edinburgh

Glenmorangie Opens New Bottling Facility

Filed under: Spirits

What does it matter where a single malt scotch is bottled? Unless it's being bottled at cask strength, it matters a whole lot. Because a central bottling line removed from the distillery site means that the water being added, in all likelihood, isn't coming from the same source as that which was used in the malt's production. Add a touch of water to your dram, as many connoisseurs do to "open up" the flavor, and suddenly you've got three different types of water in your scotch.

Only a handful of distilleries have their own bottling line, and one of them is Glenmorangie. Now the top-shelf distillery has opened a new bottling facility in Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. The new plant replaces the old one at Broxburn, but is located nearby, enabling better access to transportation routes while retaining its proximity to the distillery itself as well as the same skilled workforce.

The move follows the company's headquarter relocation to central Edinburgh, from which the premier drinks concern controls both its namesake distillery as well as that of Ardbeg on the famously peaty island of Islay.

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Tags: ardbeg, bottling, bottling facility, bottling line, bottling plant, edinburgh, glenmorangie, scotch, scotland, single malt, whisky

Royal Yacht Bloodhound Has New Role As Floating Exhibit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

The classic 1930s ocean racing yacht Bloodhound finally has a new home. I first wrote about this yacht back in 2005 when it was listed for $2.99 million. The classic sailing yacht was built by Camper & Nicholson and launched in 1936. In the 1960s she was the personal yacht for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. During the eight years of royal ownership the yacht was often lent to sailing clubs for children to get a taste of sailing. The yacht has a long racing history including winning the Fastnet race twice. It later fell into disrepair but then went through a major refit that included the renewing of frames and floors, and replacing topside plank sections with 500 feet of Honduras mahogany as well as relaying the teak decks.

Yachting Monthly reports that Bloodhound has been purchased by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust and will be put on display alongside Britannia in Edinburgh, Scotland. The yacht will go on display in April 2010 and is expected to be a popular tourist draw.

Tags: bloodhound yacht, BloodhoundYacht, edinburgh, royal yacht bloodhound, RoyalYachtBloodhound

The $2 Million Scotch Whisky Gift Experience

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Continuing our series on the seasonal smorgasbord of over-the-top exclusives offered by that glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report, we present their $2 million single malt Scotch experience. The profligate publication's gift package includes the following: a private tour of the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, conducted by their malt master Biran Kinsman, where the recipient and a guest will learn firsthand how the famed single malt is produced before selecting a personal vintage cask of their own; a rare bottle of Glenfiddich 50 Year Old (above); two nights' accommodation at Ballindalloch Castle, home since 1546 to the Macpherson-Grant family, who will host a dinner in the recipient's honor; first-class roundtrip air travel for two from any U.S. city to Edinburgh; one night's stay and dinner at Edinburgh's renowned Prestonfield Hotel, plus a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle; private roundtrip helicopter rides from Edinburgh across the Scottish Highlands to the Glenfiddich Distillery; and a private tour of the historic Johnston's Woolen Mill and a traditional Scottish lunch with the owner.

Tags: Ballindalloch Castle, BallindallochCastle, castle, distillery, Edinburgh, Glenfiddich, Prestonfield Hotel, PrestonfieldHotel, Robb Report, RobbReport, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whisky

The Luxurious Taste of Scotland Travel Package

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The five star Gleneagles resort in Perthshire (above) and Rocco Forte's The Balmoral in Edinburgh are teaming up to offer an incredible "Taste of Scotland" package this season, providing guests with a true Scottish gourmet experience in two legendary, luxurious and multi award-winning locations. At the historic Balmoral in Edinburgh, travelers will be welcomed into a complimentary upgraded Executive Room, complete with a bottle of Bollinger champagne on ice, and will enjoy dinner in the Michelin-starred number one restaurant. While at Gleneagles, set on 850 acres of Perthshire countryside, guests will relax in a sprawling Estate Room before sampling a Scotch whisky tasting for two in the bar and then dining at the Michelin-starred Andrew Fairlie restaurant. Gleneagles is also home to three of the top Scottish Championship golf courses, a wide range of exhilarating outdoor leisure activities and a spacious spa. The Taste of Scotland package costs £1,200, or about $1,985, for two people with two nights at each hotel.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Edinburgh, Gleneagles, golf, hotels, Rocco Forte, RoccoForte, Scotland, The Balmoral, TheBalmoral, whisky

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh Plans June Opening

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels

After many years of planning, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh is set to open in June, and is now accepting online bookings. The 136-room hotel is a collaboration of Rosita Missoni, one of the brand's founders, and The Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel's palette is officially described as black and white, with splashes of color throughout, but as you'd expect from Missoni, the overall effect is more exuberant rather than restrained -- it's about layers of patterns and textures, in rich colors and in black and white too.(See lobby photo above.)

If this sounds chaotic, overall, design lines are kept modern and simple, which should balance out the effusive use of pattern and color. Still, I'm not sure I'd want to pack anything other than basic black in my suitcase without the aid of a stylist, lest I clash with the hotel!

In any event, black wardrobe works just fine to attend Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world which goes off August 7th-31st-- always a late summer highlight. With its central location, Hotel Missoni should make a fine base of operations for the festival, and as of now, still has rooms available.

Next up for the Hotel Missoni brand? A property in Kuwait, slated to open in Fall 2009.

Gallery: Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

A Different View of Hotel MIssoni Bathroom

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Tags: coolsummer, design, designer, edinburgh, hotel, hotels, missoni

Giant Nose Promotes New Whisky Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Books

They say that when blending whisky it's all about the sniffer. Small wonder then that a new book by master whiskey blender Richard Patterson and Gavin D Smith features Patterson on the cover with his nose headed glassward and goes by the title "Goodness Nose." Cute, right? What's even cuter, although perhaps veering into the strange is that a six-foot high nose, based on Patterson's more modest proboscis has been spotted around Edinburgh as part the promotion for the book. The Edinburgh News reports that the nose has been spotted in the city's Multrees Walk, the Royal Mile and Princes Street Gardens. I'm hoping pictures surface soon, this I've got to see.

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Tags: edinburgh, richard patterson, scotch, whisky

Missoni Moves Into the Hotel Business

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

On the heels of Versace's newest palazzo project, fellow Italian fashion house Missoni is getting into the hotel act as well. The company, famed for its signature zigzag-striped knitwear (as modeled here by Kate Moss), is partnering with the Rezidor Hotel Group, owners of the Park Inn, Regent and Radisson SAS brands, on the project.

According to Rezidor, the 5-star Hotel Missoni will embody "a strong interest in design, an appreciation of detail, an understanding of food and wine, a belief in authenticity, a cognizance of culture from a contemporary point of view, and a strong and equitable set of social values." The first two branches are planned for Edinburgh in Scotland and Kuwait City, slated for opening in 2009.

Missoni creative director Rosita Missoni will spearhead the project in conjunction with fashionable Milan-based designers Matteo Thun & Partners. Thun has spec'd out a black, white and silver color scheme for the 129-room Edinburgh hotel, which is more business oriented, and "saturated" colors for the Kuwait City branch, which will be more leisure oriented. See the renderings below.

Gallery: Hotel Missoni

Tags: Edinburgh, Fashion hotels, FashionHotels, Hotels, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Kate Moss, KateMoss, Kuwait, Matteo Thun Partners, MatteoThunPartners, Missoni, Radisson, Rezidor Hotel Group, RezidorHotelGroup, Versace

Scotland Hotel Hires A Lambo To Lure Guests

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

A month ago we mentioned that a London hotel is offering a Maserati Quattroporte to lure customers into a stay, now the Scotsman reports that the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh is offering a chance to take a Lamborghini Gallardo for a spin. The £600 per person package makes the hotel the only one in Britain to offer a Lamborghini to its guests. The Lamborghini package includes a double room on the hotel's butler service floor with complimentary champagne 24 hours a day and access to a private library. There have already been five bookings for the package.

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Tags: edinburgh, gallardo, hotel, hotel packages, journeys, lambo, lamborghini, london, scotland

Blended Scotch Whiskies

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Forbes released an article telling us the detailed background on the history of blended Scotch and what to look for in the crowd this year. Master blenders recognize the right components to harmoniously marry single malts to grain whiskies which give us blended Scotch whiskies. An Edinburgh merchant was probably the first to do so in 1853 when he mixed the malt whisky from The Glenlivet with other whiskies to be labeled as Old Vatted Glenlivet, O.V.G. The merge proved to be less aggressive and soothing then the challenging drink of single malts. This and other blends corroborated that two styles of Scotch whisky was more attractive to the general consumer than when sold separately. Even though some of us snobs might refuse to consider Scotch blends, I suggest you give a try from the short list of current respected blends. When a single malt is not around, from the list, I personally enjoy Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year and the 12 Year, Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year, and Dewar’s Special Reserve 12 Year. What are your favorite blended Scotch whiskies?

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Tags: Ambassador Royal Deluxe, AmbassadorRoyalDeluxe, Argyll, Blended malt whisky, Blended Scotch Whiskies, BlendedMaltWhisky, BlendedScotchWhiskies, Cragganmore, Edinburgh, Grain whisky, GrainWhisky, Highlands, Islay, Isle of Skye, IsleOfSkye, Lagavulin, Old Smuggler, OldSmuggler, Pinch The Dimple, PinchTheDimple, Prohibition, scotch, Single malt whisky, SingleMaltWhisky, Speyside, Strathisla, Talisker, Teacher’s Highland Cream, Teacher’sHighlandCream, whiskey, whisky, White Horse, WhiteHorse

The Scotsman Hotel Sold To Saudi Billionaire

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

And yet another well-regarded hotel has been bought as the foundation for a new chain. We've seen the Waldorf-Astoria and the Hotel de Crillon spawn new hotel chains recently. Now the Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh has been bought by Saudi billionaire Mohamed Bin Issa al-Jaber who plans to use the hotel as the flagship for a new chain. According to the Scotsman, the hotel was sold for £63 million. The new European hotel brand will also include La Tremoillé in Paris and the Berners Hotel in London which is undergoing a £32 million refurbishment.

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Tags: edinburgh, hotel chain, luxury hotels, scotsman hotel, ScotsmanHotel

Valentine's Day at The Balmoral Hotel in Scotland

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Our pre-Valentine's romance tour continues with a stop at the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Balmoral hotel is planning treats such as a bath butler who will serve chocolate-dipped strawberries and martinis in your roll-top bath with views over the city, a rose-petal turn down, and spa treatments for two in the Couple’s Therapy Suite in The Balmoral Spa. A five-course gourmet dinner created by Michelin-starred Chef Jeff Bland is being held in the number one restaurant. There is also a champagne afternoon tea at the Bollinger Champagne Bar. The “Simply Valentine’s” experience includes cocktails on arrival, overnight luxury accommodation, rose-petal turn down, champagne breakfast and complimentary use of The Balmoral Spa (excluding treatment) and costs £319 per room per night February 10 to February 19 2006.

[via Europe Travel News]

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Tags: balmoral, edinburgh, hotel offers, romance, scotland, valentine's day