In this scene, the movie has progressed quite a bit in the plot to try to catch Diabolik (John Phillip Law) by gangster Valmont (Adolfo Celi.) The party is always on with Valmont with booze free flowing. Whether it be on his plane, at his apartment or at his pool, Valmont always has a cool cocktail within reach.
In addition, Valmont is accompanied by his gun moll Rose (Annie Gorassini) who joins him drink in hand.
As with the last post Danger Diabolik (1968) Part I May 1, 2020, I find that these movies are a great time capsule of sorts, especially when it comes to popular booze. Take a look at the picture below:
Again, as with the last post, Valmont has a variety of spirits available at his disposal. One particular bottle stands out to me: the Noilly Prat Original Dry.
Noilly Prat Original Dry is a French Vermouth that was created in 1813 by Joseph Noilly in Lyon, France. The aperitif clocks in at 18% abv (36 proof) and is described as such on the Noilly Prat website:
20 different herbs and spices are sourced all around the world to make Noilly Prat Original Dry. Among them Chamomile, Coriander from Morocco, Bitter Oranges from Tunisia, Cardamom from India, or Elderflower. Noilly Prat Original Dry is ideal served as L’Apéritif and paired with seafood, such as oysters.The website recommends that you enjoy their Noilly Prat Original Dry an a L'Apéritif Original Dry on Ice, Original Dry Le Sud (with chilled Perrier) and in a 50:50 Martini Cocktail. Noilly Prat also makes an Extra Dry Bianco Vermouth, an Ambré Vermouth and a Rouge Vermouth.
Since I mentioned the pool earlier, I wanted to show you gals and guys how Valmont spends his time while in the pool.
This dude has a floating bar with his personal bartender at his beck and call !!! Let's take a closer look to see what spirits he has on the bar.
Aside from fruits, snacks and an ice bucket, I see that he has a bottle of Dewars "White Label" Scotch Whisky.
This brand is the rare spirit that worldwide is referred to by the color of its label instead of its company name. If someone orders a scotch and soda, a bartender might ask: "You have a preference? or What Scotch would you like?" But if you order said drink as a "White Label" and soda, then we know what it is that you want. The story starts with the birth of John Dewar in 1806 in Perthshire, Scotland.
As a young man, Dewar went to work for a relative in Perth, Scotland who was a wine and spirit merchant. Dewar showed his value to the company by moving up the ranks, becoming a partner in the company in 1837. By 1846, he left the company to start his own business. According to page 207 of the Schweppes Guide to Scotch by Philip Morrice:
He began to blend and bottle his own whisky in a modest way and sought sales beyond Perth. Indeed, one of Dewar's many claims to fame is that they were the first to sell whisky in branded bottles.
Dewar's son, John Alexander Dewar would become a partner in the firm in 1879 and younger son, Thomas, would become partner in 1885. John Alexander was the analytical of the two brothers while Tommy was a showman who would have probably been quite comfortable with product branding and sales in today's social media forward market.
One story has Tommy employing bagpipers at a trades how to drown out the other vendors and draw attention to his products. Tommy also went on a worldwide tour which he kept a journal about known as 'A Ramble Round the Globe' to bring his whisky to new markets. You can read the book via the Internet Archive courtesy of Google Books: 'A Ramble Round the Globe.' The article Tommy Dewar: A Ramble Round The Globe from the Kingdom Golf website highlights the trip. This leads into another story.
This one has Tommy in New York City in 1892. He's at a bar and orders a tall glass of his company's whisky with soda and ice. This led to the creation of the Original Highball better known today as the scotch an soda. By 1902, Dewar's would trademark the term "High Ball." Not to be overshadowed by his younger brother, John Alexander would also make waves in his own ways.
In 1893, John Alexander was able to secure the Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria for the John Dewar and Sons whisky brand. In doing so, this would be the first time that a blended Scotch whisky would earn such a designation. One that it still holds today. Both brothers were like two sides of the same coin: John Alexander had the seniority with Tommy as the face of the company. Both brothers helped to make the John Dewar and Sons LTD a worldwide recognized brand.
Another key addition to the John Dewar and Sons team was with the arrival of A.J. Cameron in 1890. Cameron would start as a desk clerk, working his way up to the position of Master Blender. What influence did Cameron have with the Dewar's White Label offering? According to the Dewar's "White Label" website:
In 1899, a year after production commenced at Dewar’s new distillery, Aberfeldy, A.J. Cameron created the now-iconic Dewar’s White Label. Over the next 120 years our flagship blend established itself as one of the leading blended Scotch whiskies worldwide.Since 2006, all of Dewar's blended scotches are blended by Stephanie Macleod the first female Master Blender in Dewar's history and the seventh Master Blender. Macleod would join the company in 1998 and like Master Blender Cameron, Macleod would work her way up the ranks. She started in quality control eventually rising to the position of Master Blender.
John Dewar and Sons has scotch whisky blends from their flagship "White Label" to their Double Double 32-Year-Old. I personally liked the Dewars 12 (when I drank spirits.) My dad on the other hand used to drink the White Label along with Cutty Sark back in the day. Which one is your favorite? Drop me a line in the comment box and let me know.
Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
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