Bend It Like Beckham

David Beckham is the reason why my daughter started playing football, she played four seasons for her childhood team Everton for the girls academy. Her inspiration came from the film “Bend It Like Beckham” which was released in 2002. I was reminded of this iconic film whilst watching The Blacklist on Sky, as one of cast is Parminder Nagra (Jess) who starred alongside Keira Knightley (Jules) in the film. Both are aspiring female footballers whose hearts are set on becoming professional players. The film was released at a time when professional women’s football was in its infancy within the UK and not taken seriously by the sporting world or public, the exceptions being Germany and the United States. In fact, the USA women’s professional ‘soccer’ generates more revenue than the male equivalent.   

If you are a fan of David Beckham you may be aware that he is an ambassador for Haig Club, helping to create the product in 2014. Diageo approached David about becoming a brand partner, as they felt David’s image aligned perfectly with their product styling, with such a unique image we could be talking about David or Haig Club here? When you catch sight of the bottle in a bar, the thing that catches your eye is the beautiful cobalt blue glass and square shaped bottle with the gold lettering. It stands out from the crowd! The same could be said for David Beckham!

Haig Club Clubman is a single grain scotch whisky, distilled at Cameronbridge distillery in Scotland, founded in 1824 by John Haig. This single grain whisky is matured exclusively in fresh bourbon casks which gives it a unique sweet vanilla flavour. Haig is built on 400 years of distilling history; the house of Haig can trace its roots back to the 17th century. The Haig Club brand got its inspiration from archived material from the 1920’s, in which Haig was advertised as the ‘clubman’s whisky’.

In my opinion the target market for Haig Club Clubman is the “cocktail” drinker, it has been described as a whisky for everybody. I have personally introduced Haig Club Clubman to friends who are traditionally gin and tonic drinkers, definitely not whisky drinkers and they have loved it. However it has to be served correctly and with attention to detail. There are various combinations worth trying to name a few;

·        Clubman and Cola

·        The New Old Fashioned

·        Clubman Espresso Martini

·        Clubman Whisky Sour

My favourite being the Haig Club Orange & Tonic. This is best served in a highball glass filled with ice, pour over 50ml Haig Club Clubman, a few splashes of Orange Angostura bitters topped up with Fentimans Tonic water, stirred for 15-20 seconds and garnished with a slice of orange and a slither of orange peel. I find this a refreshing change from a gin & tonic, easy to prepare and a pleasure to drink. Bend a few of your own rules and give it a try, you might find you like it!

If it’s good enough for someone who is iconic, stylish, easy on the eye and charismatic its good enough for David Beckham too!

My personal score on this single grain whisky, from a possible 100 is 85. A typical wholesale price would be around ￡18 +VAT so it is competitively priced.

The official tasting notes;

APPEARANCE, A light straw colour with a delicate texture.

NOSE, A wonderful combination of sweet toffee, popcorn, coconut and butterscotch balanced by some zestier citrus notes and some crisp, green apple freshness.

TASTE, Hints of toffee, maple syrup, salted caramel and Crème br?lée all contribute to the deliciously creamy texture, which is complimented perfectly by fresh notes of apple, lemon and mint.

FINISH, A relatively smooth and clean finish with some gentle reminders of the caramel and maple syrup sweetness and a lingering hint of cinnamon spice.

Country, Scotland

Distillery/Brand, Haig

Bottler, Haig

Style, Single Grain Whisky

ABV, 40.0%

Volume, 70cl