DRAM November 2011

255DRAM MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER 2011

ISSN 1470-241XDRAM

TENNENT’S LAUNCH NEW ALE • MEET THE CAMPBELLS • THE WATERSIDE

DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

DRAM 255 NOVEMBER - JEN_DRAM 253 07/11/2011 15:22 Page 1

DRAMDRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING


CONTENTSNovember2011

MODERNISING THE DRAMSusan Young takes a look at whisky.

NEWSThe latest news from around the trade.

FEATURES

REGULARS

TEAM CAMPBELLThe Campbell’s have just re-opened theDumfries Arms. Susan Young reports.

16

THE WATERSIDESimpsInns latest outlet gets rave reviewsfrom Jason Caddy.

20

05SUE SAYSStraight talking from our very own Editor.19

WELCOME

11A BEER BY ANY OTHER NAMEJim Anderson begins his regular feature.15

Tennent’s certainly put the cat amongst thepigeons this month with the launch ofCaledonia Best. Steve Annand and John

Gilligan joined brand manager Wendy Espie for thelaunch as you can see on our Cover. See our newspiece on page 5 for more.This month I was invited down to The WatersideInn in West Kilbride just ahead of its officialopening. The new bar and restaurant is thebrainchild of the Malcolm and Karen Simpson, andthey have done a great job. See what Jason Caddythought of the design on page 20. Meanwhile I visited Cumnock and caught up withJohn and Senga Campbell. This enterprising duohave just given The Dumfries Arms a mammothmake-over, and that’s not all they have up theirsleeve. See my interview on page 16.Whisky is one of my passions and I always enjoywriting our whisky feature. Not to mention gettinginvolved in judging the OranMor Whisky awards -the results will be in next month.Our Winter Cocktail pocket guide is also includedwith this month’s issue. There are lots of newcocktails to try on your customers.

See you next month.

[email protected]

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DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING


SEPTEMBER 11 DRAM4


NEWS

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Our cover picture shows Steve Annand, left, and JohnGilligan, right, with Caledonia Best Brand ManagerWendy Espie at the launch of the new brand.

¬

PRICE HIKE CLAIMS LEAVE A BITTERTASTE... UNLIKE NEW CALEDONIA BEST!

Tennent’s are not planning massive price rises, despite pressreports to the contrary. The company issued a statement earlierthis month, in direct response to articles which claimed that it was

planning to put 30-40p on a pint. John Gilligan, Sales ManagingDirector of Tennent Caledonian, told DRAM, “We have a rise once ayear, as most of our customers know. The press reports centre rounda renegotiation of a contract with Matthew Clark, which has led it toraise its prices to customer and associated company, Punch Taverns.”This in turn led Punch to write to its licensees alerting them to the“significant” rise and urged them to consider other brands.But says Gilligan, “Our renegotiated deal with Punch Taverns, whichinvolves less than 5% of the pubs in Scotland, should not result in aprice increase of the magnitude being alleged and, in fact, it does notfollow that there should be any price rise for publicans or consumers. “We would like to reassure our customers and our drinkers thatScotland’s favourite pint will continue to be available in pubs acrossScotland – and at significantly less than £3.50 a pint.”And the company is not just aiming to keep Tennent’s as Scotland’s bestselling lager, it is aiming to take the ale crown too, with the launch ofCaledonia Best, a new beer with an ABV of 3.2%. This new mixed gasale will now be a direct competitor to Scotland’s top selling ale BelhavenBest. Says Gilligan, “This is an exciting development, and it should come asno surprise to the trade that our priority is to brew and sell our ownbrands. In Caledonia Best I believe we have an excellent product, whichnow means that we can offer Scottish licensees, and consumers, notonly an excellent pint of lager but a superb ale too.” As to the question, “Is it not a bit cheeky on the marketing front, withthe distinct similarities to rival Belhaven Best and Caledonian IPA,” hesays, “That is simply not true. Caledonia Best is a distinctive beer witha distinctive logo entirely different from competitor products. Ourbranding contains elements of the Tennent Caledonian heritage –reference to our famous Wellpark Brewery; the image of a lion whichwe registered over thirty years ago in 1980. There is a renewedinterest in the ale category and consumers, and the on trade, have arelatively limited choice of “Best” beers to choose from and we areconfident that there’s room in the market for Caledonia Best.”At the launch of the new ale Steve Annand, Commerial MD told guests,“This launch starts a period of dynamic growth for the company. Beeris enjoying a renaissance, and customers are looking for more choice.”The new brand however will have some way to go, as Belhaven Best isthe leading ale in Scotland. Says Euan Venters, Chief Executive ofBelhaven, “As the brewer of Scotland’s number one ale, Belhaven Best,we regard the introduction of new brands to the market as furtherindication of the growing popularity of ale – which can only be good forbusiness. We’re confident that our experience, heritage and focus onquality and flavour will ensure we continue to grow market share andconsolidate our market leading position. Belhaven Best is Scotland’smost popular ale with a 37%* and growing volume share of the on-trade ale market. (*CGA Brand Index Ontrade MAT to 6/8/11).Venters also revealed that Belhaven was currently renegotiating trading

terms with C&C, owners of Tennent’s. He told DRAM, “We arecurrently in negotiations with C&C and will do everything we can toprotect both our trade customers and consumers.”Meanwhile Tennent’s have appointed Kenny Taylor to look after theNorth of Scotland, and at Belhaven Gordon Smith has returned to thefold. Gordon was formerly MD of Belhaven’s drinks distributionbusiness, before leaving to explore the world, and latterly he was chiefexecutive of Fife-based Kingdom Taverns. Says Venters, “We are verypleased to announce that Gordon Smith has joined us as SalesDevelopment Executive reporting to Graham Baird. Gordon hasextensive knowledge and experience of the Scottish market generallyand Belhaven specifically and will be a great addition to the alreadystrong Belhaven team.”


COVER STORY

SHORTSDouglas Laing & Co has revealedsignificant growth, strong profits, newcasks, and an award win from whisky writerJim Murray. The company has grownturnover to £5m, increased gross profit to£2.515m and the reported pre-tax profit of£1.23m is an increase of £948,000 onlast year whilst the Company’s underlyingprofitability rose by £200,000 (25%) to£1m.

Arran Brewery, the Scottish beermaker is expanding into the wine trade. Thecompany has agreed a deal with CavalierWines, a merchant based on the Channel

island of Sark and a consortium of vineywardowners. Now the company will have wine listof more than 300 boutique wines fromFrance, Italy and Spain. Arran Brewery isowned by Glasgow-based MarketingManagement Services, owned by GeraldMichaluk. He said, “We’ll be targeting Italianrestaurants with our large selection ofItalian wines, but we’ll also be targeting our3000 trade customers throughout the UK,most of which are pubs.”

Jeremy Beadles, Chief Executive ofthe Wine and Spirit Trade Association, willleave in the New Year after six years at the

Association. He will take up the position ofDirector of Corporate Relations at HeinekenUK.

Glasgow is the fourth best place in theBritain for nightlife according toTripAdvisor®. Liverpool took first place,while Edinburgh came in at No 10. Glasgowwas just behind Manchester and London.*Rankings were taken based on reviewssubmitted between 1 January and 16September 2011

The parent company of the ScotsmanHotel, the Scotsman Hotel Group Ltd, has

WWW.DRAMSCOTLAND.CO.UK

NOVEMBER 11 DRAM6

NEWSGlenfiddich are set to reveal the winner of this year’sGlenfiddich Malt Mastermind, imminently. Thebartending competition, which aims at getting the on-trade more excited about whisky, and specificallyGlenfiddich, has been running for the past three months.Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador Jamie Milne told DRAM,“We have had three times the number of entries thisyear compared to last year’s inaugural event. We’ve alsohad a more even spread. Last year the majority of theentries were from Scotland. As a result we haveselected four finalists from Scotland and four fromEngland.”The Scottish finalists are Michael Allan of the Raconteur,Edinburgh; David Sinclair of Gleneagles Hotel; AndrewMiller of the Elbow, Edinburgh and defending his titleColin McMillan of the Three Judges in Glasgow.Explains Jamie, “First of all contestants had to fill in anonline questionnaire. If they successfully answered thequestions they went through to the next round. Thenthey had to think up an innovative serve for Glenfiddich.Something unusual. The best score on the questionnaireand the best idea for the serve took the finaliststhrough.”Jamie concludes, “Through this competition, whichreflects our pioneering spirit, we are looking to create ahost of new ambassadors who can help to demystify thecategory, raise the credentials of malt whisky and showconsumers how versatile and accessible the liquid canbe.”The winner receives a trophy, a £1,000 cash prize anda VIP trip to the Glenfiddich distillery where they will getthe exclusive opportunity to taste a range of rareexpressions.As we went to press the finalists were competing. Socheck the DRAM website for details of the winner.www.dramscotland.co.uk

2010 MALT MASTERMIND FINALISTS¬

Eddie Tobin and some late-nightoperators met police earlier thismonth to discuss the latest task

force that have been calling on Glasgowoutlets. The crack ‘Alcohol EnforcementTeam’, a separate entity to the licensingpolice, sole remit is to deal with alcoholrelated problems. But this is no ‘softlysoftly approach’ warns Tobin. Despitethe fact that the police say they areworking “in partnership with the trade”,Eddie doesn’t believe that this is thecase. He told DRAM, “This isenforcement. They are doing it anyway,and telling us what to do, and putting asmile on it.” He continues, “The officershave bodycams on and will recordeverything that is said, and if they needto, they will use this as evidence. I wouldadvise all licensees in Strathclyde toensure that all their paperwork is inorder, that younger managers arebriefed on what not to say, and that theyare instructed to be very careful how theanswer questions if a senior member ofthe company is not present. There is nosuch thing as a casual conversation, theyshould also be ensuring that theirlawyers are present if they have ameeting with the police.” He concludes, “Licensees should becareful.”

Some reports from licensees suggestthat the new police squad is so keen thatthey have been talking with inebriatedcustomers on the streets and askingwhere have been, and do they want topress charges against the outlet wherethey have been drinking. This is onlyhearsay. But top licensing lawyerStephen McGowan of Lindsayscomments, ““The offence here wouldappear be that of the licensee sellingalcohol to a drunk person. There arepractically zero convictions of thisparticular offence because, I think, of thedifficulties in establishing an evidential linkand causal chain, and whether the fiscalcould secure a conviction is debatable.The idea of pursuing drunks to point thefinger like this is fraught with problems.How reliable is their testimony? Whathappens if the person has been drinkingin more than one premises? They mayhave actually been refused service andasked to leave. What happens if theperson has been consuming off sales aswell as on sales? And why is the individualthemselves not being charged? There istoo much emphasis on demonising thetrade and it is high time that individualresponsibility was brought into thisdebate.”

NO ‘SOFTLY SOFTLYAPPROACH’ TOBIN WARNS


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Plans to hike fees to licensees by upto 2000% have been averted, forthe time being, after a ground swell

of opposition from the licensed tradeacross the country forced the PPL(Phonographic Performance Limited) todelay proposals for any hikes in fees until1 January 2013 ‘at the earliest’. Theplanned increase, which was revealed ina consultation paper, was to come inunder the SFE (Specially FeaturedEntertainment) tariff, which includes theplaying of all music in pubs, but tradebodies, including the Bar, Entertainmentand Dance Association (BEDA), theBritish Beer and Pub Association (BBPA)and licensed trade associations, united inopposition to the plans forcing, it wouldappear, PPL to reconsider its position.Says nightclub operator Donald Mcleodwho would have seen his fees rise to over£200K per annum under the proposedhike, “Obviously I am delighted. It justshows what can be achieved if we show aunited front. The licensed trade acrossthe UK was unanimous in itscondemnation of the planned priceincreases, it just shows that we do havepower when we act together.”Jamie Macdonald, owner of Raconteur inEdinburgh, said, “I am delighted with thisnews. Even the larger operators are

feeling the pinch and, as demonstratedby the Karen Murphy’s successful appealto the European Court of Justice to winthe right to show football throughEuropean decoders, we can affectchange. It also begs the question, whatare we getting back as small businesses?Nothing on the face of it, so I am againstany kind of hikes in fees, and I hope thatthe wave of resistance to PPL gatherspace.”Jonathan Stewart, of Dundee barsincluding The Speedwell and The RoyalArch, said, “Any such proposed hikeswould be nothing short of punitive forlicensees that rely on late night trade andentertainment, so I welcome theannouncement from PPL.”Glasgow-based Open Ear supply musicplaylists and its customers includeseveral licensees. Speaking to DRAM,MD Brian Harvey said, “I am pleased tohear that this decision has beendeferred, as I think there are morepressing issues for PPL to concentrateon. Had the hikes gone ahead, manylicensees that use DJs would have quicklyfound it very difficult to continue withthis.” Although the massive hikes havebeen averted licensees will still face anincreased from PPL, of 5%.

BILLY LOWE¬

PPL RECONSIDER FEES

Billy Lowe is back in the driving seat at SaltireTaverns and already he has big plans for Le Monde.He wants to turn, what was formerly Paris, into anupmarket jazz lounge aimed at an over 30’s agegroup, and called Dirty Martini. Billy told theDRAM, “I’ve been inspired by top jazz clubs in NewYork and places such as London’s Ronnie Scott’s. Iwant to create an upmarket jazz and cabaret barthat older people feel comfortable coming to.Where they can enjoy a quality experience,whether it be dining or drinking, combined with livemusic. And we will be aiming at getting top classjazz musicians here.” He continues, “There are nottoo many places in Edinburgh where older peopleand couples feel comfortable. We aim to providean environment that is sophisticated, and not justa club with loud music.”The plans were unveiled before the city council’slicensing committee earlier this month where thefirm presented supporting letters from the musicindustry as part of an application for a 3amlicence. Stephen McGowan, of Lindsays whorepresent Saltire Taverns, said, “This will be avenue like nothing else in Edinburgh, or Scotlandfor that matter.” He added, “This is the kind ofthing the music industry would be delighted to havein Scotland.” The board will vote on the proposedchange of usage and late licence next month.

LOWE’S DIRTYMARTINI

gone into administration. KPMG are the jointadministrator, and although the ScotsmanHotel Co Ltd, the arm of the group whichran the Scotsman Hotel, has not gone intoadministration, and will continue to run, thefuture is somewhat uncertain. The groupalso own 42 The Calls Hotel in Leeds andHotel de la Tremoille in Paris.

Animée, the new beer from MolsonCoors designed by women for women, is tobe distributed to the Scottish independenton-trade by Forth Wines. Ian Cumming,Commercial Director at Forth Winescomments,“Animee fits perfectly within the

extensive portfolio of premium beers andwines that we provide to the Scottish on-trade and provides a really exciting productaimed at the female market for our 2,000customers in Scotland.” Molson Coors willprovide additional point-of-sale support foroutlets that begin offering Animée at theirbar.

Licensees are still selling theircustomers short, according to researchcarried out by Trading Standards officers inScotland. A total of 165 licensed premisesin 17 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areaswere visited and 44% of the spirits poured

were found to be less than the 25ml or35ml legal measure that the pubs weresupposed to be selling. In most casespublicans have been issued with guidance onhow to ensure correct measures aredispensed. Others have been issued withwarnings. But where pouring shortmeasures has been significant reports willbe submitted to the procurator-fiscal.

Yu Spa has opened in the 4 star luxuryApex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh. It isthe sister spa of Yu Spa in Dundee which isScotland’s first Green Spa and shares manyof the same environmental initiatives.


NEWS

NOVEMBER 11 DRAM8

£1M MAKEOVER FOR DUNOON BAR

BIELDSIDE SOLD IN £1.5M DEAL

CAFÉ SOURCE TOOCafé Source Ltd, owners of Café Source in StAndrews Square in Glasgow, has opened CaféSource Too in Hillhead Sports Club on HyndlandRoad. One of Café Source’s directors, Paul Laurie,told DRAM, “We have moved the Café Sourceconcept west and, like our city centre operation,we are essentially managing the building foranother trust and supplying catering for all therelevant areas within the space.“Hillhead Sports Club has spent over a million onthe 60-seater sports bar and 120-capacityfunction suite. The design is fresh andcontemporary with live sports, and the bar is openseven days.”

DUKES BAR BACK INBUSINESSThe tiny corner property at the junction ofLumsden Street and Old Dumbarton Road inGlasgow will re-open at the end of the month andrevert to its former name, Dukes. Owners ABLeisure Limited is working with CM DesignConsultants on a brand new £100k interior for thebar at 41 Old Dumbarton Road. During its 80sheyday Dukes hosted a live gig by The Clash duringthe band’s busking tour and this is being markedby a commemorative plaque outside the bar. Thelook and feel of the new Dukes is being kept underwraps, although six new full height windows havebeen installed to date. The premises last traded asThe Rogue and has been closed for just over ayear.

FULLERTHOMSONMOVE INTO GLASGOWFullerThomson has taken over the lease onBelhaven pub The Millhouse at the bottom ofGlasgow’s Byres Road. Acting manager AlexMctorque told DRAM, “The company is currentlyoutlining plans for how to take the pub forward interms of a refurbishment and marketing strategy,and although no timeline has been discussed, anychanges that are made are likely to happen in thenew year.” Formerly The Byre, past owners of theMillhouse have included former Candy Bar ownersScott Mackay and Duncan Robertson, and ColinBeattie of Skerryvore. It’s the first venture intoGlasgow by FullerThomson owners Gary Thomsonand Gordon Fuller, who also have Dukes Corner,Drouthy Neebors and Jute in Dundee as well asHolyrood 9a and Red Squirrel in Edinburgh.

Signature Pubs has sold Aberdeen’sBieldside Inn to PB Developments Ltdfor just under £1.5m. The pub wasSignature Pubs’ very first unit, andwas given a major refurbishment in2004. Garreth Wood of SignaturePubs told DRAM, “There is obviously anostalgia attached to Bieldside, as itwas our very first purchase, but it wasa business decision to sell pure andsimple, as we are now very muchconcentrating on our city centreoperations in Aberdeen andEdinburgh. We also think that theBieldside needs an owner/operatorwith a pedigree, and we are delightedthat it is in the safe hands of PBDevelopments.”The Bieldside will be managed by BobCalder, the brother-in-law of PBDevelopments’ founder, StuartClarkson. He has worked for thecompany for 23 years. Mr Clarkson’stwo eldest sons now also play a keyrole in the business. A spokesperson for PB Developments

said, “Bob currently manages TheQueen Vic pub which is located in TheRosemount area of Aberdeen. He isvery keen to welcome new and existingcustomers, as well as those who wishto return to the Bieldside Inn, to comeand play a key role in reviving itscommunity spirit and turning it backinto a quality local pub with a greatatmosphere. “Bob featured on Channel 4’sAberdeen’s edition of ‘Come Dine WithMe’ where he came joint first place.PB Developments also owns manyother venues including Soul Casino,The College and Babylon also inAberdeen.Meanwhile Signature Pubs havebought 99 Hanover Street inEdinburgh. Says Signature PubsOperations Director Martin Brown,“We bought the bar about a monthago. It’s a great site. We are busydecorating it, and as we speak I’ve gota company putting a new roof on.”

BRAES BAR¬

Residential property tycoonsArchie and Grant McArthur ofMcArthur Property Ltd. have

diversified into the licensed trade byopening the £1m Braes bar andrestaurant in Dunoon. The father andson team will also open a boutiquehotel in the former St Catherine’sHotel on the banks of Loch Fyne in late2012. Grant McArthur told DRAM, “Weowed the former Glasgow Hotel inDunoon for about six years, and it hadfell into disrepair, and our original planwas to convert it into flats, but wechanged course and went for arestaurant, as we believed the areawould greatly benefit from a quality barand restaurant. We had a fewteething problems, but things havesettled down and we are alreadyworking on premises number two, St

Catherine’s in Loch Fyne. It will re-openas a boutique hotel with chalets, plusit also has its own pier, so we are veryexcited about the plans we have forthe property.” The Braes took around two years tocomplete and also includes a functionsuite, with the McArthur’s responsiblefor the contemporary design. SaysGrant, “We consulted some greatdesign companies, but we were sosure about what we wanted and hadthe luxury of time on our side that wedidn’t rush it. The beautiful solid oakbar, for example, came from ebay andwas originally around the £40K mark,which we bagged for 10% of itsoriginal cost.” The design is clean andfunctional with brown leather couches,light wood, mirrors and plasmascreens.


NEWS

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SUSAN YOUNG PONDERS THE ISSUE THAT MINTEL RECENTLY RAISED...THE MAKRETANAYLSTS SUGGESTED THAT UNLESS WE GOT AWAY FROM THE HEATHER AND HILLSIMAGE OF WHISKY SALES WERE GOING TO SLIP DRASTICALLY IN THE UK.

Since I have writing about whisky, some 20 years, the age oldissue has been ‘how to attract new drinkers withoutalienating current whisky drinkers’? But despite the talk it

seems that the whisky industry has failed, to date, to conquer thisissue. Mintel, the renowned market anaylsts believe that sales areslipping and set to drop a further 10% in the next 5 years due tothe fact that whisky is being marketed inappropriately for its UKand Scottish consumers. And I totally agree. Younger drinkers will come into whisky through the blendedmarket. Mintel too acknowledges this, but lays the blame ofdeclining whisky sales firmly at marketeers who are failing toattract younger drinkers to the dominant blended Scotch category.This has led to a 8.5% decline inblended volume sales between 2003and 2008. But not only that eventraditional long-standing drinkers arelosing their taste for blends. Out of sightof mind?The only major blend making an effortin this category is the Famous Grousewith its Naked Grouse, Snow Grouseand Black Grouse expressions –however I still think the marketing issomewhat old-fashioned. I can see whyit may want to sponsor a birds charity –and I’m talking about the featheredvariety not the female one – but it mighthave been more interesting if was thelatter. I’d love to see Snow Grousesponsoring snowboarding and quirkyadvertising round the Naked Grouse – ifyou are going to use a word thatconjures up nakedness why not havesome fun around it? At least it mightget the younger generation talkingabout it. Another blend raising itsprofile is Wm Grant, Grant’s issponsoring Piers Morgan’s Life stories,and another series has just started. It certainly gives it a diverseaudience, but not necessarily of the younger variety.The only hesitation with regard to Mintel’s study is the use of theword ‘heather’. Now I don’t know about you but I can’t recall anyheather in whisky advertising of late – scenery yes, heather, no. Butthen again what whisky advertising has stood out in the last fewyears. And what TV advertising has there been?The Famous Grouse animated TV grouse is quirky, but it’s beenmore than a decade since this campaign was launched, and I knowI was at the launch. While the last Bell’s campaign – the beardedman, was hardly ‘of the moment’. Talisker shot itself in the foot inits press advertising by using a French lighthouse instead of one in

the vicinity of Skye. These ads are standing out for the wrongreasons. But the analysts are adamant pictures of rugged coastline and anelitist reputation as a tipple for connoisseurs are contributing to itspredicted decline of up to £300m in UK whisky sales by 2016. Some folk have called it ‘sounding an alarm’, I’d call it ‘a wake upcall’. The time for pussy footing around whisky marketing is over.Can any industry afford to lose £60m a year in sales? And whileexports have risen 60% over the past decade, driven by demandfrom emerging markets such as Japan and Brazil, sales within theUK have slowed. “Given its theoretical advantages – including localheritage, authenticity and quality – the question must be asked why

malt whisky isn’t performing better,”says Jonny Forsyth, senior drinksanalyst at Mintel. He continues, “Eventhose brands that have invested in theirprofile, such as Glenfiddich and Talisker,have been guilty of focusing on ‘heatherand weather’ imagery rather than themore personable identity projected bythe likes of bourbon import, JackDaniel’s. Such a focus is far fromemotionally engaging and feelssomewhat tired.” Certainly when we do our ‘Speedtasting’ events our guests say that theyare ‘intimidated by the range of whiskyon offer.’ They don’t know where tostart when it comes to ordering it atthe bar, and they don’t realise that yesyou are allowed to drink it long. Mintel’sreport bore this out. Says Forsyth, Thekey to the success of bourbon is thatconsumers feel that they have more‘permission’ to drink them with mixers.The same is true of dark rum.” Butwith whisky it is still not the case,despite the fact that some blends are

promoting whisky with ginger ale and coke. And although the whisky companies main markets are abroad, theUK is still the fourth largest market. Says Alex Nicol of Spencerfield Spirits, the company behind PigsNose and Sheep Dip, “Although we don’t do a lot of advertising, wedo, do a lot of sampling. I get as many bartenders as possible totry it. Because customers will see the bottle and the name and askwhat it is.”He continues, “We can do things a bit differently, and we do. I amprepared to take a risk with our marketing, I just wish some of thebrand managers in the bigger companies would. But then they areprobably worried about losing their jobs.”

MODERNISING THE DRAM


MODERNISING THE DRAM

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He adds, “I’ve got some small casks that are lined with sheep skin,and for instance at the recent Wallace’s trade show, we gave themto licensees buying Sheep Dip, they loved it, and it creates intereston the back bar.”There are other brands also aimed at a younger market such asMonkey Shoulder, but again although this brand has done anexcellent job seeding itself into the conciousness of bartenders hasit make an impact on consumers? Ian Macleod Distillers have also brought out a more contemporarybrand in the shape of Smokehead. They believed that there was an“innate conservatism’ in the whisky market and wanted to appealto modern drinkers. Speyside’s smallest distillery, Benromach, has certainly created amore contemporary feel to its advertising with its ‘Share thesecret’ campaign which actually features male and female drinkers.It has also just expanded its portfolio with the release of three newexpressions. David Urquhart tells me that many whisky companies

are not advertising but using social media to link in with theirpotential customers. It has also released some very expensivespecial bottles of late, and has used younger members of the familyto launch them. This again reinforces a more contemporary imageof malt whisky.Glenfiddich too is trying to get to younger consumers. As well asits Malt Mastermind competition it has also been running Mini-mentor evenings in bars, to allow consumers of all ages to ask anexpert questions and take part in tastings. Says Jamie Milne,brand ambassador for Glenfiddich, “We do sampling with differentaged products, the aim is to show people that older is notnecessarily better, and to persuade them that what is important isright for them.”Next year when I write this article I hope that I will be able to reporton some more innovative marketing initiatives. I’ve got a challengeto whisky marketeers, go on take a risk, what have you got to lose?You’ve got it all to gain.


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There were some illusions I had about Scottish pubs when myfamily and I prepared to move to the Highlands from Americain 2003. The first was that every Friday night, fiddlers would

turn up out of the blue and a session would break out. (What I foundwas that every Friday night, neds would turn up out of the blue anda fight would break out.) Another was that my pub would be linedwith ranks of real ale pumps and my arms would soon be hard asoaks from non-stop pouring. (What I found was a single pumpfeaturing a minging, 15-day-old cask of Theakston’s Hogshead thatthe previous owner couldn’t even shift at a pound a pint.) A thirdillusion that I had was that, having chosen to move to an english-speaking nation I would be able to communicate freely with mycustomers. I had no idea how difficult that would be.SAMPLE EXCHANGE OVER BAR, WEEK ONE - JIM: Hiya, whatmay I get for you? PUNTER: What beer do you have? JIM: Well,let’s see . . . we have all these you see in front of you, plus around60 bottles . . . PUNTER: No, what BEER do you have? JIM: Well,what sort of beer do you like? PUNTER (getting aggravated andmaking a furious handpump motion with his hand): BEER, mate, Iwant a BEER!You see, in America, a beer is any alcoholic drink that isn’t wine,spirit or RTD. But here it must mean what I know as “real ale.” Noproblem.SAMPLE EXCHANGE OVER BAR, WEEK TWO - JIM: Hiya, whatmay I get for you? PUNTER: [Looking at fonts] What ales do youhave? JIM: [Pausing to think] Well, we have our guest Belgian.PUNTER: What’s that? One of those Continental Lagers? JIM: No,it’s actually an ale. PUNTER: No it’s not. Ale comes from England.Right. So, a lager is anything from beyond England. I’ve always knownale as a top-fermented malt beverage, which would include real ale,but also other top-fermented products like Belhaven Best, GuinnessStout and 99% of the output of Belgium. No problem.SAMPLE EXCHANGE OVER BAR, WEEK THREE - JIM: Hiya, whatmay I get for you? PUNTER: Pint a lager. JIM: [Beginning to breakinto a sweat] Well, we’ve got our guest Belgian and Pilsner Urquell.PUNTER: [Agitated with having to explain things to yet anotherforeign barman in Scotland] Not that crap from the Continent. Lager,mate, pint a lager!)OK, now I’m really confused. Beer means real ale. Ale might meanale, but only if it’s from England. Lager might mean lager, but only ifit’s from the Continent or not from the Continent. It’s time for someresearch, because the language barrier is higher than I’d imagined.Maybe I’ll consult the foremost English & American dictionaries toclear things up. After all, they’re in the business of getting wordsright, right?Oxford English DictionaryBeer - An alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavouredwith hops.Ale - Any beer other than lager, stout, or porter.Lager - A kind of effervescent beer which is light in colour and body.Confused? Me too, but just wait.

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JIM ANDERSON, AS WELL AS RUNNING THE ANDERSON IN FORTROSE, IS PASSIONATEABOUT BEER. THIS MONTH HE WRITES HIS FIRST COLUMN FOR THE DRAM.

A BEER BY ANYOTHER NAME

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARYBeer - An alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermentationfrom cereals, usually malted barley, and flavored with hops and thelike for a slightly bitter taste.Ale - 1. A malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer,containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume. 2. British beer.Lager - Also called lager beer. A beer stored from six weeks to sixmonths for aging before use.Wow! Okay, at least both sides of the pond agree on what “beer” is,a name for the family of fermented grain beverages seasoned withhops. But what are we supposed to make of the rest of that mess?According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a bottle of Duechars IPAcould be both ale and lager. Even worse, according to the AmericanHeritage Dictionary, a bottle of Schneider Aventinus is both ale andlager, and beer but not beer! Beginning to question myunderstanding of the whole thing, I decided to turn to my fellowexperts. CALEDONIAN BREWERY GLOSSARYAle - Beers distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast strains,which perform at warmer temperatures than do yeasts used to brewlager beer.Lager - Brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast . . . leaving a crispclean taste which produce [sic] fewer by-product characters than aleyeast.Beer Pages by Roger Protz & Tom CannavanAle - The common term for any English-style, "top-fermented" beer,an ale is always a beer, but not all beers are necessarily ales. Lager"Bottom-fermented" beer . . . traditionally aged for up six monthsAh, so there you have it. Beer can be top-fermented or bottom-fermented - it’s the type of yeast that decides. Ale is top-fermentedbeer and lager is bottom-fermented beer. Lagers can include Pilsner, Pilsener, Pils, Bock, Doublebock, ViennaLager, Munich Lager, Schwartzbier, Maerzen, Oscura, Helles.Brands can include Foster’s, Kronenbourg, Coors, Carlsberg,Paulaner, Budweiser, Budvar, Spaten, Stella Artois, Dos XX, Tuborg,Lowenbrau, Holstein, Corona, Heineken, Sol – in short, any beermade with what? BOTTOM-FERMENTING YEAST. Ales can include Bitter, ESB, Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, Altbier, Dry Stout,Sweet Stout, Imperial Stout, Mild. Brands can include Bass,Belhaven, John Smith’s, Boddington’s, Guinness, Younger’s plushundreds of British, American & Belgian microbreweries – in short,anything made using (you guessed it) TOP-FERMENTING YEAST. Where does that leave Real Ale? Well, okay, it’s Beer (of course) andit’s Ale, as defined by the top-fermenting yeast that’s active within thecask. Simple, right? Right -- unless you happen to be talking about HarviestounSchiehallion, Oakleaf I Can’t Believe It’s Not Bitter, Dent Rambrau,Cain’s Finest Lager and the other handful of cask-conditioned lagersmade with . . . well, you get the idea.


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When the guys at Molson Coors suggested that I interview Johnand Senga Campbell who had a hotel in Cumnock, I wasn’t surewhat to expect. I certainly didn’t expect to see a multi-million poundboutique establishment completewith plush banqueting suite,especially when it has a verytraditional name…the DumfriesArms.John explains, “We bought theDumfries Arms back in 1997 as aninvestment, at a good price, andleased it out. Over the years itdidn’t get a lot of investment and bythe time we decided to take it backourselves, it really was dilapidated,in fact we closed it for a whilebecause we decided that when wedid renovate it we wanted to do itright.”And there is no doubt, they havedone it right. The Dumfries Arms isnow a luxury 26-bedroom hotel,with a 250 capacity banquetingsuite, cocktail bar and restaurantand private dining room. Thecouple were fortunate enough tobenefit from a CARS grant from thelocal council. Says John, “We got alot of support from East AyrshireCouncil and this really encouragedus. It also helped that I am abuilder, so although we spent a fewmillion pounds we also saved ahuge amount, because mycompany did the work. This allowedus to do the job properly. We didn’tstint.”They also didn’t change the name.Says John, “We thought about it,and then decided to keep thetraditional name, and I’m glad wedid.”It opened back in July and Senga isthe first to admit the opening wasrather stressful, mainly becausethey were working to a tightdeadline – the date of her daughterKylie’s wedding to Jordan Lennox!” She explains, “The week beforepeople were calling us to ask if the wedding was still on. Even thephotographer was a bit nervous. But I thrive on a deadline, and it

was such a great feeling when the day went to plan. Everyone saidhow much they loved the venue. It made all the stress worthwhile.Despite the fact that we were still cleaning the hotel at 1am the

night before!”The couple first came into the tradein 1991 when they purchased TheRailway Hotel in Auchinleck. SaysSenga, “We were looking for ahouse, and John came home andsaid what about a pub? When wetook it on I don’t think I had evereven been in a public bar. In fact thecustomers there had to help me outwith the names of the drinks whenwe took over. But I loved it,particularly when the pub wasbuzzing. I gravitated towards thekitchen, and really became the chef,and I have been instrumental inbuilding up that side of our businessever since.”John continues, “We ran theRailway Hotel the way it was for thefirst two years and then the moneywe made was used to refurbish it.”Senga explains, “When we took itover it didn’t have a function suiteand it only had a couple ofbedrooms. Once John renovated itwe had seven bedrooms and afunction suite for 300. Thebusiness just came in – we didweddings, funerals, you name it. Itreally became the focal point in thetown.”While Senga was busy with the dayto day running of the Railway Hotel,and bringing up three girls, Johnbuilt his house building business up,Northkirk Building Co, and gotinvolved in buying and sellingproperties. Although they are onlyoperating two premises now, withanother project imminent, over theyears they have bought other pubsand leased them out. But Sengasays, “We are not going to buy and

put tenants in any more. We made good money in the past fromthis business model, but as far as we are concerned that time haspassed. We want to own and run our own outlets now, and

THE CAMPBELLS ARE A VERY INDUSTRIOUS COUPLE. SUSAN YOUNG CAUGHT UP WITHTHEM AT THE DUMFRIES ARMS IN CUMNOCK.


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TEAMCAMPBELL

Mother of the bride, Senga Campbell, with the newMr & Mrs Lennox and proud father John Campbell.

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LICENSEE INTERVIEW CONTINUED

refurbish them to a standard that we are happy with.”Says John, “The Dumfries Arms project came at the right time. It’squiet in the building business at the moment and it meant that Iwas able to concentrate on theDumfries Arms.”While John deals with the bricksand mortar and suppliers, it isSenga that handles Campbell Innsinterior design. But this is the firsttime she has worked withdesigners. Says Senga, “Initially Iwas going to do it myself. But it wasgreat working with the interiordesigners because it meant thatalthough I picked the colours, theydid all the story boards and sourcedeverything. So I didn’t have to runabout. But I did pick everything. Iget ideas from other places. I likeseeing different places and withthree girls we do go out a lot andtry new places. John would preferto be on the golf course, but I liketo know what is on trend. Forinstance we have used digitallyenhanced wallpaper in thereception. I’ve always got a camerain my bag, and I love places thatappeal to all age groups.”John deals with all the suppliers,but that’s hardly surprisingconsidering he also owns awholesale company which alsocomes under the Campbell Innsbanner. Says John, “We supplyabout 300 pubs, clubs andrestaurants in the West. Obviously Ihave a good relationship with mostsuppliers, and if I don’t I stopdealing with them.”He has been particularly impressedwith Molson Coors and his repMichael McShane. Says John,“We’ve only been dealing withMichael for about 18 months, butin that time I have found himexceptional. He goes above andbeyond what you would expect. Hecomes up with ideas for thebusiness and generally is first tooffer support. I’m not surprised that Carling is proving so popularwith my customers, it won’t be long before it is my pouring brand.”He adds, “I’d also like to mention Tom Cullen. What I like about him

is that he’s a bit different. He says it how it is, and I reallyappreciate that.” Since the Dumfries Arms opened in July they have had dignitaries

from as far afield as Hong Kongand Istanbul. Says Senga, “We arethe closest hotel to DumfriesHouse, which was purchased by aconsortium of charities andheritage bodies in 2007 after HRHthe Prince of Wales, under his titleas the Great Steward of Scotland,championed it. As a result we getlots of visiting dignitaries. DumfriesHouse doesn’t have any rooms andthis has been a great opportunityfor us to showcase what we have atthe Dumfries Arms. But we arenow embarking on a majormarketing initiative. People stilldon’t know we are here, and don’trealise what we have to offer. IdeallyI would like to be doing twoweddings a week here and have thehotel running at maximumcapacity!”The next project for the couple

could be the Bellisle Hotel in Ayr.Says John, “We are still ironing thedetail out, but I am hoping that wecan start work on it soon. It will takeabout 18 months to complete.”And Senga is looking forward to it.She says, “I can’t wait to havewedding venue like the Bellisle.Although the Dumfries Arms isgreat, and its proximity to DumfriesHouse is ideal, where the Bellisle issituated is perfect. And perhaps itwill be ready in time for our nextdaughter’s wedding!But meantime the couple plan toget the Dumfries Arms operatingsmoothly. Says Senga, “We arenearly there, and we are enjoyingbeing here. It gives us both a greatdeal of pleasure.”As for slowing down and enjoyingthe fruits of their labour, saysSenga, “I enjoy going on holiday butthe stress of leaving the business is

sometimes too much, while John is happiest on the golf course.But we both get such a buzz out of the hospitality business that Ican’t imagine doing anything else!”


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SUESAYS

The Scottish Government has launched its Minimum PricingBill, finally. There is no doubt that this bill is good news for theon-trade. And many drinks companies have backed it. It

means that there will be more of a level playing field when it comesto pricing. Thou’ supermarkets are already getting round the banon drinks promotions – they are now selling wine at £3.33… andmany have stopped selling single servings of beer, which still allowsthem to continue to sell multi-packs at knock down prices… notonly that but we are still seeing adverts in the press and on TVadvertising the bargain prices on spirits! Why doesn’t the ScottishGovernment simply ban supermarkets from advertising the price ofalcohol in the media? Is that not a more simple solution thatminimum pricing? Where’s the research that would show thebenefits – after all if shops can’t use alcohol as a loss leader to getfolk into their stores, surely it will no longer become such aneffective marketing tool?

There are some positive policing figures out – the Scottish PolicingPerformance Framework Annual Report, 2010-11, reveals thatcrime is now at a 35-year low and recorded crime and offenceshave fallen by 5.6% since last year. The figures may go up next yearif the new Strathclyde Alcohol Enforcement Unit has its way. Theyare actively targeting licensed trade premises looking for alcoholmisdeamenours. And they plan to prosecute. The police say theyaim to work in tandem with the licensed trade, but Eddie Tobin saysit’s nothing of the sort. He warns the Glasgow licensed trade tobe vigilant. Says Eddie, “Even if licensees have everything in order,it’s Murphy’s law that something will go wrong when the the policearrive!”

PPL have listened to the licensed trade and backed down over theirmassive price hikes. This was because of a concerted effort by alltrade bodies and individual licensees. Think what could have beenachieved with regard to Sky TV if licensees had been more pro-active at fighting their constant fee increases. Could it be that theoperators in the late-night economy have more drive – theycertainly have more attitude!

I had organised to meet John Gilligan on the day the story brokeon the alleged increase in Tennent’s prices, I expected him to be abit uptight. But no, he was just the same as always – a sandwichand millionaire’s shortcake… and greeting and meeting the folkthat came into the wee coffee shop. “We’re all traders,” he toldme, “but we don’t renegotiate prices at the drop of a hat, and ourcustomers know that.” And on his first six weeks in the job, Johntold me, “I must have sent out over 4,000 emails, and I can’t countthe number of spreadsheets that have come my way. However themain thing is that customers know that I am always at the end ofa phone. The only negative note has come from the parking guy atthe brewery…I keep parking in the wrong spot!”

And talking of Tennent’s, they have been very cheeky with thelaunch of Caledonia Best. Although there may be other ‘Best’beers, let’s face it, it’s obvious from the branding that they aregoing to be going after Belhaven’s share of the Scottish ale market.What is good news for the on-trade is that this will meancustomers will be talking about and either sticking to their regularbrew or trying the newcomer. As the two brands fight it out expectto see good promotions, great advertising and customers talkingabout Best. And service levels will probably never have been betteras reps come through your doors!

It strikes me that Ayrshire is a hotbed for entrepreneurial spirit.You’ve got the Blairs, Bill Costley, the Simpsons and the Campbellsand many more. These guys are running multi-million poundbusinesses, bringing a massive amount of money into the localeconomy and employing hundreds of people. Their outlets are firstclass and they all deserve a real pat on the back. Maybe theresomething in the water?

My colleagues headed along to Glasgow’s Ashton Lane to enjoy theMiller Creatures of the Night event. It certainly gave them a fright!But luckily for West End bars, it also gave them a turn. Said onelicensee, “We had an extremely busy Halloween weekend. It wasbusier than last year, and I think it was because of the Ashton Lanecelebrations.” (see above)

The problem with a printed magazine is that it takes a few days toprint and then a few days to reach you through the post. But wedo update the website regularly. For instance by the time you readthis the Ben Barrel Ball will be well and truly over for this year, asit takes place in two days time. But lucky for everyone the photosare already online! Check out the DRAM website atwww.dramscotland.co.uk

Jim McLaughlin, known to many as DJ Jim Da Best has opened hisown bar Vespbar on Glasgow’s Drury Lane. The bar, which wasformerly O’Henry’s, has been given a mini-makeover by Jim andpartner Suzanne, and is now open for business. Jim told DRAM,“I’ve been trying for a number of years to get my own premises,and I am delighted to be finally open.” The bar is quirky, with amezzanine and a basement which Jim plans to use for live music.Meanwhile his pizza oven is going great guns - with foot long pizza’sdelighting his new customers.


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Every once in a while I walk into a brand new bar or restaurantthat pretty much ticks all the boxes, and The Waterside Inn,West Kilbride, is a case in point. What had resembled a

dilapidated building off the main Largs to Ardrossan road is now aNew-England-meets-Cape-Cod restaurant at the water’s edge, withviews to die for and an interior design verging on the spectacular.I’d say that it has to be one of the most impressive turnaroundsthe area has witnessed, so much so that I’d bet a certain otherAyrshire operator with Marina developments will be keeping a veryclose eye on The Waterside. SimpsInns, the company responsible, also counts Ayrshire outletsThe Gailes and The Old Loans Inn as part of its portfolio, and it alsohas a new Irvine eatery under construction. This glass-fronted two-storey Mediterranean/Italian restaurant called Si! Bar and Café ison the site of the former Golf Hotel. But I deviate.Malcolm and Karen Simpson run the company, and Gerry Thomsonof Thr3 Design in Glasgow breathed life into their ideas for TheWaterside. Says Malcolm, “It’s been a long time coming, and I’vebeen going around saying ‘stop drilling and get the tills ringing’ soit’s a relief to see it finally open. The design has a Cape Codinfluence for sure, and we wanted to make a statement with it and,judging by all the feedback, we are 99.9% there. “On a personal level, I have always wanted a venue with an openkitchen, although I have been rather nervous about this, so far sogood. The veranda, which has a capacity for 65 covers in thesummer, is a strong point too, plus there is space for 180 coversinside, making The Waterside a force to be reckoned with in thearea.” Although this is by no means the final result, and the diggers areset to begin rolling again to bring phase two to fruition – a hoteland function suite, within the next year or so. Explains Malcolm,“Next up in the adjacent site (currently covered in hoardings) will bea banqueting suite with 20 bedrooms above, all designed around aU-shaped roof garden.”

DESIGN FOCUS : THE WATERSIDE, WEST KILBRIDE BY JASON CADDY


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covered in a sepia mural depicting fishermen grappling with theelements during a storm at sea. And dotted about the ceiling aswell as the walls are maps of the local coastline that have beentreated to give them an aged look, but some have been made tolook a bit more contemporary through the use of a wash of colour. The dominant colour scheme on the walls and floorboards allaround the bar is teal (bluish green) and white. There’s also stoneflagging on the floor at certain points. Elsewhere, exposed housebrick has been used to break up the teal and white and adds abalance to save the clientele from any bouts of seasicknessbrought on by a teal and white overload. The seating is so varied that to discuss it in detail would warrant astand-alone feature, so, in a nutshell, there are wooden chairspainted in teal, and bar stools and banquettes, with all kinds ofupholstery, ranging from candy striped and hounds tooth check, tomore subtle block colours with fine silver threads running throughthem. The top right hand corner of the space as you enter is veryinteresting, as it comprised a lounge with pebbles in a caged wall,a real wood fire burner, silver stag’s head, huge antique clock face,benches/banquettes/sofas and the bustling open kitchen. There’s

But back to The Waterside as it stands. I went along, on the nightof its dry run ahead of opening proper the following day. And I’msure I wasn’t the only one who left with a crick in my neck fromlooking around at all the facets of what is a busy, intelligent design. The slatted wooden interior resembles the weatherboard of a shipwhich is used extensively in the USA. This look isn’t just confined tothe walls, it has also been reproduced on the tabletops and themirrors either side of the two-faced island bar, with large portholesin the middle allowing the customers to catch the eyes of the staff360 degrees around the bar. And after the reception desk on theright as you enter, it’s this island bar that hits you right betweenthe eyes. It stands at the centre point of the main area (there is a secondsmaller area through a doorway to the left) with two back-to-backserving stations separated by a gantry of glass and, along with thenautical mirrors, there are also some rather nifty glass wine racksand cabinets displaying the bottles cleanly and stylishly. The bar topis a back and white veined marble, and there are large hanginglights over the bar which resemble buoys encased in fishermen’snet, running along the top of both sides of the bar, and they looktremendous. One entire wall opposite the near bar has been


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also a wall of white painted shutters festooned across the back wallabove some banquettes with letters printed on them, a bit likeLouis Vuitton had had a hand in the design. Above which hangsome very attractive rainbow coloured beehive lampshades. Thelighting, in fact, is another talking point with a multitude of designsranging from simplistic to more ornate, like dark green shades witha black metal cage encasing them.This is unsurprisingly the hub of the Waterside and will bethroughout the seasons, as a little way along, right opposite thebar, are the main set of patio doors onto the veranda where onlya low stone wall separates you from the sea. Despite being pitchblack on my visit, I did see pictures of the sea view by day and atsunrise, and it’s gorgeous, so I’m sure that this will be a favouritespot for couples tying the knot. Further round the bar are some nautical knick-knacks on shelves.One shelf is dividing two seating areas, with elaborate rigging, bluevases and yacht models. The other shelf sits above a set of doubledoors into area number two, and there are yachts, seabirds andother ornaments of the same ilk, all bathed in a blue up light. This lighting effect is prevalent in area number two whichcomprises a ground floor area and mezzanine. Downstairs alongthe left hand side are u-shaped booths in teal, lit from above usinglights with wooden shades, like a woven basket, and candles on awall shelf in what look like lobster pots. In the central area are hightables and stools, with standard tables and chairs at the sea viewside. Up stairs the mezzanine also benefits from sea views thanksto a dozen or so Velux windows in the ceiling. The mezzanine – andindeed this entire area – would lend itself perfectly to private diningor corporate functions as a breakout space perhaps.The location has literally contributed to the design, but so has awealth of imagination, and the scale of ambition around this projectis impressive. I am looking forward to my return visit, both to checkout the sea view, and see how phase two shapes up over the nexttwelve months.


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Business partners Andy Aldrich and Ian Coffers are patientmen. Their first £1.15m Scottish outing, Viva Brazil, onGlasgow’s Bothwell Street, took two years to materialise

because of planning wrangles and strictures laid down by HistoricScotland. It also went over budget. Says Andy, “We looked atopening in Glasgow first of all, but because planning negotiationstook longer than we anticipated, Viva Brazil Liverpool jumped thequeue to become our first restaurant opening, but Glasgowremained a must for us, so we soldiered on and spent a good dealmore money than we’d earmarked.” My first impressions of their spacious Brazilian restaurant situatedon Bothwell Street confirm that it was well worth the wait, as the interiordesign is superbly sympathetic to the former Post Office’s originalVictorian interior, fused with what is fast becoming Viva Brazil’s‘South American chic’ signature look. And it’s soon to be rolled outin the Capital, if all goes to plan. “We are just about to view aproperty on George Street in Edinburgh,” explains Andy. “We havewaited a long time for a prime location such as this to becomeavailable so we are excited at the prospect.”The interior design of Viva Brazil was designed by local architects,Graham and Sibbald, and Andy’ business partner Ian Coffer’scompany, William Ltd. based in Warrington, acting as maincontractor, naturally.

So how does it look? A wall of original windows allows natural lightinto the main part of the restaurant, which is effectively divided intofour parts: the bar, restaurant and two more intimate alcoves offthe restaurant at the back of the space, and tucked away from theglare of passers by. Although according to customer feedbackgarnered in the first week of trading, the window seatsunsurprisingly have been the most coveted. But let’s start at the entrance vestibule, complete with rich redwalls and mosaic tiled floor, and three rectangular windows thatgive you a view on the restaurant. The first thing to confront you isthe dark wooden bar, with tall tables in front of it, and acontinuation of the rich red on the walls. The walls are just shy ofthe ceiling, resembling a studio set for television, as HistoricScotland insisted that the original ceiling be retained with no falsewalls touching it, as well as preserving and protecting the originalfloor, which has been concealed by the restaurant’s dark woodenfloorboards and swirly white and fawn-coloured carpet. The baritself has been constructed using a similar wood and has a rusticlook to it, compounded by the wrought iron lights and simpleshades. A partition with several through shelves separates this area fromthe 230-cover restaurant. Various ornaments are on display on theshelves, such as gold vases, and there’s also a rather interestingmosaic on the restaurant-facing side of the partition wall.

DESIGN FOCUS : VIVA BRAZIL, GLASGOW BY JASON CADDY


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The centre point of the design is the central island servery andsalad bar, lit by three chandeliers and decked out with a brown andwhite veined marble top. Along the far wall are leather banquettes,upholstered in a cowhide, and the ranch theme is extended in thevarious rancho artwork. There’s also a gold framed mirror hangingin the middle of the wall. Dark wood chairs - with an array of different upholsteries – andtables populate the rest of the space, which is lit by some morewrought iron lights, next to exposed ventilation. This, again, wasanother in Historic Scotland’s long list of stipulations and shouldn’twork in this context, but it looks quite cool and intentional. The backwall houses the charcoal and gas ovens, doors to the variouskitchens, including one dedicated to raw meat only, to prevent anycross contamination. At the furthest end from the kitchen is a doorto a back corridor, off which the toilets are located. The men’s isclean, simple and functional enough with more heavy duty woodand sleek grey tiles – but the ladies are something else. They arevery opulent indeed, with huge ornate mirrors and tiles and carpet,the sum of which screams high end boutique hotel. And if you’releft slightly cold by the idea of a carpeted toilet, I’d say reserve yourjudgement. Back to the restaurant and at the back of the space are twosecluded areas at either end of the back wall and so opposite eachother. The first, which is just beyond the bar area, is home to thecoffee station and some brighter coloured booths and Brazilianobject d’art, the pinnacle of which is a framed picture made up ofcopper bowls stuck base-down to the canvas. The opposite area islarger, slightly raised and cordoned off by a balustrade and is a lotdarker, thanks to the bluish grey wallpaper with a feint fern patternand huge circular pendant lights with brown shades. I think thisarea would be ideal for private dining. There’s a growing Brazilian and Portuguese community in Scotland,and the way the food is presented and served is interesting andunique. So in both a business and cultural sense, this is a greataddition to Glasgow’s restaurant scene.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTS


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DRAM DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETINGPUBLISHED BY MEDIA WORLD LIMITEDUPPER FLOOR / FINNIESTON HOUSE / 1 THE STABLES YARD / 1103 ARGYLE STREET / GLASGOW / G3 8NDt. 0141 221 6965 e. [email protected] web. www.dramscotland.co.ukEditor: Susan Young • Chairman: Noel Young • Production: Jennifer Kelly Advertising Executives: Martin Cassidy, Emma MacDonald • Editorial: Jason Caddy • Administration: Cheryl CookePublished by Media World Ltd. Subscriptions: DRAM is available by subscription for all other qualified personsinvolved in the Scottish Licensed Trade at the rate of £48 per annum including the DRAM Yearbook.The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. Any transparencies orartwork will be accepted at owner’s risk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in anyform without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be madeto the publisher. Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. © MediaWorld Limited 2011.

ROUND UP

It was a real honour to become a Keeper ofthe Quaich last month. I was in goodcompany. As you can see from the picturesthe good and the great of the whiskyindustry were there, and with the whiskyflowing we all really enjoyed ourselves. Welldone to the organisers for their militaryprecision when it came to the event itself,and to my fellow KeeperÊs who came from16 different countries for the ceremony. Itwas fabulous.

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