Cheers! Mumbai's T2 gets new luxe liquor lounge

Mumbai's T2 became the first airport in the world to get Johnnie Walker House, a unique lounge where travellers can purchase exclusive whiskeys as they wait for their international flights.

The Johnnie Walker House at T2 is only the fourth of its kind in the world, the others being in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. It is a collaboration between Diageo, DFS Group and Flemingo International.

The T2 provided Diageo enough reason to choose Mumbai over other cities for the House. "With Johnnie Walker's 200-yearold history, there is a lot to learn in terms of taste, touch and smell elements of the whiskey," says Doug Bagley, Managing Director, Travel Retail, Global Travel & Middle East, Diageo.

"At the Johnnie Walker House, connoisseurs can learn about the brand and take away something that is exclusive than what they would purchase in the domestic markets." Among the exclusive whiskeys available at the lounge is the Johnnie Walker House Art Collection Mumbai Edition, priced at $390 (Rs 23,600 approx).


Also on offer are the John Walker & Sons Master Blender Col lection — Victorian Era and John Walker & Sons Master Blender Collection — Art Décor Era ($4950 each, Rs 3 lakh approx) and Johnnie Walker The Commemorative 1956 Edition ($3,579, Rs 2,17,000 approx).

The Johnnie Walker House in Seoul has six f loors and is much bigger than the one in T2. Bagley explains how this is the basic difference between domestic and travel retail.

"Domestically, we are in the land. In travel retail, we work with the airport authorities and partner with the duty free operators. We are constrained by the space of the airport," he says.

Many Indians, according to Bagley, know their whiskey. "The explosive growth in the economic worth of India and in high net worth individuals is fueling the desire for more premium whiskey," he says.