The Keepers of the Quaich Spring Banquet with Diageo

15:00
April 4, 2023

I was so thrilled to be invited to be a guest of Diageo to the Keepers of the Quaich Spring Banquet this spring. The Keepers of the Quaich are an exclusive international society which recognises those who have shown an outstanding commitment to the Scotch Whisky Industry. It was great to meet so many people from all over the world who were being initiated to become a Keeper, for their work – whatever it may be – in the industry. Who knows, if I continue my work in the whisky world perhaps one day I could be so lucky. The Banquet takes place at the lovely Blair Castle in Perthshire, but before attending the dinner we also had the pleasure of attending some activities in Edinburgh and experiencing the Gleneagles hotels. So let me tell you a bit more about it all!

A tour and dinner at Johnnie Walker Princes Street

I’ve of course had the pleasure of visiting Johnnie Walker Princes Street on quite a few occasions but it’s always a good time and so fun to see what others think of the experience. We started off with the Journey of Flavour tour and were then treated to a lovely dinner in the Explorers Bothy Bar. Both the highballs, cocktails and food were all delicious. The duck course with steamed ginger croquettes and chard bok choy was in particular a standout of the menu. We also had such amazing weather so it was possible to fully admire the wonderful view from the rooftop bar. It’s definitely one of the best views in Edinburgh!

Staying at The Gleneagles Townhouse

Following our dinner we stayed the night at the lovely Gleneagles Townhouse, which is one of the best hotels I’ve experienced. You can read my full review here but they really offered a luxurious stay where they seem to have thought of everything. The immaculate interior design and exclusive rooftop bar is also such a lovely addition to the experience!

Staying at The Gleneagles Hotel

And as if it wasn’t enough to stay at one Gleneagles hotels, we also got to experience The Gleneagles Hotel as it was where we spent the night after the banquet. Blair Castle was about an hour away so it was the perfect location to spend some time beforehand and after the main event. I had one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve ever experienced here and the hotel itself as well as the grounds are just such a lovely experience. You can read more about my experience and thoughts here.

The Keepers of the Quaich Spring Banquet at Blair Castle

The Keepers of the Quaich Spring Banquet took place at Blair Castle as all their banquets do. It is a lovely venue which feels like a hunting castle as it’s decorated with antlers and guns all around the stone and wooden walls and ceilings. We were welcomed by pipers for a grande entrance and inside waited a cocktail bar, sponsored by Chivas.

I wore my Liberty Alexa dress in a green satin which I sewed for the 2022 Christmas. I certainly was nervous beforehand as I wasn’t sure exactly what was appropriate for the dress code, but am really happy with the final outcome – and always love a reason to wear a tartan sash.

The catering for the evening was organised by Ballintaggart who are absolutely brilliant. They are also located in the Perthshire area and focus on a lot on using Scottish ingredients. Alongside the lovely food we had a whisky with each course. Diageo was serving one of my favourites: Mortlach 16 as it was one of the new Keeper’s favourite whisky. We also had a Dalmore 15, Craigellachie 17 and The Macallan Harmony.

Overall it was such a lovely couple of days. And it just makes me realised how many lovely people we have in the whisky industry as they are all such a friendly and interesting bunch of guests – no matter if they work in production, marketing, tourism or where in the world they are from or based.

Thank you so much Diageo for having me.