perthshire

Europe's Richest Man Building Scotland's Most Expensive Mansion

Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal is building the most expensive mansion ever erected in Scotland, next to the famed Gleneagles golf resort in Auchterarder, Perthshire. The London-based tycoon, Europe's richest man and the fifth richest man in the world with a fortune of $28.7 billion, is spending a record $23 million on the posh estate, including the $6 million mansion he tore down to make way for his new luxury fortress. His lavish private palace in London is reckoned to be the city's most expensive as well. Costs on the Perthshire project soared after Mittal decided some of the finished weren't up to standard, Scotland's Daily Record reports.

At one point he demanded a $125,000 bathroom be torn out and done over. "We are all very aware that Lakshmi Mittal has bought the property and he has been very particular about the specifications," one neighbor told the paper. "He has flown in several times and I have spoken to his wife, who seemed very down to earth. I get the impression she is more likely to use the facilities up here than her husband. I think their priority is getting it perfect." The six-bedroom main residence will have furnishings by Ralph Lauren, a state-of-the-art entertainment system, two kitchens and staff quarters among other amenities.

Tags: billionaire, estates, Europe, Gleneagles, India, Lakshmi Mittal, London, mansion, Perthshire, real estate, Scotland, UK, wealth, worlds most expensive

Edradour Ballechin Discovery Series Single Malt

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Scotland's smallest distillery, Edradour, has released the fourth distillation of Ballechin, The Discovery Series, a program to age its heavily peated Highland single malt Scotch solely in wine casks instead of the usual bourbon barrels. The Oloroso Sherry Cask expression has been matured solely in first fill Oloroso sherry casks and and is being released in a limited edition of 6,000 bottles.

Edradour is the last original "farm'" distillery in Perthshire and possibly the smallest legal distillery of any kind in the world. John Reid and his two assistants hand-craft Edradour without automation, using skills handed down through generations. At a weekly output of a mere 600 gallons - enough to fill twelve casks - what Edradour makes in a year, a typical Speyside distillery would produce in a week. Only the finest spirit is laid down by Reid into hand-selected oak casks for the ten year long wait before it can take the name of Edradour.

"Since acquiring Edradour distillery in 2002, I have pursued an extensive program of experimentation," notes Edradour Owner Andrew Symington. "Several heavily peated distillations have been produced initially on a very limited scale, and these are being matured in a wide range of wood types." Other Ballechin releases include a Burgundy cask matured, a Port cask matured, and a Madeira cask matured. Edradour is known for its smooth, creamy character with a touch of peat smoke.

Tags: distillery, Edradour, Perthshire, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whisky

Ultra-Luxury Resort Planned For Scotland

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The Yellowstone Club may have recently been surrendered to new owners but the dream of creating an exclusive and luxurious resort lives on and this time it's coming to the land of links and lochs. The Dall House is a £1.2 billion resort to be located near Kinloch Rannoch, Perthshire. The resort is targeted at individuals of extremely high net worth, with assets of £100 million. The club will cost £2 million to join with annual fees of £500,000, and rooms starting at £6,000 per night. The property will include a luxury hotel, plastic surgery clinic, spa, two golf courses, shops, a restaurant and 98 houses.

The property was formerly in use as the Rannoch School which was closed in 2002. It was bought by Malcolm James Developments and has been recently enjoyed as a private home. The property's renovation should take three years and could create as many as 2,200 jobs. The proposals for planning permission will go before the Perth and Kinross councillors in mid-September.

UPDATE: One of Scotland's conservation charities, The John Muir Trust has submitted a formal objection to the development citing fears that it would have a negative impact on the local wildlife and scenic beauty.

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Tags: dall house, DallHouse, perthshire, resort, scotland