E-Malt.com News article: 3129

MILWAUKEE -- Miller Brewing Co. apologized for failing to include any black artists on its series of commemorative rock 'n' roll cans.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that the brewer did not include a black artist in its series of eight commemorative beer cans, part of a summer promotion with Rolling Stone magazine celebrating the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll. Critics had questioned how Miller could have overlooked black artists' role in the development of rock music.

"African Americans obviously have played a formative role in the development of rock 'n' roll, and despite our efforts, we did not manage this component of the promotion appropriately," the company said in a statement late Thursday "to the African-American community, to music fans and to our valued consumers."

The cans issued by Milwaukee-based Miller featured Rolling Stone cover shots of Elvis Presley, Blondie, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Willie Nelson, as well as two showing the guitars of Eric Clapton and Joe Walsh.

"We took a hard look at the situation and realize where we fell short. You can count on Miller to step up," Virgis Colbert, Miller's executive vice president of worldwide operations, said in the statement.

The brewer noted that the commemorative cans were part of a larger campaign with Rolling Stone that includes events and promotions "that prominently and proudly feature African-American music artists."

Miller said its two-day concert, the culmination of the promotion, will feature James Brown, Bo Diddley, Wyclef Jean and Lenny Kravitz. The names of the artists for the Sept. 17 and 18 New York City performances had not previously been disclosed.

The cans were issued in conjunction with three Rolling Stone special editions: rock immortals, moments and photos. In its immortals edition, 20 of the 50 rockers are black.
The move is the result of a L50,000 investment and part of the distiller's plans to transform itself into a maker of high-quality single malt brands.
The new whisky, whose name is under wraps, is to be rolled out on the UK market on September 10 – with launches in continental Europe and the US to follow before Christmas – as part of the Whisky Live festival, the annual public celebration of Scotland's greatest export.

Ian MacLeod, whose other brands include London Hill gin and Isle of Skye whisky, acquired Langs whisky brands and Glengoyne distillery, just north of Glasgow, last year for around L7.2m from drinks giant Edrington – but has until recently been coy about its ambitions for the plant.
Earlier this year, however, the distiller revealed plans to increase capacity at its Glengoyne distillery by at least five-fold in a bid to push its un-peated single malt into the global top 10.

According to industry observers, Edrington – which owns the Famous Grouse blend and the Macallan and Highland Park malts – rebuffed more lucrative offers from abroad and sold what it privately described as its "favourite distillery" to Broxburn, West Lothian-based Ian MacLeod because it would be "true to the tradition of malt whisky making".

Stuart Hendry, Glengoyne's brand ambassador, said: "There is not much we can say at this stage, except that we're all very excited about the new expression here, and it's certainly part of our strategy to become a global player.
"I can also tell you that the guys who make the stuff here regard this latest product as the best expression of Glengoyne yet.

"I know we're bound to say this, but the quality really is quite exceptional."
Earlier this year, Ian MacLeod reported that it had boosted pre-tax profits by almost 50% in the year in which it bought Lang's whisky brands and the Glengoyne distillery.

Known until January 2004 as the Peter J Russell holding group, Ian MacLeod saw its pre-tax profits climb to L616,907 for the year to the end of September 2003, compared with L417,310 the previous year, according to the company's latest accounts.

Separately, Edrington yesterday announced that it had resolved its wage dispute with workers at its bottling plant and warehouses on Great Western Road, in Glasgow.

An agreement was reached around a three-year deal and the creation of 41 jobs at the plant. Edrington also said that its Famous Grouse brand has undergone what the company described as "the most radical image change in its 200-year history". The new-look label was unveiled at the London Eye attraction yesterday to coincide with what is traditionally the start of the grouse-shooting season.Earlier this week, Edrington also unveiled a new expression of its Macallan single malt whisky.

The company said that a "multi-million pound investment has led to the creation of Fine Oak, which will spearhead a major drive to increase the brand's market share and reinforce its position as the world's most precious whisky".


23 August, 2004