INDIA. Delhi Duty Free and William Grant & Sons co-hosted a glamorous event to celebrate the arrival of Glenfiddich Grand Cru collection at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.
As reported, Glenfiddich Grand Cru was unveiled at Singapore Changi Airport last year before being introduced into the wider travel retail market. For the expression’s launch with Delhi Duty Free, VIP shoppers, artists and entrepreneurs were invited to a luxury hotel in Gurugram on 24 January.
Delhi Duty Free Chief Executive Philip Eckles said: “We are honoured to partner with William Grant & Sons in launching and celebrating Glenfiddich Grand Cru’s arrival to the Indian sub-continent. We are excited to have Glenfiddich Grand Cru on the Delhi Duty Free shop floor for travellers from Delhi, who are constantly looking for new expressions and exclusive products to add to their collections.”
Eckles added that the release was significant as the retailer is seeing increased consumer interest in premium spirits.
William Grant & Sons Global Travel Retail Managing Director Ed Cottrell previously said that Glenfiddich Grand Cru presents a “superb opportunity” for the spirits company to tap into the US$100+ luxury spirits segment with a single malt.
The 23-year-old Glenfiddich Grand Cru has an intense flavour thanks to a long maturation in American and European oak casks followed by a finish in French cuvée oak casks. On the palate, flavours of rich vanilla, sweet brioche, sandalwood, pear sorbet and white grape build to a long finish.
[image_magnify src=”https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Grand_600.jpg” src_big=”https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Grand_1200.jpg” alt=”” /]
Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman commented: “Breaking category conventions once more, this unusual collaboration presented an exciting opportunity to create a liquid that further proves our spirit of experimentation. This is the only Glenfiddich single malt to undergo this exceptional finishing in French cuvée casks that once contained the liquid that goes on to become some of the world’s most extraordinary sparkling wines.
“We experimented to find the optimal maturation and finishing times, and hand-selected the right balance of 23-year-old Glenfiddich casks out of our unique collection of old-age malts. Marrying the best of both worlds, the final liquid is exquisite and a special tribute to each individual cuvée cask the malts were finished in.”
Click below to hear Brian Kinsman in conversation with The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie at the ribbon-cutting for Glenfiddich Grand Cru in 2019.
Glenfiddich Global Brand Ambassador Struan Grant Ralph added: “This new whisky exemplifies the brand’s passion for pushing Scotch whisky boundaries, looking beyond the world of whisky to create exquisitely-flavoured liquids. Fine sparkling wines are long established as the drink to celebrate with. However, we wanted to challenge that convention and we did so by crafting an expression that plays on this celebratory liquid, but that brings the substance and smoothness of single malt. The result is Grand Cru: a liquid that bears the hallmark of quality and innovation associated with the brand and is a true testament to our innate maverick spirit.”
