News Briefs for May 19, 2022
May 19, 2022•Johnnie Walker has partnered with BlockBar to release seven bottles of a 48-year-old Scotch, along with corresponding NFTs. The whisky is blended from Diageo’s four ghost distilleries in Scotland—Port Dundas, Brora, Glen Albyn, and Glenury Royal—and comes in a hand-blown green crystal decanter. Each bottle comes with corresponding art from Kode Abdo, aka BossLogic. The bottles will sell for $35,000 apiece, starting May 31 at 10:30am ET on BlockBar. In addition, each buyer will be offered a trip to visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street and tour the Glenkinchie distillery, while tasting rare whiskies.
•Former Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger is joining instant-needs delivery startup Gopuff as an investor and advisor to co-founders and co-CEOs Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev and the broader executive team. Gopuff has moved aggressively into beverage alcohol—amassing over 400 alcohol licenses across 30 states—and claims a 70% share of the U.S. instant commerce category, with sales reaching $2 billion last year. Details of Iger’s investment weren’t disclosed. “Gopuff is building a platform designed for the future of the consumer industry and nobody understands consumers better than Bob Iger,” said Gola, who will be among the speakers at this fall’s 46th Annual Impact Marketing Seminar.
•Dewar’s is debuting a special edition in tandem with its sponsorship of golf’s U.S. Open Championship, to be held June 16-19 at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Made by Dewar’s master blender Stephanie Macleod, this year’s U.S. Open bottle is a 19-year-old Scotch whisky double-aged with an extra-matured finish exclusively in new American oak casks and ex-rye whiskey casks. Dewar’s 19-year-old The Champions Edition is bottled at 43% abv and retails at $80 a 750-ml. It’s rolling out nationally. Dewar’s is also launching a Lemon Wedge cocktail kit, which retails for $75 on Cocktail Courier.
•Portofino Dry Gin is now available in the U.S., imported by Artisanal Cellars. The Italian gin is made with 21 botanicals, including juniper, lemons, lavender, rosemary, marjoram, sage, iris, and rose, all sourced from the spirit’s namesake town, where the gin is also distilled. The 43% abv gin is now available in select retailers across the U.S. and for delivery via Cask & Barrel, for a suggested retail price of $57 a bottle.
•Avaline, the wine brand owned by Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power, has launched a new Chardonnay, made in partnership with Washington state’s Tagaris Winery. The 13% abv wine is made with organically farmed grapes and each glass contains less than 1 gram of sugar. Avaline’s Chardonnay is currently exclusively available through the brand’s website for $28 a 750-ml.
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