THE BEAST CHARITY WHISKY AUCTION RAISES $47,000

The whisky momentum lives on! The iconic Wood Buffalo Brewing Company hosted ‘The Beast Whisky’ auction on 25 November 2017, wherein the top bottle sold for a whopping $10,000! The second auction this year raised a generous $47,000 plus for the Fort McMurray Firefighters Charities Association, for bottles sold from #14 - #20. It beat the $28,750.00 amount raised last year in October 2016, the proceeds of which went to the same charity fund.

The great evening witnessed a number of whisky connoisseurs from the Fort McMurray community support this noble cause with generous purchase of this exceptional whisky made from peated malt. The origin of the whisky dates back to ‘The Beast’ wildfire in May 2016, which changed the history of Fort McMurray and called for honouring the brave firefighters. The fire led to massive evacuation amidst destruction, and personal loss. The courageous firefighters fought the untamed wildfire with great efficiency to protect the community.

The Wood Buffalo Brewing Co. also sustained smoke damages and amidst the havoc, a single pallet of peated malt outside the brewery apparently absorbed the smoke. A batch that ought to have been trashed, was unassumingly tested and approved to be turned into a smoked Canadian malt whisky. Spike Baker, head brewer at the Wood Buffalo Brewing Co during the time saw an opportunity, which was though sadly influenced by tragedy. He said, “We knew we had something special, so decided to distill a whisky made 100% from this malt. It was an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come as a community and honour the firefighters who saved the city. It’s still crazy to think the fires made this whisky possible.”

That is where this whisky has its beginnings. This journey of the grain got it to be named, ‘The Beast Whisky’ post the fire for sheer survival.

‘The Beast Whisky’ is distilled in oak barrels and will be ready to be opened by 2021, as it takes five years for it to age. The bottle of this signature spirit until then will serve as the IOU per se. The brewery’s partnership with the Fort McMurray Firefighters Association to organise the auction towards an honourable cause, also was a celebration of the fire-fighter’s bravery in saving the city and the spirit of survival as a community.

Whisky News source date:

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The Naked Grouse Re-launched as Blended Malt

A blended malt has been specially designed for “older millennials”. The Naked Grouse, which was initially launched in 2011 as a blended scotch, has been re-released as a blended malt for millennials. The original collection was billed as a ‘smoother, sweeter’ rendition of The Famous Grouse. The current release is a standalone offering brewed from a variety of grainless malt whiskies.

Real Ale Introduces Whiskey And Gin

Real Spirits Distilling Co., an extension of Branco’s Real Ale Brewing, has made a debut by unveiling two new expressions of whiskey and a gin. The whiskeys, namely Texas Hill Country Single Barrel Whiskey and Texas Hill Country Signature Whiskey, have been either blended or taken from a barrel of nonage statement whiskey, roughly two years old. The ‘Grain to Glass Gin’ on the other hand, has been made from a blend of botanicals, exclusively sourced from Texas. Real Spirits has emphasized the weather and vegetation of Hill Country to develop a Texas terroir for both the offerings.

Toast to the Memory of Lehman Brothers

If you’re a financial investor, you may have to drink this new whisky with a pinch of salt. A London-based entrepreneur has just launched a new range of whiskies and named them after Lehman Brothers, the now-defunct financial services giant. Now, drink all your troubles away with the three different whiskies. The whiskies are a throwback to the dire times of the 2008 financial meltdown. James Green, the man behind this project, was inspired to keep the name of the bank alive by the memory of the incident.