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Inventory for July 12th, 2015

Welcome, welcome! This week we follow a health physicist to the Antarctic, where he becomes a bartender, a new sort of gin claims to be infused with music, Diageo puts out a shoddy advertisement which gets banned, Bacardi be shopping, and Beam Suntory presents its newest premium edition whisky. 

 

Greece is in trouble, and don’t we all know it. Next weekend Berlin’s Markthalle Neun invites visitors to take a look behind the blue-and-white striped curtain and enjoy all the rest that Greece has to offer. From street food to panel discussions and tastings of feta and wine, there’s a little something for everyone here. The kickoff is Thursday, July 17th at Street Food Thursday with activities ranging into Sunday’s Breakfast Market.

1) Getting Drunk in the Arctic

Back in 2013 The Atlantic writer Olga Khazan spoke to Phil Broughton, a health physicist who once worked at the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole and became the defacto bartender of the only bar around: Club 90 South. The physicist describes how the company running the station stock would bring plenty of alcohol to hold its workers over the long winter. In a place where the sun literally does not rise for six months people feel cold, bored, and trapped and will easily rely on alcohol to tide them over. Some, who were predisposed to seasonal affective disorder, were hit hard.

Darkness and cold can cause sleepiness and memory problems, Broughton himself says he forgot how to use grammar and can’t remember the month of October. As the bartender he saw many people drinking to kill the day, even non-alcoholic options didn’t last long. “Coke and Mountain Dew were gone a month into the winter, and their pallet of wine froze one day.”, leaving only hard liquor and beer available. A longer read, but one that’s worth it. A fascinating look at what people turn to when there are no other options. Broughton himself says that despite everything, he would still go back given the choice.

2) Music Infused Gin

Yeah, we’ll wait while you try to capture your breath and stop laughing. The Spirits Business reports that the ‘Electric Wire Hustle X Rogue Society Gin Limited Edition‘ is a gin that’s been distilled with the latest EP by the ‘Electric Wire Hustle playing on repeat for twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week. The founders have gone on statement saying that they’re not sure if the spirit will taste any different …. but they sure hope it will?

Fair enough, vibrations can have an impact on their surroundings so there’s a very real possibility that playing music would affect the gin. But shouldn’t this be tested before bottles go on sale? In a meticulous process, so that the bottles have some consistency? We’re great fans of innovation over here but come on, put some professionalism into it boys. Otherwise it just seems like a lazy attempt an yet another marketing gimmick.

3) Diageo Fights Ad Ban

Diageo has gotten into a bit of a tiffle with its latest advertisement for Smirnoff Vodka. As per the drinks business the ad “depicts a pretentious bar scene with unfriendly people dressed in restrictive, extravagant clothing with sculpted hair styles that suggested an air of superficiality and a lack of comfort. As a bartender poured vodka and a mixer into glass the atmosphere softens and music starts to play with people then smiling at each other.

On-screen text stated: Filter the unnecessary. Keep the good stuff.” The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) has said that it believes that the ad implies that the success of a night at the bar is dependent on the presence of alcohol, which breaches their codes and has thus banned the ad. Smirnoff is “disappointed with this decision” and planning to appeal it.

4) Bacardi Buys Out Leblon Cachaça

Bacardi is on a shopping spree this week. After confirming the sale of Banks Rum several days earlier, it now announced that it would be taking the full ownership of LEBLON cachaça. A favorite in Brazil, where it is the national spirit, cachaça is the key ingredient to a good caipirinha. Somehow a good fit. We wonder if Bacardi hasn’t spent enough this fiscal quarter and is trying to get rid of its surplus?

5) Beam Suntory Presents Newest Premium Edition: Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky

Based on a Japanese concept, Suntory’s newest premium whisky tries to embody the harmony between humans and nature. Made from ten malt and grain whiskies and aged in five different barrels the Harmony Whisky is sold in an elegant bottle which is decorated with 24 facets – one for each Japanese season. Tasting notes include hints of honey with some candied orange peel and white chocolate. The finish is said to be subtle, and soft with a note of cinnamon and mizunara.

Credits

Foto: Man via Shutterstock

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