PR87206

SAN SEBASTIAN DE LA GOMERA, Spain, Dec. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Today 55 rowers from across the globe took to the water for the start of the

Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2020 – an epic 3,000 mile rowing challenge

across the Atlantic Ocean.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8827151-talisker-whisky-atlantic-challenge-2020-begins/

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is a race with purpose - an

inspirational event, which draws out the wild spirit in everyday people to

achieve extraordinary things. It is a soul-changing journey and the challenge

of a lifetime, giving rowers the opportunity to experience the exhilaration of

the majestic ocean.

Beginning in the Spanish port of San Sebastian de la Gomera in the Canary

Islands and ending in Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua-Barbuda, the crews will

spend between 30 to 90 days at sea where they could face commanding waves,

extreme physical challenge and nature in its purest form from spellbinding

starry skies to dolphins in their natural habitats, and a whole host of marine

wildlife as they row the 3,000 miles to Antigua.

Over 21 international teams – including four-man crews, all-female and solo

crews - from countries including South Africa, the Netherlands, the United

States of America and Great Britain are taking on the race under strict

COVID-19 protocols after years of preparation.

To reach the start line, teams have had to demonstrate similar levels of vigor,

determination and strength of character, as they'll require at sea. The crews

have worked tirelessly to secure partners and donations, while training – often

around a full-time job – to prepare to row the 1.5 million oar strokes needed

to cross the ocean.  

Each rower has a unique and personal motivation for racing; from charity

fundraising to building awareness of ocean health.

Frank Rothwell, 70, who is taking on the challenge with the hope of raising £1m

for Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "It's safe to say the enormity of the

challenge is really hitting home! On the nighttime ferry to La Gomera, I looked

out to the dark sea and I couldn't see the horizon. That's when it hit me, I

thought I can't believe I'm going out there on my own! Now I'm making final

preparations at the start line, I know just how much I will miss my home

comforts, especially my family, and wife of 50 years, Judith. But luckily for

me, she's promised to call me twice a day to keep me company.  

"That being said, I've spent the last 18 months training for this exact moment,

so although it's daunting, I feel excited and as ready as I'll ever be. Raising

money for Alzheimer's Research UK, and hitting my £1 million, has become my

biggest motivation. People are getting in touch with messages of support and

donating money for dementia research, and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation

has generously offered to double the first £500,000 of donations, so I can't go

back now. I've got to prove that you're never too old to take on a challenge!"  

Dixon McDonald - Captain of USA boat, Latitude 35, said: "I grew up in New York

City, on the 7th floor of a 16 floor apartment building in Manhattan. I did not

grow up next to an ocean, I had never rowed until about a year and a half ago.

I hadn't spent more than five and half hours on a rowing machine until I

started training for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. That said, I love

pushing the limits of what's considered possible and this race seemed like the

perfect challenge to do just that."

Sofia Deambrosi from The Bristol Gulls boat, said: "It is absolutely impossible

to put into words how we feel right now, about to set off into the big blue.

The team has gone through an incredible two years which have been a roller

coaster of emotions, team dynamics and financial stability. Being at the start

line is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime but also the end of a

journey we embarked on with determination and grit; where we both hit hard

walls and met wonderful people, and came out of with new knowledge and skills,

and 3 best friends for life.

We cannot wait to get going, and wake up to beautiful views and sounds of the

ocean. We've left behind busy lives and loved ones at home and now all that is

ahead of us is 3,000 miles of adventure."

The oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Talisker Single Malt

Scotch Whisky is very much a product of its rugged, coastal home. A whisky full

of coastal character, Talisker's origins come through in its aroma and taste,

which connects the drinker with its rugged environment, delivering a powerful

peat-smoke, with hints of sea-salt and a citrus sweetness and making it the

perfect toast to those heading out to sea today.

Natalia Montigny, Head of Global Marketing for Talisker commented: "Talisker

was founded in 1830 by two wild spirits - the MacAskill brothers - who rowed

from Eigg to Skye in search of the perfect location for their distillery so we

can say that Talisker Whisky is truly Made By The Sea. Every year we are

touched by the incredible stories and determination of those taking part in the

Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. We wish them all the best as they undertake

this epic journey and look forward to welcoming them back and raising a toast

to their accomplishment."

Carsten Heron Olsen, CEO of Atlantic Campaigns, said: "It is great to see our

teams set off today on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Their

determination and enthusiasm has been unwavering. After months of working with

partners and the public to raise money for some amazing causes, the 55 rowers

today get to take to the water and continue to inspire people across the world

as they take on a journey most could not even imagine. "

NOTES TO EDITOR

For further PRESS information about Talisker please contact:

[each market to add local contact]

2020 TEAMS

Team Antigua –  Antigua

Atlantic Dragon –  United Kingdom

Team Melokhule –  South Africa

Atlantic Dutchesses –  The Netherlands

Atlantic Solo – United Kingdom

Generation Gap – United Kingdom

Oardacity – United Kingdom

Atlantic Titan – United Kingdom

Latitude 35 –  USA

Force Genesis – United Kingdom

The Bristol Gulls – United Kingdom

Dutchess of the Sea – The Netherlands

Row for Cancer –  The Netherlands

Rudderly Mad – United Kingdom

For a Fitter Planet – United Kingdom

Spoarting Chance – United Kingdom

Atlantic Antics –  United Kingdom

Wave Warrior – United Kingdom

Team HPF – United Kingdom

Alzheimer's Research – United Kingdom

On Shoulders of Giants – United Kingdom

TALISKER  

Located on the shores of the Island of Skye in Scotland for nearly 200 years,

Talisker is very much a product of its rugged, coastal home.  A brand rooted in

adventure, the whisky's founders, the MacAskill brothers, rowed from Eigg to

Skye in 1830 to start the Talisker Distillery in Scotland and that sense of

adventure lives on through everything the brand does today. Talisker aims to

inspire people to reconnect with the exhilarating feeling of being in nature's

presence whilst ensuring we restore the wilderness for future generations. We

call it Re-wilding.

Talisker Whisky and Parley for the Oceans, a collaboration network and

environmental organization, recently announced a three-year partnership. In a

collaborative environmental mission, Talisker and Parley are launching 'Rewild

Our Seas', a global initiative to restore and protect the health of underwater

forests on coastlines. Together the partners will support the preservation and

protection of 100 million square meters of marine ecosystems around the world

by 2023.

Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of

brands across spirits, beer and wine categories.  These brands include Johnnie

Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and

Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180

countries around the world.  The company is listed on both the London Stock

Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).  For more information

about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.

Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information,

initiatives, and ways to share best practice.  

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1374136/Talisker_Whisky_Atlantic_Challenge_2020.jpg

SOURCE: Talisker Whisky