Driving into London for the Glenbeg Tasting Event, especially now, is a big deal. Where I live, tucked away in a valley opposite the Old Man of Storr on the Misty Isle of Skye, is blissfully quiet. Looking out my window, all I can see is the rugged terrain, nature at play in the sky and on the hillside, and the occasional jet training in a crescendo of noise and fleeting speed.

London is, in every conceivable way, the opposite, and it’s alarming for someone surrounded day to day with silence. The bustle of it all; the towering, eclectic architecture, the sirens, tooting horns, revving mopeds, and a cacophony of cultures, languages and folk in a hurry to get where they’re going. It’s hard not to get overwhelmed by it all.

The destination was Tavistock Square where we’d be hosting an evening to celebrate our Glenbeg Partnership - one of the most joyous experiences we’ve ever had, with Ardnamurchan Distillery. We didn’t know what to expect of the evening, other than hoping in some way to bring the gathered into the world within which we’ve existed for the past year. A world that is rammed full of fun, human connection, shared experiences and the thrill of being part of something incredibly exciting.

Connal Mackenzie, Sales Director of Ardnamurchan Distillery, made his own journey from the similarly quiet nook of Nairn, in Inverness. But he’s more versed in the hustle and bustle of big cities and worldwide travel, as he and his team spread the word of what Ardnamurchan Distillery are doing: making unbelievably great whisky that is presented honestly, with integrity, quality and of astonishing value. I think I’m safe to say the night was special for him as well.

He’s been the driving force behind the partnership and has been intimately involved in the Marloe side of the project, inputting into the design and what it means for us all. But the driving force that propelled us to create the magnificent Glenbeg Blue set was primarily because I didn’t want to let him down. Ardnamurchan are ascending rapidly in the wave of “New Whisky” and their 10th anniversary is a massively important milestone on that journey - to allow us the privilege of celebrating such an important moment with them, so intrinsically, was a massive responsibility for us, and I didn’t want to drop the ball.

The project arrived perfectly - the Glenbeg Blue watches, resplendent in their Slate-Blue colourway and copper detailing, is the watch that has set the gold standard for us going forward - this is everything we want our watches to be: meaningful, playful, immersed in the subject to which the watch belongs, and most of all beautifully resolved. I couldn’t be more proud of the project and the work we’ve all put in to make this all happen flawlessly.

We’ve been shipping the Glenbeg Blue Sets for a few weeks now and watched in admiration as folk have been receiving them and being genuinely blown away by it all - the unboxing experience, the Glenbeg Blue, the gorgeous single-cask whisky bottle and all the nick-nacks included. It’s the real deal, and the feedback has been incredibly reassuring for us. But the event, this in-person tasting event where Connal and I would speak about the partnership for the first time, would hopefully allow everyone to feel what it was like to be part of this project.

And that’s exactly what transpired, over the course of 3 or so hours, we raised our Glencairn glasses, filled with beautiful liquid from Maclean’s Nose, Ardnamurchan AD/ Core Range and finally Cask 233, and recall the moments throughout the project, from me discovering whisky through a failed endeavour, to diving headfirst into Ardnamurchan’s world of whisky and finding Connal, to the first discussions about partnering to create something magical, all the way to where we stood now, in a room with everyone, ready to experience together for the first time in the world a single cask of 10 year old Sherry Cask Ardnamurchan whisky. A very special moment in time.

Surprisingly it wasn’t an emotional evening for me, in the sense I was tearing up and getting wistful like the Daytimer or the Morar 310. Whisky brings people together in shared fun and togetherness, and all of us last night knew how special it was to be together for this moment. Not just because Connal is a natural room-wrangler and can captivate audiences in a way that you never want it to end, but for a lot of those in attendance, it was their first interface with quality whisky.

Such is the way at our events, there were friends meeting again, new friendships being made and new people from both the watch and whisky worlds meeting us for the firsst time. I love speaking to everyone about what we do and why we do it, and Connal enjoyed seeing this shared love of both Marloe and Ardnamurchan. So many crossovers, with people coming to this partnership from both sides of the coin - watch enthusiasts finding Ardnamurchan whisky, and Ardnamurchan enthusiasts finding Marloe watches.

In the end we toasted togetherness, quickly cleaned up the room and set off into the brisk December streets, still bustling with traffic and people, in search of dinner, 24 hour Tescos and final drinks at the hotel bar. Team Glenbeg had a tremendous evening, with anecdotes generated that will last a lifetime and celebrating a positive end to a year that kept us on our toes. We hope those who managed to attend felt like they were part of our genuinely thrilling partnership, and found Cask 233 as stunning as we did when we stood over the oak cask in the dunnage warehouse, and marvelled at the beauty of the Water of Life. For those who couldn’t make it, hopefully this won’t be the last time we work with Ardnamurchan Distillery. Marloe turns 10 years old next year after all…

I’ve not even mentioned that we also launched the Glenbeg White last night (exclusively to attendees - public launch Thursday 12th December), which was a big moment too! It feels like we’ve done a great job with them both, and for those who are restricted from the Glenbeg Blue Set due to geographical/logistical barriers, the Glenbeg White doesn't contain whisky so there are no such issues. The design in the dial is very similar, but the clean white dial really packs a punch and looks fantastic on the wrist.

All that’s left to say is a massive thank you to Connal, Alex Bruce, the team at Ardnamurchan Distillery and all of you who made your way to the big smoke to spend an evening together in celebration of the majesty of genuine human collaboration. Slainte Mhath!