The Dalmore and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald: a luxurious partnership

It’s holiday time, and many of you may be making a stopover in Western Canada. This is a great opportunity to stop off in Edmonton and enjoy The Dalmore and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. Find out more in this interview with Louis-Jérôme Barbosa-Doise of Whyte & Mackay, the group behind The Dalmore, Jura, Fettercain and Tamnavulin (we featured him a few months ago on our Gentologie Radio podcast (in french)).

The starting point for the collaboration between The Dalmore and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, the Keepers programme

What is the idea behind the association between The Dalmore and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald?

With The Dalmore, we’re constantly looking to expand our partnership with the most sought-after restaurants and bars across Canada, and what better place than Fairmont Hotels! Built under the pioneering vision of William Cornelius Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific, the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Western Canada are representative of the world’s most iconic hotels; as are our whiskies, which are also carefully crafted by our master distillers who are just as pioneering in their art.

Is this a special programme? 

Yes, we have created a programme with our restaurant partners called “The Dalmore Keepers,” which was born in Canada with one overarching objective: to ensure an experience of excellence, whether our customers are in London, Paris, Hong Kong, Vancouver or Edmonton. The Keepers programme offers these customers the main selection, which includes 12-year-olds, 15-year-olds and 18-year-olds, and at least one expression of The Dalmore aged 30 or over. In Canada, we currently have two member establishments: the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.

More on the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald

Could you tell us more about the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald?

The Fairmont Hotel MacDonald is the iconic hotel perched at the top of Edmonton’s city hill, and is a gathering place for politicians, celebrities, sports teams, and the Royal Family. It’s a perfect place to create a partnership to showcase our admired and exceptional whiskies. This iconic Château is as iconic as our whiskies.

The Confederation Lounge, the hotel’s main bar, is a decisive place where political agreements have been made, engagements have taken place, Oilers victories have been celebrated, and, of course, celebrations over several glasses of The Dalmore. The hotel took advantage of the pandemic to renovate this emblematic lounge, while respecting the DNA of this century-old venue. The result is a warm, welcoming place overlooking the North Saskatchewan River, with breathtaking views 365 days a year.

Our relationship was born out of one love: Scotch. Antosh Shetty, the hotel’s Director of Gastronomy and Mixology, wanted to offer his local and international clientele something completely unique. In Scotland (where Gentologie recently spent a few days), The Dalmore holds the largest collection of cask whiskies in the world.

Getting back to the main topic, we developed this partnership with the trust of the Confederation Lounge at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald and The Dalmore and concluded that this partnership would be ideal to offer something unique and exceptional. In fact, we scoured a number of whisky retailers in Alberta to secure the largest collection of single malts in a single location in North America.

What cocktails and products can you find?

The Fairmont Hotel MacDonald is the second “The Dalmore Keepers” in Canada to offer its guests :

• The Dalmore Principle Collection
• The Dalmore 12
• The Dalmore 15
• The Dalmore 18
• The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
• The Dalmore King Alexander
• The Dalmore Prestige
• The Dalmore 21
• The Dalmore 25
• The Dalmore 30
• The Dalmore 40
• The Dalmore 45
• The Dalmore Constellation Collection
• The Dalmore Constellation 1992, cask no. 328
• The Dalmore Constellation 1976, cask no. 1499

This partnership between The Dalmore and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald features a number of exceptional cocktails, including the Confed Old Fashioned, priced at $299 and made with The Dalmore 25, white truffle honey, Amaro Montenegro, lavender extract, chocolate and smoked vanilla.

The Service

Each Dalmore will be served on a Christofle silver platter, with crystal glasses featuring the House’s famous emblematic stag, and coasters, to create a memorable, luxurious and refined experience.

Confederation Lounge

Open every day from 11am to midnight.
Reservations recommended.

Adress:

Fairmont Hotel MacDonald
10065 100 St NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 0N6

Visit the Confederation Lounge website

Visit Fairmont Hotel MacDonald