Whyte & Mackay receives Whisky magazine’s Innovator of the year award

Sept. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- New Delhi, September 16,  2011: Premium Scotch whisky - Whyte & Mackay has yet again proved to be an industry best by winning the Whisky Magazine’s Innovator of the Year Award for its recreation of a 100 year old whisky left under the Antarctic ice by famous explorer Ernest Shackleton.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anant Iyer, Business Head (Luxury Brands) said, “It’s an honour to receive this award and it is a matter of great pride for us.  United Spirits Limited is extremely proud of its luxury label –Whyte & Mackay, a vintage and smooth luxury scotch. This exceptional and exquisite brand promises to be a rare blend for those who have developed a taste for the finer things in life…A little extra that works wonders.”
Described as the “whisky story of the century”, the winning Whyte & Mackay blend – was four years in the making by the time the whisky was found, excavated, shipped to Scotland and finally reproduced.

The bottle is now on sale for £100, with 5% from every sale being donated back to the Antarctic Heritage Trust. With 50,000 bottles being produced, it is hoped that the Trust will receive £250,000.

The award was presented to Whyte & Mackay Master Blender, Richard Paterson at a ceremony held in Glasgow, Scotland. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. This has been the highlight of my 40 year career to date in whisky, but would not have been possible without the efforts of a vast team of people both in and outside the company.”

“But my biggest thanks goes to the Antarctic Heritage Trust, based in New Zealand, who found the whisky and subsequently helped us get some bottles back to Scotland.”, he added.

Paterson spent eight weeks marrying and blending a range of malts together to recreate the 100 year old whisky. Highly regarded independent whisky expert Dave Broom was one of the lucky few who got to taste the original and new spirit together, and he said “the replication is bang on.”
The Whyte & Mackay portfolio is available in India with the Whyte Mackay 40 year Old, 22 Year Old, 19 Year old, 13 Year Old & the Special. Jura with Jura 16 Year Old, Superstition & The Jura 10 Year Old. Last but certainly not the least, the KING OF MALTS – The Dalmore available in the 12 Year Old & Gran Reserva apart from the inimitable The Dalmore 40 Year Old.

For Further Information, please contact:
Neha Singhvi/ Vani Khurana/ Manasee Das
+91 9560033899/ +91 9810947602/ +91 9953559025

About United Spirits Limited:

United Spirits Limited (USL) is the largest alco bev company in the world by volume and the USD 1.9 billion spirits arm of the UB Group. USL was earlier McDowell and Company Limited. USL is headquartered in Bangalore with a global footprint and has 7500 employees across various locations. USL has a portfolio of more than 140 brands, of which 21 are millionaire brands and has 84 manufacturing and bottling units at locations across the country.

USL represents the merged entities of erstwhile McDowell & Co. Limited, Phipson Distillery Limited, United Spirits Limited, Herbertsons Limited, Triumph Distillers and Vintners Private Limited, Baramati Grape Industries Limited, United Distillers India Limited, McDowell International Brands Limited and Shaw Wallace Distilleries Limited and Shaw Wallace & Co. Limited.

With the acquisition of Bouvet Ladubay in 2006, the UB Group has made a strategic entry into of the wines category.  Bouvet-Ladubay, located in the Loire valley of the Saumur region in France, has a heritage of over 156 years.

The company currently has a capacity of 8 million bottles per annum, with further scope for expansion whenever required.  Bouvet Ladubay is sold across the world in over 38 countries.

In 2007, United Spirits acquired the Glasgow-based Whyte and Mackay and ramped up its premium scotch and single malts portfolio significantly.  Whyte & Mackay also owns four malt whisky distilleries in Scotland and a state-of-the-art bottling facility in Grangemouth with a capacity of 12 million cases per annum.

Note to the Editors: The erstwhile McDowell & Co. Limited was first established as a proprietary business in 1826. For detailed information, please visit www.unitedspirits.in