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.

Only 191 bespoke crystal decanters have been released in 2008 - a truly rare release.

Containing spirit first distilled in 1868, some 140 years ago, it offers the peerless opportunity to truly taste time. A time when craftsmanship and artisan was fundamental. A time when sorcery and not science was employed. A time when alchemy and artistry illuminated the path not engineering and design.

Selected from spirits that have been maturing over the passing decades our master distillers before me have nurtured, shaped and forged a malt worthy of being recognised as a masterpiece. I am truly fortunate to have been given the chance to be the one that picks the final selection, but must thank my peers of the past.

This peerless selection combines spirits from 1868, 1878, 1922, 1926 and 1939. They have slumbered quietly while the world has changed. Helium first discovered in 1868, the silver dollar introduced in the USA in 1878, TV invented in 1928, and the ball point pen invented in 1938.

Rarity, liquid excellence and the prospect to taste time - a liquid gold liquid and a solid gold investment.

Throughout my career at Whyte & Mackay, that spans nearly 40 years, I have on many occasions had the privilege of sharing a wee dram of one of my own whiskies with the rich and famous. I’m not talking about rejects from “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” but genuine A-listers (you know, the Hollywood types).

Unfortunately many of my friends and colleagues never believe me. So maybe its time I shared my Goldie Hawn secret. Yes she drinks Whyte & Mackay 40yo!

Believe it or not several months ago Goldie Hawn visited my home town of Glasgow. Making the pilgrimage to Scotland’s foremost city (sorry Edinburgh) to speak at a Charity Fundraising dinner at the Hilton, Goldie was presented with a special commemorate Whyte & Mackay 40yo to celebrate her 40 years on the silver screen. The bottle, which listed all of her starring roles over the past four decades, was presented to her by a good friend and colleague of mine David Brown (that’s the lucky one in the photograph).

I remember one of my colleagues writing afterwards “Ms Hawn, who searched for the elixir to provide eternal youth in the film ‘Death Becomes Her’ was delighted to receive Scotland’s very own Aqua Vitae (the water of life), meaning this was really a case of life imitating art”.

Just about every time I conduct either one of my whisky master classes or a whisky tasting event I am asked, “What is the most expensive whisky ever sold?” In fact I was asked this very question several weeks ago whilst in London.

I’m both delighted and privilege to say that I never tire of this question because the answer is one of my own: the very (very) limited Dalmore 62yo. I’m also pleased to say that the customer in question (no names) brought this fine product to enjoy and not to collect.

Way back on the 15th April 2005 at the Pennyhill Park Hotel, in the small town of Bagshot in Surrey a young gentlemen purchased the hotel’s one and only bottle of the said Dalmore 62yo. The occasion took place over Pennyhill Park’s main bar and I’m told somewhere in the region of £32 - £38,000 changed hands (amount was never confirmed).

Sat with his friends our customer then proceeded to open his purchase and enjoy it. Within 10 minutes 62 years of history were enjoyed in the manner that I would always recommend. A prefect setting with friends requires a perfect serve and that’s exactly what happened.

The element of the story that I also like to highlight is what happened next. Our friend after circulating the bottle amongst his group handed it back with one dram left for the barman to sample. Many professional bar staff would have settled for a small tip so imagine how the barman in question must have felt when presented with the generous gesture of a £1,000 dram to taste. I wish I’d been there.

The Dalmore 62yo is without doubt liquid history. Within the expression the youngest whiskies I used were 62 years old (obviously). The oldest Dalmore liquid was initially distilled on the 10th June 1868, that’s 3 days after the birth of a certain Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Unsurprisingly I am told if you are lucky enough to come across a bottle of Dalmore 62yo on the black market you can now expect to have to swap £60,000 if you want to take it home.

At the recent Germany Whisky Festival it was another memorable event only this year there was an air of despondency hanging in the air – the pangs of recessions was clearly making its mark. Even I was starting to get depressed but for only a matter of seconds. My audience needed to be cheered up but I had all the tools with me…
I quickly served them for my tasting The Dalmore 12 years old, The Dalmore 15 years old and the final viagra of the century the Dalmore 1974 limited edition. One sip from this liquid gold accompanied by a handcrafted delicious bitter chocolate, they were in heaven!

Recession…it’s just a word. Scotch Whisky is a lifetime of warm memories shared with good friends. On this occasion it was many German friends.

Thank goodness the Government has seen sense following the recent Pre-Budget Report by raising excise duty by 4% rather than the original proposed 8%. Taking into account a temporary 2.5% cut in VAT, the overall duty burden on Scotch Whisky will remain broadly unchanged. Scotch whisky is in good spirits with exports generating £2.8 billion for the UK balance of trade coupled with £800 million being contributed to the Exchequer in taxes. Surely the last thing the Government wants is to crack this golden egg.

The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh has commenced its £2 million spend which will included the World’s greatest whisky collection. It is scheduled for completion early next year when it will be opened by the First Minister of Scotland, Alec Salmond.

What an advert for Scotland. A whisky school built on an old school and still with the clear message – education. I just wish every capital had one.