Autumn 2025 Banquet

Autumn Banquet 2025

Banquet Overview

The Keepers of the Quaich welcomed guests to the 70th Keepers of the Quaich Autumn 2025 Banquet, held at Blair Castle on 6th October 2025.

There were 48 Keepers inducted as Life Members. This brought the total number of members who have been inducted as Keepers to over 3,000.

In addition, there were five Masters inducted, bringing the total to over 260.

Masters of the Quaich

  • Douglas Belford – Glenfarclas
  • Christine McCafferty – Diageo
  • Martin Murdoch – Edrington
  • Kazuhito Watanabe – Chivas
  • David Williamson – William Grant and Sons

Lindsay Fox was the Guest of Honour and Speaker. The Keepers of the Quaich Society's Piper, Bruce Hinch, was our Honorary Keeper.

The Earl of Hopetoun is the 24th Grand Master.

The top table was hosted by the Chair, Aristotelis Baroutsis, along with Melina Enotiadou. Also in attendance were the Duke of Argyll, the Viscount and Viscountess Thurso, the Earl of Erroll, Bertie Troughton, the Lord and Lady Bruce, James and Celia Espey, Nicholas and Louise Carr and Andrew Fox.

We were delighted to welcome back the Erdradour Pitlochry and Blair Atholl Youth Band and the house band ‘Spirit of the Quaich’ led by the previous recipient of the scholarship with the RCS, Chris Grey.

The Atholl Highlanders beat the retreat at the end of the evening.

Photography:

All Photography is now available at the link below.

 

THE GUEST OF HONOUR, SPEAKER

LINDSAY FOX AC

 

Lindsay Fox is celebrated across Australia as a national treasure. A canny pioneering businessman, celebrated AFL legend, convivialist, and a natural raconteur, Lindsay’s innate humility, sense of morality, infectious charm, and generous spirit represents Australia at its brilliant best. It’s also hard to think of a more connected person with his spectacularly eclectic circle of friends spanning all walks of life across all corners of the globe.

From a resolute work ethic and a single truck in 1956, Lindsay successfully built Linfox into the largest privately-owned logistics company in the Asia–Pacific region. Today, Linfox employs tens of thousands of people, ensuring the movement of essential goods that keep communities and economies thriving. One of these is Scotch, with Linfox having transported well over 100 million bottles of Scotch across its vast network, enabling Lindsay to serve the spirit of Scotland that he loves so dear. In recognition of his relentless passion and service to the industry, Lindsay was inducted as a Keepers of the Quaich in 2017 which, at the age of eighty, made him the oldest Keeper ever to be inducted – a record he still holds to this day!

Beyond his extraordinary corporate success, Lindsay’s legacy is deeply philanthropic with the Fox family generously funding millions of dollars towards championing medical research, education, the arts, and community programs that have improved countless lives.

At the core of all that Lindsay does has been his commitment to family, as vividly embodied by his unwavering loyalty to his wife Paula, his children, grandchildren, and the community of close friends - some of whom are here with us tonight. That very same loyalty was also on show at St Kilda, where he proudly wore the colours as a player before later steering the club as President.

Known by many as ‘The Tricky Truckie’ – Lindsay is a living legend with a twinkle in his eye who can hold a room in the palm of his hand and who lives by his famous motto: “Don’t Postpone Enjoyment.” As such, we are thrilled to welcome him back to Blair Castle as our Guest of Honour tonight in tandem with his table of family and friends from Australia.

 

Johnnie Walker Black Ruby

Inspired by the rich depth of Johnnie Walker Black Label, Black Ruby reimagines our signature smoothness with an unexpected burst of dark fruit, honeyed sweetness and delicate smoke. Crafted with innovation at its heart, this new interpretation is a testament to the artistry of blending, balancing carefully selected cask finishes, from first-use red wine casks to PX Oloroso and ex-bourbon casks. The nose is a captivating bouquet of ripe raspberry jam, blackberry pie and dark cherries, layered with hints of golden honey and toasted oak, and a whisper of subtle smoke. The palate is a vibrant flavour explosion – luscious fig, juicy plum and maraschino cherry lead the way, complemented by deep caramel, dark chocolate and warming spice. A delicate wisp of smoke lingers in the background, adding depth and intrigue. The finish is long, smooth and indulgently rich. Sweet vanilla, oak spice and lingering fruit fade into a gentle warmth, with a final whisper of delicate smoke that leaves you wanting more.

Chivas Regal 18YO The Gold Signature

Created in 1997 and revered by connoisseurs across the globe, this deliciously iconic 18-year-old blend of Chivas Regal ‘Gold Signature’ is woven from no fewer than 85 flavour notes, each a masterstroke in life’s rich tapestry of taste!

Aromas of vanilla, dried fruits, almonds, buttery toffee and chocolate orange ignite the senses; while the palate reveals dark, velvety chocolate, elegant florals and a gentle wisp of mellow smoke.

The finish is seductively warm, lingering and resonant – culminating in a glorious whisky, a celebration, and a golden signature on the passage of time.

The Glenrothes 15YO

The Glenrothes 15 Year Old is a wonderful introduction to the bright, fruity and elegant single malt produced by this Speyside distillery. Aged in predominately first-fill European oak sherry-seasoned casks, this is a boldly balanced addition to The Glenrothes range. The distinctive packaging uses shades of lichen green, inspired by the natural greenery of The Glenrothes Estate, to create a design as elegant as the whisky. The nose is dark brown sugar, baked orchard fruits, cinnamon and allspice, accompanied by hazelnut praline, candied orange peel, toasted oak and a touch of maple syrup. The palate delivers flavours of caramelised pears, dark chocolate and cardamom, underpinned by notes of pecan pie, crystalised ginger and orange marmalade. Soft, rich and mouth-coating with lingering bright sweet spice.

Balvenie 19YO

Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie describes this unique 19-year-old Balvenie as “the perfect way to showcase the journey of our Coopers, representing Ian McDonald’s work with Spanish bodegas. It’s a really rich expression, with familiar honey smoothness revealing layers of spice, and intense ripe fruits like a freshly baked Christmas cake, currants and raisins then giving way to chewy fig, and a long creamy, nutty finish. It has deep layers of flavour, all created by maturation solely in European oak ex-sherry casks and showcasing our Coopers’ craft perfectly.” The nose is lively and vibrant, this Balvenie has notes of fig and geranium oil perfectly balanced with fresh herbal undertones reminiscent of green woodland. While the palate has flavours of honey, cloves and caramelised baked dates layered on top of delicate citrus and spice, the sweetness reveals an underlying oaky dryness. The finish has lingering, oaky, dried blossom.

2004 Glenfarclas

Distilled in 2004, this 19-year-old Family Cask embodies the enduring spirit of Glenfarclas while revealing its own unique character and flavour. Bottled in 2024 at a robust 58.8% ABV, this first-fill Oloroso sherry cask delivers a rich, full-bodied sherried profile that that remains on the palate with a long-lasting finish. It is both a reflection of Glenfarclas’ heritage and a singular moment in its story.

As the last distillery in Scotland to use fully direct-fired stills, Glenfarclas continues this time-honoured tradition in every expression. Crafted in 2004 using this technique, the release showcases the added complexity, depth and richness that only direct firing can impart.

Course Description

Now more than ever, corporations are investing heavily in IT. The quality of these investments affects the daily work of millions.

Yet it’s not uncommon to see industry surveys where the failure rates for IT projects is over 50%. It’s possible to do better and it’s possible to do so consistently. Use the Business Model Canvas to focus your company strategy and facilitate buy-in from stakeholders.

In this two-week course, we’ll step through major challenges within corporate IT and how to address them with the disciplined use of design thinking, Lean Startup, and agile as a team framework.

Translate your work on the Canvas to specific charters in IT. Rapidly prototype strategically-aligned processes for implementation within your IT infrastructure. How do you define a customer-centric strategy you can actually execute? To do strategic IT, you’ve got to have a strategy! Ideally, you need one that’s easy to understand and use as a clear basis for action.

That’s what you’ll learn in this course.

A Short Description

A customer-centric way of doing business is a way that provides a positive customer experience before and after the sale in order to drive repeat business, enhance customer loyalty and improve business growth.

But, a customer-centric company is more than a company that offers good service. Both Amazon and Zappos are prime examples of brands that are customer-centric and have spent years creating a culture around the customer and their needs. Their commitment to delivering customer value is genuine – In fact, Zappos is happy to fire employees if they do not fit within their customer-centric culture!

But, how important is being customer-centric? The good news is that’s becoming very important! Econsultancy recently asked what the most important characteristic is in order to establish a truly “digital-native” culture. The answer to that question and leading the responses with 58% was to be customer-centric.

Enroll in this course to find out.

A Memory to Cherish

Banquet

Photography

 

A full selection of banquet imagery is available to download or purchase. To download, favourite the images with the heart icon, and when you have selected all images you require, select "Favourite" from the top menu, input your email address, select the quality you desire (web for use on digital, or high quality if you intend to print). The system will then email you the correct files.