Jeremiah Ndjoze
Proficient drinkers has it that whiskey drinkers are the most interesting characters amongst any group of steely gentlemen.
Said to be captivating, worldly and mysterious, everything about a whiskey macho, purportedly, exudes sex appeal. It is perhaps with this in mind that the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino, recently, launched the ‘whiskey keep’ initiative. Through this initiative, the Club is giving whiskey aficionados an opportunity to not only enjoy their favourite brand of malt, but also to do it with the required class and grace. The hotel launched a new service where a whiskey aficionado would be able to buy a bottle of their favourite single malt, which would then be exclusively kept under lock and key at the Club. According to the Club, the bottle, or bottles, would be kept in a locked vault whose key is with the bottle owner.
“The owner will have unlimited access to the vault and would pop out the bottle and have a sip alone or with friends at the hotel while enjoying the ambience at the hotel,” the hotel’s regional marketing manager, Learni Van Wyk, informs.
She hails whiskey as the ‘in-thing’ among business personalities who frequent the hotel and maintains that this initiative will give this oft sophisticated clientele an opportunity to down their favourite drinks while deliberating on their matters without having to rely on barmen. Van wyk reveals that the venture, which has already rolled out last Thursday, has been received well by the public, and a number of clients took up the challenge with many vaults being taken up.
One of the aficionados who pleads for privacy, says this gesture makes it good for his business. “The beauty of this whole initiative is that I can now buy my bottles in bulk and store them at the hotel. When I have clients to entertain, I will save money because now I will not pay for the drinks per tot but will just pluck out my existing stash,” the businessperson says.
Another whiskey connoisseur, Ray-Ray Ngava, welcomes the idea maintaining that storing the whiskey at the hotel will be beneficial in that the drink will be stored under the right conditions. “For example, we learn that we have to limit the exposure of the drink to light but at home we tend to believe that our collection looks better on display, not knowing that it will last longer if you keep it behind a cabinet door. Besides, that’s the reason why many whiskeys are packaged in dark glass bottles,” adds he revealing that limiting one’s stash to temperature fluctuations is equally important.
“Unlike wine, whiskey does not mature in the bottle. So even if you keep a
12-year-old bottle for 100 years, it will always remain a 12-year-old whiskey. As long as the bottle is kept out of direct sunlight, the Scotch whisky will neither improve nor deteriorate, even if it is opened,” Ngava, who brags of being a strictly whiskey drinker stresses. The launch occasion also provided the tasting for a number of premium whiskey brands.