Glenfiddich’s Celebration of India
Coinciding with the Royal Wedding weekend in Windsor, Glenfiddich hosted an intimate evening at the Hyatt Regency, Delhi for the Indian Chapter of the prestigious Royal Society for Asian Affairs.
Aptly themed ‘Celebrating India’, Glenfiddich showcased unique drinks from its recent initiative ‘Cocktails Reimagined’ during the lecture and sumptuous four-course dinner. The ingredients for the range of cocktails have been painstakingly handpicked from across India – including Silver Tips Full-moon Tea, Castleton Muscatel second flush, Gung Giri coffee & Kashmiri walnuts – and combined with its 12,15,18 and 21-year-old single malts.
Attended by a remarkable mix of local and British guests, the event gathering witnessed the presence of the British Deputy High Commissioner Dr Alexander Evans, Amir Singh Pasrich and his wife Shivani, Admiral Rakesh Chopra, Brigadier Mark Goldsack among other journalists and esteemed bureaucrats.
The evening’s guest speaker was Justin Rowlatt, the outgoing BBC Correspondent for South Asia, who captivated members with stories of his posting in India, a country that he and his family have clearly fallen in love with. He themed his talk around the legacy of his grandfather in India and sparked spirited debate amongst the assembled company.
Continuing the theme of British heritage in India, James Pennefather, Managing Director, William Grant & Sons India, illustrated his tasting notes on the various cocktails with amusing excerpts from the archive of letters sent back from India in 1909 by William Grant’s son-in-law Charles Gordon, who had been tasked with setting up distribution networks for Glenfiddich in the country.
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry, Milagro Tequila and, most recently, Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey.