MCM inspired by Baroque for A/W16 collection

MCM has drawn on Baroque splendour for its Autumn/Winter 16 collection. Dubbed “a showcase of opulence, creativity and freedom”, the Munich Epoch collection celebrates the brand’s 40th anniversary while revelling in the rich visual heritage of its German roots.

Following last season’s Munich Disco campaign, MCM reinterprets the glamour of travel with a nod to the German city where it was established. Once again collaborating with celebrated photographer Alasdair McLellan and stylist Joe McKenna, the campaign references the grandeur of Munich’s Baroque period: a time of unparalleled sophistication across art, music and architecture.

Capturing energy, vibrancy and attitude, the A/W16 campaign is shot on the street to highlight the statement style of the collection. Drawing on MCM’s East-meets-West heritage, the company cast models-to-watch Bom Chan Lee (who grew up in Korea before moving to London) alongside German Adrienne Jüliger and Line Brems from Denmark.

Taking the same inspiration for the season’s campaign film, McLellan and McKenna shot the trio on the outskirts of a party in a luxurious mansion. A classic track by Giorgio Moroder, whose pioneering work with Donna Summer and Oasis Records sound-tracked and helped define Munich’s second golden age, defines the upbeat and irreverent mood.

Wild Turkey flies into Sydney Airport

Gruppo Campari has partnered with Gebr Heinemann at its flagship Sydney Airport store in a one-month campaign for Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Wild Turkey is the number one premium bourbon by volume in Australia, according to IWSR 2015.

Wild Turkey Master's Keep 17yo

"Greatness Isn't Pretty"

Prominently located at the Tavern Tasting Bar, front of store, in an area of high passenger footfall, the June activation featured several key products in the Wild Turkey portfolio of aged bourbon, showcased with the brand’s iconic visuals and call to action of “Greatness Isn’t Pretty”. 

Branded light-boxes, feature wall panels and back-lit shelving provided a strong presence for the introduction of the limited release Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Year Old alongside six core variants: Wild Turkey 101 Proof, Wild Turkey 86.8 Proof, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur and Wild Turkey Spiced.

Brand ambassadors invited shoppers to explore the range. Sampling was supported by Wild Turkey heritage story-telling and broader education about the bourbon category, as an alternative to traditional Scotch whisky. 

Traditional whisky drinkers looking for a new discovery

Constantin Wiesmann, Managing Director of Gebr Heinemann Australia, said: “Wild Turkey is an extremely popular brand with high levels of recognition among our home consumer audience, and this campaign has encouraged customers to explore the excitement of the bourbon category. It has attracted a wide range of shoppers, including noticeable interest from traditional whisky drinkers looking for a new discovery and motivated by the choice of age statement options and the iconic heritage of the brand.”

Leigh Irvine, Global Travel Retail Director of Gruppo Campari, added: “As the Australia domestic market leader in premium bourbon, this is a significant opportunity for us to capitalise on direct engagement with Wild Turkey fans travelling out of Sydney. Throughout June we’ve connected them with the incredible choice in our extended portfolio, delivering increased trade-up throughout the range as well as creating greater brand awareness and trial from new bourbon drinkers.”

Master’s Keep: A bourbon 17 years in the making

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17yo is the inaugural release from Eddie Russell as Master Distiller, following in the footsteps of his legendary father Jimmy Russell. Aged in both brick and wooden rickhouses, this Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is hand selected for its balanced flavour. Consistent temperatures in the brick rickhouses give the bourbon a mild, earthy flavour profile, while the greater temperature variations in the wooden rickhouses allows the liquid to absorb more of the vanilla, caramel and oak flavours from the oak barrels. Although Master’s Keep went in to the barrel at 107 proof, its ageing process produces a lower bottle proof of 86.8. The liquid starts out smooth and silky, transforming into a caramel, vanilla sweetness and finishes with savoury spiciness and oak.

Lagavulin bicentenary edition lands in travel retail

Lagavulin single malt Scotch whisky has been distilled by Scottish islanders for 200 years. Marking this milestone year, the distillery has launched a special limited-edition bottling of Lagavulin 8 Year Old in honour of Britain’s most famous Victorian whisky writer, Alfred Barnard. The product is now available in travel retail outlets, retailing at around $88.

Lagavulin 8 Year Old special edition whisky

In the late 1880s, Alfred Barnard, the first ever whisky journalist and traveller, sampled an 8 Year Old Lagavulin during a visit to Islay, describing it as “exceptionally fine”.

Famous for its nose of Hebridean peat smoke with richly textured and complex flavours, Lagavulin 8 Year Old has a long, sweet and power-driven finish. The launch of this limited-edition bottling kicks off the start of the distillery’s bicentennial activities that include bringing people to Islay and bringing Islay to as many people from around the globe as possible.

Diageo GTME Global Marketing Director Peter Fairbrother said: “Single malts represent the fastest-growing segment of the whisky category in travel retail, growing 12.5% in the last recorded year and now valued at $800m. Diageo has the largest portfolio in this flourishing category and we are proud to own over 40% of the industry's inventory. With this breadth to our portfolio, we are delighted to be able to bring rare and special whiskies – such as this limited edition Lagavulin 8 Year Old – to travellers across the globe.”

Davidoff’s dream comes true with new cigar range

After 20 years in the making, Davidoff has launched a new cigar from the Dominican Republic’s Yamasá region.

The intense and complex cigar is the work of Henke Kelner, Davidoff’s cigar visionary, who has tamed the harsh and unforgiving swampland where others have tried and failed to grow tobacco.

The blend combines the earthiness of Yamasá with the spice and sweetness of Nicaraguan Estelí and Condega tobaccos, according to Charles Awad, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Innovation at Oettinger Davidoff AG.

Davidoff's new Yamasa cigar range

The site in Yamasá covers 100 hectares, but only 21 are used, due to the complexities of growing the tobacco leaves. Henke Kelner and his team rest the land between each harvest so as to let nature take its course, and to help ensure that the quality of the Yamasá leaf is maintained for years to come. They grow the tobacco in the shade, shielding it from the harmful effects of the sun. For the curing process, new climate-controlled curing facilities were constructed.

Described as “an intense exhilaration in taste”, the cigar begins with a spicy Nicaraguan taste. Flavours of nut, melted with spice, coffee, cedar wood, earth and black pepper notes further delight the palate. The cigar has a deep and complex body that slowly reveals itself through the aged Dominican filler tobaccos.

The intense Yamasá binder and Yamasá wrapper combine with the sweet Nicaraguan Condega and spicy Nicaraguan Estelí filler tobaccos to deliver an earthy-spicy-sweet experience.

The cigar comes in four formats: Petit Churchill: 48 RG x 4, 1.90 x 10.2cm; Robusto: 50 RG x 5, 2.00 x 12.7cm; Toro: 52 RG x 6, 2.06 x 15.2cm; and Piramides: 52 RG x 6 1/8, 2.06 x 15.6cm.

Davidoff has created a social media hashtag, #SHAREYOURDREAM, so that cigar aficionados can share their personal dreams and what they want to achieve in life. Davidoff will choose the most inspiring dream and help make it come true. For details, visit http://davidoff.com/shareyourdream.

The new Davidoff Yamasá cigar range will be available in matt folding packs with four cigars and in black wooden boxes with 12/14 cigars at selected retailers in the US, and at Davidoff flagship stores worldwide starting in late July 2016.