What's new this week
1
Record breaking!
Abbe sold more than 1975 barrels for more than 100 million yuan
2
Eddington Group profits rose healthily
3
Penn Suntory appoints general manager of the new brand
4
Irish whisky exports are gaining momentum
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NO·1
Record breaking! Abbe sold more than 1975 barrels for more than 100 million yuan
Recently, a 1975 barrel of Abbe single-barrel whisky was sold to a private Asian collector for £16 million.
According to the Financial Times, the whisky was made at the Adebego Distillery on isle of Islay, and the auction price also broke the record for a single barrel of McAllen for £1 million in April.
£16 million is a staggering figure, written in the Financial Times: "When we first saw the figure, we thought it was the distillery who had miswritten the number. This figure is more than double the price at which Glenmorangie Co,, the owner of the Abbe distillery (acquired by the LVMH Group in 2011), purchased the Abbe distillery in 1997 and all of its inventories.
Known as Cask No.3, this hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Abbe whisky was distilled in 1975 and has been 46 years old. Cask No. 3 contains extremely rare whiskies that were produced by the distillery before it was discontinued in 1981.
The barrel type of the abbe is a 500-litre oloroso sherry barrel, and the wine in the barrel is expected to bottle 440 bottles.
The sale is unique in that the barrel will continue to age at the Abbe distillery, which will bottle 88 bottles per year to the owner of Cask No.3 for the next five years. When the barrel is bottled, the collector will have 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50 years of Abbe whisky, which will also set a new record for the highest age of the Abbey Distillery.
In addition, Abbe also decided to donate £1 million of the transaction to the common good of Islay islet. The money will be donated throughout the five-year bottling period.
No.2 Eddington Group profits rose healthily
The UK-based Eddington Group reported a positive growth momentum of nearly 60% in the same period as at 31 March 2022.
The whisky brands in the group, including Gran Luce, Highland Rider, McAllen, etc., have performed particularly well in the market, especially the most important whisky brand in the group, McAllen, which has excellent performance and significant sales growth.
CEO Scott McCroskie said: "Eddington's core brands excel in key markets, particularly the US and Chinese mainland. Although the world economic situation has brought challenges to the entire market, we have an excellent brand strategy and excellent staff team, and I believe that the Eddington Group will continue to have a strong growth momentum in the future. ”
In addition, the Eddington Group will continue to work with Berry Bros. & Rudd has a strategic partnership and will acquire a partial stake in No.3 London Thousand Gin.
NO.3 Penn Suntory appoints the general manager of the new brand
Penn Suntory has appointed Robbie Millar as General Manager of Brands in Scotland and Ireland and will be responsible for the management of a range of brands, including Bowmore and Auchentoshan.
Prior to joining Penn Suntory, Millar spent 20 years in the spirits and beer industry, having extensive experience as Compass Box Whisky Manager and Carlsberg Global Sales Director.
Millar is understood to spend a significant amount of time working in Scotland to learn more about Penn Suntory's brand heritage. In addition, he will work to build deeper trade relations with the local area.
Jessica Spence, president of the Penn Suntory brand, said Millar's addition would lead the Scottish and Irish brands into a stronger position.
No.4 Irish whisky exports are gaining momentum
According to the latest data from Drrinks Ireland, Ireland's beverage exports to the US in 2021 are worth €619 million ($638 million).
It is worth noting that the spirits component accounts for 561 million euros (US$578 million), and this export data is mainly driven by Irish whiskey.
Vincent McGovern, Director of Spirits at Drinks Ireland, said: "Irish beverage producers are very proud to be able to create quality products with worldwide reputations, and although affected by Covid-19, especially in the downturn in global trade, exports are still resilient and producers are currently making further efforts for market recovery and growth. ”
Drinks Ireland revealed in March that total alcohol consumption in Ireland fell by 4.7% in 2021 due to trade restrictions. At present, although North America and the United Kingdom are the two main markets in Ireland, we can also see more and more Irish whisky brands in the Chinese market.