Chay Blyth To Run Classic Malts Cruise

London Boat Show - 05 January 2002

The Classic Malts Cruise, the annual 200-mile sailing cruise through the Inner Hebrides, will this year be organised by Sir Chay Blyth's World Cruising Club, it was announced today at the London Boat Show. The Classic Malts Cruise, now starting its tenth year, was devised and is sponsored by the Classic Malts of Scotland. World Cruising Club will take on the cruiser/event participation management, whilst Classic Malts of Scotland will concentrate on managing hospitality at the Oban, Talisker and Lagavulin distilleries where the boats call, and on looking after their media guests from malt whisky markets all over the world.

This year's Cruise will take place between 13th and 26th July. As before, it will start in Oban. Crews find their own route northwards to Skye, then back south to end at Islay. Hospitality is offered to all crews by the coastal Classic Malts distilleries at Oban, Talisker (on Skye) and Lagavulin (on Islay), where the closing celidh is held.

Nick Morgan, Marketing Director, Classic Malts, said at the Boat Show: "Last year's Cruise was another great success, with over 90 crews participating, the majority new to the Cruise, and many new to the waters of the West Coast of Scotland. But we were stretched to provide the degree of organisation and support that we managed in 2000, even with the help of excellent volunteers from the Clyde Cruising Club, so we are delighted to announce that the World Cruising Club, part of the Challenge Business, will be taking on the task of Cruiser/event participant management. This will ensure that anyone participating in the 2002 Cruise will have first-class treatment from their first point of contact when they register their interest with the Cruise through to, and including the event itself. We will also be exploring with the World Cruising Club how we can in the future extend the reach of the Classic Malts Cruise to sailors both at home, and overseas."

Morgan added: "I'm happy to announce that our relationship with the Clyde Cruising Club, who have done so much in past years to navigate us through many uncharted waters, will continue."

Sir Chay Blyth, Executive Chairman of Challenge Business said: "We're absolutely delighted to be involved with the Classic Malts Cruise which we've watched and admired from afar for many years! Our World Cruising Club division of Challenge Business, which will be working alongside the Classic Malts Team, has been organising the world's largest transoceanic crossing in the world, the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), for 16 years and we're looking forward to working on another fantastic event."

"The Classic Malts Cruise is the perfect setting to present one of Scotland's premier products, Classic Malts. The highlands of Scotland hold a particular interest for me as I'm Scottish and the cruise takes in some of the most stunning scenery in the world. I'm looking forward to taking part in the event and of course joining in on all the festivities, which the cruise is also well renowned for."

Notes for editors:

• The Classic Malts of Scotland, sponsor of the Classic Malts Cruise, is the premium malt whisky business of GuinnessUDV.
• The Classic Malts(™) of Scotland - Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Cragganmore, Oban, Lagavulin and Talisker - are six premium malt whiskies, each chosen from one of Scotland's six traditional distilling regions to best exemplify the style and character of the whiskies that those regions produce.
• The Classic Malts were launched in the UK in 1989. In their first year of sales the Classic Malts range sold 14,000 9litre cases. Annual sales now exceed 300,000 cases.

Contacts:
contact Jeremy Wyatt at World Cruising Club on
tel. +44 (0)1983 296060
fax +44 (0)1983 295959
e-mail: [email protected]

World Cruising Club, 120 High Street, Cowes, PO31 7AX, England

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