Category Archives: Travel Retail

Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and is also host to many international companies. Because of this I thought there would be a chance that the airport would be fairly well constructed and organised, with a decent duty-free store or two. Well… it isn’t. The airport is a hole, and if you’re flying to Lagos prepare yourself for a crowded, un-air conditioned, stifling experience.

There are duty-free stores when flying out of Lagos, but they match their greater environment; poorly stocked, poorly serviced, poorly maintained. Prices of goods are quoted in both naira and US dollars, and are usually cheaper in dollars, so try and have some if you plan on buying anything.

There were a handful of whiskies on offer, most of which showed evidence of being on the same shelf for years: Knockando 12y0 1993 ($45), Glenfiddich 12yo with old packaging ($40), Glenkinchie 10yo which is no longer produced ($40), Glen Elgin 12yo with all the boxes water damaged ($30), and a bottle of two of Aberlour one of which was the 16yo double cask.

And that my friends is it. Moral of the story, if you are flying into Lagos and hope to pick-up a bottle of whisky on your trip, best to do it in the airport of original departure.

Jo’burg’s international airport has duty-free shopping in both the departure and arrival areas. The departure area has two stores, the one is very close to the boarding gates and has less on offer. It is the main duty-free store that is worth your time. There are lots of good whiskies available with some good deals, many of the expressions are not available in South Africa. There are also some seriously ultra premium bottles to be found, for those who have their Rolls Royce and chauffeur awaiting them at their destination.

The two arrival stores have a smaller selection (the one better than the other) but are still handy for last minute purchases. All-in-all, if passing through the airport and interested in whisky, you will be able to find something worth drinking.

Whiskies: (The ones I can remember)
Aberlour: 10yo, 12yo, 15yo, 16yo, A’bunadh
anCnoc: 12yo
Ardbeg: 10yo
Ardmore: Traditional Cask
Balblair: Two vintages, one was a 1994
Balvenie: 12yo, 21yo, 40yo (R52,000 ≈ £4,700)
BenRiach: 3 x 15yo with various finishes, 16yo
Bowmore: Surf, 12yo Enigma, 15yo Mariner
Caol Ila: 12yo, Distillers Edition
Cragganmore: 12yo
Dalmore: 12yo, 40yo (R20,000 ≈ £1,800)
Dalwhinnie: 15yo, Distiller’s Edition
Glengoyne: Burnfoot, 12yo cask strength, 14yo, 17yo, 21yo
Highland Park: 16yo, 40yo (R14,400 ≈ £1,300)
Glenfiddich: 12yo, 12yo Caoran, 15yo, 18yo, 21yo, 40yo (R20,600 ≈ £1,800), 1973 vintage (R21,500 ≈ £1,900)
Glenfarclas: 105, 12yo, 105 40yo (R9000 ≈ £810)
Glenlivet: 12yo, 18yo, 21yo
Glenmorangie: Original, 18yo, Signet (R2,000 ≈ £180)
Jura: 10yo and one other
Laphroaig: Quarter Cask, 10yo
Macallan: Select Oak, Whisky Maker’s Edition
Old Pulteney: 12yo
Sinlgeton of Dufftown: 12yo
Talisker: 10yo
Yamazaki: 10yo, 12yo, 18yo

Apart from single malts, there is the usual entry range of blends and Irish whiskeys, but nothing special except for the Jamesons Rarest Vintage Reserve (R4,000 ≈ £360) and Whyte & Mackay 40yo.

Last update: March 2, 2011

Travel Retail is the new fancy way of saying Duty-Free. Not sure when or why the change took place, but the idea is the same: Stores in specified international zones in various ports of travel, primarily airports, are exempt from applying local and national taxes and duties. This then enables travelers to purchase what is often luxury items for good prices. Fine you say, but why would a whisky blogger take the time to write a post on this topic? Well my friends, for those of you who don’t know, travel retail is often a damn good place to find some damn good whiskies, at damn good prices… and they’re often 1 litre! There is also a trend amongst distilleries to produce expressions exclusively for travel retail stores, and you may find a core expression or two that is not distributed in your country of residence. So if you keep a keen eye open, you may well find something that will make you the envy of all your whisky friends – may they be real or digital.

With this in mind, when I travel I will do my best to note which whiskies are being offered in which airports, so that if you are ever flying a similar route, you can be prepared for what lies ahead. I also ask, that as a reader, you let the rest of us know what whiskies you’ve seen recently at a particular airport. (This can be done in various forms; add a comment to this post or email me and I’ll add it as a new post and give you the credit.)

There is danger in this, I am aware, as whiskies may be sold out, or just no longer stocked at the airport in question by the time you get there, but I still think there is more to gain in this endeavour than there is to loose. It’s good to be prepared, some airports have a great selection, some may have less whisky than your local nunnery.

Just some history for the buffs: The world’s first duty-free store was found at Shannon Airport, Ireland, by Dr Brendan O’Regan in 1947 and is still in service to this day. It was established to provide a service for trans-Atlantic airline passengers travelling between Europe and North America.

Safe journey!