‘It was the first Whisky Luxury Experience In India’

For the first time ever, the Capital experienced an exhilarating Luxury Event at ‘The Icons of Whisky Awards’ on January 29th, 2010 at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi. Brought to the country by Spiritual Luxury Living, South-Asia’s premiere International Spirits & Whisky Management Company, the mega event was presented by Glenfiddich - Most Awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky in the world. Since 2001, Icons of Whisky have been held in Scotland & America. From 2007, the reach was being expanded, with awards being held in Canada, Ireland, and Japan and now in India.

‘Responsible drinking’ was proposed as the notion for the event.

The Icons of Whisky are organized by Whisky Magazine, the world’s best read magazine on the subject. Launched in 1998, Whisky Magazine has been celebrating the whiskies of the world consistently and now seeks to present the highest accolade for whisky, the Icons of Whisky, in every leading whisky nation of the world. The Whisky Luxe, an exciting new luxury experience which showcased the finest & exclusive range of whiskies & luxury entities to the widest range of guests, added to the excitement.

The Icons of Whisky Awards, Regional Round recipients were announced in the following categories:

People recognized in the following areas:
o Whisky Personality of the Year – Mr. Param Uberoi, MD, Pernod Ricard, India
o Honorary Award – Mr. Vijay K. Rekhi, United Spirits Limited.

Places recognized in the following areas:
o IOW Whisky Bar – Ricks, The Taj Mahal, New Delhi
o Highly Commended Whisky Bar – The Library Bar, The Leela Palace, Bengaluru & 1911, The Imperial, New Delhi
o IOW Whisky Restaurant – The Bukhara, The ITC Maurya, New Delhi
o Highly Commended Whisky Restaurant – The Wasabi Morimoto,The Taj Mahal, New Delhi
o IOW Whisky Hotel – The ITC Maurya, New Delhi
o Highly Commended Whisky Hotel – The Taj Connemara, Chennai.
o Whisky Company of the Year – Pernod Ricard, India
o Whisky Innovator of the Year – Beam Global Spirits and Wine Limited.

On the occasion, Sandeep Arora, Director, Spiritual Luxury Living Private Limited, said “It was a great platform to demonstrate select luxury experiences to a discerning set of individuals. Guests could experience some of the world’s finest whiskies and luxury entities. Whisky Luxe and The Icons of Whisky Awards are a unique global entity and also promote Responsible Drinking.”

High profile guests who graced the ceremony with their presence included Mr. Habib Rehman, Mr. Nakul Anand - ITC Welcomgroup, Mr. Rajiv Kaul - The Leela Hotels, Ms. Neesha Singh, Ms. Shefali Talwar, Mr. Sanjay Kapur, Genesis, Mr. Sandeep Jajodia, Mr. Pramod Kapoor, Mr. Aman Sharma, Mr. Jug Suraiya, Ms. Timsy Anand, Mr. Ravi Bajaj and Mr. Ajit Shriram.

The experiential platform saw an influential representation from the spirits industry and luxury brands. The exotic experience was enriched with Great Whisky, Whisky Bars, Lifestyle Lounges, Whisky Safari, Food and a lot of valuable information through Masterclass.

The affair also saw representatives from some of the high end luxury brands. To name a few, who had partnered for the eminent event were Canali, the leading name in men’s luxury fashion is synonymous with fine tailoring, elegance and style in Italy and around the world. Versace, Rosenthal, Ducati, Scottish Development International, Remy Cointreau, Kastros, amongst others. The Travel & Hospitality sector was represented by Jet Airways, The Oberoi, The Taj Hotels, Visit Britain, Devigarh Resorts and leading hotels in India.

About Glenfiddich

Considered to be the jewel in the crown of William Grants & Sons, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the best selling and the most awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky in the world. This 122 year old Scotch whisky brand with an unrivalled legacy was the first single malt to be taken to the world when no one else believed it could be done. The Glenfiddich range includes the Private vintage casks, Glenfiddich 50 YO, Glenfiddich 40 YO, Glenfiddich30 YO, Glenfiddich 21 YO, Glenfiddich 18 YO, Glenfiddich 15 YO and Glenfiddich 12 YO.

About Spiritual Luxury Living

Spiritual Luxury Living (Pvt.) - (SLL) is a full service International Spirits and Premium Beverage Management Company, based out of New Delhi, India. Started in 2002, by Sandeep Arora, Ambassador of Whisky, it has offices and associates in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Singapore and London. SLL markets Whisky and explores its various dimensions, showcasing the various attributes of the amber nectar. It is completely dedicated to Whisky and leads this spirit vertical in the country-housing the largest portfolio of Whisky products and Services in India. SLL has a strong balance of value & volume in products & marketing. The qualified and knowledgeable teams at SLL excel in crafting customized products & services. It is fully equipped with an infrastructure to support efficient and effective distribution and marketing of whisky brands across India.

For Media Information, please contact

Neha Sharma
IPAN Hill & Knowlton
Senior Management Associate
Mobile + 91 98100 80128;
Email:nsharma@ipanhillandknowlton.com

Sandeep Arora
Exclusive Representative – India
Whisky Magazine
Mobile + 91 98110 11110;
Email:sandeep@sllpl.com / sandeep@spiritualwhisky.com

ITC MAURYA – THE LUXURY COLLECTION

Located amidst the green environs of New Delhi’s Diplomatic Enclave, a few minutes drive from both the airport and the city center, lies ITC Maurya, flagship hotel of ITC-Welcomgroup, with 440 luxury rooms and suites, including the The Towers and ITC One set apart in a separate block.

An imposing edifice of superb luxury, its architecture is based on the ancient Buddhist stupas of the 3rd century B.C. and is named after the great dynasty of that period - the Mauryan dynasty. The hotel raises tier upon tier to seven floors, and is patterned after the cross section of a pyramid. The interior lobby echoes the rock caves of ancient India, where wooden beams have taken the place of stone in the interior dome. Nesting between them is a unique 3000 sq. ft mural painted by one of India’s leading artists, Krishen Khanna. The distinctive architecture and decor of the hotel recalls the splendor of that glorious age and recreates it, in its luxurious appointments and facilities.

Behind the luxury and lavishness is a crisp efficiency and a deep understanding of the needs of the modern business traveler with exclusive lounges on all major floors, a 24 hours comprehensive Communication Center with the latest in office support systems, eight AT&T telephone exchanges with electronic voice mail systems, all complemented with service just the way you would want it.

ITC Hotel Maurya completed 30yrs of operation in November’08. In these years it has grown from strength to strength, accounting for the highest revenue in the last 5 years amongst all hotels in Delhi.

The hotel is the proud recipient of the prestigious “Hotel of the Year” award from the Sheraton Corporation in the year 1987, and has been continuously included as member of the Sheraton Chairman’s Club since April 1992. In 1994, it won the prestigious National Award for outstanding performance in the five-star category. This award was given away for the first time in 1994, and is instituted by the Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of India.