David Beckham and HAIG CLUB™ Pave The Way For Single Grain Scotch Whisky

David Beckham was in town last week for the official launch of his latest business venture, HAIG CLUB™ Single Grain Scotch Whisky. An intimate media briefing was held at The Majestic hotel where the former football star along with Datuk Jimmy Choo were present to launch HAIG CLUB™, a partnership with global alcohol leader, Diageo.

You might be familiar with the blended and single malt variety but single grain is fairly unheard of and HAIG CLUB™ is definitely a trailblazer. Single grain whisky is characterised by whisky that is made in a single distillery –HAIG CLUB™ uses a combination of malted barley and wheat. Its history can be traced back to the 1700s and it remains one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Packaged in a unique cobalt blue square bottle, HAIG CLUB™ is approachable and accessible, made with entry-level whisky drinkers in mind while at the same time appealing to whisky connoisseurs. This balance is achieved from the way it has been crafted right down to its fresh, clean style and smooth taste. The three words David used to describe HAIG CLUB™ are – unique, elegant and tasty.

During the Q&A which was moderated by Anita Kapoor, David spoke candidly about how he convinced his wife, Victoria Beckham to have a taste of HAIG CLUB™. The fashion designer isn’t a fan of whisky but upon one sip, she was so impressed she asked her husband if she could have eight bottles to share with her friends. Food pairing aficionados will be glad to note that HAIG CLUB™ is versatile enough to match all sorts of cuisines such as Cantonese food, seafood, sushi; you name it.

When asked about retiring from playing football, here’s what David had to say:

“It’s emotional, my last game in Paris was very emotional, more emotional than I ever thought it would be. I knew I would be sad walking off the field knowing it was the last time I was going to play in a professional game …I knew I was ready and at 38 years old I’ve played in so many countries for so many great teams, I knew it was the right moment. I get emotional even talking about it. [It was an] emotional time but I knew – and also my friends around me knew – that once I finish my career I need something else to jump straight into. You can’t go from a footballer for 22 years to then having nothing to do in the mornings. I’ve got four children so I’m never going to have nothing to do in the mornings but obviously having something on a business side to jump straight into was very important. Luckily I’ve got great people around me. My last game was in Paris and the next day we jumped on a plane to Miami and we started that process,” said David referring to his MLS plans.

Anita then asked him, “So, no sunning yourself?” to which he replied, “There was a little bit of sunning myself, of course, along the way but I was lucky to have a great career. I do say that I’ve retired from playing but I’ve not retired from working.”

After a short Q&A session with Anita, David and Datuk Choo opened twelve specially signed and packed bottles from the global launch of HAIG CLUB™ in Scotland to commemorate the launch.

We then proceeded to the Smokehouse for an exclusive mentoring session by Ewan Gunn, HAIG CLUB™’s Global Whisky Master. This is the part we learned more about the notes of this single grain whisky.

It’s extremely easy on the palette with butterscotch and toffee notes followed by tropical flavours of coconut, pineapple and Brazil nut. It’s no wonder that David’s favourite HAIG CLUB™ cocktail – the Haig Clubmen – is made with ginger, a tropical staple that reflects and enhances the whisky’s fruity flavour. To make this refreshing cocktail, here’s what you need: