Dram October 2013 Issue 278

DRAM

278 DRAM MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013 ISSN 1470-241X

DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

licensee interview: stuart xxxxx mccluskey xxxxx xxxxx • BAR & PUB MONTH PAGE 31 OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 1

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2 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

278 259 DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

WELCOME

C

an you believe that Halloween is nearly here and this month we have some Halloween cocktails for you to try out on your customers. We’ve also got the launch of Bar and Pub Month, find out what you can do to participate and hopefully attract footfall on page 31. There’s certainly plenty of investment going on in the ontrade at the moment - from 1912 in Bathgate, to the Craigendarroch in Deeside, with Giffnock in Glasgow welcoming a new look Milano. See our design features on pages 23 through to 29.

I’ve a new Assistant Editor in the shape of Fraser Wilson and he has been out and about already. He caught up with Stuart McCluskey of Bon Vivant in Edinburgh to get his take on the trade. Fraser introduces himself in roundup.

He also wrote our Flavours feature - there is certainly no shortage of fresh flavours to tickle the fancy of customers as Fraser soon found out.

I’m also delighted to report that Emma McDonald has returned to the DRAM fold, she replaces Martin Cassidy who has moved on to pastures new after four years.

We are not only changing, the big news this month was the Molson Coors and Matthew Clark link-up - see our news pages, and also what I have to say about it in Sue Says.

Happy Halloween!

Susan Young Editor susan@mediaworldltd.com

CONTENTS

October

2013

FEATURES

13 18 23 31

What's your flavour?

Innovation in the drinks industry has focused on flavours recently. Fraser Wilson investigates.

A real Bon Vivant

Licensee interview: Stuart McCluskey

Design focus

Craigendarroch, Deeside; 1912, Bathgate and Milano, Giffnock

Bar & Pub Month

Find out what you can do to take part.

REGULARS

04 09 32

NEWS

All the news on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

BRAND NEWS

All the latest brand news.

Sue Says

Straight talking from our very own Editor.

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 3

Maclay Inns open two more

It’s been a busy month for Maclay Inns who have relaunched not just one bar, but two. First the West Port Hotel in Linlithgow relaunched after a £450K refurbishment, then the former Grahamston Bar in Glasgow was relaunched with a new name, The Hope, and a new look.

The West Port transformation included major structural changes to the building and it was stripped back to basics. The bar was built in a different position and the wall that previously separated the bar from the West Port cottage was knocked down to create a cosy dedicated restaurant area. Now the hotel offers a modern country inn feel featuring a relaxing colour palette of soothing shades of grey and green, fused with bright pops of colours in soft furnishings and accessories to brighten up the space.

The Hope also opened after a £500K refurbishment. This is Maclay’s first city centre bar and has a modern, contemporary look, with stylish mirrored tiling adding to the beauty of the original bar. Glasgow tenement style floor tiles have been used as a feature in front of the bar highlighting a large zinc drinking table incorporating the bar’s original marble pillars. Interesting modern design pieces, such as oversized hanging felt lampshades and quirky pieces of Glasgow art, have been added to create focal points in the restaurant, complementing the grand Cistine Chapel inspired frieze on the ceiling and the feature art deco cupula.

Mercat grill adds to charity coffers The new Mercat Grill near Musselburgh chose a slightly different approach to announcing itself to its East Lothian clientele last month. Owner Graham Blaikie organised two charity events to celebrate its official opening after an extensive refurbishment. During the day it hosted a free family fun day, with an evening of live music and comedy for the grownups.

Graham, who also runs the Mercat Bar and Restaurant in Edinburgh’s West End, donated all proceeds from the launch to CLIC Sargent.

Graham said, “We have big plans for the Mercat Grill and want to turn it into an awardwinning gastro pub. We plan to continually reinvest into the business, create additional local jobs, expand the restaurant, create ‘inn’ style accommodation and a roof top terrace for dining and drinking."

The first phase of the refurbishment is now complete and has seen the conservatory restaurant and lounge bar refurbished, with the restaurant given a new lease of life. The next phase will see the bar and restaurant receive a makeover.

Have you heard?

The Bread Street Brasserie at the Point Hotel in Edinburgh has reopened after a major refurbishment. General manager, Ronald Little told DRAM, “It has been a complete overhaul of the interior, from floor to ceiling. The services, tiling, furniture, and the menu have all been completely changed. We have a new breakfast bar and black and white tiling, with grey furniture and teal upholstery.

“It has been very well received as has the new menu, which has been adapted to represent seasonal Scottish food and produce. We got 8/10 in a review in a national paper at the weekend, so we are happy with how it has been received.”

The hotel is also undergoing major work ahead of becoming part of the Doubletree by Hilton portfolio and is expected to be finished for December.

Ronald said, “We have two of the four floors completed just now and work is underway on the third. In about five weeks work on the fourth floor will start. Everything seems to be going well so far and we just need to make sure we work to get their on schedule.”

Cromlix Starts Recruiting for 2014 Opening The hunt is on for top hospitality talent at Wimbledon champion Andy Murray’s new luxury hotel.

The five-star Cromlix near Dunblane, which has an opening date of 1st April, is recruiting for senior management positions including assistant general manager, food and

4 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

beverage manager, duty manager, executive housekeeper and assistant housekeeper. A vacancy is also open for an assistant restaurant manager at Chez Roux restaurant, which will be overseen by world-famous father and son team Albert and Michel Roux Jnr.

NEWS

www.dramscotland.co.uk

Scotch is the new signature whisky bar at The Balmoral in Edinburgh. The new bar which features 400 whiskies, is thought to house the largest collection of purely Scottish whiskies available to the general public in Edinburgh.

The new Olga Polizzi-designed bar, features a palate of whisky coloured tones creating a warm, intimate ambiance in which to discover Scotland’s national drink. The centre piece of the room is a hand-crafted oak panelled whisky cabinet. Soft furnishings come in natural fabrics such as wool, cord and leather, whilst a brushed brass and black granite bar featuring back-lit artwork by artist Hubertus Hohenlohe creates a striking sense of theatre in the room. This contrasts with golden and chocolate velvet armchairs, neutral tweed sofas and amber coloured walls.

Staff at Scotch include three trained Whisky Ambassadors who are on hand to offer guests advice when selecting a dram. They all wear contemporary highland attire.

Franck Arnold, General Manager at The Balmoral, said, “As Edinburgh’s landmark hotel, we are keen to showcase one of Scotland’s greatest exports: whisky. We set about transforming one of the hotel’s most intimate spaces into Scotch, where our young, passionate whisky ambassadors are looking forward to serving the finest of drams to the local community and guests alike for many years to come.”

Scotch is open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 1am.

A Singl-end for Garnet Hill...

Gianni Pagliocca is set to put his mark on Glasgow’s Renfrew Street with the opening of a new 100-cover restaurant, bar and deli called Singl-end. Gianni told DRAM, “It will be nothing like our other bar The Butterfly and the Pig except for the quality of the food. This will be more Jamie Oliver style with an industrial look but softer colours. It definitely won’t be shabby chic and there won’t be a teacup in sight.” Instead Gianni has gone for his own bespoke crockery which has been made by local Garnethill studio Firework. He explains, “We plan to sell the crockery too and have our own milk jug called ‘coo juice’.” He describes the new place as a ‘community restaurant, bar and deli, explaining, “I hope local people

will use it whether to pop in to use the deli, or for a bite to eat. It’s a busy area with St Aloysius nearby, lots of B&B’s and the School of Art all in the immediate vicinity.”

The new outlet will also make good use of the latest technology. Says Gianni, “We hope to do lots of events that appeal to our customers and we will do this by utilising the information we garner from people signing up to things like our free Wi-Fi.” The name comes from a term used by Gianni’s grandfather John Waterson, says Gianni, “He used to say he was brought up in a singleend, it’s an old Glaswegian term and I liked the name and we will be introducing some uniquely Glaswegian memorabilia too.”

n.b. bar & restaurant

Scotch opens at The Balmoral

Brel in Glasgow’s West end has just been relaunched by owners Oli Norman and Stephen White.

The two entrepreneurs bought the bar a couple of months ago and have completed the first phase of its refurbishment, which has seen the outside area transformed. The duo have also introduced a new menu.

Bars, pubs and restaurants in Finnieston are getting set for the launch of the SSE Hydro which will open at the end of September.

With a seating capacity of 12,000, the venue has already attracted top acts for the next 12 months and beyond with Rod Stewart officially launching the venue with his ‘Time Tour.’

It’s not just artists that have signed up, Heineken too has been drafted in as the drinks sponsor. The Dutch brewing giant has signed a five-year supply deal which means music fans will be able to enjoy Heineken, Foster’s, Amstel, John Smith’s, Strongbow, and Bulmers at the venues nine bars.

The SSE Hydro will augment the SECC’s existing facilities and will play host to around 140 events every year. Acts already booked to play between now and the end of the year include Bruno Mars, Jessie J, Arctic Monkeys and Stereophonics.

Still in Finnieston, Rockus has just opened.

Previously the Pour House and latterly the Gallery, the new tenant is Russell Buchanan. It’s a rock n’ roll bar.

Buchanan also runs nearby Brass Monkey and Bearsden’s, the Den.

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 5

NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BAR NEWS

Kopparberg sees sales increase 140% in Scotland over summer

I

t’s been a record summer in Scotland and the UK for Swedish cider brand Kopparberg. Adrian Hirst, Sales Director at Kopparberg UK, said of the Scottish success, “In July we saw a 140% increase on equivalent 2012 sales, which was almost matched in August when we achieved a 116% increase.” The rest of the UK saw sales increase by 79% in July, compared with 2012, and by 55% in August, compared with the same month last year. The continued growth in the UK on-trade has secured Kopparberg Mixed Fruit as the best-selling packaged cider variant in the industry for the first time and the company expects the sales growth to continue this month and beyond.

Adrian continued, “This year has already proved to be an extraordinary year for us, with our new above the line campaign, enhanced public relations activity and the great weather combining to break records within the business. This

Jägermeister gets new home Jägermeister, which has been distributed by Cellar Trends Ltd in the UK for the past 13 years, will be moved into a new distribution company formed by Cellar Trends and MastJägermeister SE. The new company, called CTJM, is Jägermeister’s first distribution subsidiary outside Germany.

Michael Volke, member of the executive board at MastJägermeister says, “The decision to establish a fully owned distribution company would not be possible without the outstanding success and capabilities of our partner Cellar Trends in building consumer relevance and a substantial business for Jägermeister. The UK has become the third largest, and one of the most dynamic Jägermeister markets in the world. The British spirits market also often sets the trend for the category elsewhere, so managing the development of the brand here has become of major importance to us.”

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success is not possible without the continued support of our on-trade customers who have helped Kopparberg establish and maintain its position as the leading fruit cider brand in the country.”

In June, Kopparberg launched a new national above the line campaign, including new TV advertising creative that put the product back at the heart of the company’s marketing strategy. This was combined with a new direction and emphasis on PR and social media activity that has driven consumer awareness through the summer months.

Adrian added, “The weather has obviously been kind to us this summer, but the scale of growth shows our new marketing strategy is working and continues to build momentum. We are excited about September results, which already look set to continue growth on 2012 figures, as we turn our attention towards the winter months.”

Molson Coors in new Scottish distribution deal Pubs and clubs across Scotland will have a new distributor for brands including Carling, Coors Light, Staropramen, and Corona, following a deal, brewer Molson Coors has signed with wholesaler, Matthew Clark. This will see the wholesaler distributing the company’s brands in Scotland from the end of this month.

However, the company has confirmed no jobs will be lost as a result of the new partnership. A spokesman said, “No-one at Molson Coors will be losing their job as a result of the partnership. Indeed, we have just recruited five enthusiastic sales people to add to our field sales team to go out and educate our customers about the excellent beers we brew, which Matthew Clark will now deliver."

The long term deal is the first of its kind for the brewer and is designed, say the company, to enhance the service provided to the on-trade in Scotland.

Commercial director, Keith Fagan said, “This is an exciting time for us in Scotland and we believe this can improve our customer offer in the Scottish free

on-trade.”

The company hope the move will allow them to focus their efforts on driving their core brands, whilst continuing to growing their portfolio.

Molson Coors believe the Scottish market has “high potential” for future growth, saying Matthew Clark’s existing commercial capabilities will help grow their brands here.

They also hope they can now offer on-trade customers a service more tailored to the Scottish market.

National accounts in Scotland will be unaffected, as will accounts elsewhere in the UK. Molson Coors has an existing agreement to directly supply pub and wholesaler operator Belhaven and this will run alongside this new partnership.

Managing director for Matthew Clark in Scotland, Des Gallagher said, “We are delighted to have formed this joint partnership. Their portfolio of great brands will be complementary to our existing product range and enhance the choice we can offer our customers.”

Tennent Caledonian Named Investor of the Year

The trade investment team at Tennent Caledonian has scooped the prestigious ‘Investor of the Year’ accolade at the annual Deals & Dealmakers Awards held at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel recently. The Tennent’s team have provided valuable funding of around £20m to support over 150 pub businesses across Scotland for small scale refurbishments and major new business ventures for the leading on-trade operators.

A spokesperson for the Deals & Dealmakers Awards said, “Tennent Caledonian is operating in a tough sector and they are working really hard to maintain their client base and work alongside clients as a long term strategic partner, which is not that common. They have been clever with their approach in that they have moved from the old fashioned brewers loans into actually taking some equity.”

NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BAR NEWS

Taste Our Best to replace EatScotland

A new initiative between VisitScotland and the Scottish Government, ‘Taste Our Best’ is to replace the current EatScotland scheme. This new quality assurance scheme, which will recognise hotels, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, attractions and B&Bs promoting Scottish produce, will cost licensees who wish to sign up, £205 per annum if they have 16-covers or more.

Riddell Graham, Director of Partnerships at VisitScotland said, “We know visitors love authentic, quality Scottish food and drink and Taste Our Best is all about taking this knowledge to the next level and really encouraging the tourism industry to recognise the benefits of sourcing, using and promoting local produce. We have such a rich natural larder here in Scotland and some of the best products in the world right on our doorstep.”

Taste Our Best is designed to recognise businesses including hotels, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, visitor attractions and B&Bs that not only offer a quality food and drink experience, but include and promote Scottish produce on their menus to give consumers choice. It will provide businesses with an assessment of their food provision and their menu by qualified assessors, with those meeting the necessary criteria gaining the award. For accommodation providers and visitor attractions, the assessment will take place at the same time as the main VisitScotland Quality Assurance grading, meaning many tourism businesses that already participate in the QA Scheme will no longer have to apply and pay for a separate food and drink assessment.

VisitScotland and the Scottish government are investing £920K behind the joint initiative and are hoping it will help boost sales for food and drink businesses by up to 20%. The EatScotland food and drink QA scheme which will be phased out.

Beppo Buchanan-Smith, Chair of the Taste Our Best Steering Group and owner of the Isle of Eriska Hotel said,“We hope the Taste our Best initiative encourages more businesses throughout Scotland to link up with Scottish producers to give the customers a truly authentic experience.”

Sky Races Ahead

Sky has become the exclusive sales agent for Racing UK’s commercial TV service on satellite excluding bookmakers. The company says this now makes Sky the home of horse racing for pubs and clubs looking to boost daytime profits. Racing UK TV shows top-class action from 33 of the leading racecourses in the UK including Cheltenham, Aintree, Newmarket, Epsom, York, Newbury, Goodwood and Sandown, with Ascot joining the channel in June 2014.

The move allows licensed customers to feature full coverage of every UK and Republic of Ireland race, at every race course, through a discounted Racing Pack subscription combining Racing UK and At The Races.

Licensees with two screens can take this a step further by simultaneously showing both dedicated horse-racing channels to guarantee a race every few minutes.

Sky’s new racing pack provides coverage of approximately 10,500 races in 2014, delivering an average of around eight hours racing coverage a day from all 58 UK racecourses and 26 Irish tracks. This allows licensees to attract valuable weekday day-time footfall and encourage people to stay longer to watch the next race.

David Rey, Managing Director, Sky Business, says, “Horse racing is a strong profit driver for pubs and clubs and with our new Racing UK offering we now provide 361 days of coverage a year making Sky a one-stopshop for horse racing. Pubs and clubs can subscribe to our exclusive discounted Racing Pack to show every race, at every track, in the UK and Republic of Ireland.”

Record sales and profit for JD Wetherspoon benefits staff JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin hit out at the taxes paid by the pub industry as he revealed the company had a record year. He said, “I am pleased to report another year of progress, with record sales, profit and earnings per share, despite having paid £551.5m in taxes during the year equivalent to £632,000 per pub and rewarding staff with £28.6m of bonuses. Our post-tax profit increased by £7.9m, yet our taxes paid increased by £32.2m.”

He continued, “It is unsustainable to have far higher taxes for the pub industry than those for supermarkets. Already, 10,000 pubs have closed and many others are suffering, through insufficient investment. In particular, there should be VAT equality for pubs, restaurants and supermarkets.

Along with many other pub and restaurant groups, we supported Jacques Borel’s VAT Club on Tax Parity Day and offered a one-day 7.5% reduction in our prices, to publicise this inequality.”

In Scotland this constituted a discount on food, due to the licensing laws which don’t allow price reductions for less than 48 hours.

The company revealed that, for the 52 weeks to 28 July 2013 revenue

increased to £1,280.9m up from £1,197.1m in 2012, with operating profit increasing to £111.3m up from £107.3m in 2012.

Martin said, “In the six weeks to 8 September 2013, like-for-like sales increased by 3.6%. In the last fortnight, like- for-like sales were 2.5%. This level may be an indicator for future sales growth. Overall, the company is aiming for a reasonable outcome in the current financial year.”

The company opened 29 pubs during the year, with three sold, resulting in a total estate of 886 pubs at the financial year end. It currently intends to open around 30 pubs in the year ending July 2014.

Staff also benefited from the companies success, said Martin, “We continue to recognise attracting and retaining the best employees are the keys to future success. In this context, bonuses and free shares totalling £28.6 million, which amounts to 37% of our profits before tax, were paid to employees. About 83% of this sum was paid to employees working in our pubs, with just over half being paid to the pub management team and the remainder being paid to our hourly paid staff.”

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“The wine expertise and support from Inverarity has, for many years, been second to none and continues to be a critical factor in the growth of G1 Group.

“The team’s “can do” attitude is always refreshing and is backed up by the highest levels of customer care, service and support.”

“We have had a long and extremely good trading relationship with Inverarity Morton; they understand our needs and deliver on service, just what we, as a company, want.”

Graeme Arnott | Director, Caledonian Heritable

David Tracey | Director of Brands and Standards, G1 Group

Unrivalled Expertise in the Scottish Licensed Trade Passionate about our Product and our Service Centre of Excellence for Staff Training

137 Shawbridge Street Glasgow G43 1QQ

8 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

tel +44 (0)141 649 9881 fax +44 (0)141 649 7074 InverarityMorton.com

BRAND NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BRAND NEWS

Stout

Vodka

Guinness launches £12.7m on-trade quality campaign

New TV Ad for Smirnoff

Guinness is demonstrating its continued commitment to quality with a new £12.7m campaign, part of a wider £34m spend on the brand over the next 12 months. The campaign launched in September with a new 20 second TV ad and focuses on the “surge” of the Guinness pint, bringing to life its power in a new and energetic way. The “surge” creative marks the start of a permanent investment into quality from Guinness and will be supported with various marketing initiatives.

Nicola Samons, Marketing Manager for Guinness Western Europe at Diageo, comments, “Guinness is growing at +4%, ahead of the total beer category, highlighting the consumer demand for premium beer. It will continue to drive value into this category and increase the visibility of premium beer in the on trade with this quality programme.”

As part of the initiative Quality Executives from Diageo will visiting bars, pubs and other licensed

trade premises to provide staff training on how to achieve a perfect pint of Guinness. Kevin Bedford, Guinness Quality Director, comments, “Guinness is investing over £700 per outlet to ensure bar staff always deliver a pint made of more to every drinker, every time - and ultimately increase footfall, dwell time and profits for licensees.”

A new Accreditation Programme will also roll out to 18,000 on-trade outlets between September 2013 and June 2014, where accredited pubs will be rewarded with an Accreditation Plaque, the new “magic behind the gates” font and POS. He continues, “We know that consumers associate a quality pint with a quality pub and research has told us that 80% of male drinkers believe getting the quality of serve right is more important in draught beer than in any other drink category. Our team is extensively trained to offer advice and support to outlets and help them maximise sales of quality Guinness.” From November all Guinness Quality Accredited pubs will be available to see online, driving consumers to visit their nearest accredited pub.

Smirnoff returned to our TV screens in September with a new TV ad, part of a £4.5m drive to support the brand’s newest launch, Smirnoff Gold, and signature serve, Smirnoff Apple Bite. The ad features a man and a woman, who are lost in a hotel and find themselves unexpectedly in a lively bar.

They pick up a bottle of Smirnoff Red and mix with apple juice and lemonade to create Smirnoff Apple Bite. There will be a second version of the ad to air from the 7th October which will hero Smirnoff Gold. If you haven’t seen it yet you can see the ad on www. barandpub.tv. Meanwhile Scotland’s biggest selling vodka brand now has a new global brand director in the shape of Matt Bruhn. He will take on the position of global brand director for Smirnoff from 1 October.

Cognac

Sponsorship

Cognac Frapin launches Prestige Cognac Plume

Crabbie’s serves up first £1m Grand National Prize Fund

Cognac Frapin is launching a limited edition prestige cognac, produced from some 20 eaux-de-vie, each produced exclusively from the Ugni Blanc variety, grown in the domain’s 240 hectares in Grande Champagne. Plume Frapin has been aged for over 60 years in antique barrels and stored in the Pierre Frapin cellars at Chateau Fontpinot. In homage to the family history, stretching back as far as 1270, and the famous French scribe Francois Rabelais, son of Antoine Rabelais and Anne-Catherine Frapin, imagery of quills was selected to adorn its packaging.

Jean-Pierre Cointreau, CEO of Cognac Frapin says, “When you have a heritage as rich as ours, it is natural to pay homage to your illustrious ancestors.”

Rose golden pewter with 18-carat rose gold has been used for Plume Frapin’s elegant carafe, which is also topped with an ornate stopper. This exceptional cuvée is produced in a limited series of only 500 numbered bottles and will retail for around £2695.

Last month Halewood International announced its Crabbie’s brand will become the new Official Title Sponsor of the Grand National and Grand National Festival at Aintree. The three-year deal will see the world’s most famous steeplechase, now called the Crabbie’s Grand National, run for a £1 million purse for the first time. The event was previously sponsored by John Smith’s.

The deal is the latest in a series of high profile marketing campaigns for Halewood’s Crabbie’s brand and sponsorship programmes to date include Hibernian FC, Scottish Golf Open, The National Television

Awards and the British Comedy Awards.

The race attracts an estimated audience of 600 million people worldwide with more than 150,000 people attending the race over the three days of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival, from Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th April 2014.

Crabbie’s will receive naming rights for the three races over the Grand National fences during the meeting: the Crabbie’s Fox Hunters’ Chase (Thursday, Grand Opening Day), the Crabbie’s Topham Chase (Friday, Ladies’ Day) and the Crabbie’s Grand National (Saturday, Grand National Day).

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 9

BRAND NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BRAND NEWS

Whisky The Devil’s Casks launch in time for Halloween

Bowmore, Islay’s first single malt Scotch whisky, has announced the launch of The Devil’s Casks – just in time for Halloween. The new ‘brew’ has been matured exclusively - and unusually - for 10 years in the finest first fill sherry casks. This non chill-filtered, small batch release features Bowmore’s hot and fiery characteristics, deep mahogany colour and rich fruitcake flavour.

Created to celebrate one of Islay’s most famous tales - that the Devil himself was spotted in the round church of Bowmore and chased by local congregation down into the No. 1 vaults at the Bowmore distillery. Here, as the warehousemen were filling casks and loading them aboard the paddle steamer (The Maid of Islay) the devil was lost. It is believed he escaped in a cask of Bowmore bound for the mainland. The bottle also comes nestling in a deep red box which tells the story of the legend alongside smoke illustrations and a Devil’s pitchfork suggesting the Devil himself isn’t far away. 540 bottles of the Devil’s Casks has been released in the UK priced at £50.99 RRP, 56.9% ABV.

Old Particular Single Casks released by Douglas Laing Leading independent Scotch Whisky specialist, Douglas Laing & Co has announced the release of their new core Single Malt Single Cask range – Old Particular. Douglas Laing’s Old Particular is a ‘particularly’ unique series of individually hand-selected aged Single Cask Malts from all over Scotland – each bottled according to the founders’ philosophy of topmost quality.

Meaning, Old Particular bottlings are from only one cask, without colouring and without chill filtration – allowing the cask and the naturally present oils, fats and enzymes in the spirit to make their own special contribution to its nose, mouthfeel, palate and finish. Some truly exceptional bottlings feature in this first batch including Malts distilled at Bowmore, Caperdonich and Port Ellen distilleries to name but a few. Douglas Laing bottled Old Particular at three different alcohol strengths.

Some rarities will be bottled at cask or natural strength and thereafter 48.4% for

Rarity from Glenfiddich The Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage, one of the rarest whiskies ever released by Glenfiddich, is now available. But you will have to be quick because there are only 286 bottles available and each will cost at least £699. Celebrating 125 years of whisky making at The Glenfiddich Distillery, this limited edition 25 year old whisky is the latest addition to the coveted Glenfiddich Rare Collection. This special whisky is steeped in history.

It was casked in a European oak sherry butt on Christmas Day 1987, Glenfiddich’s centenary anniversary. A quarter of a century later, Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman pre-selected a small number of

10 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

the special centenary casks so that on the 125th anniversary of the first spirit running from the distillery’s stills, Glenfiddich founder William Grant’s great-great grandson Peter Gordon and his son Dougal could choose cask number 19996 to become the Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage.

Commenting on the release, Company Director Peter Gordon said, “It was an honour to select this whisky. Born of two momentous anniversaries for our distillery, this whisky truly reflects the pioneering spirit that has underpinned our 125 year history and my great-great grandfather’s legacy of making ‘the best dram in the valley.”

the bottlings aged to 18 years and 51.5% for 19 and over. Global Malt Ambassador Jan Beckers comments, “I am lucky enough to have been involved in the selection of thousands of casks at Douglas Laing and I am particularly excited about this new range. We believe the lower strength of 48.4% allows the younger, feistier whiskies to soften out some of their ‘hotter’ characteristics. The older malts have already had the effect of the Angel’s Share to mollify some of these hot spots and we believe at 51.5% strength, we achieve exactly the quality we want.”

Says Douglas Laing’s Managing Director Fred Laing, “After 65 years in the industry, we believe we have created our best ever single cask range – a natural progression to what has gone before. It has been a real labour of love, enthusiasm and experience – so the team and I are delighted to now be launching our Old Particular selection.”

Mixers Red Bull Titanic claim causes complaints

Red Bull’s latest advertising campaign has had, as went to press, around 50 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. The new ad, which you can see at www.barandpub.tv, implies that those killed on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic could have survived had it carried the energy drink citing its claim that Red Bull ’gives you wings’. The advert, originally released in Germany earlier this year, has been adapted for a UK audience features the Captain of the ship ordering a dock yard worker to stop loading a crate of Red Bull and replace it with champagne. On hearing the slogan, the Captain asks “Why on earth would you need wings on a ships?” Before the name of the ship is revealed behind the Red Bull crate as he walks away laughing. The complaints are focussed on the fact that the firm appears to be making a joke about a tragedy that cost 1,500 lives.

Halloween Cocktails

Darnley’s Bloody Mary Ingredients: • 50ml Darnley’s View Spiced Gin • 75ml tomato juice • 12.5ml freshly squeezed orange juice • Juice half lime • 3 dashes Tabasco (to taste) • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce • 2 grinds cracked black pepper • 2 teaspoons Fino sherry • Celery salt

Method: Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and then dip the wet rim into the celery salt. Fill the glass with cubed ice and then pour in Darnley’s View Spiced Gin, tomato, lime and orange juices and the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. Float sherry on top and grind black pepper over top too.

Glass: Hi Ball Garnish: Celery stick

Bradley Farrant’s Dark and Stormier Ingredients: • 1½ kraken rum • ¼ sugar • 1 shot of espresso • 1 shot of dark chocolate paste • Cracked sea salt foam; • 2 egg whites • 4 turns of cracked sea salt • Bar spoon of lagavulin • Blended to thick foam.

Method: Add ice to glass top with foam and garnish with fresh seaweed. Shaken and poured into small crystal glass.

The unconventional cocktail was created by Scott's in Troon and inspired by a blend of the mythical Kraken story and made to mirror Scott’s nautical theme. A classic tale with a twist.

Hot Spiced Punch

Unleash the Beast

Ingredients: • 250ml Darnley’s View Spiced Gin • 500ml organic apple cider • 750ml ginger beer • 100g Demerara sugar • 1 split vanilla pod • 1 cinnamon quill • 100ml freshly squeezed lime juice • Apple rounds (cored) • Juniper berries

Ingredients: • 50ml Kraken Rum • 25ml Homemade Falernum • 2 dashes angostura bitters Garnish: Grapefuit twist and a coffee, orange and vanilla smoke.

Method: Pour all ingredients in to a pot and simmer until the sugar has dissolved remaining on the heat for another five minutes. Serve warm.

Glass: Punch glass (heat resistant) Garnish: Apple wedge studded with cloves

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 11

H O M E G R O W N. A N D G R O W I N G.

IN JUST 18 MONTHS WE’VE BECOME S C O T L A N D ’ S F A S T E S T - G R O W I N G B E E R. 12 DRAM OCTOBER 3a registered trademark of C&C Group. Source: CGA, MAT Volumes to 15/7/13 Caledonia201 Best is

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOUR? An apple a day keeps the doctor away. That’s what yer’ mammy used to tell you and it’s what your wholesaler and brand owners are telling you. But it’s not just apples their punting, it’s all fruits. Fraser Wilson investigates.

I

nnovation in the drinks market has almost become synonymous with adding sweet or fruity flavours and the flavoured drinks revolution can be seen when looking at any back bar, whether it’s flavoured spirits, ciders, or beers. So what’s driving the demand for fruit flavoured drinks?

Well, investment in product development is being used by several large industry players as a way to broaden their consumer base.

Women in particular have caught the imagination of PR and marketing teams across the drinks industry, who see them as underrepresented in categories such as whisky and beer.

So attracting more women allows brands to tap into a vast yet underexplored market.

But it can’t be that simple can it? It can’t all be about appeasing the women in our lives. From experience, nothing is that simple when it comes to women.

But Piero Pieraccini, of Hamishes’ Hoose in Paisley, says it might just be.

He told us, “It’s just another way to sell their drinks at the end of the day. It’s mainly to attract women, but I don’t see it making any difference, although we did sell a lot of Kopparberg over the summer. That was mainly the women as well.”

Market researchers, Mintel support this, saying a wide range of drink brands are now vying for female attention, using sweet flavours, girly colours and low-calorie products to get it.

And the evidence is out there; infused wines, raspberry-flavoured beer, a multitude of flavoured vodkas, and spiced rums.

Even the Cognac category is working towards encouraging women to board the bandwagon, with Courvoisier developing an elaborate cocktail campaign aimed at being ‘pink’ without being patronising.

Brand manager, Bob Taylor said the popularity of such flavours started with the move away from traditional ciders to well packaged, more modern takes on the apple drink.

He added, “Cider was never really seen as a trendy drink, it wasn’t really for the in crowd. It wasn’t discerning and was pretty mainstream. Once Magners launched into Scotland that’s when it really changed, they started to serve it over ice and it became a ritual almost.

“So people started to see folk drinking it like that and it became trendy. After that flavoured ciders started to come in with pear ciders and it moved from there. They’re trendy, easy to drink, have got good colours and are sold with a sprig of mint, strawberries, even some with cucumber, so they are very trendy all of a sudden.

“They are definitely more discerning than alco-pops.”

Vodka popularity in Scotland has long been acknowledged as unique in the on trade, with more sales per head here than anywhere else in the UK. Indeed, the retail market value of gin and vodka sales in Scotland alone exceeded £400m last year, with vodka case sales of over 1.7m, led by market leader, Smirnoff, who have been actively promoting the likes of apple, black cherry, orange, espresso, and vanilla flavours.

Stolichnaya has just launched a salted caramel flavoured vodka. This is the second in Stoli’s portfolio of flavoured spirits and they believe it is perfect for sipping on the rocks or as a decadent twist to classic cocktails.

And for a number of years both Grey Goose and Belvedere have provided fruit flavoured versions of their high end product.

But it’s not just vodka that has gone down the added flavour route – even American whiskey can’t escape the treatment, with Jim Beam Red Stag and Jack Daniels Honey leading the flavoured whiskey market.

Like in any walk of life, drinks fads have a shelf life. But as our addiction to sweet flavours continues to develop, will this fad go away?

One thing for sure is it has not been universally well received by those in the trade. Stuart McCluskey told us his Bon Vivant bar / restaurant in Edinburgh does not stock any flavoured gins, whisky, or vodka, saying he is against the concept. He said, “I would rather flavour the spirit naturally. We don’t stock any of it. It’s basically a more modern approach to alco-pops, it’s a grown up version of trying to get people to stick with the brand.

“It’s about trying to get them to develop their palates and move from drinking flavoured bourbon or gin to drinking natural bourbon and gin.

“I really don’t agree with the flavoured gin concept. I don’t get that. Things like Hendrick’s and what they did was great, because it brought focus back onto gin and how you could do more with it. But I don’t see the point of going through the whole making process to heighten the natural flavours, just to cover that with an additive.

“There’s no demand for it here, but I would agree to taste any product if people came to me about it in the right way. If they knew the product and what they were selling. We can’t stock everything and we are always going to be asked for something we don’t have.”

Staff at rum bar, Distill on Argyle St in Glasgow’s Finnieston area, said they saw a massive demand for fruit flavours from a variety of people, but also said they were purists about flavours, especially in line with their cocktails.

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 13

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOUR? They limit their flavoured stock, with just one flavoured vodka, which was Kopparberg UK sales director, Adrian Hirst told DRAM,“This year has already infused on site with vanilla. proved to be an extraordinary year for us. This success is not possible “We only have two flavours of Kopparberg stocked and one or two traditional without the continued support of our on trade customers. ciders. We use a lot of fruit in our cocktails and try to be as natural as “The Scots really go for the brand in a big way, which is great to see.” possible, so we don’t stock it.

But Paul Condron from Tennent Caledonian believes the trend is slowing “But there is a huge demand for it. We get asked for it all the time.” toward a decline, with packaged fruit cider in the on trade already having The trend is seen nowhere better than in the US, where over a quarter of all peaked in Scotland. Indeed he said this was down at -12% MAT. vodka consumed in 2012 was flavoured.

He told us, “The burst of new flavours available to publicans has clearly Purists like Stuart will no doubt be horrified by this flavour revolution, but done a good job in re-engaging drinkers with cider, but we would suggest it drinks companies have decided it makes good business sense to invest in it. is now time for some fresh thinking around innovation to help reinvigorate This is supported by Mintel’s research into the dark spirits category, which both flavoured and apple cider in an interesting way. The craft beer category found 61% of consumers say they would try a new flavour if recommended is a good example, with producers using clever innovation across serve, and 32% of respondents saying they are more likely to try a new dark spirit provenance and occasion to drive trial, profile and volume in the on-trade. if it is flavoured.

Cider can learn from this approach and that is one of the reasons why we With a reported annual growth of 388%, low-calorie cocktail brand, Skinnygirl have recently launched the American cider brand Hornsby’s into the UK has become the fastest growing spirits brand in the US and with flavours like on-trade, with the brand already showing signs of real success in its early white cherry and margaritas, it has now made an assault on the UK market. months in trade.”

More than 40% of all spirits in the US market have a flavoured version Hornsby’s is lower carbonation giving drinkers a smoother drink than many beyond the traditional product, with 122 modern ciders. It is also designed of 177 vodka products launched there to be drunk cold, straight from the in 2012 flavoured – that accounted for Cider was never really seen as bottle as a single hand serve, making nearly one million cases. it perfect for a range of different a trendy drink, it wasn’t really However the real flavoured success occasions. story rests with cider. Flavoured ciders for the in crowd... Once Magners Paul added, “Whilst flavour continues are forecast to deliver 80% of all growth to be part of our cider portfolio and launched into Scotland that’s in the UK cider category by 2014. The its development, we are working hard modern packaged cider segment is now when it really changed, they to bring innovative and engaging new worth over £711m and continues to ideas to the bar for our customers started to serve it over ice and it grow as consumers increasingly look to and drinkers in the long term.” became a ritual almost. experiment with new flavours.

Craig Robertson, drinks buyer at Brands like Kopparberg, Hornsby’s, Inverarity Morton agrees cider Bulmers, Magners, even Strongbow have makers are leading the way on flavour strong fruit flavoured lines, taking advantage of the new fruit frenzy. innovation with longevity.

Indeed, in just six months, brewers Heineken shipped over four million bottles He added, “As we move into autumn/winter, we’ll expect to see an increase of Bulmers Cider Bold Black Cherry and Bulmers Cider Pressed Red Grape, in sales of the darker berry styles and Rekorderlig will again bring out their securing distribution in over 7,000 on trade outlets. winter cider, which is served warm. The ciders are the ones with staying Heineken fought back against weak sales by introducing a range of “radler” power in this area, because they’ve answered a legitimate lifestyle need: drinks, which mix beer with fruit juice. A low-alcohol Foster’s radler, which cider is no longer just a summertime drink – they have opened up the includes lemon juice, was introduced in the UK along with more fruit variations category to a much wider consumer demographic. of its Bulmers cider brand.

“Younger people and more women are switching on to it and cider has the Yet beer sales volumes still dropped by nearly 10% in the UK during the added ‘shareability’ factor between genders. Elsewhere, fruit-flavoured opening six months of the year. products come and go in line with key trends.”

It seems, then, consumers have a desire to try something a little different.

However, Craig said the company didn’t see an increased demand for Five years ago, who honestly would’ve thought they would be drinking an flavoured vodkas / spirits, supporting the stance taken by Stuart at the Bon elderflower flavoured cider?

Vivant.

A logical step in many respects when you think elderflower wine and cordial He added, “More and more bartenders are adopting a ‘purist’ approach to were already a staple behind many bars, and on most shop shelves. cocktail making, using a clean spirit and then mixing it with fresh fruit juice When Kopparberg channelled the idea of a perrier into one of the first or puree for a more natural flavour result.” commercially accessible pear ciders on the market, the idea of traditional So yer’ mammy, your wholesaler, and even your doctor all seem to be in cider instantly changed. agreement that fruit is good for you – and it will be good for business too.

Indeed Kopparberg last month revealed huge sales growth over the summer The summer months may be a distant memory, but the appeal of fruit months, with the brand experiencing a significant increase in sales compared flavoured options seems to have grabbed the female and younger market and to the same time last year. And nowhere more so than here in Scotland which don’t seem likely to go into hibernation, with mulled wine and winter berry saw a 140% uplift in sales. flavoured ciders likely to be in high demand in the winter months.

14 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

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Kopparberg is the Number 1 packaged cider in the Scottish On-Trade Kopparberg Mixed Fruit is Scotland’s leading fruit cider variant Kopparberg Pear is Scotland’s leading pear cider variant

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OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 15

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A REAL BON VIVANT LICENSEE INTERVIEW

THERE is no shortage of high class eateries and bars in Edinburgh, especially in the trendy sections of the city centre. in a quaint, yet high-end, cobbled street behind George St lies one of the most talked about bar and eateries in the city – if not Scotland, The Bon Vivant. Fraser Wilson reports.

T

he Bon Vivant on Thistle Street is the brainchild of bartender and entrepreneur, Stuart McCluskey and has won him a core of loyal followers particularly from the bartending fraternity.

The Bon Vivant was his first solo venture, but today a wave of hype and interest has led to the 36-year-old being on the brink of opening the fifth link in his chain.

Of his impending Advocate's Close venture he told Dram it came about through a customer who contacted him to say he liked what Stuart was doing.

He is a property developer and owned a site he thought was ideal for Stuart.

“We arranged to meet, got talking, and he showed me one or two of the units, one of which was Advocate's Close,"

18 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

Stuart told me.

The other site he owned was where Stuart opened Pep and Fodder.

That was in 2012. The new venue will be called the Devil’s Advocate and the applied chemistry graduate confirmed it was “gloves off time,” adding the venue would focus on whisky more than wine. Stuart is hopeful of potentially striking a deal with Heineken, as well as Williams Brothers.

“I love what those guys do”, he added. “We will continue with the ethos of good quality, but will focus on whisky more, with around 300 whiskies from all over the world on show on what will be an impressive back bar.

“I don’t believe there will be anywhere else in Scotland doing what we are trying to do there. That’s from the cocktails to

that forward in my team. Now it’s down to them to do that the staging. I think whisky consumption in Scotland is still and I’ll oversee it. quite dated, overly traditional, so we are hoping to keep “I’m still very old school in some respects, like in terms of the some tradition, but bring the consumption of it into the 21st French way of service, the brigade idea. But I have adapted century.” it for the 21st century.”

Having been in the industry for about 17 years now, Stuart took on the Punch lease hold on Thistle Street in McCluskey worked as a bartender whilst studying at uni, 2008, and opportunity arose in 2011 to expand next door, where a heart-felt enjoyment of the industry led to him falling opening the Bon Vivant’s Companion – an off-licence with “in love with it”. events space in the basement.

Having worked in most areas of the industry, Stuart was A second Bon Vivant was opened in the city’s Stockbridge given his first baptism of fire by the guys at Villager, who area in 2012, followed by the Pep and Fodder café a month were a “huge influence” on his career. later.

He told me, “They gave me a good level of responsibility and Now the Devil’s Advocate venture will open at the old pump I opened up Dragonfly for them. That gave me the belief I house in the city’s Old Town in late October. The water tower could do it and allowed me to see the solutions to problems used to power the newspaper buildings in the area and its – that was a real eye opener. double height ceilings offer great design opportunities for “I wasn’t just a front for them, they gave me a great Stuart. opportunity to contribute and have input.”

He explains, “It will be completely A self-confessed foodie, you different to the Bon Vivant and it can sense the love for what I don’t believe there will be already has its own canvas. It will Stuart is doing runs deep – it be a contemporary design with courses through his veins and, anywhere else in Scotland a real industrial feel. There’s a far from being a money hungry doing what we are trying of steel there, with exposed entrepreneur, his determination to do there. That’s from the lot beams and brickwork. It’s going to be successful and expand, to be a really interesting project.” comes from a passion to project cocktails to the staging. I The high ceilinged, modern, his love and emotion over food think whisky consumption industrial space will be a far and drink to others. cry from the cozy EuropeanHaving worked with Dave in Scotland is still quite influenced Bon Vivant.

Ramsden at Rogue, he appears dated, overly traditional, Borrowing from the bank, Stuart to have an innate understanding, put his own savings in along with knowledge, and experience of the so we are hoping to keep that of family, including his mum, industry, produce, wine, spirits, some tradition, but bring dad and sister, to open the Bon. and style. the consumption of it into But there was no pre-designed “Dave Ramsden is someone idea for what his first venture I really admire – he was in a the 21st century. would be. league of his own when I started He told us, “Bon Vivant came with him at Rogue. He has about once I found the place, but it wasn’t necessarily what phenomenal attention to detail and very high standards. I I set out to do. I lost out on two or three places first of all, learnt a lot through him and he is on a completely different but then this was sitting on the market for a few years. It level in the restaurant trade.” was pretty disgusting, a real mess with holes in the floors, That attention to detail and level of standards have been dirty seats, and it really hadn’t been cared for too much. engrained in what Stuart is doing at the Bon Vivant.

But I thought it had a Parisian feel to it, like a back street I can see that all the glasses are gleaming and Stuart tells brasserie. It was what I could afford as well. I always try me polishing them is done as a matter of course with all to operate in the black, so we did a lot of the work on it glasses handled by the stem only, whether clean or not. ourselves.

Tables, candles, chairs, cutlery; they are all perfectly aligned, “Anything we could do that wasn’t specialist, my dad and I the chain of thought being that, if someone comes in and sits did. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves and get on with it and down and doesn’t comment on such attention to detail, then it developed organically from there.” it has been done right.

Although food was a priority, it was somewhat of a necessity “People are likely to comment if something isn’t straight, if it’s for the success of the venue. But it doesn’t define Bon Vivant a little skew-whiff.” Stuart says. “I believe in the fundamentals; – indeed, nothing does according to Stuart. attention to detail, value for money etc. and I want to push OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 19

A REAL BON VIVANT LICENSEE INTERVIEW

“If we had opened just as a bar or a pub, I don’t think we aspiring business people. would still be here,” he said. “It’s whatever people want it to “The actuality of that is very different. Thistle Street should be at the end of the day, it’s not anything we want to ram be one of the leading lights in Edinburgh, but it's not quite down people’s throats. there."

“It can be a bar for people to come and have a few drinks Despite the lack of help, the Bon Vivant is doing very well before a night out, a local for people to come in and enjoy and the hype and positive word of mouth surrounding it – we have a guy who comes in and has three half pints remains. Indeed, on the verge of establishing his fifth venue, of San Miguel every day after work, and I love that. It can Stuart too is doing well and proving he has what it takes be a restaurant, a place to to be one of Scotland’s leading grab a few nibbles over drinks, It can be a bar for people to restauranteurs. and people can come and enjoy The first licensee I have come and have a few drinks a nice bottle of Champagne, interviewed for Dram, his before a night out, a local for passion and knowledge was irrespective of cost.

“We’re all Bon Vivant’s and that’s people to come in and enjoy, a evident to see and I could sense the only idea we push.” he is someone in this for the It’s been a hard road to get here restaurant, a place to grab a long haul. in many ways for Stuart. He few nibbles over drinks, and Having never been there before, took hold of his first commercial I’ll certainly be taking my good property just as the world people can come and enjoy lady to Bon Vivant in the near recession bit. It could’ve all gone a nice bottle of Champagne, future, such was the passion on wrong, but a determination in show. irrespective of cost. what he believes in and hard Stuart has learnt a lot throughout work has carried him through. his career in the licensed trade And whilst there has been help industry and has made a lot of from his peers, there hasn’t been the level of support from friends along the way. He knows his competitors and he the local authority some might have thought or expected. As knows what he likes. well as trying to survive at the – hopefully – end of a recession, So who does he recognise as doing something worth taking Stuart believes that is one of the biggest challenges he, and note of and where does he go for food and drink? Well, as luck those like him, face. would have it, he told Dram exactly that, “What Montpeliers He added, “It’s easy for me to bag the council and I know Group did for the industry in Scotland was phenomenal, there’s a lot they do. But that is a real frustration for me. because it paved the way for so many. It catapulted them Things don’t seem to get done. We don’t seem to get a into the limelight. whole lot of help from the “I really dig what the guys at Bramble do, their cocktails are council. They will take phenomenal. I’m a real foodie as well, so I love the restaurant business rates from us, scene here, like Tom Kitchin, Martin Wishart, the Plumed but we don’t get good Horse. The Timberyard is really cool too. service in return. I believe “It’s got a real New York vibe and in my opinion New York they should be helping the is the best place on the planet to eat and drink. I like the industry go forward and Hanging Bat and Vintage as well. helping entrepreneurs, but The Hanging Bat have done what Brewdog tried to do, I don’t feel they do. They but kept it quite indie. The people there are great and the are hard to work with and knowledge they have is great and I love that. They don’t make create a lot of challenges you feel stupid because you don’t know what an IPA is. and frustrations like I say.

“They want to help people experience new things and They seem to hinder the increase their understanding and knowledge. That’s the way idea of entrepreneurs the industry should be. and small businesses “I hate the snooty, snobby part of this industry, from customers succeeding, yet we’re and companies. It’s food and drink we’re dealing with at the hearing about all this end of the day, it should be enjoyable. You shouldn’t be made money put aside to help to feel stupid over it.”

20 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

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It’s in our making.

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Through UK based manufacturing and distribution facilities Lanfine can offer finished products to the domestic and international retail markets as well as a fully bespoke supply and fit service, providing the very best contract products to the public and private sectors in the UK.

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Royal Deeside, Aberdeen

craigendarroch DESIGN FOCUS

by FRASER WILSON

Aberdeenshire is one of the most celebrated parts of Scotland, and to go with the five star surroundings and activities, people deserve five star accommodation and services. in improving their Craigendarroch Suites, the Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGV) has just ticked that box. Fraser Wilson reports.

C

raigendarroch Suites, the Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGV) sits in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park amongst some of Scotland’s most breathtaking surroundings.

The Craigendarroch suites, merge seamlessly into their surroundings with dense forestry broken up by the wooden clad lodges and timeshare facilities, which sit quietly on the horizon, A project ten years in the making, HGV managing director, Richard McIntosh told Dram the initial vision has been realised a decade later – exactly as he had envisaged.

He said, “It was six-and-a-half-months work, costing £4.3m and we have pretty much done what we always thought we would. We’ve improved the suites, brasserie and restaurant, and modernised the main building. It’s been 10 years in the planning and we wanted to give a better return on the asset to the Hilton.

“It is a much better product and the finish is almost exactly what we had envisaged. It has followed my design brief in depth and we are now on the road we wanted to go down.

“It’s no longer a hotel, it’s a resort. We can offer the timeshare we wanted to and we’ve improved the product.”

The hotel was closed from January this year as work began to develop the 45 hotel bedrooms into 32 spacious Vacation Club suites. The suites re-opened at the end of July and are now available to purchase or rent.

The main entrance to the building brings you to the reception, it’s vast and somewhat breathtaking, with stunning original wooden panelling and staircase married together by the parquet flooring.

The 19th century build offers up a clean, modern, and luxurious reception. Key characteristics from the original build are still

apparent, including the monumental stain glass window that looms over the main stair case.

The reception desks are a focal point with their clean, crisp, white marble surrounds.

Through the reception, guests can go up stairs to the suites or through to the restaurant, brasserie, and country club.

Whilst some may think the wood is overbearing, the light coloured wallpaper and carpet at the staircase and reception desk, soften the impact.

The Keiller Brasserie and Lounge are new additions to the resort.

Named after the original builders of the hotel, which was built in 1891, the restaurant is demure and classy, with good use of modern and contemporary floral decorations and muted leathers.

The spacious restaurant has space for upwards of 35 covers.

The dining tables are made of the same marble as the reception desks and provide a clean, charming dining surface, contrasting the darker shades used throughout.

The restaurant is not too bright and has some amazing lighting arrangements which match the glass object d’art. This provides a nice ambience for diners, whilst the cream and chocolate coloured walls complements the stunning diamond faceted mirrored wall.

The kitchen and serving area sits to the back of the restaurant, or left if you were to walk in through the side entrance.

On one level there are no windows to natural surroundings, but a glass finish allows for views out to the hall way and parts of the hotel.

Just across the way is the brasserie, which is expansive, but still very homely, with large, enveloping chesterfield sofas in chocolate OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 23

fabric that contrast beautifully with orange armchairs and pouffes.

Copper wall hangings and a large mirror above a modern fire add stimulation and lightness to the room, whilst a spectrum of grey and silver coloured wallpaper ties the room together.

With the brasserie as comfortable as it is, it would be easy to forget about the beautiful surroundings of the Cairngorms, but a quick look out the windows brings relaxing views of the large, towering trees that almost fence in the building, broken up by paths, roads, and lodges, as well as the stunning 19th century building itself.

In a different section of the brasserie, high backed, tan leather chairs offer privacy and a slight formality, with white marble tables continuing the classy finish.

HGV have avoided the temptation to scream Scotland in their refurbishment, with a continuation of modern, contemporary leathers and colours throughout. Plaid is evident in the aprons of bar and kitchen staff, and nods to the homeland are there if you look hard enough. But this is just what was needed, says Richard.

“The décor and feel offers a local touch and a nod to the local community and surroundings,” he added. “But we are not overtly Scottish in design. We are contemporary in style, from our aprons to the upholstery. So far we have not had any negative feedback. In fact, the reaction we are getting from people when they come in is ‘wow’.

People are delighted with the high class finish and the new luxurious feel brought from the furniture and grand bar.”

The venue stayed open throughout the refurbishment, the first major investment since Richard’s tenure started with the resort almost 30 years ago. Richard is adamant the resort is, “not a hotel anymore,” but what it is, is a resort with suites.

The rooms are located upstairs from the restaurant and brasserie, and are all finished to the highest quality, with the same attention to detail and colour scheme carried on effortlessly from the downstair improvements.

Large double beds, comfortable couches, warm surroundings, as well as some convenient self catering facilities, mean guests may never want to leave their suites.

The guest rooms and suites are luxuriously finished, with complimentary 24 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

WiFi and 32-inch televisions. Light autumnal colours, such as tan and beige coat the walls of the suites. Curtains and voiles were all supplied by Lanfine and mauve carpets which feature in the rooms have fine silver branch and leaf motifs.

Most of the upholstery and artwork draws inspiration from the natural surroundings of the Highlands.

The floral details are not just confined to packed vases, but are also a feature in wallpaper, rugs, throws and artwork.

Subtle, silver wallpaper takes pride of place on the walls and the light marble used downstairs is replaced by dark marble in the bathrooms.

A nod to Scotland can be seen in the plaid on some of the bed cushions and throws, with dark fireplaces taking pride of place in the rooms, adding to the already homely feel.

Dark wooden floors are broken up by light grey and white rugs, with dark brown leather couches offering a chance to relax.

The resort also offers an array of recreational amenities for children and adults alike, including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, spa, aqua aerobics class, as well as squash and tennis facilities.

The end product of the refurbishment far exceeds what HGV provides anywhere else. Indeed, Richard believes the Hilton West 57th resort in Manahttan, New York, which has 150 apartments, most closely reflects what they offer.

Alan McClure, director for architects Cunningham McLean, told DRAM, “We’re very happy with the end product. We’re happy because HGV are happy. They said it exceeded their expectations and it has brought a level of refinement to the venue.

“It’s a classic/contemporary style and is sympathetic to the building and the surroundings. It’s a timeless finish and relevant to the build as a whole.

“It is a refined finish and our inspiration for it came from the location and surroundings. It’s warm and light, and very comfortable.”

As for being five star, Richard concluded, “We are not graded in the same way as hotels I have to say. But if we were to be classified now, I would say we are a four star hotel, with five star facilities. We always strive to be the best we can.”

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DESIGN FOCUS

THE newly opened 1912 bistro in Bathgate is situated in an iconic building and a building that suffered from a lack of care and attention. That is until brother and sister combination, David and Kirsty Stein took over.

A

unique building, splitting two streets, the sandstone finish to the building has been refreshed and supported by a beautifully modern three-wall glass front that gives the building a huge presence in a busy part of town.

As you walk in, it’s the height of the room that initially grabs your attention, before the modern staircase takes your eyes a walk up to the small mezzanine overlooking the modern bistro below. The room has a trianglular-like shape with industrial chic décor.

The bar faces you as you walk into the bistro, and it’s compact with a stainless steel bar and frame. Beneath it you will find Heineken’s new Frio drinks system.

The state-of-the-art single or two-tap dispense system has a built-in energy efficient cooler, which reduces running costs and improves draught pints.

Foot rests at the bar are actually the result of a design and ergonomic challenge, which owner David Stein met by designing a single pipe system which are actually radiators.

Explains David, “Because the walls are all glass, there was nowhere to put radiators and that created a real problem. I designed a single pipe heating system that runs alongside the bar, below knee level which hugs the bar. It’s really eco-friendly, but also looks really good. On top of that, people sitting at the bar can rest their feet on it, so it’s got several uses and is a great feature.” However recently it’s not the heating that has been the issue but the sun. Because

26 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

by FRASER WILSON South Bridge Street, Bathgate

1912

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of the glass front to the building, sunlight causes a real problem in terms of heating the venue. As such General Manager, John Owens and his team had to close for a period last week to get new air conditioning installed by Subcool.

The building was first completed in 1912, hence the name, and previously served as a hotel, a scone shop, a casino, a dance hall, a Ford car dealership, an insurance brokers, and latterly, a carpet store. David and Kirsty were familiar with the building because they run the local butchers, and already have a deli, tearoom and off-sales round the corner. Says Kirsty, “We knew we could do something with it.”

David and his team stripped it right back to expose the brickwork and original wooden beams, as well as leaving new steel beams on show.

“At no point previously would the wooden beams have been on show, so the fact they are is really nice,” David added. “The wood used throughout was reclaimed from the flooring at the local school gym hall. And Hargreaves Reclamation did a great job on that. In 1912 when the building was finished they put in a concrete floor, a new concept at the time, but one which we had a few problems with. We couldn’t get the wooden floor to sit level, so I started hacking away at the concrete with a grinder.

“That started to expose the real beauty of the floor, which has shades of red sandstone from the dust incorporated in it from the building’s brickwork. We got specialist flooring company, Corecut to work at polishing the concrete and it is a really unique finish to the floor – it’s a terrazzo tile look.”

The dark finish to the wooden tables offers a nice contrast to the natural light that floods the building, with colourful seated cushions on the adjoining window benches offering a welcome splash of colour.

28 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

That is accentuated by the array of reds on the high up light shades and spectacular teardrop shaped speakers that look like raindrops caught on camera as they drip towards the ground, radiating a warm red as well as the relaxing music perfectly fitted to the ambience of the bistro.

The attention to detail and love with which the building has been restored, certainly seems to have been appreciated by customers.

John tells us, “We have been very busy since we opened four weeks ago. People do come in for a pint, but it’s not really a bar at the moment, it’s more of a bistro. We get a lot of people on a Friday and Saturday who want something a little different, who want the city bar experience but don’t want to have to go into Edinburgh or Glasgow, they want something on their doorstep."

The bistro has 70 covers and is licensed for 100 but the kitchen itself is very small. But Mike Harper from Caterfix Scotland, who supplied all the catering equipment, including ovens, hobs, coffee machine, even dishwashers, is very impressed with the end product and believes it maximises its potential.

He told DRAM, “We were restricted by the size of the premises and some of the space might be tight behind the scenes, but it is a building that maximises the chance to make money from the asset. We are very impressed with the finished product. We believe we have given them the facilities to remain busy at any time of the day. They have a kitchen that works well to provide breakfasts, lunch and even dinner, as well as snacks.”

And John agrees, “We can adapt to provide customers what they want and we’re happy to listen to them – if they would like to see a new dish on the menu we are happy to accommodate them. I really love that freedom to make changes. We can genuinely make the difference for customers.”

Giffnock, Glasgow

DESIGN FOCUS

MILANO

by SUSAN YOUNG

Bar Milano has a new look, and a slightly modified name. Susan Young paid a visit to the eatery in Glasgow’s Southside.

T

here’s not that many places that you can go for a drink or a bite to eat in the suburb of Giffnock but many locals may be inclined to stay closer to home now that Bar Milano in Main Road has had a revamp and re-opened as Milano Italian Kitchen and Bar and is now owned by Ian Donaldson and Lello Branco.

The traditional looking restaurant complete with Italian murals, dark wood panelling and timber, has been replaced by a classy and contemporary bar and restaurant, and the refurbishment which cost in the region of £200K, took only 19 days and was orchestrated by Burns Design. The building was formerly a bank and is listed and as a result there is not much that can be changed outside, but inside there has been significant changes to the layout.

As you walk in the door there is now a modern bar on the left, explains co-owner Lello Branco, “Before the bar was at the back of the restaurant, which didn’t encourage people to just come for a drink. Now we have the bar on the ground floor, so now our guests can come in for a drink and stand at the bar.”

The area also has a large posing table and a few sofas in a pale mushroom and dark glass coffee tables with an L-shaped fixed

seating area upholstered in a metallic mushroom fabric against a rich coffee coloured wall, which also has a modern feature fire at eye height.

Said a spokesman for Burns Design, “The main objective was to make Milano more sumptuous and relaxed and give it a more modern and fresh look. To make it more relaxed we went with a lot of soft fabrics and furnishings and muted tones, in earthy but subtle colours. The whole feel of the place was to be softer.”

Now the bar area is downstairs and you go up a few stairs to a new mezzanine which boasts two large semi-circular booths, in a luxurious metallic fabric and a few dining tables and chairs. This area leads to a larger restaurant area, which remains very similar in size and shape to the original. Says Lello, “We have modernised this area, and made more of a feature of the stone wall. The addition of the mirrors, framed with the cream curtains also adds depth to the room and makes it appear much bigger.”

Here the seating arrangements include semi-circular booths as well as smaller, more intimate tables. The gold has been contrasted with black chair covers, which makes for a classy presentation.

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 29

30 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

Bar and Pub Month 2013 O

ctober could be a bumper month for your bar or pub if you get involved with Bar and Pub Month 2013. At the very least you could gain some positive PR and at the other end of the scale you could put pounds in the till.

Although MediaScotland are not backing the campaign to the same extent as last year they will be welcoming editorial and positive stories from bars and pubs across Scotland.

The campaign will kick off with the launch of a new website www. barandpubmonth.com which will list events taking place at bars and pubs throughout Scotland. All you have to do is send us the information you want included to dram@mail.com We will also be out and about taking videos of participating pubs and putting them up on www.barandpub.tv So what can you do? You could put on an event during October and brand is with the bar and pub month logo, send us the information and we could send the information out for you, or you could take part in the Sunday Mail initiative Buy A Round Give a £1 campaign. This initiative kicks off mid-month and more than 50 pubs have already signed to help the Sunday Mail Centenary Fund raise cash for charities which include: Breast Cancer Care Scotland, Borderline, Calum's Cabin, Darlinda's Charity for Renal Research, CHAS, Childline, Children 1st, Erskine, Kilbryde Hospice, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, Marina Dalglish Appeal, Mary's Meals, The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland, RNIB Scotland, Shelter Scotland and the Thistle Foundation.

Bar owners and staff are invited to suggest to customers that when they buy a round they donate £1 to the Centenary Fund.

By way of thanks for supporting the campaign and the 17 good

causes pubs, club,venue or hotel will feature on the Sunday Mail website from 6 October - the first 100 venues to register will appear on our website which will click through to the venues own website. The bars participating will also feature in a double page spread in the Sunday Mail paper on the 13th of October. They newspaper has also linked up with Real Radio who will be promoting the Buy A Round Give a £1 campaign from Monday 14th October for a 2 week period. The web address for more information is www.sundaymail100.co.uk or you could email sundaymail100@ sundaymail.co.uk to find out more details and to register. Or call Heather Suttie on 0141 309 3332. Once you're registered the Sunday Mail will send you collection cans and posters.

Why not send your local newspaper a press release about the events you are putting on – and to make things easier for you we have put a full list of Scottish local newspapers and their contact details on our website dramscotland.co.uk.

Says Susan Young, DRAM Editor, “This is an opportunity for pubs and bars across Scotland to publicise what is going on in their pubs during the month of October and it could help them build long term relationships with their local press and customers. Let's be positive about the Scottish bar and pub trade.”

#TapIntoBarAndPubMonthOnline Bar and Pub Month has launched and you can reap the rewards by getting involved. One of the best ways to show you're taking part is to take to the 'InterWeb' and utilise the array of social media tools on offer.

Here you can directly target punters on their phones, tablets, or at their desk at work.

Like it or not, social media is taking over traditional communication with digital platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, YouTube, and Flickr the new way to say 'hello'.

The vast amount of content sharing on an hourly basis means social media is rooted in the marketing mix, it is one of the strongest marketing tools at companies disposal.

One of the best and direct ways to make the most of Bar and Pub Month is to have a strong Twitter presence, with a good following of loyal customers.

Start it off with a friendly #FF of the people on Twitter you think are worth following and who can benefit you throughout Bar and Pub Month. Do this on the Friday before you start your activities – even if it's that day – and your followers should give you

a #FF back.

Add onto this the hashtag #BarPubMonth and you should rouse some interest in new and old followers, and they should start to show an interest in what you are Tweeting. Get this hashtag trending and use it in every Tweet throughout the month.

From there, Tweet about deals, promotions, entertainment, competitions whatever it is you plan to do to get into the spirit of Bar and Pub Month, and you should see the benefits.

One great idea would be to put out a Twitter only reference for a freebie. People love a deal, so get them in with some clever marketing on a digital format. Set out your stall for the day and tell your followers the first 50 re-Tweets will automatically get 'something super-duper', for example; they'll re-Tweet, more people will see the deal and #BarPubMonth hashtag and more are likely to come in and take advantage of your wares and get involved.

Try this: @JoeBloggsBar: “Come sing your heart out at our gr8 karaoke night tonight from 7 as part of

@dramscotland

#BarPubMonth First 50 RTs get a free hotdog with their 1st beer.” Should work a treat.

Onto Facebook. You're not limited to 140 characters here, so you can wax lyrical about the array of entertainment, deals, offers, competitions etc. you will be running for Bar and Pub Month.

With Facebook, you can imbed videos, photographs, URL links and tag all of your followers, or specifically target those best fitted to your promotions. Offer Facebook only freebies, where people have to come in and show you their phone with your Facebook page or the reference number they got from that.

These are the two most commonly used social media sources and this is just a quick example of how to utilise them. If you need any help, you can call us here at Dram and we'll talk you through it.

Call us on 0141 221 6965 and we can point you in the right direction. But we would also recommend calling social media experts, fatBuzz who are a dab hand at all things Twitter and Facebook. You can get them on 0141 427 0727 or email them at hello@ fatbuzz.com, or Tweet them @fatBuzz OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 31

sue says T

here is a new service enabling pubs to receive customer feedback via text message, MessageTheManager. The service provides instant, if anonymous feedback from the consumer directly to the manager. The new service for managers in the hospitality industry is aimed at allowing managers to address negative comments before they are broadcast via social media and the Internet, whilst benefiting from the good publicity that positive comments may generate. MessageTheManager founder, Charles Cridland, explains, “Think of a suggestion box and a comment card rolled into one.

That’s the idea behind MessageTheManager. It transforms every customer’s mobile phone into a suggestion box and a comment card.”

He continued, “There’s a famous quote from Bill Gates saying that your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning, but in the UK customers rarely like to air their grievances directly to a manager. MessageTheManager is a channel for those customers to communicate directly with the manager via text message.” I’ve got news for them, I’ve been doing this for years as I am sure many of the owners and managers of pubs reading this will admit – from dirty toilets to poor bar service, I’ve texted it all. And sometimes with pictures too. It’s called Message from Susan. Obviously I'm ahead of the game!

I think a new beverage, created for the Japanese market by Coca-Cola, may go down really well here.

Called Canada Dry Hot Ginger Ale, it is a hot drink in a can, in fact is the world’s first hot fizzy drink. The drink has a spicy cinnamon and apple flavour and comes in a self-heating can. A new alternative to coffee, tea and hot chocolate especially in the winter.

Talking of the weather, I think there might have been a small delay when it came to launching the Tennent’s new ‘Thirst Aid’ app. It launched in September just in time for our usual seasonal storms. Not perfect weather for enjoying al fresco wining and dining, which is what this app is designed to encourage. This may be an app that tells you where the best outdoor pub areas are, but I don’t think I will be using it til next summer.

Congratulations to one of my team members, Lynn Meenagh, who got married recently and who had a great shindig at MacSorley’s. I’m sure half of Glasgow has worked with her in bars and restaurants at one time or another, and certainly there was a great turn out for the celebrations. Will this calm her down? I don’t think so!

After the announcement last month that Pub Month was not going ahead in its original format, I gave the matter some thought over the weekend and decided there was no reason why on earth it couldn’t go ahead. After all, it is about getting pubs and bars to put on events in October and publicise them. Whether it’s your usual pub quiz

32 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

or a special meal deal, it’s all about letting the public know, and we will have created a new website called www.barandpubmonth.com listing all the events you care to share with us. Just email dram@mail.com.

The local regional newspapers will still be covering pub and bar events editorially, so check out our Bar and Pub Month page to find out how to get involved. To benefit you have to get involved.

I enjoyed a most enjoyable day at The Champany Inn in Linlithgow recently with Morande Wines wine maker Ricardo Baettig. It was a pity a couple of folk cancelled on the day. It is one of the complaints that drinks companies make about Scottish licensees - they don’t turn up for events, or cancel at last minute. I’ve heard the same issue over the years, which is why we are invited to so many events down south – it’s seems like our Southern counterparts are more reliable. So next time you agree to go to something please don’t cancel on a whim.

We want events to take place in Scotland. And The Champany Inn Morande event was excellent.

The main talking point this month has been the decision by Molson Coors to use Matthew Clark as its Scottish distributor, this follows on from the Tennents/Wallaces deal earlier this year. What does it mean for licensees in the long run? It’s difficult to say. But what incentive is there for other wholesalers to sell in a competitors beers? And if these wholesalers have the monopoly on these brands does that mean that prices are going to get steeper? Credit controls tighter? The good news is that Molson Coors have said it won’t affect the sales force in Scotland and that they will still be in and out of outlet supporting licensees with point of sale. It will certainly be a change for Matthew Clark's sales force ...selling mainstream Carling (and with beer it's all about price) instead of the more refined wine and spirits they are more used to. At the same time as this announcement it was revealed that Niall Phelan has stepped down from his role as Director of Emerging Markets and Craft Beer at Molson Coors Ireland & UK to pursue other interests. He was the man charged with looking after Scotland, in the last reshuffle, and now the Scottish boss who replaced Alasdair Hamilton, Liana Fleming, National Channel Controller, has also left. Niall is being replaced by Martin Coyle but there is no replacement as yet for Liana. Molson Coors has certainly seen a lot of changes over the last two years, I'm looking forward to a period of stability!

The BEN Barrel Ball takes place this year on 9th November at The Sheraton in Edinburgh. There are still tickets available for this 1920’s themed event.

Tables cost £1000. Contact the BEN.

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Round up Meet Fraser Wilson

So you might have seen my name creeping up here and there in our sister magazine Repertoire or throughout this month’s Dram, and I thought it only right I introduce myself.

An impending 30-year-old, I have a mixed and varied background from my first degree in Marketing to my first job as an operations manager with ScotRail.

Far from enjoying that position, I looked to do something I was passionate about and realised I had always wanted to be a journalist, writing for the uni magazine throughout my time there, as well as applying for school work experience at a paper in Ayrshire when I was 12.

Spotting an opportunity to follow that desire, I ditched the whistle and conductors cap to pursue a Master in Multimedia Journalism – I had found my calling.

From this grounding I’ve worked hard to build my portfolio and experiences, working for several national and regional papers, websites, radio stations, and magazines.

With a background in print and online journalism, I also do football commentary and have my own food and drinks related blog. I’ve come here from the heights of sunny Stranraer, where I was lead news and court reporter for Scotland’s best selling independent weekly paper.

I like food, I like booze. This should be my ideal job.

OLD COURSE HOTEL ON COURSE A team of six runners from the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa in St Andrews is on target to raise over £5,000 for a collection of charities having completed the Bupa Great North Run half marathon in September.

The resort’s Great North Run team was headed by Helen Parker, Director of Resort Sales, Marketing & Real Estate and also taking part was Kohler Resorts’ Golf Development Manager, Iain Marr Marketing & PR Manager, Allan Paterson, Simon Baldwin, who works with the resort on PR and Social Media. Supporting the team –was the resort’s Revenue Manager, Roy McKandie. Roy says: “It has been a fabulous team effort – we have all supported each other – and have been overwhelmed by the level of support shown.”

Pictured (L-R) with their respective finishing times are Roy McKandie (01:42:39), Iain Marr (02:23:52), Helen Parker (03:05:30), Allan Paterson (02:50:57), Amanda Wiseman (02:24:59) and Simon Baldwin (02:41:39).

New Chief Exec for Scotch Whisky Association Former ambassador to Denmark, David Frost has been announced as the new chief executive for the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The senior civil servant, who has been the senior official responsible for the UK’s trade policy,

working closely with the EU Commission, will now lead up the SWA. Mr Frost has stepped down as director for Europe, Trade and International Affairs at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and will take over from Gavin Hewitt who will step down at the end of 2013 after ten years at the helm.

Donaghey is the new boss at Whyte & Mackay Whyte & Mackay (W&M) has a new CEO in the shape of Bryan Donaghey, who left his position as managing director of Diageo Scotland earlier this year. He replaces John Beard, who left the company last month. W&M is owned by United Spirits Ltd., in which Diageo recently became the largest shareholder. Another new appointment sees Gregor Inglis take up the position as Regional Manager for Scotland and the North of England. He was formerly with Carlsberg.

DRAM DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING PUBLISHED BY MEDIA WORLD LIMITED UPPER FLOOR / FINNIESTON HOUSE / 1 THE STABLES YARD / 1103 ARGYLE STREET / GLASGOW / G3 8ND t. 0141 221 6965 e. dram@mail.com web. www.dramscotland.co.uk Editor: Susan Young • Chairman: Noel Young New Business Manager: Lynn Kelly • Advertising Manager: Emma McDonald • Editorial: Fraser Wilson • Administration: Lynn Meenagh • Production: Jill Donald Published by Media World Ltd. Subscriptions: DRAM is available by subscription for all other qualified persons involved in the Scottish Licensed Trade at the rate of £52 per annum including the DRAM Yearbook. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. Any transparencies or artwork will be accepted at owner’s risk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. © Media World Limited 2013. Printed

by Meigle Colour Printers Ltd. 34 DRAM OCTOBER 2013

Need help with Where better to go than a

Brewery.

Martin Mackay & Frank Cogan - Bozzco

Brian Curley - Brian Curley Group

“It was really refreshing for us to learn how Tennents were helping customers finance their business, in what has been a difficult climate for the trade. I think they are an excellent company to work with and they were extremely optimistic from the start. We have four outlets in total, including Platform 3 in Bellshill, Stewart Inn in Stepps, Cellar Bar in Airdrie and the Derby Inn in Bellshill, which we just bought seven weeks ago. I would recommend any good operators out there looking for financial support to consider Tennent’s. The only way for us to move forward was to add to our existing premises and I have no doubt that without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to expand as quickly as we have done.”

“I’ve been with Tennents for 35 years, so they are definitely a great company to work with. Over the years, I’ve worked with them in over 21 pubs and three clubs.

Nowadays I have nine pubs, three of which I’ve only just bought in the last three months. One particular pub that Tennent’s help finance, was the purchase and refurb of Kelly’s Bar in Cleland. This pub sat empty for two years before I took over and it needed a new look and freshen up. I feel that Tennent’s are about, one of the only businesses that will help people financially within the Licensed Trade.”

Alan Bannerman – Nortel Leisure “I find Tennents to be a very competitive company to work with, who have a modern approach to lending. I’ve had The Redhouse Hotel in Angus for 30 years, and when I approached them with the idea to carry out a refurbishment they were very accommodating and quick to get back to me with a decision. In fact the entire refurbishment took just six weeks. We replaced the conservatory and refurbished the entrance hall and the restaurant in February this year. I also have a good relationship with my Sales Rep Ian Mcphee, and Kenny Taylor who is the Area Sales Manager.”

Jim Young - Sales Director Tennent Caledonian “The market has been tough over the past couple of years, so we feel it’s important to do all we can to support the trade and that goes further than providing great brands and service. We’ve been listening to our customers, hearing their ideas and are delighted to help them grow by investing in their businesses through our wide range of finance packages” So if you’d like to expand, update your décor or just install space-age hand dryers, call 0845 601 5959 or have a chat with your Account Manager to get some funds flowing.

GOOD BREWING MAKES GREA

T BUSINESS .

Tennent’s and the red T are registered trademarks of C&C Group

OCTOBER 2013 DRAM 35

! d r a o b n o Gesutpport bar & pub month 13 October 20

www.barandpubmonth.com

36 DRAM OCTOBER 2013