Latest news with #FamousGrouse
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
It's all about music
Great jazz playing in a hole in the wall, traditional folk songs in a beautiful hanok and music on request at an LP bar all make for great getaways Fru, a cozy jazz-playing izakaya in Jongno It's not always the fancy luxury bars that leave the deepest impression. Sometimes, it's the small, hidden spot you stumble on that offers just the right atmosphere and drinks. Fru, a Japanese izakaya about 300 meters from Exit No. 2 of Anguk Station on Subway Line No. 3 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, has just one four-person table and a bar with nine seats. Because the space is so small — yet very popular — it's strongly recommended to make a reservation at least an hour in advance. The menu is simple but well-curated, featuring Japanese dishes such as sashimi, ramen and rolled omelet that pair perfectly with the drinks. The food may not be extravagant, but it stays true to quality and flavor. Prices are also very reasonable. For drinks, Fru offers a range of sophisticated highballs, including cassis highball, Famous Grouse highball and Fireball cinnamon highball, as well as sweet potato shochu and Korean soju. What truly sets Fru apart, however, is its music. Most of the time, the izakaya plays jazz, but it occasionally spins hits from the 1990s and early 2000s. Guests can even request songs by jotting them down on a small piece of paper and handing it to the staff, though selections are at the bar's discretion. One thing to keep in mind: visits are limited to two hours, as there's a steady flow of customers throughout the night. Right across from the royal palace of Changdeokgung sits a modest hanok -- the Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music. Inside, it's all about the music that once carried the rhythm of life in Korea: folk songs passed down for centuries, from field to field and village to village. These folk songs (minyo in Korean) were not just entertainment. The Korean people have always loved singing -- farmers sang to steady the pace of planting rice, fishermen to pass the time at sea, women to lighten the load of housework. There were songs for festivals and weddings, and songs to soothe grief at funerals. Minyo carries the joys and sorrows of life, as well as all the little moments in between, into our ceremonies, rituals and everyday routines. And each region shaped its own style, giving the folk tradition a colorful, varied soundscape. Here, history is something you can hear. Slip on a set of headphones and you can listen to the work songs of the Hwanghae region (now in North Korea), the playful marketplace chants of Gyeongsang provinces, or the soulful laments of the southern coast. The museum was established to preserve this oral heritage, much of which has faded with rapid industrialization. The hanok itself is part of the charm. Wander through its intimate galleries to discover themed exhibitions, audio stations and videos. On the first floor, curated listening sessions let you hear the voices of Korea's many landscapes under the eaves of traditional architecture. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the museum offers a rare chance to step out of modern Seoul and into a soundscape shaped over generations. One of the best ways to pull the plug on work is to have good food paired with perfect drinks, and music that flows from the speakers like it was made for the moment. Nestled in the streets of Garosu-gil -- a neighborhood in Seoul's Gangnam-gu known for its eclectic cafes and small fashion boutiques -- lies Muse On, a music bar with a great atmosphere, lots of LPs and good drinks and snacks. A 10-minute walk from Exit No. 8 of Sinsa Station on Subway Line No. 3 will take you straight there. Muse On takes music recommendations from visitors, allowing them to sit back and enjoy their selections. From mid-2000s pop like Bobby V.'s "Slow Down" to Ed Sheeran's "Photograph" and indie band Wave to Earth's "Peace Eyes," the playlist spans genres and moods. Drinks are priced between 12,000 won and 20,000 won. A lemon highball costs 12,000 won, while a Moscow Mule is priced at 15,000 won. Weekends tend to get crowded, so time your visit wisely. 32 Dosan-daero 15-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul jaaykim@ hwangdh@ junheee@
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Glenfiddich Owners William Grant & Sons Acquire Famous Grouse
The iconic Scotch whisky brand - Scotland's bestselling whisky - has now been acquired by family ... More firm William Grant & Sons. Following a number of regulatory approvals including from the UK Competition & Markets Authority, Scotch whisky titans and family firm William Grant & Sons has officially acquired two well-known whisky brands—The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt. Though for months the acquisition was an open secret within the industry, it was officially announced today (July 1st) and marks a significant addition to the company's iconic stable of Scotch whisky brands and distilleries which includes names like Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, and many more. The purchase sees the brands transferred from previous owners Edrington, who own the Macallan and Highland Park distilleries, amongst others. According to The Northern Scot, Edrington had announced the agreement last year in September, as the company wanting to focus further on 'ultra-premium spirits'. William Grant & Sons' addition of Famous Grouse and Naked Malt further strengthens its offering in the Scotch blends where Famous Grouse has long been a leader—it's the bestselling whisky in Scotland. Soren Hagh, the recently appointed chief executive of William Grant & Sons, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition in the official press announcement: 'I am delighted to complete this acquisition and welcome The Famous Grouse into our portfolio. It is a remarkable Scottish brand with rich history and a strong market position in a number of countries. Over the coming years, we will build on this strong foundation and work to evolve the brand into a true global icon. We also see a lot of potential in Naked Malt, which will be a great addition to our portfolio. Together, these brands perfectly complement our vision for growth, and we look forward to investing in their future and sharing their stories with whisky lovers around the world.' The deal concludes several months of negotiation and transition planning between William Grant & Sons and Edrington, the Glasgow-based company that had owned Famous Grouse since the 19th century. While Edrington has been shifting focus toward premium single malts like The Macallan and Highland Park, Famous Grouse had remained a key revenue generator in its portfolio. According to industry coverage the acquisition includes both the brands and their associated inventory (including spinoff brands such as Famous Grouse Smoky Black, Sherry Cask Finish, and others) are now fully under WG&S control, though exact production arrangements haven't been revealed. It's likely that existing contracts and bottling facilities will stay in place for now. First launched in 1896, Famous Grouse is the creation of grocer Matthew Gloag III from Perthshire and has been Scotland's bestselling whisky since 1980. It also holds a Royal Warrant, which was renewed by King Charles III in December 2024, and exports to over 100 countries. Naked Malt was first launched as the Naked Grouse in 2011 before becoming a standalone brand in 2017 and then renamed in 2021. This one is a blended malt whisky aged in first-fill sherry casks that's proven to be a particular hit in Asian markets. With the acquisition of both brands, William Grant & Sons strengthens its hand in the blended market - this is particularly interesting as so many other whisky companies, such as Edrington, focus on going premium these days. In any case, consumers won't see any significant changes for the moment with the shift in ownership, but it will certainly be interesting to see what comes next for such an iconic whisky brand like Famous Grouse.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Scotsman
The Malt Whisky Murders, by Natalie Jayne Clark review: 'an entertaining caper'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Whisky and Murder go together, in Scottish crime fiction anyway. Here they do so quite light-heartedly. One of the quotes on the back cover calls this book "Hilarious, brave and original." Others might call it a caper. That's to say: it is entertaining, but seems to have little connection with reality. Of course, that's true of much crime fiction here in Scotland, where we have just been told that the homicide rate is the lowest for more that 20 years - a fact not really reflected on the shelves of our bookshops. Whisky has of course gone up in the world - single malts that is. They were rare when I was young, rarely seen in a pub. In middle-class households, the whisky bottle - Johnny Walker Red Label, Famous Grouse or Vat67 - sat next to a soda syphon. In public bars there would be a jug of water and a bottle of lemonade on the counter. Farmers and manual workers often topped up their dram with the lemonade free of charge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Times have changed. Eilidh is a young woman who, from her early years, has made herself a malt whisky expert, starting off with a blog and then branching out. Now, with her wife Morag, formerly a distinguished Scotsman journalist, she has bought a distillery in Campbelltown. This should ring alarm bells with the reader; we know from the work of the late lamented Denzel Meyrick that the Mull of Kintyre has a murder rate to rival Chicago in Prohibition days. The distillery is derelict, and much clearing-up and renovation needs to be done before TV crews can be invited in to promote the new venture. This, it transpires, will take longer than hoped: long-dead, fully-clothed corpses are soon discovered in two of the barrels which came with the sale. Sign up to our FREE Arts & Culture newsletter at Now most of us, I suppose, if we discovered we had bought two corpses along with a distillery, would call the police. But not Eilidh, even though the bodies in the barrels have been there about as long as she has lived. Morag, being a former journalist, has her doubts about remaining silent and carrying on with the renovations, but she nevertheless agrees with her wife. So, Eilidh gets on with the work and with winning the support of the local community. She is good at this. She is pretty good at most things, and headstrong too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Parts of the novel are told in another voice. This belongs to a character we know only as "You". This person worked in the distillery long ago when it was already in decline, sales falling, if slowly. 'You' insisted they must change their image - suggested innovative advertising was needed to attract new customers, that it was no good just appealing to old buffers, that you can't win a new market with images of of tweedy old boys sitting in the heather with a Labrador at their feat. But "You' was rebuffed, and went away promoting and selling other brands all overt the world. Now, however, "You" is back in Campbelltown. Does "You" have anything to do with the dead men? And who are they anyway? I couldn't possibly comment. The Malt Whisky Murders is an entertaining novel, feather-light, flowing along at a good pace. The main characters are likable and Eilidh and Morag have a fine dog, always welcome in a novel. It is brisk and frothy and you will also quite probably learn something about whisky. It would of course have been different if they had called the police, but this doesn't really matter.
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Scott McTominay dances with old fan while puffing on cigarette as never-ending Napoli title party continues
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Napoli title party looks like it's never going to end. And nobody seems to have been enjoying every second of it more than Scott McTominay! Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Headline: Scott McTominay dances with old fan while puffing on cigarette as never-ending Napoli title party continues, Credit: X Napoli secured their fourth Serie A crown on Friday night. Scotland star McTominay, as he has been all season long, was at the centre of the success with a stunning acrobatic effort breaking the deadlock against Cagliari. A 2-0 win saw Gli Azzurri win the Scudetto and McTominay was visibly emotional after the biggest achievement of his career to date. McTominay, 28, has been the best player in Italy this season after his £25million move from Manchester United. With 12 goals from midfield, he captured the hearts of the Napoli fans who absolutely idolise him. Fans have been paying homage to McTominay in all kinds of ways, ranging from pizzas to tattoos while an incredible shrine in his honour now has pride of place in Naples city centre. And the Hampden hero has certainly been giving the love back in the wake of his team's stunning title triumph. He's been front and centre of Napoli's fervent celebrations. McTominay and Scotland teammate Billy Gilmour were spotted leading wild celebratory scenes in a restaurant KITCHEN over the weekend. There was also an amusing moment during Napoli's open top bus parade when a fan threw a bottle of WHISKY up to the top deck for McTominay. Moment Scott McTominay drinks from whisky bottle on open top bus parade Napoli He was only too happy to unscrew the cap and take a rather large swig out of the Famous Grouse bottle before handing it back. But the celebrations certainly haven't ended there. Another brilliant video has emerged of McTominay on social media. The midfielder - who can be seen puffing a cigarette - has peen spotted DANCING with an elderly fan. Scott McTominay's career Born in Lancaster on December 8, 1996 Joined the Manchester United youth system aged five and signed his first professional contract in 2013 Made his Premier League debut against Arsenal in May 2017 McTominay went on to win Carabao Cup and FA Cup with Man Utd Made 255 appearances and scored 29 goals for the Red Devils McTominay joined Napoli in August for £25.7million Born in England, he qualified for Scotland through his dad who's from Helensburgh McTominay was called-up by Scotland in March 2018 and has gone on to become a huge Hampden favourite He was part of the squad at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 He won his 50th cap while playing against Germany at Euro 2024 McTominay has scored some huge goals for Scotland, including an injury-time winner against Israel and his famous double in the 2-0 win over Spain in Glasgow McTominay is absolutely loving the moment too, with a beaming smile and laughter. The old man looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself too, while the star's girlfriend Cam watched on with a smile on her face. After all the wild celebrations, the Napoli players headed to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XVI. McTominay was seen shaking hands with the recently appointed Pontiff. 4 Scott McTominay meets Pope Leo XVI Credit: EPA 4 He scored as Napoli clinched the title Credit: Reuters 4 McTominay with girlfriend Cam Reading Credit: INSTAGRAM Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Courier
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Where can you find £5 cocktails during Perth Cocktail Week?
Perth Cocktail Week will return to the city from Friday May 23 to Sunday June 1. Last year's inaugural event brought in over £260,000 to the local economy, proving that this event can have a real impact on the city's food and drink businesses. The businesses that have signed up to take part in this year's event, including Crido's, Kisa's and The Bank Bar, are hoping for a similarly lucrative week this time around. Event organiser and director of Agency, Alice Christison is confident this year's event will be a success. Alice said: 'Year 2 of Perth Cocktail Week will be bigger and better; we're thrilled that Perth & Kinross Council are behind the event to drive support to the city centre and its venues.' Many venues have signed up for the event, including some of the best pubs and bars in Perth. All of them are offering a variety of discounted food and drinks. These include a number of signature cocktails priced at just £5. Non-alcoholic alternatives will also be available. The Old Ship Inn, That Bar Lounge, Brown & Blacks, Sandeman, Broth3rs Restaurant and the Salutation Hotel have confirmed that they are taking part in Perth Cocktail Week. So have Sidhu's, Malts and Spirits, The Mexican, Everest Inn, The Parklands Hotel and several other businesses. Eric Drysdale, Perth and Kinross Council economy and infrastructure convener, said: 'We're lucky to have such a great range of restaurants and bars in Perth and Kinross. 'Perth Cocktail Week is a great opportunity for people to revisit their favourite venues – or try somewhere new.' Wherever they end up, customers will be able to enjoy some excellent cocktails like The Twa Tams' Apple P-Aye. This drink is made with Fireball, Famous Grouse, cider and apple juice. And it's not just about the cocktails. Many restaurants are pulling out all the stops when it comes to food. Kisa's, for example, will be serving bar snacks, including pulled pork loaded fries, for just £3.30. Customers must purchase a wristband and wear it when visiting the participating venues to enjoy the discounts. Wristbands can be collected from Perth Theatre, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm. They can also be picked up from Kisa's anytime between 12pm and 8:30pm, seven days a week.
