.... oh the crazy yet glamorous world in which we work... one moment we're in hard-hats and jump-suits, perched high on the side of a building ready to unfurl a banner for the Olympics... the next we're suited and booted at the newly refurbished Savoy Hotel... surrounded by swathes of fabric and plush upholstery to launch the new Private Edition range for Glenmorangie... this new creation is called Finealta and is the brainchild of the incredible 'nose' of Glenmorangie, Dr. Bill Lumsden... it's an honour to be in this mans presence... a whisky creator extraordinaire...

.... Dr. Bill was inspired to create Finealta after discovering an old cocktail recipe from the infamous American Bar at The Savoy that dated back to the 1900s... the Belle Epoque... and it was the Art Nouveau period that inspired our production for the event, from the Edwardian themed costumes and elegant, Savoy Ballroom styled flowers.... through to the period appropriate music played by the string quartet...

... we even built a bespoke curiosity cabinet, based on the art nouveau packaging design, where Dr Bill could display his many curios and accoutrement's of whisky creation, from a block of peat to pearls of grains and even a picture of his cat, the very handsome Morangie the ginger tom!

... The Savoy was at it's very finest, newly refurbished, elegant best... we worked closely with the head chef James Pare to create an 8 course canape menu, served course by course to the guests... each canape found it's inspiration not only from the tasting notes for Finalta but also from the Savoy archivists descriptions of the way food was served in The Savoy in the 1900s.

green asparagus flan with melba toast and powdered goats cheese

glazed pork belly with poached apple and smoked paprika

rachel barrie, master blender

We were also fortunate enough to work alongside head barman of the American Bar, Erik Lorincz, who created the Smoke and Mirrors cocktail specifically for our event, the serving of the cocktail, which is 'smoked' into the glass, was a spectacular way to round off the evening!

erik loricnz, head barman at the American Bar