KEYNOTE SPEAKERS REVEALED FOR TFWA WORLD EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE 2015

TFWA is delighted to announce that the speakers who will headline at the opening plenary of the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference on Monday 19th October 2015 in the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes are former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Peter Long, Joint CEO of TUI Group.

As New York Mayor from 1994 to the end of 2001, Rudy Giuliani led the city through the aftermath of the 09/11 attacks. Besides being an authority on crisis management, he has demonstrated his capacity for providing guidance and support, rebuilding morale and uniting citizens towards a common goal. His broad political perspective and successful business career mean his views are sought on a wide range of subjects from leading change to economic and foreign policy.

TUI Group, headquartered in Germany, is the world’s largest leisure, travel and tourism company and operates several airlines, hundreds of hotels, travel agencies, retail stores plus a dozen cruise ships.  Peter Long brings a remarkably broad overview of current global travel trends, tourism and retail.

Welcoming the keynote speakers to the stage will be Erik Juul-Mortensen, President TFWA, who will present his annual State of the Industry address, summarising progress, successes and challenges facing the duty free & travel retail industry.

In addition to the plenary conference, TFWA will host two workshops at the Hotel Majestic on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8am to 9am.

The first, Market Watch: South Korea, will focus on the world’s largest single duty free & travel retail market. The country’s travel retail landscape has changed considerably this year with the award of new concessions at Incheon International Airport and the imminent allocation of lucrative downtown duty free licences in Seoul and Jeju. Despite the recent downturn caused by the MERS outbreak, the market is one of the industry’s most vibrant.

The second workshop, Inflight Focus, will update delegates on the latest trends in the inflight retail channel, featuring senior representatives from airlines and concessionaires. 

For further details of TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2015 (18th-23rd October), including the conference and workshops programme, please consult www.tfwa.com. Registration is now open.

WILLIAM GRANT SETS ITS SIGHTS ON INFLIGHT OPPORTUNITY

Supporting its focus on developing the airline channel, William Grant & Sons took part at the recent Airline Retail Conference (ARC) in London for the first time, both exhibiting and sponsoring the ARC Best Airline for Inflight Retail Award (won by KLM). WGS also sponsored the Gala pre-dinner and after-dinner cocktails with Monkey Shoulder and Hendrick’s Gin.

Rajiv Bhatia (WGS Director –Middle East, Gulf and Indian Subcontinent) presents  WG&S sponsored ARC Best Airline for Inflight Retail Award

ARC delegates enjoyed pre and after dinner cocktails sponsored by Hendrick's Gin, Monkey Shoulder and Glenfiddich

WGS exhibited at ARC for the first time this year as part of its focus on building inflight business. L-R – Rajiv Bhatia (WGS Director –Middle East, Gulf and Indian Subcontinent), Andre de Almeida (WGS Director - Europe Travel Retail) and Emma Humphreys (WGS Regional Marketing Manager Europe)

“The inflight channel is a priority for William Grant & Sons,” says WGS Director - Europe Travel Retail Andre de Almeida. “Although it represents a small percentage of the global travel retail business – and is often a rather maligned channel – we do believe that it offers opportunities for incremental sales and brand building.”

De Almeida says he was encouraged by some of the presentations at ARC which outlined the significant advantage that airlines have over other channels of distribution in travel retail: “Each airline knows exactly who is travelling before their competition (such as airports). Taking this data alongside the digital possibilities for interaction between the airline, brands and consumer, and airlines could become stand-out sales and passenger experience opportunities.”

WGS has developed a number of unique gifting offers that are exclusive to travel retail and perfect for airlines. These include The Glenfiddich 3 x 5cl, Tullamore Dew 3 x 5cl and Hendrick’s 2 x 5cl packs.

“We know that the majority of consumers will buy their full-size bottles of spirits at the airport; gift packs and fractional bottles, however, open up a totally new opportunity for additional sales,” continues de Almeida, “with miniature gift packs particularly relevant for airlines.”

WGS research has shown that 70% of fractional and miniature packs are in addition to other whisky or spirit purchases. “Miniature packs provide two sales opportunities inflight: they’re the perfect last minute gift for a friend or loved one; perhaps more importantly they encourage new consumers to try whisky and/or encourage exploration of new whiskies and gin.”

Currently WGS is working with a number of key airlines including Aer Lingus, Air India, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Middle East Airlines and Qatar Airways. “We are very keen to engage more closely with the Airline channel, not only to drive our gifting offer but also to look at the brand building opportunities via pouring in the lounge and inflight,” says WGS Director –Middle East, Gulf and Indian Subcontinent Rajiv Bhatia.

“We are already pouring on Air India, Aer Lingus, Emirates and Qatar and this – plus the touch-points available within the airline lounges – creates excellent opportunities for interacting and engaging with key customers prior to the sales offer.”

Andre De Almeida said that ARC gave the company a useful opportunity to further explore the mechanics of the inflight retail channel – and the airline’s approach to it. “It was an interesting exercise and, through our sponsorship of the Best Airline for Inflight Retail award and of the pre and after dinner Gala drinks, gave WGS excellent brand exposure and profile.”

Adds Bhatia: “We had some interesting conversations at the ARC event and look forward to taking these to the next stage in coming weeks. For us it is not just about the product but also the associated experience which we can offer the consumer.

“I think one of the key ways moving forward is for airlines and retailers to look at how they can work together rather than against each other. For me, one of the most interesting presentations at ARC was DDF President George Horan’s outline of how they are working with Emirates Airlines to maximize commercial relationships between retail operations on the ground and in the air. It can and does work and we at WGS are very keen to be part of that process.”

ENDS

Trade enquiries: Ian Taylor, William Grant & Sons. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8334 1258. Fax: +44 (0) 20 8332 1695.   Email Ian.Taylor@wgrant.com

Press enquiries: Rowena Holland, Essential Communications. Tel: +44 (0) 208 405 8109. Mobile: +44 (0) 7710 219784.  Email: row@essentialcommunications.org

Notes to Editors

  * William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family.  The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite Single Malt Glenfiddich, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie Single Malts, the world’s most reclusive malt Kininvie and the world’s oldest family blend, Grant’s, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s Gin, voted the ‘World’s Best Gin’ by the Wall Street Journal, Drambuie Scotch Whisky Liqueur, Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey, Sailor Jerry, Milagro Tequila and Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Whisky

     Visit www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands

A day of summer sailing on the Solent -TRC retailer event makes waves

The Travel Retail Consortium (TRC) settled at the Botley Park Hotel, Southampton, UK for its annual retailer weekend.  An exciting itinerary awaited the members of the Travel Retail Consortium plus guests and partners, giving suppliers the opportunity to mix with airport retailers, airlines, ferries/cruise-ships and distributors/agents for this strictly social weekend in June. 

A drinks reception welcomed members and guests on the Friday evening, with an introduction to the Sailing Regatta by Simon Hedley giving attendees a glimpse into their upcoming Saturday of sailing.  A BBQ on the hotel terrace followed, whilst a charity tombola with prizes kindly donated by suppliers was held throughout the evening.  On Saturday guests were divided into teams for a day of sailing on the Solent, experiencing a beautifully sunny but windy day.  The teams faced tough but highly enjoyable conditions whilst they raced towards the Isle of Wight and learnt how to manage the stunning yachts. The winning sailing team, ‘Stuart’s of Rod’ consisted of Corin Lehmann, Andy Hoile (Guinness), Andrew Hunter, Karen Hunter (Guinness), Brooke MacPherson, Matthew Popek (Harding Retail), Becci Calver and Philip Elliott (Taittinger Champagne).

After returning slightly battered and bruised, the Fair Oak Suite hosted the ‘Summer on the Solent’ Gala Dinner.  Ladies wore their fancy frocks and the men donned their bow ties, with everyone enjoying a champagne reception.  This was followed by a delicious dinner and the chance to dance the night away to Simply Swing.  As is tradition, bacon rolls were served to all surviving guests at 1am.

During the evening a £5 in the pot charity draw saw an additional £500 raised for the TRC Chairman’s dedicated charity Guillain Barre Syndrome.  With £400 already collected from the Friday night’s tombola.  Chairman Peter Ayling auctioned off a magnum of Champagne on behalf of Champagne Taittinger to increase the total raised to £1020.

Says Anthony Fletorides, General Manager, DFASS UK LTD, “Once again the TRC held a great event that allowed everyone to interact, meet new people and have great fun.  Sailing was a new activity for me and I certainly enjoyed it.  The gala dinner and evening was enjoyable too and I even won a prize - very nice.”

Assistant Buyer, Caitlin Allen, Harding Retail comments,  “This was my first Travel Retail Consortium event and it certainly did not disappoint.  Sailing was a perfect way to meet new people whilst having a lot of fun and I was made to feel very welcome by everyone who was involved.  The entire weekend was beautifully organised from start to finish and it was truly a privilege to be part of such a fantastic event.”

Buyer, Anthony Faull, Tourvest Inflight Retail Services, “Had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting some new people. I found the whole weekend to be a great break , well organised and it ran like clockwork. Can’t wait to see how they are going to top this one next year.”  

“I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this weekend such a success.  The TRC has always run quite safe events previously and I wanted to organize something different, which according to the feedback has definitely paid off” says Peter Ayling, TRC Chairman.  “We are a unique industry, one which relies on close relationships.  Events like the TRC weekend are vital to make new relationships and strengthen existing ones.  I will be thinking hard as to how we can better this in 2016.”

The amazing photographs were taken by Paul Wyeth Marine Photography.  Paul specializes in photographing Marine products and sporting events with an emphasis on getting right to the heart of the action.  Delivering creative images for a wide range of clients.  Paul’s work is featured in Marine and lifestyle publications in the UK and overseas, some of which can be viewed at pwpictures.com

 Notes to editors: The Travel Retail Consortium was originally conceived in the late 1960s and formalised in 1971 to further the interests and development of the Travel Retail Industry within the UK through the member companies

The organisation's objectives are to improve standards of business within the travel retail industry, promote members’ products and services, discuss industry issues and provide social and business networking opportunities for key industry customers and members' representatives at annual events. The TRC is also active in raising funds for charity and the Chairman nominates a charity of his choice during his tenure.

For membership enquiries please contact Peter Ayling at peterayling@hatch.co.uk

TRC members are:  Aeon, Accolade Wines, Aurora World , Coty Prestige, Guinness, Heineken, Imperial Tobacco International, Invu, Mars,  Morgan & Oates, Rémy Cointreau,  Sekonda, Taittinger Champagne & Twinings.

William Grant & Sons appoints new Chief Marketing Officer

William Grant & Sons is delighted to announce that Philip Gladman has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer and will also be a member of the Executive Board, reporting to Chief Executive Stella David. He will also take executive responsibility for overseeing the company's Global Travel Retail business.

Stella David, Chief Executive, William Grant & Sons said: "I am sure Philip will make a great contribution to the company and our fantastic portfolio of brands.”

"He is a highly accomplished Marketing Executive with 20 years of international marketing experience."

Philip joins William Grant & Sons from Flintlock, a consulting business he established in 2014 which offered support to clients in turnaround situations requiring fast transformations of their marketing and commercial delivery.

Prior to this, Philip was employed by Diageo for 14 years where he held a number of roles including Director, Marketing and Innovation for Africa. His other roles included Smirnoff Global Brand Director and Marketing Director GB.

Commenting on his appointment, Philip Gladman said, “Whilst the last year has been so exciting, founding Flintlock and leading the team on the turnaround at Hovis, the opportunity to join the board of such a dynamic global business with fantastic brands stewarded by brilliant people was too good to pass up.  I'm immensely proud of the team at Flintlock and the work at Hovis and leave a flying new business in the capable hands of Graham Appleyard and Tasha Gladman. I only hope that I can continue to build the amazing portfolio at William Grant & Sons in a manner that would make the brilliant marketers before me proud.”

Philip is married with two young children and has a passion for the outdoor world - including racing boats, winter climbing and skiing.

END

About William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons Holdings Ltd is an independent family-owned distiller and was founded by William Grant in 1887. Today the company owns some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch, Grant’s®, as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® gin, Sailor Jerry® spiced rum, Tullamore D.E.W.® Irish whiskey and Drambuie® Scotch Liqueur.

For more information on the company, please visit www.williamgrant.com

THE KASE FOR TRAVEL RETAIL - MAKING SMARTPHONE CUSTOMISATION FASHIONABLE

A new concept offering a unique, different and high margin retail opportunity for airports and operators is being actively marketed to travel retail globally. THE KASE is a brand concept specialising in instant customized and ‘ready-to-wear’ fashionable products for Smartphones, tablets and associated products that is rapidly gaining a foothold in domestic markets worldwide and is now ready to conquer travel retail. With more than 150 premium locations in key markets including France, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and the USA, The KASE opened its first airport shop at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport in conjunction with Regent Distributors in February, where sales are said to be “totally beyond all expectations”.

THE KASE takes the traditionally dull retail world of Smartphone and tablet accessories and turns it into an attractive, trendy and fashionable offer that will appeal equally to men and women. THE KASE enables travellers to express themselves and identify their belongings in just a few minutes using an easy to operate ‘customisation workshop’.  With the help of a designated iPad application, customers can choose from thousands of different “I AM UNIK” designs – or upload their own via the store’s wifi– choose a support plate (eg iPhone, Samsung, iPad etc) and then print. Customisation is available for a wide range of cases, flip covers, anti-shock covers, Powerhouses etc in materials ranging from faux to real leather, wood to silicone with options for the majority of makes and models. Printing takes just 8 minutes and up to 6 Smartphones can be printed at the same time. In addition, customers can stock up on other accessories such as cables, head and in-ear phones, chargers, in-car attachments etc. It literally is a one-stop shop.

THE KASE is perfect for travel retail, offering flexible space options from customised shop-in-shops to 15sq m or 22sq m Pop Up shops to Boutiques between 30 and 60sq m with a look and feel inspired by the fashion industry. Says THE KASE co- founder Steve Rosenblum:  “THE KASE offers travel retail a tremendous opportunity to capitalise on a market in constant expansion. It’s estimated that in 2016 one billion Smartphones and 400 million tablets will be sold – double that of 2012. In addition, the market for accessories is growing equally rapidly, up 80% in 2012 and expected to show 120% growth next year representing a massive US$50bn. Increasingly, covers for these items are being considered a fashion accessory in their own right. What THE KASE offers is the opportunity for travellers to express themselves and their identity through their Smartphones, iPads etc in a quick and easy to use format.”

This potential of THE KASE for travel retail has already been proven by the success of its first airport shop at NAIA Terminal 3. The 33 sq m store opened at the end of February 2015 and,



says Rosenblum: “The response has been phenomenal.”

Adds Joey Esteban, CHM Group of Companies: "The personalized printing concept of the Kase allows travellers to create products that fit their tastes and needs, giving it a variety of applications in travel retail, either as an impulse item, a gifting product, or as a personalized souvenir. This unique offering, coupled with an engaging customer experience has helped the Kase generate strong sales and customer traffic in our airport. "

THE KASE is now looking to take the concept into travel retail internationally and is already in discussion with a number of potential partners. “Apart from operating our own stores, The KASE has signed up master franchisees in Europe, the Middle East, Indonesia, Morocco and South Africa, so we already have the local partners in place to work with airports and retail operators to introduce the travel retail channel,” continues Rosenblum. “We are constantly adding to our franchise network whilst, at the same time, can also work directly with airports and retail groups when necessary.”

Part of the appeal of THE KASE its ability to keep the offer fresh and ‘UNIK’: “At any one time customers can choose from 93,000 plus designs that are regularly updated by 4,500 designers that we work with across 80 countries.  Every month we introduce a new theme and up to 3,000 new designs, so whatever the nationality of the customer, there will be designs that appeal.  There is no reason why we could not create designs that are exclusive to an airport based on the destination, region etc,” continues Rosenblum.

Alongside its own UNIK offer, THE KASE also offers a selection of designer brand items including Swarovski, Karl Lagerfeld, Ferrari, Guess and Paul & Joe.

“THE KASE presents a win-win opportunity for all partners,” says Rosenblum. “The first retail chain to create a true premium destination concept for Smartphone, tablets and accessories, THE KASE is rapidly becoming a globally recognised brand and the leader in its field. This opportunity is now available to travel retail its one that we are confident will quickly take off.”

The KASE HISTORY
• 5 stores in Paris and surrounds open in December 2012!
• Acquisition of 114 stores from The Phone House July 2013 (formerly Best Buy Europe) 65
   stores opened by December 2013, 140 stores globally today
• Asia: Singapore first opening May 2013 (Ion Orchard), Hong-Kong first store November
   2013.
• Germany: Dusseldorf September 2013, Belgium November 2013
• USA: Staten Island Mall NY, Westfield Connecticut Post CT, Providence Place Mall RI
   Opening December 2013,  Garden State Plaza NJ March 2014.
• First Franchise store opens November 2013 in Belgium. Today 20 franchise stores     
   operated worldwide in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Philippines, Indonesia, Dubai, Saudi  
   Arabia, Turkey, South Africa.
• First Airport shop opens February 2015 at Manila NAIA

Steve & Jean-Emile Rosenblum
In 2000 Jean Emile and Steve Rosenblum launched the e-commerce site Pixmania.com which in 2011 generated sales of over €900 million. 35% of the sales were in France and the rest of the business came from 25 European countries with 1400 employees and a monthly traffic of 30 million unique visitors. Originally created to sell photographic equipment, by 2012 the product range included such diversified sectors as consumer electronics to jewellery, to baby products. The two founders also developed a marketplace allowing thousands of business partners to have access to their customer base. With their subsidiary e-merchant, they became a major player in the delegated e-commerce sector. After selling Pixmania to Dixons Retail for 366M€ enterprise value, and leaving their operational roles in 2012, the 2 brothers founded The Kase to become a worldwide player in the fashion accessories retail business.
E

Scorpio wins global ARC award for Best Inflight Distributor for the fifth consecutive year in a row.

Scorpio Worldwide is delighted to announce that it has once again received the ARC Global Award for Best Inflight Distributor of the Year.

 Presented on Tuesday 2nd June to Scorpio Worldwide Sales and Marketing Director Richard Kennedy during the annual Airline Retail Conference gala dinner, this year held at Kensington Close Hotel.

 2015 has already proven to be a successful year for Scorpio Worldwide in terms of awards, with the DFNI Global Award for Supplier of the Year, DFNI Americas Supplier of the Year and ARC Asia Best Inflight Distributor of the Year all under its belt.

 “We are delighted to once again be named Best Inflight Distributor of the Year at the Airline Retail Conference. Our team works unbelievably hard and undoubtable deserves this recognition. I’d like to thank everyone who voted for us, and thank ARC for another successful conference and exhibition,” Kennedy commented.

Stoli® - THE Vodka of Ibiza - Partners With THE Hotel - Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel

LUXEMBOURG, [June 9th] 2015 – Stolichnaya® Premium Vodka toasts the start of the Summer season in Ibiza, the iconic party destination of Europe, with Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza as part of a long term focus as THE Vodka of Ibiza.

Starting things off with a Balearic bang, Stoli® and Palladium Hotel Group, begin the celebrations with a landmark partnership deal at Ibiza’s luxurious and impressive Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza addresses. The three year agreement includes a wide range of co-branding activities, sponsorships, competitions, dedicated social media content and a co-branded clothing line.

The opening party set things off on May 30th and a full line up of further events, such as the Stoli sponsored Armin Van Buuren’s set at Ushuaïa Ibiza, can be found on the official Facebook pages: facebook.com/Stolivodka_ibiza & facebook.com/ushuaiaibiza.

Danny Gomez Korf, Brand Ambassador, PR & Sponsoring Director of Palladium Hotel Group had this to say: “It’s a perfect match between THE Hotel and THE Vodka. Stoli’s reputation for quality and heritage, along with their international cosmopolitan personality is the perfect fit for us and our customers. A pursuit of excellence is one thing, but doing so with unique character and charisma is a greater achievement – and that’s what we are striving for in this exciting partnership.”

“We are very excited to show the world’s most discerning clubbers and cocktail drinkers the unique character and spirit of Stoli. For years Stoli has been known as the original vodka and now we can bring our story to the world through this iconic partnership and regional focus,” adds Jean-Dominique Andreu, Regional Managing Director – Europe, Stoli® Group.

[END]

About Stoli Group
Stoli® will offered across Ibiza at Ushuaia, Hard Rock, Pachá, Lio, Destino, Ocean Beach, Blue Marlin, DC10, Atzaro, Nassau and Ayoun.

Stoli Group (headquartered in Luxembourg) was established in 2013 as the division that is responsible for the production, management and distribution of SPI Group's global spirit portfolio - the iconic Stolichnaya® Premium vodka range, elit™ by Stolichnaya® and Moskovskaya®. With operational business units across 3 continents and distribution in 167 countries, the group is led by a multi-national management team with key office locations in Europe, USA and China.

With almost 1 bottle of Stolichnaya® Premium vodka sold every second, each one defines the benchmark for quality with a meticulously crafted liquid that meets the highest Russian alcohol standards - Alpha Spirit. Distilled in the Group’s own ultra-modern raw alcohol distillery in Tambov, Russia, Stoli’s exceptional purity is achieved by controlling the process from grain to bottle using only the highest quality ingredients, quadruple filtration and only three times distilled.

For more information visit www.stoli-group.com and www.stoli.com
Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/stoli and on Twitter @Stoli

About Palladium Hotel Group
Palladium Hotel Group is a Spanish hotel chain with over forty years of experience. The chain has 50 hotels in six countries: Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Sicily (Italy) and Brazil and operates four brands: Palladium Hotels & Resorts‒with four sub brands: The Royal Suites by Palladium, Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, Palladium Hotels and Palladium Boutique Hotels‒, Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, Ushuaïa Unexpected Hotels and Ayre Hoteles‒with sub brand Only YOU Hotel & Lounge‒,as well as  licensed brand Hard Rock Hotels.
The Palladium Hotel Group hotels are characterized by their philosophy of offering customers a high standard of quality in its products and services and excellent value.  Palladium Hotel Group is owned by Grupo Empresas Matutes (GEM).
Visit www.palladiumhotelgroup.com

Tullamore D.E.W. unveils a world-first Cider Cask Finish Irish whiskey

Tullamore D.E.W. – the original triple distilled, triple blend Irish Whiskey - has unveiled the world’s first cider cask finished Irish whiskey – Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish, which will be available exclusively in global travel retail stores from May 2015.

Designed with worldly whiskey explorers in mind, this unique edition combines two of Ireland’s oldest crafts, cider-making and whiskey-making. The result is a rare and noble Irish whiskey that brings to life the essence of Ireland with notes of toasted oak, tinged with cider sweetness to engage and delight the palate of true Irish whiskey lovers.  Due to the seasonal nature of the Irish apple harvest, Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish has limited production, made only between September and November each year.

The new product will be showcased in a Tullamore D.E.W. pop-up shop at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2, where the brand’s full range of products is available until the end of June. Customers can receive a personalised Tullamore D.E.W. passport when visiting the promotional space, allowing them to become Irish True as part of their journey. The interactive shop was developed by creative agency HRG (UK).

Andre de Almeida, William Grant & Sons regional director GTR Europe, said: “We always look to launch new travel retail exclusives for Tullamore D.E.W. in Ireland and specifically at Dublin airport, where we have a strong partnership with ARI. The new Cider Cask Finish is no exception to this and first results have been very encouraging.”

Shane O’Sullivan, ARI Ireland alcohol buyer, added: “ARI is delighted to partner with Tullamore D.E.W. to bring this pop-up shop to Terminal 2. The new Cider Cask is a great way to show how innovation within the industry is bringing newness to our customers. This will be a welcome addition to the Irish Whiskey Collection at Dublin Airport.”

John Quinn, Tullamore D.E.W. Global Brand Ambassador, commented; “To create Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish, we select the finest apples which were then freshly pressed to begin the journey of small-batch cider making. The pressed apples were then held in oak casks for several months.”

He continued; “As the cider fermented, the tart-yet-sweet notes infused the bourbon casks, creating a layered complexity of nose and taste. We then siphoned all the fermenting cider, replacing it with precious Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey for a further three months of maturation.”

Bursting with a light, golden amber glow, Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish tastes as rich as it looks. On the nose, the fresh, leafy, crisp green apple scent and sweet maltiness brings the senses on a journey – straight to the heart of Ireland. The smooth taste is distinctive – soft and mellow, with a lovely balance of oak, creamy malt and sweet, fresh apple notes.  This light-bodied whiskey, with a fruity vibrancy, offers the perfect balance of quality whiskey with added intrigue.  The sweet, lingering taste carries subtle fruity notes and the final result is a richly rewarding, new taste experience for curious whiskey enthusiasts.

Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish is a 40% ABV triple distilled, triple blend Irish whiskey, available exclusively at Global Travel Retail outlets around the world from May 2015 for a limited time only.

ENDS

For more information on Tullamore D.E.W., please go to: www.tullamoredew.comhttp://www.tullamoredew.com/

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tullamoredew

About Tullamore D.E.W.

Tullamore D.E.W. is the world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand and has seen global sales double to more than 950,000 (9L) cases since 2005.  Known the world over for its smooth flavour, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey is triple distilled and a blend of all three types of Irish whiskey – grain, malt & pot still.  The sweet softness of grain whiskey, soft spice from the pot still and fruitiness of the malt create a uniqueness of flavour that marks out Tullamore D.E.W. from all other Irish whiskeys.  Tullamore D.E.W.'s award-winning range includes Tullamore D.E.W. Original, Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix, Tullamore D.E.W. 12 Year Old Special Reserve and Tullamore D.E.W. 10 Year Old Single Malt.

About the Tullamore Distillery

Tullamore Distillery is located on a 58-acre site in Clonminch, on the outskirts of County Offaly. The location provides a good supply of quality, soft spring water from the nearby Slieve Bloom Mountains, ideal for the triple distillation process used in Tullamore D.E.W. The distillery is the first to be built on a greenfield site in Ireland in over 100 years and produces 1.84mla of triple distilled pot still whiskey and malt annually– the equivalent of 511,000 (9litre) cases per year. This figure is set to double by 2018.

Led by William Grant & Sons’ Head Engineer, John Stevenson, the €35 million investment involved more than 1,200 specialist distillery engineers and construction workers working a combined 475,000 days. The result is something distinctly Tullamore D.E.W. The Spirit Safe is uniquely designed in a triangular shape, referencing Tullamore D.E.W.’s complex triple-distilled, triple blend of all three types of Irish whiskey, while also paying tribute to the Grant family’s coat of arms which features its own trio of crowns.

About Tullamore:

Tullamore is a medium-sized town in County Offaly, in the Irish midlands, with a population of 15,000 and is approximately 100km west of Dublin.  Slieve Bloom, to the north, is believed to be one of Europe's oldest mountain ranges, and to the south is Lough Boora, a vast nature reserve. The town is connected to Dublin by the Grand Canal, an old merchant waterway linking the capital city with the mighty River Shannon in the West of Ireland.

Tullamore D.E.W. is the town's most famous export, dating back to 1829.  Despite the original distillery's closure in 1954, the town has maintained a proud association with Tullamore D.E.W. and the Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre, opened in 2012, has become a popular tourist attraction. 

About Irish whiskey:

Today Irish whiskey is the fastest growing sector in the spirits category, as a new generation of consumers discover its smooth taste and accessible character.

The category has had a tumultuous past, from its heyday in the early 20th century when it was in huge global demand to being severely crippled first by Prohibition and then by Irish political instability and the Economic War with Britain.

In comparison, Scotch, which was not handicapped by the same challenging trade environment, went from strength to strength and became the default import whisky of choice in large markets such as in North America and the UK.

Irish whiskey was all but wiped out in the US and in fact may have been saved because of its use in Irish coffee, which become very popular on the West Coast.

As the entire Irish whiskey production sector was rationalised, Tullamore D.E.W. went through a number of different ownerships.  It became part of the William Grant & Sons family in 2010.

About William Grant & Sons:

William Grant & Sons Holdings Ltd is an independent family-owned distiller and was founded by William Grant in 1887. Today the company owns some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch, Grant’s®, as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® gin, Sailor Jerry® spiced rum, Tullamore D.E.W.® Irish whiskey and Drambuie® Scotch Liqueur.

‘Black is back’ at Paris Charles de Gaulle

Champagne Lanson is once again giving travel retail passengers a treat with the launch of its ‘New Black Label’ in partnership with Aelia.  Re-designing its most popular SKU, Lanson has brought the ‘perfect start’ to Paris Charles de Gaulle in both Terminal 1 and 2 (2E, 2F, 2D). The original style of champagne since 1760, this Brut Non-Vintage Champagne is dominated by Pinot Noir and with the colour black being seen as a symbol of elegance it has always been the natural choice for this stunning label. 

To ensure the continued production of its premium products, the House of Lanson appointed a new wine-maker in 2015, Hervé Dantan whose passion for champagne resulted in his taking over from Jean-Paul Gandon, Champagne Lanson’s wine-maker since 1986. In addition, new facilities that allow the House to vinify separate plots, gives the new wine-maker access to a very rich palette of possibilities for his blends and a new wooden cask winery which contains reserve wines matured over long years all combine to bring a greater complexity to Lanson Black Label.

With highly decorated shop windows that use eye-catching light boxes to highlight the exciting new label, Lanson is eager to show both its current and potential customers that this new label is a must have purchase. The Charles de Gaulle main stores will show a ‘Reveal Movie’ which highlights the new facilities that the House of Lanson now enjoys. With stunning vineyard shots, the video is truly mesmerising and is sure to entice passing travellers to stop and take in the precision and craftsmanship that goes into each bottle of Black Label.

Olivier De La Giraudière, Export Director of Lanson Champagne comments, “Lanson Black Label is our most successful and original champagne but we are always looking for ways to highlight to travellers just how special the label is. The use of our in-store ‘Reveal Videos’ to introduce the House of Lanson’s new wine-maker and its new facilities should help us to convey this message.”

Passing travellers of Paris CDG’s flagship store S4 (2E) shop will have the opportunity to take a photo in the specially design Black Label photo shooting box, whilst sampling the new Lanson offering. To add to the enticement, a hermetic stopper is offered as a gift-with-purchase during tasting hours, along with a 15% discount on Black Label 75 cl, Rosé Label 75 cl, Twin-Pack Black Label 2x75 cl and Twin-Pack Black/Rosé Label 2x75cl.