Whisky Festival
Ian Mitchell
On the 16th of October, Russia’s leading whisky importer held a gala evening for customers, friends and connoisseurs at the Kollektsia Vin shop, 16 Kutuzovsky. Some of Scotland’s most treasured malts were available for tasting, and master-classes were given every hour on selected bottlings. There were also whiskies from Ireland, Japan and America. All was accompanied by a piper and drummer, both dressed in the kilt and moon boots.
Russia is unique in the world whisky market in that as a developing consumer of the product it has not started with the cheaper, blended whiskies and moved progressively up to the more expensive malts, but has gone for single malts from the word go.
Malt whiskies ranges from the well-known brands like Glenlivet, which was one of the first single-malts to acquire massconsumption status in the 1970s, to Bruichalddich Waves, an unusual bottling from a small distillery that re-opened as an independent distillery ten years ago and now produces some of the best selling brands on the Russian market.
The range of malt whiskies is bewildering, which is why an occasion like Veld-21’s Festival of Whisky is so helpful. It enables the curious consumer to find what he or she likes, as well as helping the aspirant connoisseur to learn about the full range of choice on offer. For further information, see www.veld-21.ru
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