An evening of
wit, words and whisky at The Glenlivet Guardians Chapter event
Mumbai, 22nd
November 2013: Whisky is the oil of conversations and this
adage was brought to life at The Glenlivet G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N.S event in Mumbai on
Friday evening. Scotch enthusiasts, and some of the city’s most famous and
popular faceswere regaled by the words and wit of The Glenlivet “3x20” speakers
– journalist and author Naresh Fernandes, writer and dancer Tishani Doshi and
writer and publisher Sirish Rao who interpreted the themes of classic, exotic
and revival respectively.
Part of a worldwide initiative called The
Guardians of The Glenlivet, on Thursday 100 Indian scotch aficionados were
called together for a tasting and voting session in order to create the 2014
edition of The Glenlivet. These chosen Guardians then voted for their favourite
out of the three blends – Classic, Exotic and Revival – createdby master
distiller Alan Winchester. The Friday event at Camelot, one of Mumbai’s most
treasured troves of antique and colonial furniture, was a continuation of The
Guardians Chapter.
Ian Logan, international brand ambassador
Chivas Brothers was pleased with the reception that he and the whisky received
at tasting on Thursday. “The Guardians Chapter gives us a chance to get to know
our customers a little better and give them something in return. It has been a
great experience to see people faces reacting to these variants. The Classic,
Revival and Exotic are variations of the original style of Glenlivet and we
have tried to match them to the personalities of the key members of the Smith
family. The Classic is obviously based on George Smith, the founder of the
distillery. Revival has been inspired by the efforts of his son John Gordon
Smith to save the brand and Exotic is for George Smith’s great grandson,
Captain Bill Smith Grant, who introduced The Glenlivet to America. Today is
another opportunity for us to say thank you to our guests and customers,” Logan
said of the Friday event.
The evening witnessed a great turn out of
guests which included the city’s literati and cognoscenti. Bollywood was well
represented by actresses Aditi Rao Hydari, Amrita Puri, theatre and film
actress Lillette Dubey and her daughter Ira, actress Smita Jaykar and actor
Dalip Tahil. Food critic Rashmi Uday Singh and noted cricket writer and
commentator Ayaz Memon and Ravi Dubey, Designer Denzil Smith and Sangita
Kathiawad were also seen enjoying the evening.
The “3x20” sessions wherein each speaker was invited
to speak for 20 minutes each were indeed the highlight of the evening. There
are few others who know Mumbai as well as Naresh Fernandes, and his latest book
Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay’s
Jazz Age is an attestation of that. He chose to speak about the influence
of jazz and jazz musicians in Bollywood in the period between 1930s-1960s, to
reflect the theme of classic. “I was surprised at how early jazz came to India
and how Bombay was where Indian jazz found its voice and how Bollywood songs
like Eena Meena Deeka and Mera Naam Chin-Chin Choo are examples of Indian jazz.
My talk tonight echoes the theme of blends, how influences merge together to
create something new,” Fernandes said.
A celebrated poet and writer Tishani Doshi didn’t
have to look too far beyond her personal experiences to talk on the theme of
exotic. Born to Welsh-Gujarati parents and having studied in the United States,
Doshi’s take on what exotic meant to her had the audience in splits. “It was a
challenge to understand what exotic meant to me but I saw it as a very
interesting concept. I looked at it within my own context and I realised that
for me exotic is what’s inside us,” Doshi said.
With 20 books to his name, writer and
publisher and artistic director of the Indian Summer Festival, Sirish Rao’s
interpretation on the theme of revival was entertaining. He chose to speak
about the revival of the printing industry in Sivakasi in the 1970s through
baby calendars and how it coincided with the rebuilding of India. “These baby
calendars with chubby toddlers in different costumes acting out various professions
were perhaps indicative of how transfer our dreams and ambitions to our
children and also interestingly, how at this point, India was reviving itself
as a nation,” Rao explained.
About the Glenlivet : The Glenlivet
is the No 2 single malt Scotch whisky in the world. Crafted in the remote Livet
Valley since 1824, it is the only whisky with the unchallengeable right to be called
The Glenlivet.
About
Chivas Brothers: Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin
business of Pernod Ricard - the world's co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas
Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its
portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine's, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet,
Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan
Campbell, Something Special and Passport.
In July 2010, Chivas Brothers launched The Age
Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky
age statements.
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