Would you queue 12hrs to buy this woman a drink?
Job ad to stand in line at whisky sale
IT’S a highly unusual job requiring lots of patience and probably a warm blanket.
For an American whisky buff is seeking to recruit a ‘queue sitter’ who is prepared to wait overnight outside a distillery.
As part of an annual festival on Islay, the island’s Bowmore distillery is selling rare malt on a first-come, first-served basis.
But while whisky lover Maria Hernandez, who is travelling to Scotland from New York, is desperate to get the high-end whisky, she fears she is not hardy enough to queue overnight.
Instead, she is offering £120 to anyone prepared to wait in line for 12 hours to guarantee she gets a chance to buy a bottle.
In New York, queue-sitting is a recognised occupation, with firms supplying staff to wait in line for everything from theatre tickets to electronic gadgets. Ms Hernandez has advertised online for someone to fill such a role on Islay, Argyll.
In a post on classified advertising website Craigslist, she said: ‘Got nothing to do on the night of May 29? I need someone to stand in line for me for Bowmore’s Feis Ile bottle release.
‘This is very much a Willy Wonka type of thing with golden tickets and all. Each year the queue gets longer and longer and I would need someone to spend the night in line – ready for the 8am purchase.
‘I want you to be happy for waiting in line for me, and I want to be happy with that bottle hitting my lips later. Let’s make a deal.’
For the Feis Ile festival on May 30, the Bowmore distillery will sell 212 bottles of 1989 bourbon-matured Bowmore, priced at £400 – and customers can buy only a single bottle.
Ms Hernandez also hopes to buy two bottles, the maximum allowed, of a 15-year-old malt matured in a sherry cask at £85 per bottle.
Last night the 38-year-old entrepreneur said she had received several applications for the job but had yet to find the perfect candidate. Her preference is ‘a local from Islay’.
Ms Hernandez said: ‘Being from California originally, the thought of spending a chilly 12 hours outside in a sleeping bag and chair sounds far too cold. So why not pay somebody else to do it?
‘I am offering an hourly wage, above the living wage, for a minimum of 12 hours. Upon completion, there will be a small bonus paid to celebrate success.
‘I collect whisky and Bowmore Feis offerings are my holy grail.’