LCBO's fall promotion guides customers through the world of whisky

TORONTO , Oct. 14 /CNW/ - This week, LCBO launches What's Your Whisky?, a four-week promotion in all 608 of its stores across Ontario. Customers will have the opportunity to discover new products, learn about the spirit's rich heritage and versatility and determine which whisky is best suited to their individual tastes and budgets.

"With whisky experiencing a worldwide renaissance at the moment, this is the perfect time for customers to learn more about it and the many ways it can be enjoyed, in particular Canadian whisky," says Bob Downey , Senior Vice President, LCBO Sales & Marketing. "Enjoyed neat or in a cocktail as well as a surprisingly appealing recipe ingredient, whisky is one of the most versatile spirits around."

Customers will discover the world of whisky through in-store displays featuring classic whisky cocktails, like the Rusty Nail , the Manhattan, the Whisky Sour and the Old-Fashioned and during tasting events taking place at select stores across the province. They can also visit www.lcbo.com to see featured products and in-store event listings, classic and modern whisky cocktail recipes and a Matt Dusk profile, including his bio, sample tracks from his upcoming album, a list of Ontario tour dates and a downloadable track.

While Canadian whisky takes centre stage, 88 whiskies from Canada , Scotland, United States and Ireland are being featured. "We sell more than $500 million worth of whisky annually, with Canadian whisky accounting for more than $340 million in sales," says Downey. "And, this year, sales of Irish whiskey sales are up almost 16 per cent over last year while U.S. whiskey sales are up almost five per cent."

A number of premium whiskies, including some LCBO exclusives, will be presented during the promotion in limited quantities at 96 stores. These include Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve, Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, Jameson Gold Reserve Irish Whiskey and a number of Distillers Editions single malts including Clynelish, Lagavulin, Oban and Glenkinchie.

Other new products include Islay Mist 8-Year-Old (a smoky, peaty premium blended Scotch from the Island of Islay) and The Black Grouse (an Islay-style blend of The Famous Grouse and peaty malts). The official Canadian Whisky Glass will also be offered again in LCBO stores for a limited time. Individual glasses are $4.95 or $19.95 for a set of six.

For more information about LCBO's What's Your Whisky? in-store promotion, featured products, and recipes, customers can call the toll-free LCBO Infoline at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226). In Toronto , call 416 365-5900 or visit your nearest LCBO store. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.

Consumers are reminded to bring a reusable bag when shopping at the LCBO and to take empty beverage alcohol containers (large and small glass bottles, PET plastic, Tetra Paks, bag-in-box and cans) to The Beer Store for a full deposit refund.

For further information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Trina Hendry, Media Relations Consultant, Marketing and Customer Insights, Tel. [phone], Cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]; Chris Layton, LCBO Media Relations Co-ordinator, Corporate Communications, Tel. [phone], Cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]