Whisky enthusiasts were out in force last month as The Glenmorangie Company’s sensory whisky creator, Annabel Meikle, visited the Emirates to shed some light on the top-end brand’s plans for the region.
HME.com: What are you doing on your visit to Dubai?
The majority of my role is to be out in the different markets globally, to meet people and contacts around the world, train groups and set up tastings, and trade training as well.
So that’s pretty much a mix of what I’m doing here in Dubai — along with a wonderful dinner where our whiskies are being paired with food at a fantastic new hotel.
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HME.com: Tell us about the Glenmorangie brand and why it’s so appropriate for the Middle East market.
I think it’s really a beautiful brand for people who’ve not encountered whisky before, because it’s a very delicate whisky — it’s quite soft, it’s quite sweet. It’s Scotland’s favourite malt whisky and I think that transfers all over the world, because people who have maybe only dabbled in whisky before come to Glenmorangie and really love it, because of that very delicious character it’s got.
And also it’s light, it’s good with water, it’s very refreshing — not too heavy or oppressive, which I think in this warm climate can be too much. So I think it’s extremely suitable for this environment.
HME.com: What kind of presence do you have in the region at the moment?
It’s perceived very much as luxury. I think along with other single malts in this region that come under the ‘prestige’ umbrella, there is still a lot of room for growth, which we’ll achieve through ongoing education. The trend is there —now it’s up to us to drive that trend further.
I think ultimately it’s very much a thinking person’s malt whisky; so it’s maybe not up there as the number-one selling whisky, but it’s definitely one that, once people have encountered single malt and got some experience under their belt, they find their way to.
Or if they’ve been drinking very good blended whisky, they may well trade up and fine their way to Glenmorangie because of its wonderful taste profile.
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