Inventory for February 28th, 2016

It’s that time of week again and glory be, this is February’s last inventory. I can almost smell the sunshine. This week Highland Park releases a limited edition, Jack Daniel’s invests in its distillery, Goldberg tonic is now available in cans, and spirit industry leaders openly speak out against the ‘Brexit’.

Listen friends, if you’re a lover of life and enjoy the ‘odd’ good food or drink, you’ll know the beauty that lies within a croissant. Take two minutes out of your day to watch the sexy, buttery pretzel croissants being made at New York’s City Bakery. It’s well worth your time, trust me.

1) Limited Edition Highland Park Ice

Whisky lovers can look forward to Highland Park’s Ice limited edition, which will be released this March. The bottle design was inspired by the Nordic legend’s ice giants and only 30,000 will be available  worldwide, 3000 of which will come to Germany. The 17-year old whisky is said to have a spicy aroma with fina vanilla notes and you can get it for 265 Euro.

2) Jack Daniel’s $140m Distillery Extension

Jack Daniel’s is planning on constructing two new barrel houses and modifying/expanding the existing distillery’s bottling facility in order to provide additional bottling and shipping capacity in anticipation of future demand. The multi-million dollar investment will also see renovations to the visitor’s centre which, according to The Drinks Business, “received more than 275,000 guests” last year. This is the second major project undertaken by Jack Daniel’s in less than five years, in 2013 it “carried out a $103m expansion that includes the addition of stills and barrel houses, creating 94 jobs”. Jack Daniel’s is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

3) Goldberg Tonic Water now in Cans

You know how those pesky Tonic bottles never seem to fit into your fridge? Well Goldberg has got the answer for you: 150ml cans furnished in a “culty, retro design”. So far these have only been available on airlines but from May onwards you’ll be able to pay an 8pack of your favorite buddies to enjoy at home. Not the first to try this, in last week’s German inventory we talked about Fever Tree which is targeting much of the same audience as Goldberg.

4) Diageo and Chivas Sign Letter against ‘Brexit’

“The CEOs of Diageo and Chivas Brothers are among business leaders who have signed an open letter calling for Britain to remain part of the European Union”. A letter published in The Times last week quoted business leaders arguing that the ‘Brexit’ would “deter investment, threaten jobs and put the economy at risk”.

This came ahead of a referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union, which will be held on June 23rd 2016. The Spirits Business notes that Diageo’s Ivan Menezes said: “EU membership is very important for us, and it’s very important for Scotch whisky. It’s easier to trade in the EU and around the world. Scotch relies on getting trade agreements around the world”. Intersting to see, how this will further develop.