News
October / November 2007
Hello, Caroline reporting in on autumn news items.
As
mentioned last time, we were invited to the launch of Diageo's
Special Releases 2007 in October but neither of us could go. I
was just back from holiday - plus had developed an eye infection
so looked like a rabbit with myxematosis - and Helen had other
commitments elsewhere. However, we have the information on this
year's releases below. Samples for nosing and tasting are, sadly,
still awaited some weeks later. There are new Customs' regulations
in the UK now for such things so samples can take longer to get
to us. Most producers do kindly supply tasting notes but we prefer
to write our own.
Some other new releases recently from Ian Macleod
Distillers, owners of Glengoyne, are featured on this page too
- those samples did arrive. Also a new, very rare version of Macallan
from Highland Distillers. We have new packaging for Ballantine's
12 Year Old too. Otherwise we have some awards, a new campaign
plus an interesting new feature from Laphroaig which no whisky
fan should miss.
And have you seen the thoroughly glamorous new
packs yet from Glenmorangie in retailers in your home countries?
They do move the brand packaging up a few notches in the quality
and luxury area as befits a brand of this repute and calibre.
Really beautiful.
Recent festivals have included Whisky Live Glasgow
and in South Africa. In the US there has been the new Malt Advocate
WhiskyFest in San Francisco and their excellent annual event in
New York. Riannon Walsh also had an Independent Spirits Festival
in San Francisco in the last little while.
Our friends at Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh
have also acquired new premises - see more below.
As we move into the Christmas season and the buying
fest that usually means, don't forget to put Scotch Whisky on
your shopping list for yourself or for others.
Remember, Remember 21 November
One
for your diaries here. I am talking about the date for Laphroaig's
first ever live whisky tasting and debate on 21 November 2007.
It is scheduled for 20.00 GMT and I'll leave you all to work out
what that means time-wise in your own countries of residence.
It will run for 40 minutes and be known as Laphroaig Live. The
distiller will invite a global audience to turn on, surf and experience
a unique event in Laphroaig's 190 year history. As a former marketing
manager for this brand and the one who first developed Friends
of Laphroaig for launch with colleagues, our promotions agency
and our distillery manager, it makes me proud to see the brand
still being innovative.
A panel of three whisky specialists will be on hand
both to conduct the tasting and answer questions put either via
e-mail or a specially invited Laphroaig Live audience. The tasting
will be led by Robert Hicks, formerly Master Blender of Allied
Distillers and who now consults for Laphroaig's present owners,
Fortune
Brands. Also featuring John Campbell (pictured here), manager
at Laphroaig Distillery over on the wonderful Isle of Islay, home
of eight distilleries and one more to come. There will be a heady
mix of tutored tasting and debate as the event covers four highly
distinctive Laphroaig expressions : Laphroaig 10 Year Old, Laphroaig
10 Year Old Cask Strength, Laphroaig Quarter Cask and the distillery's
newest offering and flagship expression Laphroaig 27 Year Old.
The third member of the panel is renowned whisky writer and author
of the Whisky Bible, Jim Murray.
Being simultaneously streamed around the world will
allow special live e-vote to take place during the event, giving
viewers the opportunity to select a fifth Laphroaig expression
for the panel to taste and debate. During the run up to the webcast,
Laphroaig will be asking its malt enthusiasts and Friends of Laphroaig
to submit questions, the most popular of which will be put to
a global vote before becoming a live question for the panel during
the broadcast.
Malt enthusiasts wishing to participate in this
live global tasting and a chance to ask our expert panel a question
can do so by registering at: www.laphroaig.com/live. So
get those fingers to keyboards and participate in what is likely
to be one of the most interesting whisky events this year.
Glenlivet Visitors Win Too
At the recent WhiskyLive event in Glasgow, the Icons
of Whisky Awards were eagerly awaited and one deserving winner
was The Glenlivet Distillery. The home of the Original Single
Malt - or at least the first one to take out a licence to distill
legally - won the title of Visitor Attraction of the Year in the
Scottish heats of the international event and will go on to compete
in the world finals next February.
The
Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre put Scotch whisky tourism
even more firmly on the map earlier this year with the launch
of its Smugglers' Trails, bringing the clandestine smuggling past
of the glen firmly back into the present. The walks allow visitors
to follow quite literally in the footsteps of the smugglers of
days gone by including George Smith, the founder of The Glenlivet
Distillery, though it was he who took out the first licence to
comply with the new law in 1824 - much to the anger of his distilling
neighbours. The launch of the trails is the latest in a number
of initiatives to preserve and promote the heritage of The Glenlivet
brand following last year's historic licensing of the first illicit
'sma' still' in Glenlivet for nearly 180 years.
This year also saw the launch of the innovative
Guardians of The Glenlivet loyalty programme. The online club
not only allows fans of The Glenlivet to keep up to date on news
and offers but also provides Guardians with a unique key to the
exclusive Guardian's Room at the distillery where they can enjoy
a wee dram of their choice in perfect surroundings.
Caroline Mitchell of The Glenlivet Distillery welcomed
the new award, commenting, "We are delighted to receive the
Icons of Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year Award. The awards
are judged by a panel of industry experts and being recognised
by our peers is a fantastic achievement. However, we also place
great importance on the opinions of the public for whom the centre
was created and with our visitor figures up 10% on last year's,
they certainly seem to be giving us their seal of approval."
The award winning Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre
is open from March through to October, Monday to Saturday 9.30am-4pm
and Sunday 12pm-4pm.
Well done The Glenlivet Distillery - we have always
found Caroline and her team great people to work with. This is
as much a win for the visitors who go there to enjoy the facilities
and activities on offer.
New Glengoynes and New Smokehead from Macleod
Lots of good things happening at Ian Macleod Distillers.
Just in time for the Cannes Duty Free show this year they launched
two new expressions exclusively for the travel retail trade. One
is Glengoyne Burnfoot and the other is Smokehead Extra Rare following
on from Smokehead a year or two back. Very different one from
the other.
Glengoyne Burnfoot takes its name from the original
1833 name of Glengoyne Distillery (named by George Connell –
Burnfoot – as it sat around a burn) and its GPS location
as its basis. The brief was to attract a new, curious and aspiring
target audience to take their first steps on the Glengoyne journey.
The
name has heritage but the design takes the brand essence and adds
a modern twist with fluorescent colour and contemporary typography.
The label uses modern contour mapping references depicting Dumgoyne.
The burn itself is illustrated in gold as though the whisky is
flowing through the landscape itself. The luxury box utilises
fluorescent yellow and is crowned by a distinctive brushed aluminium
clasp for extra ‘wow’ and stand out on shelf.
“Glengoyne Burnfoot is a whisky that has gone
back to the future”, said Iain Weir, Marketing Director of
Ian Macleod Distillers. “Burnfoot combines almost 200 years
of whisky-making expertise with a twist of 21st century creativity.
The result is a subtle and complex whisky”.
Burnfoot shows no age statement but contains only
Glengoyne single malt whiskies up to 34 years. Available in a
one litre bottle at 40% volume, Burnfoot will retail for a standard
recommended global price of €36/$50. Iain Weir continued,
“We tasked our most talented young blender in conjunction
with our distillery manager to prepare Burnfoot. Using a healthy
percentage of first fill sherry casks, it offers a slightly smoother
and sweeter taste than certain other variants in the Glengoyne
range, but at the same time retains the distinctive qualities
and depth of the whisky. It is therefore ideally positioned to
appeal directly to whisky drinkers new to the Glengoyne brand”.
The sherry influence certainly shows through and
my own initial, brief tasting notes allude to this. Appearance
- pale amber; Nose - soft dried fruit and raisin notes
with creamy toffee indicating use of sherry casks. Slight herbal
and aniseed notes too with a light touch of oak and smoke; Palate
- Medium bodied. Some vanilla and more smokiness with a herbal
background. Quite astringent. Finish - long and very dry.
Smokehead
Extra Rare is an entirely different beast - and a peaty one at
that. Building on the success and acclaim of Smokehead Islay Single
Malt since its launch in 2006, Smokehead Extra Rare "takes
the brand essence to the next level, positioning it as a more
exclusive and premium luxury product in the Travel Retail market."
Like its predecessor, Smokehead Extra Rare uses
innovative designer packaging. The distinctive and tactile embossed
and debossed tin of the original remains, but a colour change
from black and white to silver metallic with gun-metal foiled
letterpress gives Extra Rare a sophisticated edge. Further added
value and ritual has been introduced with the bottle held in a
modern Hessian style draw string bag (reminiscent of malt sacks)
with a branded brushed metal tag.
Iain Weir, Marketing Director commented of this
one: “Smokehead Extra Rare is ‘Big Brother’ to
the original 70cl edition. It is a heavily peated Islay Single
Malt of the highest quality. We wanted to build upon this and
Smokehead’s already award-winning design, to create an even
more exclusive product for the Travel Retail market.”
Limited stock of Smokehead Extra Rare is available
worldwide exclusively through travel retail outlets (1 litre,
RSP of €40/$55). So if you want a bottle you need to go somewhere
in a plane - worth it if you like your smoky Islays. Interesting
if you still have some of the first Smokehead to compare them
side by side in a tasting. My quick notes on this new one say:
Appearance - pale gold with slight green tints and slight
oiliness; Nose - a rich whack of peat smoke, fire embers
and tar. A pronounced coal tar soap note and a hint of oil; Palate
- richly smoky, coal tar and a body lighter than you might expect;
Finish - Quite medicinal with long peaty and smoky dryness.
Also, following the success of Glengoyne’s Mashmen
range last year, the distillery’s manager and two of its
warehousemen have now been given the chance to prove that they
are equally skilled when it comes to choosing the perfect whisky.
With a combined expertise of more than 84 years
the distillery manager and warehousemen have used their knowledge
to pick their favourite single casks that have been bottled and
will be sold at the distillery shop and selected specialist retailers
worldwide.
Robbie Hughes, Glengoyne’s distillery manager
has chosen a wee Ruby Port oak cask (they only ever had the one)
for his choice and comments, “The result is pure pleasure.
This is a topaz coloured whisky that tastes of chocolate cherries
with rich oak and peppery dried fruits. Don’t share it; you
may never get another opportunity to taste such a dram.”
Warehouseman Billy Edmiston’s dram is packed
with sherry, creme brulee and chocolate. “Experiencing this
whisky is like meeting Billy, they are both full of character,
robust and full bodied, they may appear challenging at first but
they are well worth the effort.”
Finally Derrick (‘Deek’) Morrison, another
warehouseman who has worked at Glengoyne for over 30 years, has
opted for a cask that is rarely released, a young challenger.
“Light, fruity and fragrant, this is like walking through
a field of ripe barley. Deek has selected a whisky that truly
reflects the Glengoyne character – well done Bud!”
Stuart Hendry (Brand Heritage and Commercial Manager)
commented, “Combining years of knowledge and know-how, these
latest malts chosen by our distillery manager and warehousemen
look set to challenge our previous Mashmen and Stillmen ranges.
Every whisky connoisseur would be well placed to have one or two
of these bottles in their collection.”
Recommended UK retail prices (in the region of)
are Robbie’s Choice £240, Billy’s Choice £130
and Deek’s Choice £67 per bottle.
Auld Alliance
Scotland
allies with France again in a new edition from Macallan. One for
the whisky collection doubled with a piece for your art collection.
The Macallan and Lalique, the luxury crystal producer, have unveiled
The Macallan in Lalique Natural Colour decanter containing an
exceptionally rare 55 years old single malt whisky valued at £6,000
(US$12,000).
The Natural Colour decanter has been designed exclusively
for The Macallan. A limited edition has been launched - only 420
decanters, each individually numbered and to be available in selected
outlets in the USA, UK, Asia and Russia from January 2008.
Ken Grier, director of The Macallan comments: “The
first Macallan in Lalique decanter paid homage to the carefully
selected wood casks in which the spirit matures. This second collaboration
between The Macallan and Lalique celebrates the natural colour
which results from the interaction of spirit and wood to deliver
the rich diversity of colour evident throughout our range of outstanding
whiskies. We used this as the inspiration for the design of this
decanter which we have titled ‘Natural Colour’.
“The first decanter containing 50 year old
single malt was launched in 2005 and proved a huge success. The
Natural Colour decanter launched today is the second in what will
be a series of six based on The Macallan’s Six Pillars and
is testament to the quality and craftsmanship of both partners
in the production of this outstanding product. We are confident
that this will make the Natural Colour decanter even more desirable
to the discerning purchaser and will be of particular interest
to whisky connoisseurs and collectors of Lalique crystal.
The Macallan 55 years old single malt contained
in the decanter is cask strength (40.1% abv) and matured in a
former sherry oak cask. This is just above the legal strength
limit for Scotch as it must be a minimum of 40% vol. It loses
a certain amount of strength each year in the maturation process,
so a valuable liquid like this one must be used before it goes
below the correct strength. Dark rosewood in colour, we are told
the liquid "has aromatic notes of exotic, sweet dried fruits
with a hint of peat-smoke, the finish is wonderfully soft, smooth
and spicy with lingering touches of citrus."
Managing Director of Lalique UK, Mercedes Canos,
explains: “We are delighted to be working with the world’s
finest single malt as it has given us the opportunity to design
a series of decanters which reflect all the best attributes of
our brand - creativity, heritage and craftsmanship. The Natural
Colour decanter was created by our design team in Paris and is
based on the classic Paquerettes tiara perfume bottle designed
by Rene Lalique in 1910. It is a mix of masculine and feminine
shapes and the stopper is made in amber coloured crystal, one
of the most difficult colours for crystal makers to achieve.”
Hand crafted at Lalique’s crystal making facility
in Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace, each piece was worked on by up to
25 craftsmen, many of whom have attained the ‘Meilleur Ouvrier
de France’ Award. Each decanter bears the esteemed ‘Lalique
France’ signature which symbolises authenticity and comes
in a specially designed leather and silk presentation box, with
a crystal stopper and a leather-bound collector's guide detailing
the craftsmanship that has gone into producing this beautiful
objet d’art. Any serious whisky fan will already know the
care and high quality which goes into making The Macallan but
might have less knowledge of Lalique's history and background,
knowing them only as a luxury crystal brand.
New Livery for Ballantine's 12 Year Old
Ballantine's
has unveiled a brand new look for its 12 Year Old, as part of
Chivas Brothers' major strategic investment plan to rejuvenate
the brand. The new packaging gives the brand one consistent global
identity and is part of the company's drive to move the product
up the global volume rankings of the premium whisky category.
The new Ballantine's 12 Year Old has been available
internationally since October this year. The launch has been supported
by a marketing campaign focused on Ballantine's new "Leave
an Impression" advertising platform and will communicate
Ballantine's 12 Year Old's own way of leaving an impression. Not
seen it here in the UK but then this isn't a Ballantine's market
- like many others, it is a huge brand outside of the UK, particularly
in Europe.
Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine's,
said: "The new livery and support package for Ballantine's
12 Year Old is a vital part of our rejuvenation plans for Ballantine's.
Until now, Ballantine's 12 Year Old has struggled with its identity
and had several inconsistent packs which were inherited when Chivas
Brothers acquired the brand from Allied Domecq in 2005."
True - as a former Allied marketing person myself, I remember
it going through pack changes while I was there and after I left.
A consistent upmarket identity will do it good and it has always
been a successful brand in certain Eastern and European markets
on the strength of its taste and quality.
The new look Ballantine's 12 Year Old is aimed at
"premium whisky drinkers in their early thirties who are
looking for a discerning yet accessible whisky with contemporary
relevance. The 12 Year Old is seen as an important bridge in the
range - in the Americas and Europe it provides consumers with
a premium trade up from Finest and in Asia it provides the all
important entry point into the extensive aged Ballantine's range".
Ballantine's has consistently won plaudits for crafting
fine blended Scotch whiskies. This year Ballantine's 12 Year Old
was awarded a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition,
the largest spirits competition in the US. Not only that but Master
Blender, Sandy Hislop, was also recently presented with an award
for his finely honed skills.
Diageo Special Releases 2007
Second week of October saw the launch in London of
this year's collection and it is every bit as exciting as those
in years gone by. So much so that one of them at least was sold
out before hitting the stores. All are at cask strength. The new
releases are:
Brora 30 Year Old - 2958 bottles; Caol Ila 8 Year
Old - 9690 bottles; Glenkinchie 20 Year Old 5124 bottles; Glenury
Royal 36 Year Old - 1926 bottles (very rare, no tasting samples
available to us); Lagavulin 12 Year Old - very limited quantity;
Lagavulin 21 Year Old - 6642 bottles; Port Ellen 28 Year Old -
5274 bottles; Rosebank 25 Year Old - 4710 bottles; Talisker 25
Year Old - 6894 bottles; Talisker 30 Year Old - 2958 bottles.
At
time of release, pre-sale had resulted in the Lagavulin 21 being
already sold out in some markets such was the excitement at this
rare offering. My own enthusiasm was fired by the Rosebank 25
Year Old as my brother is a big fan and I hope to be able to buy
him one for Christmas. Most unusually for Scotch Whisky, this
was a triple distilled malt. The Glenkinchie is unusual not only
because we do not often see it in aged versions but this example
started its life in refill American oak and was then racked into
former brandy casks for 10 years. Very tempting.
The Caol Ila in this collection may not seem special
at 8 years old but it is the unpeated version which will
not have the aroma and flavour of coal tar which the more readily
available, peated version does have. An interesting contrast to
its sister expressions. It was also available in this form in
the 2006 Special Releases. As many of you will know, Port Ellen
has been closed for years now so it is good to have access to
another bottling of this rare Islay while you still can. We don't
know how much stock Diageo have left of this whisky generally
- will put it on the task list to find out. Lastly, any sample
I have ever tried of an older Talisker has been excellent so there
won't be any surprises here. One of the most delightful single
malts in my view.
All in all, another fine collection from Diageo to
appeal to the deeply serious malt enthusiasts in Europe and the
USA. As we have said before on this page, these companies don't
put things out unless they feel they will give a high quality
drinking experience. Any of these listed above would make an excellent
addition to your own drinks collection or as a special gift. Remember
don't buy to invest - drink them for maximum enjoyment!
WhiskyFest - NY and SF
The
people at Malt Advocate magazine in the USA recently held their
first Whisky Fest in San Francisco, having concentrated on New
York and Chicago for a number of years. From our own sources in
the trade we hear it went well. Amy Westlake, Director of Publishing
& Events at the magazine tells us that attendance at the new
SF show was really good for a first event and that there was a
higher proportion of women than in New York (though not evident
in this photo). Ladies of New York, where is your sense of
competition? Not to mention your sense of adventure in trying
whiskies at this kind of event. It's a favourite topic of mine
to tell women that Scotch Whisky generally is the same strength
as gin and vodka or rum - which they tend to drink more often
than Scotch and that there is a flavour out there to suit everyone.
It's also incredibly versatile in mixed drinks and cocktails.
Please give it a go that way if you don't like it on its own and
you'll surely find a combination you like.
The New York show tends to attract more groups of
male friends or colleagues and that sold out in advance this year
yet again. Malt Advocate's Annual Awards are presented at WhiskyFest
New York and this year's winners and photo are:
Best
Buy of the Year: Black Bottle Original
American Whiskey of the Year: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
(2007 Release)
Canadian Whisky of the Year: Crown Royal Cask No. 16
Irish Whiskey of the Year: Redbreast 12 year old
Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year: Chivas 18 year old
Scotch Whisky Malt of the Year: The Macallan 1976 Vintage
(Cask 11354)
World Whisky of the Year: Suntory Yamazaki 18 year old
Industry Leader of the Year: Mixologists
Distillery of the Year: Benriach
Pioneer of the Year: Bruichladdich Distillery (yes, the
excellent Mr. McEwan gets another award!)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Rutledge, Four Roses Distillery
Lifetime Achievement Award: David Stewart, William Grant
& Sons
Glenmorangie changes Its Spots
Owned
by luxury goods house, LVMH, Glenmorangie has, in recent times,
taken its packaging into new realms of gorgeousness. Quite jewel-like,
in fact. I was at Glenmorangie's HQ near Edinburgh recently and
the well-lit display makes them look truly mouthwatering, as you
can see from the picture here. Nothing wrong with the old packs
but after years of faithful service, these perhaps better reflect
its status in the whisky world. The new bottles have borrowed
a little from the world of wine in terms of shape and look very
stylish.
Revealing a new brand identity, new products in the
form of the 'Extra Matured Range' and new brand marketing programmes,
Glenmorangie is confident it will attract new consumers, continue
to grow its sales and profits and ensure the long-term development
of the brand around the world.
The brand changes were effective from September
2007 and include:
*Introduction of bespoke bottle shapes
*New brand identity, labels and packaging
*Introduction of the Extra Matured Range
*Innovative approach to global marketing including new advertising,
visual merchandising, education, tasting events and web presence
Paul Neep, Chief Executive of The Glenmorangie Company
said: "This is the next big step for Glenmorangie as we invest
in the long term development of this great brand. Glenmorangie
is already recognised as the very best in single malt Scotch whisky.
We believe these exciting brand initiatives will further accelerate
the international expansion of the brand." LVMH do have an
exceptional portfolio of luxury brands and it's good to see they
consider this fine single malt - and its sister brands - in the
same way.
New
initiatives include bespoke bottles - a new bottle shape for Glenmorangie
Original and the Extra Matured Range, plus highly distinctive
individual bottle shapes for Glenmorangie 18 Years Old and Glenmorangie
Quarter Century.
New packaging will encompass new brand labels for
all the range and the introduction of a new brand emblem, the
Glenmorangie 'Signet' - inspired by the Cadboll Stone, an ancient
Pictish Standing Stone originally located on the estate of Glenmorangie
House. It now rests in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
but a replica of the stone can be visited in its original place
on the shores adjacent to Glenmorangie House at Cadboll, Ross-shire.
As you will see from above Glenmorangie 10 Year Old will now be
known as Glenmorangie Original but will still be bottled
at the same age. Lastly there is a move from tubes to high quality
cartons. These things seem to go in cycles. In the last 10 years
or so we have seen a number of brands changing to tubes when redesigning
packs; things now seem to be veering in the other direction. Who
says Scotch Whisky is unaffected by fashion? In truth some designs
look better as tubes and some as cartons.
In
terms of its marketing activity, this is intended to bring the
whisky's complexity to life in a contemporary, stylish and striking
manner through new initiatives including:
*New international print advertising campaign
*Visual merchandising for in-store displays
* Stronger web presence
* Innovative new trade and consumer tasting experiences/education.
The Extra Matured Range is an exciting move which
replaces the previous wood finishes and is a selection of three
single malt whiskies that, following an initial maturation of
at least ten years in ex-bourbon casks, have been matured for
an extra period in specially selected, extremely high quality
casks that previously held Port, Sherry or Sauternes wine. All
are bottled at 46% ABV and non chill-filtered to enhance taste,
mouthfeel and/or texture. The new individual names of these expressions
reflect provenance and spirit characteristics. They are Glenmorangie
Lasanta - extra matured in Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Lasanta
means 'warmth' and 'passion' in Gaelic, and this whisky "has
deep flavours of toffee, raisins and walnuts"; Glenmorangie
Quinta Ruban - extra matured in Port pipes selected from the
'Quintas' or wine estates of Portugal. Ruban - the Gaelic for
'ruby' - describes the ruby colour of this malt that is "rich
and chocolatey with a complex balance of sweet and dry flavours";
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Òr - extra matured in the very best
French Sauternes wine barriques, "with key flavour notes
of lemon and syrup, Nectar - the drink of the Gods!" The
French and Gaelic word 'Or' is used to reflect the deep golden
colour of this whisky. The little accent on the "O"
is Gaelic, not Gallic!
Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie's Head of Distilling
& Whisky Creation commented: "The Glenmorangie brand
has a long-standing reputation as a leading pioneer in whisky
maturation, and as a Company, the quality of our whisky is at
the very heart of everything we do. We continually endeavour to
provide the most delicious single malt Scotch whisky and our core
range delivers new expressions that offer an extraordinary variety
of tastes, textures and aromas."
So look out for all or some of these in your home
country as the new packs and surrounding activity have been gradually
rolling out to markets since September.
Royal Mile Expands
Our
friends at Royal Mile Whiskies have acquired new premises. They
do still have the shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and in London's
Bloomsbury, but have also taken on premises formerly owned by
a wine importer down in Leith, Edinburgh's port area, which has
a association with the drinks trade going back several centuries.
Reason for this move is to house their offices more adequately
but also to provide improved storage and supply of goods ordered
online or by mail and phone. The new office address is 27 Beaverhall
Road, Edinburgh EH7 4JE and the phone number is (++ 44) (0)131
524 9380. Web site and e-mail details are unchanged.
Books & Maps for Sale
Still available for sale through us are :
'A Teacher's Tale' by Helen Arthur at £25
per copy plus postage and packing to wherever you live.
'Whisky Jottings' by Caroline Dewar & Helen
Arthur at £5 per copy + p&p.
Client Comments
We have had some more in 2007 but some came in
by phone and those that came in by e-mail I have managed to mislay!
But thank you for getting in touch with us. Glad to say that we
have been able to offer top quality trips to more of you in the
first half of this year from Canada, UK, Japan, USA, Norway and
more.
"I
think we will have to begin planning the next trip in order to
appease the jealousy of the remaining members of the group who
didn’t travel this time …" (Jayme Blay - Brazil)
"Thanks again for your help especially with
the meetings with Michael, George and Jim. They made the trip."
(Michael & Karyn Allard - St. Lucia)
"Dear friends! Thanks a lot for all
of you for your support during our trip to
Scotland. Special thanks to Distillery Destinations and Caroline
Dewar." (Alex Brykin - NPK Spirits, Russia)
"We had a great trip and have already sent
postcards from the distilleries to some of our single malt drinking
friends to say they should go next year. You did a great job for
us and we hope to make it over again for the festival and will
definitely contact you to make all the arrangements for us."
(Patti Searcy - USA)
"The trip was perfect!!!!
I thought prior to the trip that it would be somewhat of a letdown
compared to 2000 because of unrealistic expectations, but if anything
it surpassed 2000!" (Howard Goldstein, USA)
