WORLD’S LARGEST WHISKY COLLECTION WELCOMED HOME TO SCOTLAND

The world's largest collection of whiskies arrived safely in Scotland this week, brought home from Brazil by leading whisky manufacturer, Diageo.

Featuring 3,384 bottles, the record-breaking collection was built up over 35 years by Brazilian whisky enthusiast, Claive Vidiz, who has scoured the world for whiskies to create the magnificent collection.  

A unique treasure trove charged with memories, the bottles are currently being stored in a high security location in Scotland, after being shipped 6,500 miles from Sao Paulo on board container ship, the Monte Rosa.  

A specially designed vault is being created at the Scotch Whisky Experience to display the Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch Whisky Collection. The vault is part of a £2million investment at the five-star tourist attraction on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.  

While the details of the terms of its sale to Diageo will remain under wraps, the unique collection is described by whisky experts as “invaluable” and ranges from the most popular whiskies to some of the rarest.  

“To split up a collection which I have devoted more than 35 years of my life to would have broken my heart so I am truly thrilled Diageo has purchased it in its entirety. It is now in the hands of a company which is at the heart of the Scotch industry and I am certain they will cherish and develop the collection,” said Mr Vidiz.  

“It is also wonderful to see it safely back in Scotland. We have an expression in Brazil  - ‘the good son returns home’ - and in my view the collection is back with its family now,” he added. 

Among the many rare bottles is a Strathmill single malt produced to celebrate the Speyside distillery’s 100th anniversary. One of only 100 bottles ever produced, this limited edition centenary malt was offered to a very select few – including various heads of state and, fortunately for the collection, Claive Vidiz!   A personal favourite of Mr Vidiz is Dimple Pinch, one of the first special editions of a Scotch Whisky ever produced. Bought in 1969 for US $1000, it was the most expensive limited edition bottle of Scotch Whisky on the market at the time.  

Shipping the fragile cargo across the Atlantic took months of preparation, and each bottle was individually packaged by fine art specialists.  

“We are delighted to have worked with Claive to bring this wonderful collection safely back to Scotland and to play a part in preserving its legacy and historic significance,” said Bryan Donaghey, Managing Director of Diageo Scotland.  

“We are loaning the collection to the Scotch Whisky Experience where annually 200,000 visitors will be able to view the collection in its atmospheric vault.”  

VisitScotland's Chief Executive, Philip Riddle said: "The return of such an important and interesting collection of Scotch Whisky to Scotland is fantastic news, particularly as we look forward to Homecoming Scotland 2009.  

“The year long programme of events will give us all a chance to celebrate some of our greatest contributions to the world, including whisky. This collection is sure to be a great draw for visitors and locals alike, who will be able to enjoy viewing it at one of our premier five star visitor attractions."  

The Scotch Whisky Experience team are delighted Diageo has chosen to display the collection at the centre where it will be a major highlight of the new-look tour. Visitors to the Experience will have the opportunity to view this unique and intriguing collection up close, 364 days of the year, from spring 2009.    

Ends  

For further press information please contact Diageo Press Office on 0131 519 2133; or Joanne Bell (07739968371), Debbie Standen or Angela Casey (07720277163) at Porter Novelli on 0131 470 3400.  

Notes to Editors:  

About Diageo in Scotland:    

• Scotland is one of Diageo’s largest spirit supply centres responsible for producing nearly 50 million cases of leading brands of Scotch Whisky and white spirits and over 6 million cases of Ready To Drink brands annually.
• Around 90% of Diageo’s Scotch Whisky brands produced in Scotland are sold overseas.
• Diageo in Scotland employs around 4,500 people.
• Diageo currently operates 27 malt distilleries and two grain distilleries. As well as engineering and technical support functions, there are extensive warehousing operations, which store up to 7 million casks of maturing spirit, and the company’s Scottish headquarters in Edinburgh.
• Packaging is focused at three plants in Scotland: Leven in Fife handling white spirits, Ready To Drink products and Scotch malt whiskies; Kilmarnock in Ayrshire bottling the complete range of deluxe Scotch whiskies; and Shieldhall near Glasgow, the largest plant of its type in the industry, packaging Diageo’s high volume Scotch Whisky brands.    

About the Scotch Whisky Experience:  

• The five-star Scotch Whisky Experience is one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions.
• As well as the popular tour, the attraction which is situated at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile has an award-winning fine dining restaurant, Amber, as well as corporate and meeting facilities.  
• The attraction also hosts monthly whisky schools where candidates spend a day immersed in the world of Scotch Whisky and is home to an online shop stocking over 300 varieties of whisky, www.scotchwhiskyshop.co.uk 
• For further information contact 0131 220 0441 or visit www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk The Scotch Whisky Experience 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE