Glenmorangie delights in Dubai

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. 


 

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.

HME.com:  How do you plan on winning over the Middle East’s contingent of blended-whisky-and-coke lovers to single malt?

I suppose for me, as part of the creation team, what’s we’re always steering people towards is that fact that this tastes delicious, and it’s a good fun drink. So once you’ve got people with their nose in the glass, having a sip of it with a bit of ice, that’s the most convincing way you’ll get people to abandon their habits.

And also keeping trade professionals informed is so important — familiarising bar teams with the product, so they can have an affect on the customer changing the way they might think about single malt and stepping out of their comfort zone.

Really, these professionals are our ambassadors.
 

HME.com:  What are Glenmorangie’s plans and ambitions for the future?

Well, our aim is to become the leading luxury malt whisky in the world, which is no mean feat! But I think we certainly have it in terms of our taste profile. And it’s a beautiful, very sophisticated-looking malt whisky, which showcases extremely well in any bar.

We’re also looking to lead the way in terms of being innovative, and being pioneers for the spirit, with the wood-finish range, and our new Signet whisky which is the range we released just recently, which has this wonderful, chocolatey flavour.

So two very innovative products which have come out of the house just recently, and this is the idea we’re driving forward.



TASTING NOTES:

The Original

Aroma: Imagine yourself in a floral garden, surrounded by mandarin, lemon, apple, pear and peach trees, their fruit ripening in the sun. Add to this the scent of vanilla ice cream, then enjoy the herbal aromas of geranium and wild mint growing nearby.

Add water to The Original and you wander into a flower garden with lemony bergamot, apricot and mandarin. Floral notes of geranium, sweet honeysuckle and piquant narcissus mix with mint and the herbal essence of eucalyptus, nutmeg and ginger.

Taste: Savour the fruits of an Italian garden as creamy vanilla slips like liquid silk over the tongue, as peaches and cream, mandarins and lemons effervesce in the mouth.

Aromatic essences of fennel and nutmeg tantalise with crumbly almond and coconut that gives way to a nectar that envelops all the fruit, spice and nut flavours in a honeyed caress.
 

Finish: The charming sweetness of delicious juices is left on the tongue.

 

For more tasting notes from Glenmorangie, click here.
 

For more information on the brand in the Middle East, contact MMI through their website: www.mmidubai.com