Its difficult to have a favourite place in the world, there are just so many great places. Saying that though if I’m pushed then Beirut certainly has a place in my heart. What a city, what a people and what a welcome. Passing through the duty free shop at the airport (which I am told is the biggest seller of Cuban Cigars in the world) I was greeted by some old friends; bottles of Original, the Whyte and Mackay 40 year old. By complete coincidence the shop in question had sold a bottle of this rare whisky earlier that day. The people of this nation have an enviable optimistic resilience and attitude even in the face of so much adversity. They are second to none, a bit like the Glaswegians! Enjoying the city was easy, I was there doing a number of tastings and got to meet some amazing people who spoke very highly of their surroundings. In fact what the British Ambassador to the Lebanon Francis Guy told me blew my socks off. Francis is the lovely lady sat next to me in the photograph (the one toasting to my good health). Sorry I can’t repeat her words but boy was it optimistic.

I often get a lot of requests to talk to Scotch whisky connoisseurs about their passion. I was recently invited the make a couple of presentations to the members of the Taipei Rotary Club whilst I was in Taiwan. Thankfully not all of them; there are 22,000 in total. I agreed to make my first presentation at 1pm on my first day. With a few minutes to go, stuck in Taipei’s traffic, a little jet-lagged - I had to call the club to assure them I was on my way. I managed to get there just in time and did my piece immediately. Those of you that have been to one of my presentations know that I like to splash my Scotch whisky liberally around me, you know for dramatic effect. With only 15 minutes between the two presentations I had promised to do, I managed to persuade them to feed me. After rushing through a sandwich and a drink I got straight back on and did my second slot. On my way out I was presented with a bill for lunch; £150 to be exact! I couldn’t believe it they charged for the carpet! The waiter explained to me that I had to pay for a carpet cleaner to come in and remove the Dalmore splashes I had so freely distributed. I suggest they enjoyed the beautifully rare whisky scent of The Dalmore and be happy I hadn’t charge them. I think I lost. Never mind, but they were a great audience and they certainly know their stuff!

Last week I managed to get time to stop off briefly in Dubai. What an amazing place. Unfortunately I wasn’t buying an Island this time (I wish) I was in fact visiting a number of our key trading partners. Whilst their I was eager to take a quick break to see a dear colleague of mine Felix Hartman who is the manager of the Sky View Bar at the breathtaking Burj Al Arab Hotel. Felix is without doubt an expert on rare whisky, old whisky, luxury whisky in fact everything whisky. I called and demanded that he let me take some pictures of The Dalmore 40 that sits proudly behind his famous bar. ‘Richard’ he said ‘the Burj Al Arab is the world’s only 7-star hotel destination. It’s the icon of Dubai, its somewhere our guests visit to relax and enjoy themselves no you cannot!’ Of course I had to respect his wishes. If you’re in the Sky Bar and Felix is there pouring you one of his luxury whisky expressions, ideally The Dalmore 40, do me a favour and take a photograph and send it to me.

I always enjoy the company of individuals that love my rare whisky expressions, no matter how enthusiastic they become. Right now one of our loyal customers in Taipei, Mr Bao, is my one of my favourites. I was in Taiwan several weeks ago and we managed to bump into each other. Let me tell you about Mr Bao; he is a luxury whisky fanatic; he has one of the largest collections of whisky miniatures in Taiwan (probably the world). He can’t buy enough of the stuff! In fact during our meeting he didn’t just buy one of the new limited Dalmore 50 year old decanters, he bought 18! You’ll be pleased to know they weren’t all for his own collection, he does often get persuaded to pass his rare whisky purchases on to high-end bars in Taipei. So if you’re in one of these amazing establishments in the near future and you want to experience a luxury Scotch whisky that is out of this world then ask for The Dalmore 50. You just don’t know you’re luck; they might have one of Mr Bao’s behind the bar.

I love recognising and rewarding success, it’s just in my blood. I am delighted to tell you that my friends at the Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo are now celebrating their 60th year of trading. These guys have been welcoming guests in the warm, traditional unmistakably Japanese way since 1949. Last month I was in Japan for a brief trip and I was able to meet up with Yoshiaki Hayashi who is the CEO Executive Vice President of this grand and prestigious hotel. They have been supporting me for many years so I was eager to support them and reward their success with something very precious to me; a rare whisky from my stable. I took the opportunity to present them with an old whisky expression very close to my heart; The Dalmore 60yo. I decided to present this much sort after whisky in a one-of-a-kind bottle; I felt it represented their unique achievements. The younger guy in the picture below is the hotel’s expert mixologist Suzuki Takayuki whom I have worked with for many years.

Takayuki-san loves his Scotch whisky. If you are visiting Tokyo can I recommend the Shiba Park for your stay or as a minimum a drink at Takayuki-san’s bar? You can ask him to mix you a Dalmore but you might need to settle for something younger than their 60 year old.