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In 1951, Mark Andrews, creator of Knappogue Castle single-malt Irish whiskey, decided to age some of his best spirits in Spanish sherry barrels instead of traditional American oak. Thirty-six years later, Knappogue Castle 1951 was bottled as an extremely limited offering.

When DreamWorks Animation's Phil Captain 3-D McNally first entered Wednesday's Samsung showcase in New York City, he wasn't drawn to all the shiny gadgets blanketing virtually every wall, floor, and ceiling. Nor a Maxell-blow-your-hair-back display of the latest and highest-definition TVs, or the tablets, or smartphones.

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Minimalist is the answer for Bare Escentuals. Fans completely drive the conversation on wall updates, discussion boards and with pictures.Bare Escentuals adopts a "hands-off" Facebook strategy, letting unsolicited testimonials from its nearly 200,000 fans drive traffic to Bare Escentuals boutiques and resellers. Customer feedback on Facebook even led to a redesign of the firm's product packaging, says chief marketing officer Simon Cowell: "We sell loose minerals, so customers wanted something more portable