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Week in pictures: 22-28 July

28 July 2023 By James Evison

This week in pictures sees tastings in Chile, Bushmills comes to London, a charity cycle ride, and a beautiful distillery in the Cotswolds.

Wines of Chile

Senior staff writer Eloise Feilden has just returned from an extensive trip to Chile to taste some of the nation’s finest wines. Look out for her forthcoming reporting on the country’s wine scene. She is pictured here at VIK winery with winemaker Cristian Vallejo.

Bushmills

Colum Egan, Master Distiller for over 21 years at the world’s oldest licensed distillery, Bushmills, travelled from County Antrim to London’s Black Rock, to host a tasting which included the newly released 25 and 30 year old single malts.

Matured in Bourbon barrels and sherry butts for up to six years before finishing in first-fill ruby Port pipes for 21 years, Bushmills 25 Year Old bore notes of almond, liqueur cherry, damson and chocolate.

With notes of fig and fig leaf, soft clove, praline and orange peel, Bushmills 30 Year Old, with an indefatigable finish, was matured inBourbon barrels and sherry butts for 14 years before finishing in first-fill Pedro Ximénez casks for 16 years.

Guests also heard about the new Causeway Distillery, representing a £60m investment, which opened in April. The duet of single malts are available from whiskyshop.com at £790 and £1,975 apiece.

Berr Bros & Rudd

Team members from Berry Bros. & Rudd, the UK’s oldest fine wine and spirits merchant, and the wine industry will take on a gruelling four day cycling challenge to raise money for charity, as part of ongoing celebrations to mark its 325th year.

In September, a 36-strong team of colleagues and friends will take on the challenge of cycling 325 miles, from the business’s home at No. 3 St James’s Street inLondon, to Epernay in Champagne, in four days, to raise £325,000 for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, with thanks to the generous support of sponsors.

The Foundation raises funds to find a cure for Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and offers support to those diagnosed with the disease, and to their friends and family.

Berry Bros. & Rudd Chair, Lizzy Rudd, who is taking part in the challenge, said: “This is a cause very close to our hearts, as our friend and colleague Davy Żyw was diagnosed with MND in 2018. The team is excited (and nervous) to take on this challenge to raise funds for this charity doing such important work.”

Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer for Champagne and Italy for Berry Bros. & Rudd said: “There’s a huge amount of uncertainty when you get diagnosed, but the dialogue around MND has completely changed in the last five years. Challenges like this 325-mile bike ride are a way to support the invaluable work of charities that are raising awareness of the disease and working tirelessly to develop new treatments and a cure.”

Lizzy Rudd and Davy Żyw will take on the challenge to cycle 325 miles in four days in September 2023. To donate, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/bbr325

Cotswold Distillery

The Cotswolds Distillery has been called the most popular whisky distillery in the UK and Ireland following research by The Cask Connoisseur.

Analysing Google ratings, Tripadvisor reviews and social media metrics of 231 whisky distilleries across the UK and Ireland, it found The Cotswolds Distillery came out on top. The Cotswolds Distillery was commended for its ‘highly sought-after destination in a picturesque location, immersive tours and the opportunity to witness the meticulous craft of distilling first-hand’.

Commenting on this news, Cotswolds Distillery founder Daniel Szor said: “It is an honour to receive such praise for our distillery. It comes at a time when we have recently completed expansion of our whisky production site and are now the largest producer of English whisky in the UK. This accolade serves as a fantastic recognition of the hard work of the entire Cotswolds Distillery team.”

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