SPAWNING RIVER FOR WHISKY AND SALMON

Salmon fishermen the world over have heard of the River Spey, Scotland’s hallowed waterway for the great fish.  It forms a natural border to the Macallan estate – and The Macallan, as whisky drinkers the world over know, is a de luxe malt whisky.

“In my mind, the river, the land and the whisky have always been bound together, each an essential part of the other,” says the Macallan estate ghillie, Willie Bremner, seen right, on the river.

"The Spey serves not only as a boundary for the Macallan estate, it also provides a wonderful fishing experience, a rich natural habitat, and the water used in the creation of The Macallan.”

He has what many would think to be an enviable job in managing the fishing beat along the river, covering five dark pools where salmon and trout rest fleetingly on their long journeys up and down the river.

And now The Macallan distillery has decided to celebrate the river and the important part it plays in the making of the whisky, with a limited edition of just 800 bottles of a 12 year old malt. ‘The Gillies Dram’ is hand labelled and numbered and will sell at £95 a bottle. Included with the bottle is a fishing pouch with two Macallan salmon flies and a limited edition map of The Macallan beat.

And as an incentive to buy, if one were needed, proceeds from each bottle purchased will go towards restocking the river with salmon, ensuring that is remains a mecca for anglers - and their drams. 

MORE OF THE TOP TIPPLE

Vodka continues to top the favourite tipple charts as the base for many cocktails drunk by young drinkers in fashionable clubs and bars.

And with more and more vodka brands coming onto the market, Absolut, claimed to be the world’s top selling vodka, has launched a new luxury version to ensure it retains its share of the action. 

This is Absolut 100, with an ABV of 50per cent, which is initially being sold in 100 selected top bars around the world, sixteen of them in the UK. To go on retail sale at a later date.

One of the new brands, again aimed at the luxury market, is Oval. This is triple distilled, then further refined through a patented technology called Structuring, designed by "Russian scientists and manufactured by Austrian master craftsmen", we are told.

Judge for yourself the efficacy of the process if you can find Oval at top bars, clubs and selected retailers, price per bottle around £45.