A Warm Welcome
To seek travel, particularly internationally, is to be open-minded and naturally curious. It’s a way to explore the world beyond our doorsteps, meet people, learn of new stories and explore other cultures.
The world of drinks lends itself to people with that kind of outlook. Many producers carefully toe the line between science and nature as they create their liquids and increasingly, as imbibers of fine drinks, we are seeking to understand the stories and histories that come with these brands. Often, we achieve this by visiting the distilleries or wineries where they are made, which may take us around the corner from our home or to the other side of the world. As our palates develop and our tastes become more diverse, it’s understandable that we find ourselves looking further afield for new flavours and experiences.
In this title, we’ve tried to marry the curiosity of the traveller with the passion of the lover of fine wines and spirits. It’s our belief that they are happy bedfellows. The world of duty-free or travel-retail can be a gateway to new experiences, but the items purchased while travelling can mean different things to different people. For some of us it’s an opportunity to remember our friends as we travel, picking them up a treat that says, ‘wish you were here.’
For others, it’s an opportunity to add one more souvenir to the list, perhaps something from the area visited, as a small reminder of the trip. Others still will intentionally seek out travel-retail exclusive products that aren’t available anywhere else. Whatever the reason for visiting, the offering of wines and spirits found in duty-free is becoming increasingly diverse and ever more premium.
We’ll tell the stories behind some of the brands that you’ll see in duty-free. This issue, we focus specifically on the verdant green landscape of Scotland’s Speyside whisky region, home to many of the finest single malts, and the historic region of Cognac in France, from where that nation’s preeminent spirit takes its name. @Traveluxmagazine @Traveluxmag
To help build your knowledge of luxury wines and spirits, we’ve gathered a selection of the world’s leading drinks experts – including the duty-free aficionado Joe Bates, who will guide you through shopping in duty-free and also tell you what to look out for when purchasing Cognac. By taking his advice, you’ll likely end up with some exclusive and interesting bottlings that will make your trip more than worthwhile.
Though we may try to forget, many of us have experienced a long layover at an airport. You may even be enjoying one as you read this now! In the coming issues, we’ll be compiling guides that suggest how to make the time fly by (pun intended) that little bit quicker – looking at the best places to eat, drink and shop as we wait for our flight to come up on the board. In this issue we’ve taken our time in London Heathrow.
We’ve also looked closely at some of the notable drinks releases available to travellers. The recent launch of Glenfiddich’s Grand Cru has the whisky world excited, while Chivas Brothers have lifted the lid on a few lesserknown Speyside distilleries with their latest collection. Elsewhere, Chilean winemaker Casillero del Diablo offers tours of its winery, including a cellar said to be haunted by the devil. Should one survive the trip, you’ll be rewarded with a new range of wines in duty-free to enjoy.
If a gin and tonic is more up your street, we’ve recruited gin expert David T. Smith to help us create a number of cocktails that require a read of the ever-growing list of gins that are available in travel-retail. They’re easy to make, delicious to drink and are certain to impress as you look to entertain guests with stories of your recent trip away.
With that in mind, we hope you’ll enjoy the pages that follow, whether travelling by air or sea, or perhaps even booking your next journey. If that’s the case, we hope that by reading these pages you’ll be even better equipped to make your next duty-free purchase. @Quercus_alba @Chrismcoates