An imaginative marketing partnership has been brokered between Cowal’s famous Creggans Inn at Strachur on east Loch Fyne, the nationwide experts, The Whisky Shop and Marketing Argyll, the North Argyll-based company run by former Argyll and the Isles Tourism supremo, Mike Story and digital marketing expert, Jane Garrad.
The initiative came from Marketing Argyll and will see the owners of The Creggans Inn, Gill and Archie MacLellan, run a series of specialist Whisky Dinners, where specific whiskies are matched to the food in each course and the diners benefit from an informative commentary by some of The Whisky Shop’s national experts.
The idea is to move forwards the marketing potential of whisky by creating opportunities for people to learn how to drink it, how to combine it knowledgeably with food – and to do so by bringing together a historic coaching inn operating at a high standard of contemporary ease and comfort – and well known for its cuisine, with whisky experts from the UK’s major specialist retailer.
An additional bonus in this recipe is the location of the Creggans Inn, on the lovely Loch Fyneside and graced by the west coasts spectacular sunsets.
Marketing Argyll brought the partners together, with the idea they proposed enthusiastically welcomed in an enterprise which will see its inaugural outing this coming Saturday, presided over by The Whisky Shop’s Jamie Milne who is coming up from Glasgow for the occasion.
This private pilot will be followed by a series of similar events open to booking by the public and marketed by the partners through their own networks, with each extending their business offer and reach through the collaboration.
The expanded marketing network through the Whisky Shop connection, allows the Creggans Inn to develop new accommodation offers in association with access to acknowledged experts in whisky over these special whisky dinners.
The association of whisky with good food, comfort and the experience of the unforgettably scenic Argyll, allows The Whisky Shop to add another magnet to their sales campaigns.
And Marketing Argyll, the origin of the idea for this marketing partnership, underlines its reputation for innovation and contemporary marketing nous.
There is an interesting precedent for the association of special whisky with the Creggans Inn.
The owners who put it on the map from the late 1950s onwards were the celebrated soldier [a member of the original SAS], diplomat, politician and writer, Sir Fitzroy MacLean and his cook book author wife, Lady Veronica. Their personal network of famous friends – including author Ian Fleming for whose James Bond Sir Fitzroy was said to be the inspiration – were often seen around east Cowal while staying at Creggans.
But their fascinating link with the current marketing adventure is that at Creggans Fitzroy developed a unique whisky only available there – the MacPhunn dram.
Bringing the very best elements of Argyll together, the Whisky Dinner series at the Creggans Inn is already guaranteed to be MacPhunn.
The photographs above were taken recently by Mike Story, showing the lovey Creggans In in the evening sunlight, just before the sunset seen in train in the second shot.