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Whisky

Grant’s 12 Year Old Whisky Launch & Masterclass with Ludovic Ducrocq

Grant’s Blended Scotch whisky launched its 12 Year Old variant in style at the Ivy Penthouse. Preceding the launch, Ludovic Ducrocq, Global Brand Ambassador, held a masterclass with five expressions of the whisky blend on taste.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
15 whiskies that make up Grant’s 12 YO blend

Eleven media guests attended the intimate event at the Establishment with Grant’s Ale Cask, Grant’s Family Reserve, Grant’s Sherry Cask, Grant’s 12yo and the limited release Grant’s 25yo on taste.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch

Grant’s is the oldest family-owned blended whisky distiller in Scotland, first blended by William Grant in Dufftown in 1886 and still owned and managed by the fifth generation of the family.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Ludovic Ducrocq, Grant’s Global Brand Ambassador

Grant’s Ale Cask Finish is the only blended whisky to be finished in barrels that have previously been seasoned with beer for 30 days. Originally the beer was destroyed after the process whereas now it is bottled under the Innis & Gunn label. The ale cask finish is an elegant blend with sweet honeyed and floral notes, fragrant with subtle ale notes, and has a creamy and textural mouthfeel making it an enjoyable pre-dinner blend, neat or on the rocks.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Sensory and food plate

Grant’s Family Reserve has no age statement but an ‘apparent age’ of 5 years, and is the biggest seller in Australia. Spicy, cinnamon and honey notes with a slightly smokier finish that the Ale Cask are characteristics of this blend.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch

Grant’s Sherry Cask Finish consists of Grant’s Family Reserve which is finished in Oloroso Sherry casks from Spain for a period of three months. The sherry casks impart warm, spicy notes with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and dried fruit. A few drops of water give leathery notes and open up the flavours. Much like the Grant’s Family Reserve, it lacks the smoothness and mellow characters of the Ale Cask Finish and has a dry and spicy mouthfeel.

Both Grant’s Ale Cask and Grant’s Sherry Cask were launched in February 2012 in Australia.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch

Grant’s 12 Year Old expression is a blend of around 200 casks using 50:50 malt to grain ratio. Made in smaller batches, it uses between 15 and 20 different whiskies in the blend and is the only blended whisky to be finished in American oak casks. The process gives it an exceptional richness with sweet, honeyed flavours and just a touch of smoke. Its syrupy mouthfeel and long finish make it a good blend to enjoy neat after dinner.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Grant’s whisky range on taste

Grant’s 25 Year Old is a limited release blend using 25 different whiskies of 7 single grain and 8 single malt whiskies. Only one batch has been produced so far, and is only available in Australia in duty free stores. Dark amber in colour, it is sweet and honeyed on the nose, incredibly smooth and mellow with lingering spice.

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Following the media tasting, Grant’s 12 YO was officially launched at the swanky premises of the Ivy Penthouse. The party had invited guests enjoying a selection of Grant’s 12yo cocktails and tasty canapés which included chicken skewers, arancini, stuffed zucchini flower taco, crumbed lamb cutlets, beef cheek and cauliflower puree, orechiette with prawns and finishing with chocolate truffles.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
The Ivy Penthouse

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
L to R – Grant’s Morning Fizz (with Absinthe, Lemon Juice, Honey Water, Gomme, Egg White, Ginger Ale), Grant’s Smash (with Peychauds Bitters, Gomme, Nectarine Puree) , Grant’s and Sand (with Cherry Liqueur, Sweet Vermouth, Blood Orange)

Grant's 12yo launch
Ludovic leading the group tasting

Ludo, who also hosted the launch party, began with a brief history of the Grant’s Family and the distillery before leading a group tasting of Grant’s 12yo expression.

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Guests at the Ivy Penthouse

A video was broadcast during the launch that profiled 12 top bar venues in Sydney and Melbourne visited by Grant’s. The concept was that, much like Grant’s whisky, the venues had their unique stories as well as those of the people who created them and those who enjoy them. The video can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/37811895 (password = grants)

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Photographic exhibition

A photographic exhibition complemented the video, celebrating the stories of some of Australia’s top bars: The Den, The Roosevelt, The Argyle, Victoria Room, Tokonoma and theloft (from Sydney) and 1806, The Black Pearl, The Everleigh, Chez Regine, E.D.V. Melbourne and Waiting Room (from Melbourne).

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch
Nathan Fisher (L) Marketing Manager William Grant & Sons Australia and Ludovic Ducrocq (R) Grant’s Global Ambassador 

Grant's Whisky 12 Year Old Launch

Grant’s 12 YO is available at a RRP of $54.99. Grant’s 25YO is only available in Australia at duty free stores.

The Grant’s media tasting with Ludovic Ducrocq was held at the Establishment on Tuesday 6 March 2012 and followed by the Grant’s 12yo launch party at the Ivy Penthouse.

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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