What to expect from hospitality in Speyside now the whisky trail’s doors are reopening
Rosalind Erskine hits the road to Speyside to speak to business owners and staff as they get back in business
Popular with whisky fans, the Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside reopened to the public on Wednesday, 15 July with safety restrictions in place and a new outdoor terrace. As Speyside is a popular tourist destination, and the hotel in the heart of whisky country, I went up to speak to managing director Kevin Smith and Quaich bar manager Angus Bryce-mcvay about what guests can expect and what’s changed, for the Scotsman food and drink podcast, Scran.
Known for creating a home from home experience, the team at the Craigellachie have been working hard to introduce important safety measures, which are in place to improve the overall guest experience and keep the local community safe. Speaking of these measures, Kevin says: “We’ve tried really hard to keep a familiar feel to the hotel – we’ve not put in too many obstacles but at the same time we have great social distancing measures in place, for example in Copper Dog pub, which was never jam packed anyway.
“When guests book, they’ll be told exactly what the protocols are, which really focus on behaviour. We will outline that over email and explain new procedures, such as the extent that we’ve taken to cleaning the bedrooms and the rooms not being serviced during a stay, so that it’s only the guest that has been in it from the moment it has been sanitised until the moment you leave.”
High touch points in the bedrooms, such as kettles, toiletries and hairdryers all have clean stickers on them, to show they’ve been sanitised. Downstairs in Copper Dog, guests will find standalone sanitiser stations, spaced out tables and single use menus, along with a large outdoor seating area including bistro tables and picnic benches.
For the whisky fan, no trip to The Craigellachie would be complete without popping into the Quaich bar. A world leading whisky bar, this photogenic space is normally bustling with people enjoying a dram or cocktail while listening to a range of music. Sadly, due to the restrictions in place, the Quaich remains closed but bar manager, Angus, is on hand to lead private tastings.
Angus says: “Although the Quaich remains closed, it is something that we want guests to remember is here and use when they can. In order to do that, I’ve been letting people know about our private tastings, where we can easily maintain a certain level of cleanliness and social distancing, while still enjoying the Quaich experience. That’s what I feel this bar is, for me as well, it’s a bar where memories and experiences are created.”
Along the road in Dufftown, owner of The Whisky Shop Mike Lord spoke to me about lockdown, reopening and his plans for the second Whisky Colours Festival, which was due to take place in October. The shop is now open with social distancing in place, having seen an increase in online sales during part of lockdown. Mike explains how this year’s Whisky Colours Festival will work, saying: “We had to take the hard decision a couple of weeks ago to produce a more virtual experience, so we are calling it a bit more of a hybrid festival. We will still do tastings, via tasting packs. Hopefully people will come up to Speyside and enjoy those tastings packs here but they can be sent to wherever people feel most comfortable. There will be online tastings with brand ambassadors and so far we have Glenfarclas, Glen Moray, Glenfiddich, Spey Distillery, Benriach, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh as well as independent bottler, Douglas Laing.”
The festival will launch on 22 August as a Whisky Colours Festival club and whisky fans can sign up via the website to gain access to all the tastings.
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