Edinburgh is one of the greatest cities in the world, fact. Emerging from Waverly train station up to this historic capital you merely have to turn your head to see the magnificent old town with its lofty towers jutting out precariously from the volcanic rock below. A magical sight, and one can imagine with ease that you've stepped back in time.
I was lucky to have been invited to come stay and drink some of Scotland's finest whiskies at Hotel Indigo. Hotel Indigo, a part of the Intercontinental group, are a chain of boutique city hotels of which there are now over 65 worldwide, offering luxury rooms at affordable prices. The hotel itself is a short 5 minute walk for the central station and finds itself in a pretty Regency townhouse dotted along a rather grand street in Edinburgh's new town, a mere stones throw from Harvey Nichols.
Upon arrival we were promptly shown to our room above. The room was bright and benefiting from the Georgian proportions with incredibly high ceilings and decent sized dwellings. The room was a serene blue yet had a warmth to it from the cosy soft furnishings. The bed greedily took up most of the space, which is not to say the room was small, it says more about the bed. The room was stocked with all the usual mod cons, huge flat screen tv facing the bed, cute little dresser for dolling one's self up, and a complimentary mini bar!
The minibar was non alcoholic, yet nonetheless was a thoughtful touch, offering obviously Iron Bru and other soft drinks and chocolate bars – nice. The bathroom was swish and had a large and very powerful shower which was an excellent wake up call post whiskey slumber – more of that to follow. Another great touch, Aveda products to wash you and your hair with. Really fab as these are expensive cosmetics which Harvey Nicks sells for a sweet price, and I only get as a gift at Xmas.
Moving on – once settled and freshened we went downstairs to the bar where we met Stuart the hotel's food and beverages manager to be indulged in and enlightened about the wonderful world of whisky. Stuart spoke with such enthusiasm and energy that would be difficult not to enjoy the whiskies that followed, even if whisky is "not your thing". We sampled various malts from Glenmorangie and I learnt for the first time how to smell whiskey. "If you breathe through your nose, you're doing it wrong", I'm told. The trick, so as not to burn the hairs off the back of your throat, is to open both mouth and nose to the glass, inhale as you would normally. This allows you to draw in those sweet and spiced aromas and detect the subtleties of flavours in the blends. Such a simple trick but a necessity for any whisky tasting.
Stuart too had a few gadgets and gizmos to show us. A smoker which is used to widen and excite the nostrils and fume up the senses before the tasting commences. To accompany out whiskies we nibbled on a range of interesting chocolates, each to be had alongside a different whisky, the saltiness of one and the chili heat of another complementing the whiskey blends. In addition there are little chunks of cheese too for those with a savoury palette, cheddar, parmesan and a smoked Applewood provided a welcome palette cleanser in between sips, and of course a helpful stomach liner. An interesting experience and one perhaps I would not have chosen of my own volition but having tried the whisky flight I would certainly be keen to do another. Pushing myself out of my usual wine tasting comfort zone, I was not disappointed.
After the tasting we headed to The Witchery in the old town for dinner and came home to our wonderful room well fed and drank. A fantastic night's sleep followed and once awoken and freshly scrubbed the following morning we enjoyed a continental breakfast and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels – a delight.
After the tasting we headed to The Witchery in the old town for dinner and came home to our wonderful room well fed and drank. A fantastic night's sleep followed and once awoken and freshly scrubbed the following morning we enjoyed a continental breakfast and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels – a delight.
After a short yet delightful day in Scotland's capital it was time for me and my companion to head home. Such a shame we didn't have more time in this majestic city, but with rooms including the whiskey flight and brekkie starting at £159 per room per night at Hotel Indigo, I'll certainly be coming back!
Room 8/10
Location 7/10
Value 7.5/10
Staff 9/10
Location 7/10
Value 7.5/10
Staff 9/10
http://www.hiedinburgh.co.uk/
