August 9, 2018 — Malthound

Manchester United captain, Antonio Valencia, celebrates on a golden throne during a Chivas film shoot in July in Los Angeles, United States. The film was released to announce Chivas as the “Official Global Spirits Partner” of Manchester United. Photographer: Monroe Alvarez

Chivas has teamed up with the world’s biggest football club, Manchester United, in a three-year global partnership.

The collaboration will see Chivas and Manchester United join forces to celebrate their collective belief that blended is better – in life, football and Scotch.

Manchester United teammates Sergio Romero, Antonio Valencia and Chris Smalling (L-R) raise a glass to the new partnership between Chivas and Manchester United during a film shoot in July in Los Angeles, United States. The film was released to announce Chivas as the “Official Global Spirits Partner” of Manchester United.
Photographer: Monroe Alvarez

Just as Chivas brings together Scotland’s best malt and grain whiskies to create something extraordinary in the bottle, Manchester United brings together the world’s best footballers, a dedicated club team and a legion of fans all around the world to create extraordinary results on the pitch.

The partnership was revealed to fans in advance of the Club’s first Premier League home game of the 2018/19 season on Friday 10th August, through a film that explores the unique blend of characteristics that make up the Manchester United team.

Shot in Los Angeles during the Club’s pre-season tour, the film stars an array of Manchester United first team players revealing an often unseen side to them, showing what defines who they are, both on and off the pitch.

Throughout the season, Chivas will be collaborating with Manchester United to demonstrate that blended is better – by encouraging fans to celebrate the blend that makes them unique, and showing that when players collaborate with their teammates they can achieve the greatest success.

Blending has been in our DNA ever since James and John Chivas pioneered the art in 19th century Scotland. Partnering with Manchester United was therefore a natural fit; we both firmly believe that great things can be achieved when we come together – from balancing the perfect blend of malt and grain whiskies that go into our Scotch, to using the perfect combination of players’ skills on the pitch to create a winning team.

We look forward to using our spirit to help showcase the spirit of the Club and its fans all around the world.
– Jean-Christophe Coutures: Chairman and CEO at Chivas Brothers

Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling, celebrates in front of a wall of speakers during a Chivas film shoot in July in Los Angeles, United States. The film was released to announce Chivas as the “Official Global Spirits Partner” of Manchester United. Photographer: Monroe Alvarez

Manchester United’s history is built on teamwork and we embrace Chivas’ belief that ‘blended is better.’ Our success both on and off the pitch allows us to bring together the best mix of people who help to make our Club the global name it is today. Each individual has their own skills but the way in which they blend together is what makes us a united team.

It is a pleasure to welcome Chivas as Manchester United’s Global Spirits Partner and we look forward to working together to share this belief with our fans.
– Richard Arnold: Group Managing Director at Manchester United

The partnership will be brought to life through a 360 campaign activated across all touchpoints globally from August 2018. Chivas branding will also be displayed on digital perimeter boards at Old Trafford as well as throughout the stadium from the first game on Friday.

Find out more about the partnership and why blended is better at Chivas.com.

Chivas is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

(L to R) Nigel Mills CBE, Chief Executive Officer of The Lakes Distillery, Paul Currie, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of The Lakes Distillery and Whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi

The first bottle of single malt whisky from The Lakes Distillery has sold for £7,900, breaking the world record for the most expensive whisky from a new distillery, and the most expensive bottle of English whisky sold at auction.

The Lakes Distillery auctioned 99 of its first bottles

WORLD RECORD: Most expensive bottle of whisky from a new distillery.
WORLD RECORD: Most expensive bottle of English whisky.
LANDMARK: Average of £900 per bottle for the batch of 99 auctioned.

The Lakes Distillery auctioned 99 of its first bottles of single malt whisky, Genesis, with bottle number one selling for £7900.This surpassed the previous record of £7,100 for the first whisky to come from a new distillery, which was held by a Scottish distillery.

Genesis was sold at cask strength in a bespoke rosewood presentation box, each individually numbered and hand signed by Dhavall Gandhi, the Whiskymaker. Genesis comes from the Greek word meaning origin. The name pays homage to the distillery’s beginning, and gives a tantalising glimpse into its future.

The auction, which was hosted on whiskyauctioneer.com, started on 29th June and ran until noon on Tuesday 10th July.

Genesis signifies an important milestone in our history, because the first spirit we laid down is now more than three years old and we can finally call it whisky. The auction was fascinating and it exceeded all our expectations.

We are proud to have not only produced a wonderful malt whisky but to have seen such a demand for the first bottles.
– Nigel Mills CBE: Chief Executive Officer of The Lakes Distillery

We don’t just bottle our whisky because it is three years old; instead, I look at each cask to assess them individually until I find the right flavour profile. We have reached a peak for some casks and that is why we released a limited number.

It’s an amazing feeling that people are finally recognising whisky as art. People have a lot of faith in what we are doing and it’s amazing to see the prices showing that faith.
– Dhavall Gandhi: Whiskymaker

This is an historic moment and the success of the auction and the interest in Genesis demonstrates that the Lakes single malt whisky is a credible alternative to whiskies from the world’s established distilleries.
– Paul Currie: Founder and Chief Operating Officer of The Lakes Distillery

Our expectations for the auction were high and we are thrilled that we were not disappointed. There was tremendous interest and this is reflected in the price and the records broken. I am very proud that 99 people will have the opportunity to taste this very special malt whisky.
– Alan Rutherford OBE: Chairman of The Lakes Distillery

The whisky was first matured in Oloroso hogsheads giving it a vibrant character full of dried ginger and wood-spice. After the initial period of maturation, the whisky was finished in casks made-up of American and European oak to add a layer of dried fruit and vanilla. Finally, these two components were married together in Orange wine casks from the Andalucía region of Spain, giving it a spicy and chocolate-orange character.

For more information on the auction, please visit: www.lakesdistillery.com. Watch a video of the auction.

Lakes Distillery is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-