As I mentioned in a previous post there is a bit of selling pressure when you are on a cruise. They know that it is a special occasion for many people and that may loosen the purse strings for a special purchase. There are various talks about the brands they sell in the shops. I saw one called Scotches and watches that I thought was worth a look.
It took place in one of the smaller bars on the ship. I was first one there, but a load of people came along as it started. I expect some were coming from other events as there was always something on.
One of the guys from the watch shop told us that they had paired watches with various whiskies. The pairing was fairly contrived as some were based a little on brand history, but sometimes just on matching colours.
My Scottish brother-in-law loves his scotch, but did not come along. He is a little dismissive of Johnnie Walker. It is very popular, but maybe that is due to good marketing. Apparently they are opening an 'experience' in Edinburgh. Our first taste was of Double Black, which is very smokey. It was interesting, but I would not be able to drink much of it. The watch for that was from Oris who I knew little about, but apparently they have never made a battery watch, unlike Rolex.
The barman was telling us about each whisky. I will admit that I am no expert, so I learnt a bit. I did not really know Chivas Regal, but this is also a blended scotch. I found that more drinkable. The watch was from Tag Heuer. I like the look of those as they are not too flashy. I am not really into jewelery, but I can admire good engineering. Maybe I can treat myself when $HIVE really moons. We were allowed to pass these first two watches around, but I expect we were being closely observed.
I have had a bottle of Cardhu that I really enjoyed, but it was not this particular one. It was nice, but there was a Scottish guy sitting next to me who challenged them on whether this was the real thing. They said that his palette may have been affected by the previous scotches so it tasted different. The matching watch was from Breitling and is probably way out of my price range. I get that a good watch can last a lifetime, but I am happy with my Garmin.
These three whiskies were all quite small measures in these little glasses, but it was enough to get a taste. The guys did joke that we might not be able to walk afterwards, but I would have struggled if they were full measures.
Finally we had another Johnnie Walker, but this was the 18 year old Gold Label. We got a good amount of that in a big glass, but they invited us to go upstairs to their shop to see the last watch before we tasted it.
Here I am with some Breitlings. Note the lack of prices. They only had those on watches being sold at a discount. You could get 10% off if you spent at least £1500. The last watch was actually a second hand Rolex which I did not get a picture of. It was a little flashy for my tastes and at £11,500 way beyond what I would spend on anything. I have a plaster on my hand as I got a blister when we went kayaking. The scotch was nice, but I am not sure I would pay £90 for a bottle of it.
I did end up buying a bottle of scotch, but it was not any of those and you will have to wait for another post to hear about that.
On my earlier post @livinguktaiwan mentioned that she had been on the same ship earlier in the year and her group had a bit of a spending spree on drinks thanks to winning a voucher.
Cheers!
That sounds like a really fun cruise event. Nice watches and great drink.
I love looking at watches, but I rarely wear one. With a clock on just about every device, app, and everywhere you look, it seems like money better spent elsewhere 🤣 That's just me though, there is a certain style that comes with a nice watch :)
Hope you're having a great cruise! Cheers
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I can admire the watches for their engineering, but I just wouldn't spend thousands on one. I feel much the same about cars.
We were only away for a week. Back to the grind now :)
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BEERKING.I enjoy tasting experiences. This memory came back to me while reading your post. While not on a boat, it was fun.
Back when Budweiser owned SeaWorld, they had a food and beer pairing taste session. They combined various Budweiser brand beers with chocolate, cheese, olives, strawberries, etc... Funnily enough the pairings actually worked well together.
As this was open to any adult over the age of 21 who was at SeaWorld there was nothing to buy except general park souvenirs. They also offered a longer 1/2 day Beer School, but I never attended. Now that Budweiser no longer owns SeaWorld, that is a missed opportunity I regret not taking advantage of all those years ago.
Pairing drink and food makes more sense than watches. I didn't know Budweiser ever owned that place, not that I have been there. I think people are getting more experimental with drinks. There are so many whisky, beer and gin companies now all competing for sales. I do enjoy a beer festival as that gives an opportunity to sample lots of different beers. I quite like some of the more unusual ones that you may not see elsewhere.
Cheers!
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BEER.I have always fancied a Tag or a Breitling but that would indeed have to be when hive truly moons.
I love the name of the shop even though I hate whisky being called scotch!
I'd consider spending a few hundred on a watch that looks nicer than my Garmin if I could see a need for it, but if it cost thousands I'd be worrying about it too much.
That was just the name of the talk. I'n not even sure what the separate watch and drink shops were called. I guess they must sell enough watches for it to be worth being there.
Ah yes!
I balk at the idea but I guess it's all about how much you want the darn things. My friend collects them and he isn't hugely well if but loves adding a watch to his collection
That is really cool. What a great event you were able to attend. I have actually never bought a bottle of Johnny Walker. It just seems too common. I know there are a bunch of different flavors, but I like to stick with stuff that isn't quite so mainstream. I do love looking at watches, but like you said, I would probably never spend the money on a nice one. Plus, I am pretty clumsy, so my luck I would scratch it all up anyway.
I love watches but what I love more is the marketing strategy.
I once read about a jewelry shop who gave free drinks as a persuasion technique.
I am happy to see someone experience it first hand.
I don't take alcohol and so it might not interest me .
Maybe they hope that drunk people will spend more. It didn't work with me :)
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I think the point is to play with peoples conscience as people tend to want to pauly once they get a free stuff.
So most people actually reject it, so they don't feel pressured to buying.
In Nigeria, guys who sell suya( roasted meat) give free pieces of meat for you to taste, so you can buy more
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BEER.I'd go for the Cardhu. Cheers 🙂
I have always heard if the Johnny walker.. but never really seen it..
You had their drink tho but didn't buy..
I believe it's just their touch of marketing . You don't have to buy, but they leave you with an after taste.. so whenever you think of scotch which you probably love..
You ll be coming back for some watches hehehe
What I've had from them was okay. If it's all that's available then I probably would not object to it. There are plenty of others out there though.
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