Inver House Strikes Gold in US.

05/05/2005

"International Competition Highly Praises Old Pulteney, Balblair & Speyburn"

Inver House Distillers has been awarded Double Gold, Gold and Silver medals for their 'exceptional whiskies' at the prestigious 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Old Pulteney 12 year old Single Malt, Balblair 16 year old Single Malt and Speyburn 10 year old Single Malt all impressed judges with complex and carefully crafted flavours.

Top marks went to Old Pulteney, whose excellence was recognised with the ultimate Double Gold decoration. Only 19 other brown spirits in the world were acknowledged with this award. This is the latest accolade for Old Pulteney; a single malt that is quickly gaining an impressive reputation amongst whisky lovers and connoisseurs.

Produced at the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland, Old Pulteney's wind-swept coastal location in Wick, combined with its maritime heritage and faint flavour of the sea, has meant that it is affectionately known as 'The Genuine Maritime Malt'.

Balblair 16 year old's smooth, delicate and refreshing taste attracted much interest and was awarded an esteemed Gold Medal. Known as a 'spirit of the air', Balblair Distillery's location in Edderton is key to the whisky's flavour as the area is considered to have the purest air in Scotland. Swept across the vast expanse of the North Sea and along the Dornoch Firth by winds born in the Arctic, it is this air that gives Balblair a sharp, clean edge; and the edge over competitors in San Francisco.

Finally, Speyburn 10 year old took the third Inver House prize with a Silver Medal. Distilled in the famous Speyside region, Speyburn has been noted for having the characteristics of a classic Speyside malt and is produced in Scotland's most photographed distillery, nestled in the hills of the picture-perfect location of Rothes. Described as 'an intriguing dram', Speyburn is medium-bodied with a delicate, fruity character.

Karen Walker of Inverhouse Distillers commented; "We pride ourselves on being an innovative medium-sized distiller and have spent a lot of effort in crafting a portofolio packed full of the very best whiskies. We're delighted to be recognised in such a tough and respected competition.

"From Old Pulteney and Balblair, to Speyburn and AnCnoc, we've worked to create quality single malts that offer a truly different and special taste experience, which is reflected in consumers' appreciation as well as great relationships with our distributors and retailers."

Held earlier this month, the annual event - the first ever comprehensive international spirits competition to be held in the U.S - was founded four years ago and has since established a reputation for outstanding judging. This year, the World Spirits' panel enjoyed products in 67 different spirit classifications on a 'blind tasting' basis, ensuring strict impartiality. In all, the judges, tasted 589 spirits from 43 countries, which was a 30% increase in entries from last year's event.

The event's judges included noted restaurateurs, hoteliers, spirit buyers, and spirit journalists. The Director of Judging and a leading spirits authority in the US, Paul Pacult noted:

"The calibre of our spirits professionals is extraordinary, offering spirit companies the very best palates to review their products. We are proud to work with these judges year after year for consistent, objective evaluation."

For further information, please contact Pamela Scobbie or Victoria Calder of Burt Greener Communications
on 0141 248 6007.
e: pam@burtgreener.co.uk
e: victoria@burtgreener.co.uk

Note to Editors:

Inver House Distillers Ltd is an independent Airdrie based company that owns and operates five distilleries - Pulteney, Balblair, Speyburn, Knockdhu and Balmenach - each producing its own distinctive, individual single malt whisky. Highly active in distillation warehousing and blending, it is one of the fastest growing groups in the industry. Their distilleries contribute to sales of Single Malt and blended scotch whiskies to over 85 countries around the world.

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