Icicle Golf at Foxhills GC December 2011

Certainly a contradiction of terms!

With not an icicle in sight, sunshine and blue skies welcomed golfers to Foxhills, once they had endured the frustrations of the M25 at its worst.

With only minor changes to the original pairings 17 Distillers and 7 guests all got away on time, encouraged by the deceptive width of the well grassed fairways and large well tended greens. The undulating course was to prove a  stern test with its five par fives and three par threes of nearly 200 yards, and the half way house provided welcome rest and sustenance.

Christopher Carson is to be congratulated on being the champion golfer of the day, reining back, it is suggested, over the final few holes to avoid embarrassing others, as he recorded a magnificent 38 points, well ahead of the trailing field.

The winning team, with 120 points, were led home by Mike Walpole, who clearly brought the best out of his fellow players M/s Carson and Beadles and guest, Barry Melton

Guest of Peter Doran, James Stewart-Smith won the visitor’s prize.

The Foxhills’ staff made us very welcome in the warmth and comfort of their Manor House and a varied tasty lunch was enjoyed by all.

The following Liverymen played:- M/s Beadles, Bush, Rupert Bull, Campbell, Carson, Doran, Franklin, Ferguson, Garrard, Gibbons, Paul Hobson, Howell, Morton,  Mair,  Parker, Pugh, and Walpole.

Once again Graham Franklin was thanked by all for his efforts in ensuring the success of another most convivial golf day.”

Allan Cheesman honoured by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos 1

At a glittering ceremony in late September at the Spanish Embassy in London, Renter Warden Allan Cheesman was awarded  ‘la Orden de Isabel la Católica’  for his unstinting work as Chairman of the Gran Orden de Caballeros, a  UK based organisation  which, every year at an investiture dinner, honours both British and Spanish people who have excelled in their efforts to promote Spanish wine.  Allan has been a member for nearly 20 years.

Pictured left to right: Allan Cheesman; The Spanish Ambassador, His Excellency D. Carles Casajuana.

The Ray Jeffs Cup

The Livery once again entered a team of four to play in the Ray Jeffs Cup held at Hartley Wintney Golf Club on a glorious July day (Thursday 28th). This day has established itself as a very enjoyable and sociable competition for Livery Companies as well as being a successful charity event. In its first 11 years more than £37,000 has been raised for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, helping 24 schools in the Greater London area to set up or fund their schemes.

Our team, Paul Varney (Captain), Geoffrey Bush, Paul Hobson and Michael Walpole managed a very respectable 4th place with 89 points (best two balls scoring) out of 27 entries.

Pictured left to right: Paul H, Michael, Paul V & Geoffrey

Company Golf Day

With the fantastic first round 65 of Rory McIlroy in the US Open very much in mind, 14 Distillers golfers chewed their bacon butties in the comfort of the renovated West Kent GC and planned their attack on the splendidly set up course.

Not all hopes and expectations were fulfilled, but after 10 dry and 8 very wet holes, in distilling terms the “heads” came to the top.

Quite remarkably there were four players who all signed cards with 35 stableford points, but after count back the 2011 Budge Brooks Shield was won by Simon Merriam (20) with 24 points on the back nine.

Well played Simon!

Full results:

1. Simon Merriam, 35 points
2. John Barnes, 35 points
3. Peter McKay, 35 points
4. Paul Hobson, 35 points

The “yellow peril” team prize was won by the team of Robert Hobson, Simon Merriam and Peter McKay with a quite indecent score of 35 points.  Nearest the pin prizes were won by Keith Garrard and Peter McKay.

Next year our golf day will again be at West Kent G.C. on Friday 15th June.  Do please get the date in your diaries now.

KG

Distil Exhibition

Once again the Livery was on parade at Distil, the spirits section of the London International Wine Fair held at the Excel exhibition centre in Docklands.  With help from Liveryman Alan Cheesman a stand was kindly donated by the event organisers to showcase the Livery and help us gain both exposure for our activities, promote the spirit courses of the WSET and pursue new recruits. From the 17th right through to the evening of the 19th May this year the wine and spirits industry could actively engage with the great and the good of the Livery Company.

The stand was adorned with the excellent photography of Past Master Hayman providing the backdrop for the stand’s design and many admiring glances from visitors. These photographs brought to life the many awards and scholarships that we grant and captured the spirit of our Livery dinners.

The WSET’s Foundation and Professional Certificate spirit courses were promoted via a splendid self assembly promotional banner which elicited a lot of positive comments and conversations over the three days. Many promotional leaflets were distributed.

Central to the display on the stand were contributions from the individual spirit companies both great and small. Chivas Brothers contributed their impressive portfolio of whiskies (including a magnificent Royal Salute 25 year old), whilst there were also donations of bottles from London and Scottish (with Juniper Green providing the traditional Livery G&T at regular intervals), Rums from Bristol Spirits (John Barrett educating the world on the merits of Rum and Tonic water as a delicious long drink) and Compass Box whiskies were also very much in evidence at the end of the day.  Regular tastings attracted a constant stream of visitors seeking to learn more about spirits, the livery and enjoy the tastings as well.

The Master visited the stand on a number of times over the three days.  The Livery also ran a shuttle service between the first time stand of Lee Bolton Monier Williams and the Livery’s own stand (with the Clerk and Kim Lyons managing to be in two places at one time with the Master).

The stand was visited by journalists and writers alike.  Photography of the Master on the Livery Stand was taken with some of those volunteers over the course of the Fair. The stand once more became a convivial way station and gathering place for the Livery, guests and friends.

An impressive roster of volunteers made the stand possible (whilst also managing to do this during the Inter Livery Shoot as well on the Wednesday) with a great deal of help from the Parker family providing the hardware for the stand and the expertise in both assembling and dismantling said shelving and sundry items.

Court Dinner

Following the Court meeting six candidates were admitted to the Freedom of the Company and the Livery was granted to Robert Russell and Simon Thomas.

There followed an excellent dinner, with greater detail contained within the Masters’ Blog.

After dinner Assistant Kenneth MacKay amused us with thoughts of the Last King of Scotland before turning his attention to the guests.  The Masters of the following companies were guests of the Company; the Innholders, the Coopers, the Tallow Chandlers and the Upholders along with Professor Geoff Palmer OBE, the visitor of the Incorporation of Maltmen. The Masters’ principal guests were Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe Bt, and Michael Fletcher, Senior Partner of city law firm Lee Bolton Monier-Williams, who replied on behalf of the guests.

We were soon reminded that the last time that a MacKay and a Fletcher appeared together was in fact in Slade Prison.  ”I guess we can be thankful that it was risotto that we have been served earlier and not porridge!”

This excellent speech was then followed by the Master who was on top form, cautioning that on this day in 1865 Abraham Lincoln got shot, whilst 99 years ago the Titanic had sunk.  A bad day for the theatre and for seafarers, but he assured us that the sunlit uplands beckoned and so we repaired to the stirrup cup safe in the knowledge that we had enjoyed yet another excellent evening of good food, fine wine and great friendship.

Distillers v Vintners Golf Match

This year’s fixture, again held at Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, was played in the third format in three years, this time Greensome Foursomes which gives everyone a chance to drive each hole.

Sadly this did not help the Distillers reverse the previous year’s result and the Vintners won 4 – 2.

The Immediate Past Master bravely did battle on his own (due to unfortunate circumstances the Middle Warden was unable to get down from Scotland) but in the end succumbed against the might of two Vintners Past Masters, namely Messrs Demery and Dow.

Despite their bullishness and No 1 seeding position Paviour and Nadin could not defeat the guile of Cox and Nicholson, and Campbell and Varney were beaten by the very competitive pairing of long hitting Russell and the canny Buchanan.  More huge hitting from the young pairing of Monier-Williams and Hamilton sadly did for Kimmins and the dual code Sykes.

However we did not go down without a fight and the two successes enjoyed by the Distillers came from a sterling effort from Hobson Minor and the wily Gregory over the Vintners match manager Stoy and his partner Fells and then the returning Distillers captain Barr and his very able partner Franklin finished with 4 pars to snuff out the challenge of opposing Captain Robson and the mighty Simpson.

Having just about escaped the rain in the morning an excellent lunch was followed by World Cup cricket watching in the afternoon, rather than more golf in the rain.

The excellent lunch was made even more enjoyable by the Vintners most generous provision of wines and port.

Court Lunch

“Gung hay Fat Chow” So the Master greeted the Livery and guests at Vintners Hall on Thursday 3rd February, on the occasion of the first function of 2011, a date we shared with Chinese New Year – the year of the rabbit. This theme had been cleverly woven into Assistant Jonathan Driver’s introduction of the guests, but was not part of the excellent menu, which actually featured pheasant.

Amongst many important guests we welcomed the Grand Master of The Keepers of the Quaich, The Rt. Hon. Viscount Thurso, Mr Martin Scarth, Master of the Glass Sellers’ Company and the Master of the Wax Chandlers’ Company, Mr Graham Marrs.

A highlight of three good speeches was the response by Zenna Atkins, a good friend of the Master.  She brought a breath of fresh air to the gathering with a charming speech covering her life including the Chair of OFSTED, and more recently to being MD of Zail Industries, a start up organisation providing the best of education and public services.

Among her many other duties Zenna is on the board of the Royal Navy, and it was therefore appropriate that our other guests included Commander Jonathon Lett, and Lt Commander Duncan Humphrey, from HMS Montrose, recently returned from a 9 month tour which included chasing pirates and sinking two of their vessels in the Indian Ocean. It was interesting to learn that in their exciting lives they still have time to read and enjoy copies of “The Distillate”.

The lunch was also the occasion for the presentation of the Company’s Scholarship awards which the Master presented to, Teddy Joseph for the  WSET professional Certificate in Spirits, Charlotte West for the WSET Diploma, and to Kaitlin Vandenbosch for the MSc/Post-Graduate Diploma in Brewing and Distilling at Herriot-Watt International Centre for Brewing and Distilling.

Installation Court

A large gathering of the Livery joined the Court in the Courtroom at Vintners’ Hall on November 18th 2010 to watch David Sills being installed as Master for the coming year by the outgoing Master, Simon Leschallas.

After taking the oath, the new Master in turn installed Terry Barr as Upper Warden, Brian Morrison as Middle Warden and David Raines as Renter Warden.

After the installations, the Master declared the meeting closed and all adjourned to the main Hall take Dinner.

Earlier at the Court meeting, 10 Liverymen were welcomed into the Company. They are:

Mr Malcolm Davis
Mr Francois Ginther
Mr John Glaser
Mr Colin Gordon
Mr David Hesketh
Mr Stuart Johnson
Mr Iain Kennedy
Mr Lorne McKillop
Mr Anthony Wills
Mr James Wilmot-Smith

Three new Freemen were also admitted.