 (see picture).
A 14yo official bottling of Craigellachie was released in 2004, replacing the semi-official "Flora & Fauna" expression that was bottled by United Distillers at the same age.
The location of the town in the heart of the Speyside region (where the rivers Fiddich and Spey meet) makes it an excellent location for a "base camp" for whisky hunters. Another point of touristic interest is the Speyside Cooperage Visitor Centre. The Craigellachie distillery itself (most of it fairly "functional" as it was refurbushed in the 1960"s) does not have a visitor centre, but most whisky tourists will most likely be more interested in that other distillery in Craigellachie anyway; Macallan. The Macallan distillery is located on the other side of the river Spey, west of the village.
The name Craigellachie means "rocky hill" and refers to the cliff that overlooks the Spey. Much of the village was built on this cliff.
During the years that followed ownership passed to Peter Mackie (in 1916), the Distillery Company Limited (in 1927) and SMD (in 1930). The transfer to SMD marked the beginning of a period of stability for Craigellachie; apart from a reconstruction in 1964-65 during which the number of stills was doubled, relatively little happened at the distillery. Then, in 1998, the Craigellachie distillery was sold to John Dewar & Sons - owners of MacDuff and Aberfeldy - and themselves part of the Bacardi drinks conglomerate.
Craigellachie isn"t a "high profile" distillery by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the nearby town of Craigellachie and the Craigellachie Hotel are probably more famous than the distillery. Several malt maniacs visited the hotel and spoke very highly of it.
Craigellachie is an active distillery, but it might as well have been a silent one; there"s just not that much to tell. That"s too bad, because its location makes it the perfect destination for a whisky trip through Scotland. Craigellachie distillery is located at the confluence of the Spey and Fiddich rivers, near the Speyside Cooperage, the Craigellachie hotel and near many other malt whisky distillery. Check out the Malt Map to find other distilleries in the area.
In the new Millenium
2004 - The first proper official bottling of Craigellachie is released, bottled at an age of 14 years. That"s the same age as the Flora & Fauna expression that was available (but not widely) in earlier years.
2007 - The distillery switches to a seven day working week schedule to maximise production.
Trivia:
- Just outside Craigellachie is the Speyside Cooperage where each year over 100,000 casks are produced to be used at one of the many distilleries in the Speyside region.
- Craigallachie is one of almost two dozen malt whisky distilleries that were founded over a century ago during the "whisky boom" of the late 19th century and which have managed to survive until this day. The other survivors include Aberfeldy, Ardmore, Aultmore, Balvenie, Benriach, Benromach, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glenfiddich, Glenrothes, Glentauchers, Knockandu, Knockdhu, Longmorn, Tamdhu and Tomatin.
- The distilling equipment at Craigellachie isfairly modern and up-to-date. For example, they use a Steinecker full lauter mash tun. The distillery uses two pairs of stills, each connected to (cast iron) worm tubs to cool the spirit.
- Malted barley is obtained from the Glenesk Maltings.
- The malt whisky which is distilled at Craigellachie is used maily for the Dewar"s blended whiskies.
from Malt Madness
The Owner: John Dewar & Sons
| Established: 1846 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 1700 London Road, Glasgow G32 8XR, United Kingdom |
| → website |
John Dewar & Sons Ltd. produces Dewar"s White Label, the best-selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States and one of the top brands worldwide. The firm"s other offerings include the premium Dewar"s 12-Year and Dewar"s Signature, five single malt scotches, and two William Lawson blended whiskies. The company is owned by the privately held Bacardi & Company Ltd. of Bermuda.
In 1987 the Dewar"s trademark was secretly transferred from Guinness to Schenley Industries, a U.S.-based spirits distributor owned by Meshuklam Riklis. Schenley had been distributing Dewar"s in the United States since 1936, and the whisky accounted for half of that firm"s total profits. The company later claimed the move was made to combat lower-priced parallel imports of Dewar"s from other countries. Though Riklis (who owned a 5 percent stake in Guinness) had been given the trademark for free, a short time later the brewing giant paid him $480 million to buy it back, along with his distribution network and the right to sell Dewar"s in the United States.
While Dewar"s sales had tripled between 1960 and 1980, U.S. exports had increased fourfold during the same period, and in 1986 Dewar"s became the top-selling whisky in the United States. In the fall of that year DCL successor United Distillers was acquired by the Guinness Beverage Group in a hostile takeover, after which the firm"s international marketing offices were combined with those of James Buchanan and Company, John Walker and Sons, White Horse Distillers, William Sanderson and Sons, and Pimm"s.
Dewar"s Joins Bacardi Family in 1998
In 1996 the company celebrated its 150th anniversary with a special bottling of whisky and the launch of a Web site that featured games based on the life of Tommy Dewar. The company"s whisky continued to be the top brand in the United States, accounting for some 1.5 million cases of the 9.4 million total sold there during the year.
In 1966 the company won a Queen"s Award for Export Achievement, and in 1969 it began running print advertisements that featured photographs of celebrities under the heading "Dewar"s Profiles." Playing off the phonetic spelling of the firm"s name ("Doers"), the ads spotlighted their subjects" achievements with black-and-white photographs that featured a small whisky bottle in color.
In 1954 the company renamed its aged Victoria Vat brand of scotch Ancestor, which would go on to become one of Dewar"s best-known brands. In 1961 new production facilities were opened in Perth, and during the 1960s the firm began to rebuild and expand its Aberfeldy distillery, completing the work in 1972.
Dewar"s Becomes Top U.S. Whisky in 1986
By the early 1980s some 95 percent of Dewar"s output was exported, with about half going to the United States. In the United Kingdom, where sales were dominated by the Bells brand, Dewar"s had only a 1-2 percent market share, and in 1982 the firm shut down its internal marketing unit there and turned sales over to the firm of Hedges and Butler, who would sell it in part through 8,000 public houses aligned with Bass.
The firm"s new owner had a colorful history of its own, having been founded in 1862 in Cuba and then moving to Bermuda in 1960 after Castro"s revolution. Bacardi rum was the world"s top selling spirit, and the company was the world"s largest family-owned alcoholic beverage maker.
In 1998 the proposed merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo plc came under scrutiny from U.S. and European trade regulators, and, to clinch the deal, in March John Dewar & Sons was sold to Bacardi & Co. along with the Bombay Sapphire gin brand for a total of $1.4 billion. Dewars" value was put at nearly three-fourths of the total.
In 1886 Dewar"s whisky won a medal at the Edinburgh Exhibition, which was the first of many such awards it would receive over the years, and in 1888 the firm began exclusively supplying top catering firm Spiers and Pond, whose customers included railways, hotels, and music venues.
In 1891 the company was the recipient of some unanticipated free publicity in the United States when the wealthy Scottish steel magnate Andrew Carnegie gave a small keg of Dewar"s to President Benjamin Harrison. When he was blasted in the press for not supporting American-made products, the Dewar"s name appeared in papers around the country and orders for the firm"s whisky began rolling in.
One of Dewar"s ten children, John A. Dewar, began working for the firm in 1871, and in 1879 he was made partner at the age of 23. The following year the senior Dewar died, and John A. inherited the business. The son was a skilled blender of whisky as well as a talented businessman, and he began to build up the company his father had founded.
In 1881 Dewar"s 17-year-old brother Tommy joined the firm, and in 1885 he was made a partner in John Dewar & Sons. That same year the firm began distribution to London, where whisky had traditionally sold poorly next to spirits like brandy, rum, and gin. Tommy Dewar had a knack for marketing, and though he arrived in town with introductions to only two men, one of whom was dead and the other bankrupt, he made a splash by bringing a kilt-wearing bagpiper to the 1886 London Brewer"s Exhibition. To capitalize on its new notoriety and to emphasize the whisky"s heritage, the firm soon began using a depiction of a traditionally-clad Scotch Highlander on its labels.
Beginnings
Dewar"s origins date to the mid-19th century. Founder John Dewar was born in 1805 in the small village of Dull, near Aberfeldy, Scotland, where he grew up on a farm. After an apprenticeship as a joiner, he moved in his early 20s to Perth, where he began working for his uncle"s wine and spirits wholesaling firm. He became a partner in 1837 but in 1846 decided to go into business on his own and began blending whisky from several different producers to give it a mellower flavor. Dewar was one of the first to sell his beverage in a glass bottle with the brand name embossed on the front, rather than in a ceramic container.
In 1892 Tommy Dewar began a two-year sales trip to 26 countries around the world. The journey resulted in contracts with 32 new sales agents and the publication of Ramble "Round the Globe, an account of his travels that was spiced with the pithy sayings ("Dewarisms") he was becoming known for.
In 1893 Queen Victoria awarded a Royal Warrant to John Dewar & Sons, which officially recognized the firm as a supplier to the crown, and in 1895 the company established a U.S. office in New York. Three years later Dewar"s commissioned the first-ever motion picture advertisement for a beverage, which was produced by the Edison Company and projected onto the roof of a building in New York"s Herald Square. A few years later the company would also make films that documented the process of blending its whisky.
In 1929 John A. Dewar died, leaving an estate worth some £4.5 million, and less than a year later his younger brother Tommy also passed away, leaving £5 million. The firm had recently recorded profits of more than a million pounds per annum.
The repeal of U.S. prohibition in 1933 returned Dewar"s whisky to that major market, but with the start of World War II in late 1939 the British government ordered distilleries to produce only one-third of their previous year"s production to conserve barley. The company was forced to lay off its sales force as it rationed orders at home and abroad, and production at the Aberfeldy distillery was later halted for a time. With the war"s end in 1945, production began to return to normal levels.
In 1915 John Dewar & Sons merged with the large whisky-blending firm of James Buchanan to form Buchanan-Dewars. The company"s new partner had been founded in London in 1884 and produced the popular Black and White brand.
In 1920 the United States prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, which put a damper on sales, but the company continued to grow, and between 1919 and 1923 bought a total of six distilleries to supply whisky for its blends, including facilities in Ord, Parkmore, Pultney, and Aultmore.
Merger with DCL in 1925
In 1925 Buchanan-Dewars merged with the publicly traded Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL). Created in 1877 by the merger of six distillers, DCL had grown over the next half-century to become Britain"s leading spirits conglomerate. Following the subsequent acquisition of the John Walker distilling company (makers of Johnnie Walker scotch), Dewar"s parent company would own the three leading blended whisky producers, and it continued to acquire other major names like White Horse Distillers over time.
Aberfeldy Distillery Opens in 1898; White Label Scotch Debuts
Dewar"s had traditionally purchased whisky for its blends from other producers, but in 1898 the company opened a distillery of its own in the small village of Aberfeldy. The custom-built facility consisted of a long row of buildings that allowed for continuous distillation, with barley coming in at one end and casks of whisky going out the other. The distillery utilized water from the River Tay and was positioned on a train line to the firm"s headquarters in Perth. Soon after it opened the company introduced Dewar"s White Label Scotch, which was a blend of ten whiskies with the Aberfeldy variety at its heart, created by renowned whisky blender A. J. Cameron.
In 1900 the increasingly prominent Dewar brothers were both elected to the British Parliament. Tommy, who had begun serving as Sheriff of London in 1897, represented the Conservative party, while brother John was a Liberal. A year later Tommy Dewar was knighted by King Edward VII, who also granted Dewar"s its latest royal warrant. (It would receive one from each successive monarch.) Both Dewar brothers would ultimately be granted the status of Lords. The colorful Tommy Dewar, whose observations included statements like "a teetotaller is one who suffers from thirst instead of enjoying it," soon became the third Briton to purchase an automobile.
International expansion continued in the 20th century, with sales offices added in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and Calcutta, India in 1902. In 1908 the firm"s new office, Dewar House, was opened in London"s Haymarket, and three years later the company erected the largest mechanical neon sign in Europe on the Thames embankment. The 80 foot tall advertisement showed the firm"s Scotch Highlander mascot "bending an elbow" with a glass of Dewar"s.
In 2003 the firm"s sales declined by 10 percent, from 84.2 million pounds to 75.7 million pounds, due to poor results in France, Spain, and Venezuela. A year later Dewar"s signed Scottish actor Sean Connery to appear in ads for Dewar"s 12-Year Old Scotch. The 74-year-old former James Bond star would deliver the new slogan, "Some age, others mature."
The company celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2006. Dewar"s was operating distilleries in Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Brackla, Aultmore, and MacDuff to produce whisky for its blends, as well as limited-edition single malt scotches.
In the spring of 2000 the firm opened a new £2 million visitor"s center at the Aberfeldy Distillery. Dubbed Dewar"s World of Whisky, it would play host to some 30,000 visitors per year. The year 2000 also saw completion of the company"s £8.5 million refurbishing of a Glasgow bottling plant which had been closed for 13 years. When the Diageo bottling contract ended in June it began packaging Dewar"s and Lawson"s whiskies.
In late 2000 two shipping containers of Dewar"s 12-year-old scotch were stolen from a dock in Scotland. The 24,000 bottles lost were valued at nearly $1 million. Dewar"s subsequently joined a coalition of spirits makers that were working to combat similar thefts.
Dewar"s 12 Introduced in 2000
In 2000 the premium Dewar"s 12-Year Old Scotch brand was introduced to strong sales, and other deluxe variations followed including a 15-year blended malt. Less than two years after the Bacardi acquisition, the company had gone from ranking eighth in global whisky sales to fifth, with sales of Dewar"s rising to 3.5 million cases per year and Lawson"s to 1.1 million. In addition to its continuing U.S. sales leadership, Dewar"s was also ranked near the top in several other countries including Spain and Greece. The Lawson brand was popular in France, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico.
Following the acquisition, John Dewar was combined with earlier Bacardi purchase William Lawson Distillers Ltd. to form John Dewar & Sons, Ltd., which would be based in Glasgow. A smaller distillery, Royal Brackla, was purchased at this time as well and folded into the company. Diageo would bottle Dewar"s through mid-2000, after which time this function would be taken over by Bacardi.
The Dewar"s name had lost much of its luster in recent years due to Guinness" focus on the Johnnie Walker and B brands, which had stronger global sales. In October 1999 Bacardi relaunched the firm"s whisky with new label graphics and new advertising targeted at younger drinkers. The $20 million ad campaign updated the "Dewar"s Profiles" series and also used new ads depicting the familiar Scottish Highlander in various modern settings, such as shirtless, with a surfboard and sunglasses.
More than a century and a half after its namesake began blending whisky in Perth, Scotland, John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. continued to produce fine distilled beverages. The firm"s flagship brand, Dewar"s White Label, was the best-selling whisky in the United States and also popular in other countries around the world. With the backing and distribution muscle of new owner Bacardi, the company appeared well-positioned for many more years of success.
Trivia:
- John Dewar & Sons operates Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Macduff and Royal Brackla distilleries.
from answers.com
The Owner: Bacardi
| Established: 1862 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Front Street, Hamilton, Bermuda |
| → website |
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries. The company"s sales in 2007 were US$5.5 billion, up from $4.9 billion in 2006.
Brands
The Bacardi legacy lives on in Santiago and Havana through their grand buildings and historic significance. The Bacardi Building (Edificio Bacardi) in Old Havana is regarded as one of the finest art deco buildings in Latin America.
Despite focusing on the middle and lower end of the price spectrum, some Bacardi rum offerings have achieved a modicum of success at international spirit ratings competitions. For example, its eight-year anejo rum earned gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Bacardi has made several acquisitions to diversify away from the eponymous Bacardi rum brand. In 1992 Bacardi acquired Martini & Rossi, the famous Italian producer of Martini vermouth and sparkling wines. In 1998, the company acquired Dewar"s scotch and Bombay Sapphire gin from Diageo for $2 billion. Bacardi acquired the Cazadores tequila brand in 2001, and in 2004 purchased Grey Goose, a French made vodka, from Sidney Frank for $2 billion. In 2006, Bacardi purchased New Zealand vodka brand 42 Below. Other associated brands include the U.S. version of Havana Club, Drambuie Scotch whisky liqueur, Disaronno Amaretto, Eristoff vodka and B&B, Benedictine liqueurs, as well as the Canadian exclusive alcopop Rev.
Bacardi drinks are not found in Cuba today. The main brand of rum in Cuba is called Havana Club, a formerly private company nationalized by the government. Drinks now made in the former Bacardi distillery are sold in Cuba under the name Caney.
Bacardi and Cuba today
Bacardi has faced criticism and legal problems for supposedly attempting to falsely convince consumers they were purchasing rum made in Cuba rather than just marking its heritage. Bacardi adverts in Spain, since 1966, had described a popular combination of rum and coke as "rum and coke". However, after 1998, it began to describe the drink as Cuba Libre - literally translated as "free Cuba" which is the original name of the drink and how it"s mostly called in Latin America. In this instance, Bacardi faced a legal ruling from the Spanish Association of Advertising Users which forced the company to stop the advert. They concluded that it could "mislead the viewer as to the true nature of the product" as the advert contained so many pieces of Caribbean imagery, one might conclude it came from Cuba (Ospina, p79). Bacardi continues to fight a war in the courts with the Cuban government of the rights to trademarks around the world.
Bacardi, despite having no business tie (in terms of production) to Cuba today, have decided to re-emphasize their Cuban heritage in recent years. This is mainly due to commercial reasons; facing increased competition in the Rum market from the now international brand Havana Club, the company concluded that it was important for sales to associate their rum with Cuba. TV adverts with slogans of "Welcome to the Latin Quarter" are but one example of this. In 1998, under the distinctive bat logo, the phrase "company founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1862" was added.
The 1880s and 90s were turbulent times for Cuba and the company. Emilio Bacardi, eldest son of Don Facundo, was repeatedly imprisoned in a Spanish prison for (legitimate) suspicions of running a rebel financing and support network during the Cuban War of Independence.
Emilio"s brothers, Facundo and Jose, and his brother-in-law Henri (Don Enrique) Schueg, remained in Cuba with the difficult task of sustaining the company during a period of war. The women in the family were refugees in Kingston, Jamaica. After the war and the U.S. occupation of Cuba, "The Original Cuba Libre" and the Daiquiri were both born with Bacardi rum. In 1899, US- General Leonard Wood appointed Emilio Bacardi Mayor of Santiago de Cuba.
Facundo Bacardi, a wine merchant, was born in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain in 1814 and emigrated to Cuba in 1830. During this period, rum was cheaply made and not considered a refined drink, one rarely sold in upscale taverns. Don Facundo began attempting to "tame" rum. After experimenting with several techniques he hit upon filtering the rum through charcoal, which removed impurities. In addition to this, Facundo aged the rum in oak barrels, which had the effect of "mellowing" the drink.
Moving from the experimental stage to a more commercial endeavor, he and his brother Jose set up shop in a Santiago de Cuba distillery they bought in 1862; that distillery housed a still made of copper and cast iron, and was in a building in whose rafters lived fruit bats.
Bacardi is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and has a 16-member board of directors led by the original founder"s great-great grandson, Facundo L. Bacardi. The President Bernard F. Ramirez and Co-President Charles M. Hernandez, also play a large part in production and sales.
First century
The Bacardi Building in Havana, Cuba.
In 1912, Emilio Bacardi traveled to Egypt where he purchased a mummy for the future Emilio Bacardi Moreau Municipal Museum in Santiago de Cuba, a mummy still on display. In Santiago, his brother Facundo M. Bacardi continued to manage the company along with Schueg, who began the company"s international expansion by opening new bottling plants in Barcelona and New York City. The New York plant was soon shut down due to Prohibition, yet during this time Cuba became a hotspot for US tourists.
Embittered Bacardi helmsman Jose Pepin Bosch bought a surplus B-26 bomber with the hopes of bombing Cuban oil refineries (the bold plan was foiled when a picture of the bomber appeared on the front page of The New York Times). He was also allegedly involved in the CIA plot to assassinate Fidel Castro; documents uncovered during Congressional investigations into John F. Kennedy"s death bring to light a message outlining how he had plans to assassinate Castro, his brother (Raul Castro) and Che Guevara. The RECE (Cuban Representation in Exile) also receives funding from Bacardi family members.
More recently, Bacardi lawyers were influential in the drafting of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act which sought to extend the scope of the United States embargo against Cuba. In 1999 Otto Reich, a lobbyist in Washington on behalf of Bacardi Rum, drafted section 211 of the 1999 Omnibus appropriations act, a bill that became known as the Bacardi Act. Section 211 denied trademark protection to Cuban businesses products expropriated after the Cuban revolution, a provision keenly sought by the Bacardi family. The act was aimed primarily at Havana Club brand in America, which had been registered by the Cuban government. Section 211 has been challenged un-successfully by the Cuban government and the European Union in US courts; however, the act has been ruled illegal by the WTO (August 2001). The U.S. Congress has yet to re-examine the matter.
Castro
Portuondo and other Bacardi family members initially supported the Cuban revolutionaries, including Fidel Castro and the broader M-26-7 movement: Bosch personally donated tens of thousands of dollars to the movement, and acted as an intermediary between the revolutionaries and the CIA to assuage the latter"s concerns. Family members, employees and facilities were put to use by the movement, and the company supported the revolution publicly with advertisements and parties. But their support turned to opposition as the pro-Soviet Che Guevara wing of the movement began to dominate, and as Castro turned against American interests.
The Bacardi family (and hence, the company) maintained a fierce opposition to Fidel Castro"s revolution in Cuba in the 1960s. The Bacardi family and company left Cuba after it became clear that Castro was serious about his pledges for change; in particular, in nationalizing and banning all private property on the island as well as all bank accounts. However, the company had started foreign branches a few years prior to the revolution; the company moved the all important Bacardi international trademarks out of the country to the Bahamas prior to the revolution as well as constructing a plant in Puerto Rico after the prohibition era to save in import taxes for rum being imported to the US. This helped the company survive after the communist government nationalized all Bacardi assets in the country.
Bacardi family members had close ties to the US political elite, as well as organizations of state such as the CIA. The family funded various Cuban exile organizations such as CANF.
In the 1920s, Emilio opened a new distillery in Santiago. During this decade, the art deco Bacardi building was built in Havana and the third generation of the Bacardi family was entering the business. Facundo Bacardi invited US-Americans (still subject to Prohibition) to "Come to Cuba and bathe in Bacardi rum." A new product was introduced: Hatuey beer.
The "Cathedral Of Rum" at the Distillery in Puerto Rico near San Juan.
Bacardi"s transition into an international brand was due mostly to Schueg"s "business genius"; Schueg "branded Cuba as the home of rum, and Bacardi as the king of rums" and moved production overseas, first to Puerto Rico (which enabled rum to be sold tariff-free in the U.S. after Prohibition), and then to Mexico. Those changes were accompanied by a new brand name: Ron Bacardi ("Ron" is the Spanish word for rum). Several trademark disputes went to court during this time regarding uses of the Bacardi name on rum produced outside of Cuba.
During the World War II years the company was led by Schueg"s son-in-law Jose "Pepin" Bosch. Pepin founded Bacardi Imports in New York City, and was named Cuba"s Minister of the Treasury in 1949.
Trivia:
- Ernest Hemingway ordered his daiquiris with Bacardi White Label rum and mentions Hatuey beer in two of his works: To Have and Have Not and The Old Man and the Sea.
- Bacardi had architects Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Felix Candela design office buildings and a bottling plant for them in Mexico City during the 1950s. The building complex was added to the tentative list of UNESCO"s World Heritage Site list on November 20, 2001.
from Wikipedia
The Owner: Springbank
| Established: 1828 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 85 Longrow, Campbeltown PA28 6EX, United Kingdom |
Springbank Distillery is one of the last surviving producers of Campbeltown Single Malts. The distillery, located on the southern Kintyre peninsula, produces three distinct types of single malt Scotch whisky. These are branded as Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn Single Malt. Springbank itself is the most popular variety, a two and a half times distilled non-chillfiltered single malt. Longrow is a highly peated single malt available in Bourbon, Sherry and an experimental Tokaji cask maturation. Hazelburn has only been produced at Springbank since 1997, is fully triple distilled and comes in a 8yo and 12yo variety.
2000 - The 10yo official bottling that hadn"t been available for a number of years is re-launched. This was roughly around the same time Signatory dropped of my shopping list; the price difference with the old 21yo was minimal. In the same year the first official bottling or Longrow with an age statement is released; the Longrow 10yo.
In the new Millenium
2008 - Early in the Summer some shocking news starts to leak out about the imminent mothballing of the Springbank distillery - at least for part of the year. Part of the staff is laid off because Springbank would produce significantly less whisky than usual in 2009. From what I understand, the Glengyle distillery will be closed as well. Apparently, the owners felt that they had sufficient whisky stocks for now. That"s a little odd, because for many years they claimed that they could keep raising their prices because they didn"t have enough stocks to satisfy demand anyway.
2005 - The first official bottling of Hazelburn is released with an age statement of eight years.
I"ve had the pleasure of sampling some fabulous older Springbanks, but by the time I had grown really mad about single malts, most of the "better" expressions were already priced well outside my financial comfort zone. So, Springbank never grew into a real favourite of mine, although the 21yo that was available at the end of the 1990"s (pictured above) was fantastic. Better yet, it was relatively modestly priced at less than 100 guilders.
Unlike its previous owner, the Glen Scotia distillery has managed to survive to this day. For many years it was the only remaining Campbeltown distillery, apart from their neighbours at Springbank of course. In fact, for a few years the relations between Springbank and Glen Scotia were extra neighbourly because a crew from Springbank came over to the Glen Scotia distillery every now and then to produce a little whisky (to keep the equipment in shape).
For many years the owners of Springbank claimed they could set such steep prices for their whisky because they didn"t have enough stocks to satisfy demand anyway. In such a (financially comfortable) climate it is hardly surprising that they (sort of) reconstructed the old Glengyle distillery a few years ago so they could increase production capacity. Unfortunately, a few years later the economical winds changed; Springbank & Glengyle were (temporarily) closed.
Even at that time, most Springbanks were released as expensive "ultra premium" bottles. As a result, a lot of them were exported to the USA - the country where massclusivity was invented and where many customers are sensitive to status. Or rather: the perception of status - which in turn is often linked to the price that has to be paid for certain products. America is not unique in that respect though - these misconceptions exist elsewhere too.
2010 - At the end of the 1990"s and during most of the noughties the prices for Springbank official bottlings were much higher than those for other, comparable single malt whiskies. After the brief mothballing of the distillery, their prices seemed much more in line with other Scotch single malts. (Or rather: most other brands had caught up ;-)
2009 - Springbank resumes part-time production again; 3 months of malting followed by 3 months of distillation.
Three years later in 1828 Springbank was built on the site of the older Archibald"s illegal still.
The quality of Springbank whisky became well enough known for in 1838 a certain John Walker of Kilmarnock to buy, in 1838, 118 gallons at 8s 8d (43p) a gallon.
The Mitchells first came to Campbeltown in the mid 17th century as settlers from the lowlands, some of whom were already maltsters. The story of Springbank begins a century later with the great-grandfather of the distillery"s current managing director. Archibald Mitchell, the son of a farmer married a cousin and learnt from his father-in-law (and uncle!) the art of malting. He also later acquired the art of distilling, though never the one of buying a licence. It was his sons Hugh, Archibald, John and William plus daughter Mary who took up distilling as a legal pursuit.
The first venture was Rieclachan Distillery in 1825 in which Archibald the younger was an original partner, and he was soon joined by Hugh.
Springbank is one of only two distilleries in Scotland to perform every step in the whisky making process, from malting the barley to bottling the spirit, on same premises: the other is Kilchoman Distillery who also grow their own barley. While a few others still maintain the first step in the process, the malting of barley (which is becoming more rare), Springbank also bottles their own whisky. The distillery is also one of the most inactive, having stills operating less than a third of the time.
Springbank is one of the few remaining family owned distilleries. Perhaps it is for this reason that nearly all of its whisky is sold as a single malt, with little of it finding its way into blends. Most blends are produced by larger conglomerates who tend to use the single malts from the distilleries that they own in their blends. Springbank produces two of its own blends, 5 year old Campbeltown Loch, and Mitchell"s 12 year old.
As distillery after distillery set up in Campbeltown, with the demand for malts from this area appearing insatiable, the business of the Mitchell family stretched further. John bought out the Toberanrigh Distillery built by cousin Alexander Wylie, while his sister Mary built Drumore Distillery in 1834 and William founded Glengyle in 1872.
Already in the late nineteenth century, Campbeltown whisky was of the highest quality and in enormous demand by blenders. Before the turn of this century it was highly peated and only short of being Islay in style. In the early part of this century the fashion in whisky moved away from these heavier types of whisky and Springbank altered accordingly, with malt being dried over coal rather than peat.
Barnard"s Campbeltown was a very different town from today"s, though. During the glory days of the town and the tip of the Kintyre peninsula, more that thirty distilleries were active in the area. Campbeltown was also known as "The Whisky Capital of the World". However, most of the distilleries were focused on quantity rather than quality because they were not able to keep up with the demand for their malt whiskies (especially from the US) anyway. So there was no incentive to try and improve the Campbeltown whiskies...
This attitude came back to haunt the Campbeltown distillers when Western economies were hit by an international recession after World War I and the prohibition in the USA brought (legal) exports to the America"s to a virtual standstill. One of the first victims was the Glengyle distillery, built circa 1873 by William Mitchell after a fight with his brother John at Springbank. The distillery closed down again in 1825 - and many other Campbeltown distilleries followed. The economical downturn proved to have disastrous consequences for the "volume" whisky distilleries in Campbeltown. The owner of the Glen Scotia distillery became so depressed that he drowned himself in the artificial lake that was constructed as the distillery"s water supply. Some people say his ghost still haunts the buildings...
Whisky is liquid courage. Many people - mostly men - have performed acts of inspired bravery (and foolishness) whilst under the influence of "the water of life". And while the cheaper blends and bourbons usually affect the more primitive parts of the brain (truncus cerebri), it seems single malts often appeal to the higher brain functions in the cerebrum.
So, while the symptoms of low budget alcohol abuse often include primitive behavior like shouting and brawling, those of us that prefer to abuse our alcohol in style find ourselves inspired to start writing books, composing music or plan a voyage to Scotland where the whisky was made. Travellers that have the time and means to stay for a few days can visit all the main whisky producing regions and one of its distilleries.
However, from a traveller"s perspective, visiting the Campbeltown area is a small nightmare. One has to make a long trek to the Southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula on the Western coast of Scotland to reach Springbank - or the nearby Glen Scotia distillery. Except for the distilleries, there"s not much happening in Campbeltown. And even for the people that want to "get away from it all" for a few days, Springbank is a fairly poor destination. It"s one of the few distilleries that isn"t surrounded by the lush Scottish countryside - located in the middle of a busy town.
Many distilleries welcome visitors with open arms, but when some of the maniacs visited Springbank in 2005 they didn"t seem very pleased to see us - or the other visitors for that matter. So, for me the best thing of the trip was the night I spent in the same hotel that Alfred Barnard stayed in when he visited the area over a century ago.
With the success of a nearby coal mine, fuel to run the distilleries was plentiful and cheap. And profits for the distillers were handsome. All the major distilling dynasties in the town, the Colvilles, Mitchells, Mactaggarts and Fergusons built large gentlemen"s houses in keeping with the money pouring into the bank accounts and the newfound status of respectability they had acquired. By 1891, Campbeltown with a population of just 1,969 was reputed to be the richest town per capita in Britain.
But every bubble bursts. And in the 1920s, with one or two notable exceptions, distillers in the town had begun cutting corners in the making of their whisky to meet the demand.
Soon blenders began to turn their backs on Campbeltown and looked for consistently better malt elsewhere. Only Springbank, Glen Scotia and Rieclachan maintained their quality and their order books open as one by one the other distilleries fell by the wayside.
In 1934 it was decided to close Rieclachan, leaving only Springbank and Glen Scotia, as is the case today.
Trivia:
- Springbank distillery was built in 1828 by two brothers, Archibald and Hugh Mitchell. Rumour has it that their father had already been running an illegal distillery at the same location for years. The Springbank distillery is still owned by the Mitchell family - and so is the (sort of) reconstructed Glengyle distillery.
- Apart from the "Springbank" brand the distillery produces two other "deluxe" brands, Hazelburn and Longrow.
- Frank McHardy has been working at the distillery for many years; Helen Arthur"s guide from the 1990"s already lists him as distillery manager and he was still involved with Springbank when it (temporarily) closed down in 2008. url="http://www.springbankdistillers.com"
from Wikipedia, Malt Madness