Tony Singh MBE created a special menu to mark the launch of The Singleton distillery's new visitor experience as whisky prepares to power the recovery of Scottish food and drink tourism.
The updated home of The Singleton at Glen Ord near Inverness is part of Diageo’s £185 million investment in Scotch whisky tourism that will also see transformed visitor experiences at Talisker Distillery on Skye, and Caol Ila on Islay, opening later this summer.
The chef, who recently opened his Radge Chaat plant-based restaurant at Bonnie & Wild food market in Edinburgh, created three dishes to pair with The Singleton of Glen Ord Celebratory bottling, a special edition created to commemorate the opening.
"They've put their best product in that bottle, it's one of the best drams I've had. I'm never going to get anything to match it exactly, I need to do what I can to compliment it or completely contrast with it. That's the way I approached the pairing" Tony said.
"I knew I was cooking for an audience that was there for the whisky, so I had a couple of drams with my kids, they are old enough now, got some ideas and then started thinking of what classic dishes would work, the craftmanship in the whisky, the history of Scotland and I'm all about the spice so I was thinking about that too.
"It was a dream. We started off with a chaat of roe deer tartare, apple and gooseberry. Then a lovely South Indian curry but with local queenies.
"The strawberries in Scotland are just the best at the moment so dessert was Highland strawberries, Tellicherry black pepper and Ivoire mousse."
The Singleton experience now features a 90-minute distillery tour taking guests on a deep-dive into the whisky making process alongside a bar and tasting spaces for drams and cocktails.
There's a deli counter where you will find sharing platters with poached salmon, vegetables and smoked duck breast from local suppliers. Desserts are supplied by neighbouring Bad Girl Bakery.
Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Diageo’s Scotland Brand Homes, said: “The Singleton is one of the most exciting single malt brands in the world and we are delighted to be opening the doors to the brand’s new home at Glen Ord Distillery.
“Our investment in Scotch whisky tourism is designed to put Scotland at the forefront of the global trend in food and drink tourism by giving consumers a truly world-class experience at our distilleries. This is just the start of an incredible summer of Scotch whisky investment, with Talisker and Caol Ila distilleries also launching new visitor experiences, and we want to use that to build momentum in the recovery of Scottish tourism.”
“There’s never been a more exciting time to be involved in Scotch whisky tourism. In fact, data from Visit Scotland suggests that one in five international tourists want to visit a Scotch whisky experience during their time in the county.
“It’s amazing to see that sort of demand from tourists and we look forward to welcoming them alongside guests from closer to home this summer and beyond.
"Being so close to Inverness, The Singleton enjoys an enviable position making it the perfect start or end point to the North Coast 500 route, which welcomes thousands of domestic and international tourists every year.”
The site is the fifth to open as part of the project. Glenkinchie, Clynelish and Cardhu distilleries have recently re-opened.
The centrepiece of the whisky network, the Johnnie Walker Princes Street global visitor attraction, opened in Edinburgh in September last year.
“We like to think of Johnnie Walker Princes Street as “mile mark zero” for exploring the landscape of Scottish whisky” Barbara said.
“There’s a huge element of discovery in what the experience offers. From there, we’re encouraging our guests to get out and explore everything Scotland has to offer.”
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