JACK DANIEL'S LAUNCHES NEW 12 YEAR OLD BOTTLING

Brown-Forman, has announced the launch of a new 12 Year Old Jack Daniel’s bottling, as part of the Tennessee whiskey brands annual Aged Series.

Jack Daniels 12 Year Old (53.5% ABV) which was charcoal mellowed and matured in new, toasted and charred American white oak barrels, was produced using a mashbill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye.

Jack Daniel's launches new 12 Year Old bottling

In addition to the new 12 Year Old bottling, Jack Daniel’s has also launched the second batch of its 10 Year Old (48.5% ABV). The first batch launched in 2021, and was the brands first age-stated bottling in over 100 years.

Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old, is said to be sweet and creamy with notes of pipe tobacco, seasoned oak, and butterscotch. Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Old Batch 2, is said to be oak forward with layers of dark fruit and bittersweet cocoa.

Commenting on the launch, Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller, said: “The Jack Daniel Distillery is one of the most complete whiskey distilleries in the world, and we’re fortunate to have a deep history to draw inspiration from and craft premium whiskeys in a way that stays true to our heritage of quality and innovation. We released our first age-stated whiskey since the early 1900s in this series about a year ago and were thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response. We know there is a lot of excitement for our Aged Series, and we can’t wait to share Batch 2 of our 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey along with the first release of our 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey.”

Jack Daniels 12 Year Old and 10 Year Old Batch 2, will be available later this month from specialist retailers in the US, for the respective RRP’s of $80.00 and $70.00.

 

Posted by Steve Rush

SCOTCH WHISKY ASSOCIATION HITS OUT AT SPIRITS DUTY RISE

The Scotch Whisky Association, has this afternoon slammed the decision by the Chancellor to raise duty on Scotch whisky by 10.1%, as part of this year’s Budget.

The decision which is one of the largest tax hikes in recent decades, breaks the UK government’s previous pledge to “review alcohol duty to ensure our tax system is supporting Scottish whisky.”

Scotch Whisky Association hits out at spirits duty rise

In the budget, the Chancellor increased duty across all four alcohol categories, with relief provided for on-draught products, which make up less than half of those sold behind the bar and not available to 99% of distillers. The duty rate on spirits will rise to £31.64 per litre of pure alcohol, meaning that of the £15.22 average price of a bottle of Scotch Whisky, £11.40 is collected in taxation through duty and VAT. The tax burden on the averaged priced bottle of Scotch whisky has risen from 70% to 75%. 

The Scotch Whisky Association, had called on the UK government to continue the freeze announced by the UK government back in December. Instead, HM Treasury has further added to the UK tax burden on the Scotch Whisky industry in the UK which is already the highest among the G7 developed economies. 

Commenting on the news, Mark Kent, Chief Executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said: “This is an historic blow to the Scotch whisky industry. The largest tax increase for decades means that 75% of the average priced bottle of Scotch Whisky will be collected in tax, reducing already tight margins for an industry which employs tens of thousands of people and invests hundreds of millions annually across the UK.”

Mark continued to say: “In addition, the Chancellor has chosen to further increase the competitive disadvantage faced by the industry in the UK by giving additional tax breaks which are not available to the vast majority of distillers. Spirits account for more than a third of hospitality sales, but the extension of ‘draught relief’ cuts out 99% of the spirits sector, alienating both producers and consumers who choose premium quality drinks.”

He went onto say: “We have been clear with the UK Government that increasing duty would be the wrong decision at the wrong time, so it is deeply disappointing that one of Scotland’s largest and longest-standing industries has been treated in this way. The industry continues to grapple with significant domestic headwinds, including the soaring cost of energy, intense pressure on the hospitality sector, and increasing regulatory burdens like the Deposit Return Scheme. This tax hike just adds to the pressures on the sector and breaks the UK government’s commitment to support Scotch.”

The Scotch Whisky Association, is now calling on MPs to reject the tax hike in the Finance Bill.

Posted by Steve Rush