WHYTE & MACKAY, the fastest growing Whisky brand in the UK, is the new title sponsor of the Professional Darts Corporation's Premier League Darts - the world's biggest invitational darts tournament.
The multi-award winning Scotch Whisky brand have signed a three-year contract to join forces with the fastest growing event in UK sport, which starts its 2008 season in Whyte & Mackay's home city of Glasgow on January 31.
The Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts will feature the eight best darts players in the world, and boasts a £340,000 prize fund, with £100,000 to the winner - the joint highest prize in darts.
The confirmed players so far are the top six money earners from the PDC's Order of Merit, with two wildcards to be announced following the conclusion of the World Championship on January 1.
Phil 'The Power' Taylor has won all three previous Premier League Darts, but faces his toughest defence yet as the sport's other elite players battle it out to steal his title.
Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld, the current World Champion, will be Taylor's closest challenger, with rising star James Wade, winner of the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix in 2007, also highly fancied.
Terry Jenkins, who has reached five televised finals in the last two years, including the 2007 Premier League Darts, has also retained his place, as have the 2003 Las Vegas Desert Classic champion Peter Manley and another up-and-coming player, Stoke's Adrian Lewis, who reached his first televised final in May 2006 at the World Series of Darts.
The Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts will run for 14 consecutive Thursday evenings across the UK, from Aberdeen in the north to Plymouth in the south, with stop-offs in major cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Belfast, as well as, for the first time, Wembley Arena in London.
Players will play each other twice in the group stage, with the top four progressing to the play-offs, to be held in Cardiff on May 26.
Sky Sports will televise every dart live, in both Standard and High Definition, and millions of viewers around the world will also tune in, both live and delayed, in darts hotbeds like Holland and Germany, and emerging nations such as America, Australia and other countries across Europe, the Far East and Africa.
Over 60,000 tickets were put on sale on October 15, with 55 percent snapped up in the first 24 hours, making it one of the hottest tickets in sport.
All remaining tickets are expected to go well in advance of the opening night in Glasgow, which sold out its near-4,000 capacity within three days.
The PDC's Chairman Barry Hearn said: "We are delighted to welcome Whyte & Mackay in to the world of professional darts and are as excited as they are about their affiliation with the Premier League Darts.
"It's a massive event, growing phenomenally year-on-year and the reaction we get wherever we take it is exceptional - people can't wait to get their hands on tickets and watch the stars of darts in action.
"It's what Thursday nights were made for!"
Nick Gaskin, Whyte & Mackay's UK Marketing Director added: "We are extremely proud to be the headline sponsor of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts and excited to be associated with such a versatile sport.
"Much like our whisky, the players are full of character and as the audiences are full of fun and sociable people, this year's League is shaping up to be an entertainment extravaganza!
"Since the formation of the League in 2005 the audiences have more than trebled and with the continued efforts of the PDC and the exciting initiatives we have planned, I am sure this growth will continue."
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Prize Fund
| Winner | £100,000 |
| Runner-Up | £50,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £40,000 each |
| 5th Place | £27,500 |
| 6th Place | £25,000 |
| 7th Place | £22,500 |
| 8th Place | £20,000 |
| High Checkout (Per Night) | £1,000 |
| Total | £340,000 |
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts - 2008 Dates
| 31 January | Glasgow SECC | SOLD OUT |
| 7 February | Plymouth Pavilions | SOLD OUT |
| 14 February | M.E.N Arena, Manchester | 0844 847 8000 Online Sales |
| 21 February | Ricoh Arena, Coventry | 0844 412 1747 Online Sales |
| 28 February | BIC, Bournemouth | 0870 111 3000 Online Sales |
| 6 March | Nottingham Arena | 0870 121 0123 Online Sales |
| 13 March | Sheffield Arena | 0114 256 5656 Online Sales |
| 20 March | Brighton Centre | 0844 847 1515 Online Sales |
| 27 March | NIA, Birmingham | 0870 909 4144 Online Sales |
| 3 April | AECC, Aberdeen | SOLD OUT |
| 10 April | Liverpool Echo Arena | 0844 800 0400 Online Sales |
| 17 April | Wembley Arena | 0870 060 0870 Online Sales |
| 24 April | Odyssey Arena, Belfast | SOLD OUT |
| 1 May | Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle | 0870 707 8000 Online Sales |
| Play-Offs | ||
| 26 May | CIA, Cardiff | 02920 224488 Online Sales |
Whyte & Mackay Company Information
Whyte & Mackay Scotch Whisky, founded on the docks of Glasgow in 1844 by James Whyte and Charles Mackay, was purchased by the UB Group in May 2007 for £595m and is now part of the second largest spirits group in the world.
Whyte & Mackay is the fastest growing blended whisky in the UK (Nielsen % change Oct 07).
Whyte & Mackay is the number 12 spirit brand in the UK (Nielsen % change Oct 07).
In Scotland Whyte & Mackay is a top ten spirits brand and is bigger than Jack Daniels (Nielsen MAT).
Whyte & Mackay is attracting more younger drinkers than other leading whisky brands in the UK (TGI Jan 07 % change YOY).
Other brands in Whyte & Mackays award winning portfolio are Jura Single Island Malt Whisky, The Dalmore Single Highland Malt Whisky, Glayva and Vladivar Vodka.
Click here to visit the official Whyte & Mackay Website