Where I live, the Sultanate of Oman, is a sovereign nation in the Arabian Gulf. It is a benign monarchy friendly to the West. That said, it’s tougher to get a good range of whisky here than in “Disneyworld” up the road (otherwise known as Dubai).

The discreet legalized retail trading shops here (available only to registered permit holders) are managed by Indians who also decide the stock of the various luscious libations. Among their ranges, they have a modest range of single malt whiskies, all well-known and Scottish-made. The same range tends to be stocked by branches of the various different competitive shops. Likewise, blended whiskies tend to be familiar Scottish brands, including J&B, JW Black/Blue/Red Label, Whyte & Mackay, Famous Grouse etc etc. I was on the internet one day and noticed that the Whyte & Mackay group of brands was bought by a very successful Indian businessman and W&M’s malt range includes The Dalmore, Jura and various others. That would explain why they are regularly stocked in the Omani trading shops.

I’ve also noticed strange brands stated as produced in Scotland. These include brands such as “Clan MacGregor” and “King Robert” (whose logo looks more like a Muscovite Strelitzi than a Scottish king !) bottled in Broxburn or somewhere exotic. There is also a range of Indian-made whiskies.

The premium Scottish brands cost anywhere from RO8 for blended Scotch to RO20+ for single malts, though rarer special malts are RO 140+.

On the other hand, Clan MacGregor is about RO3.00, while Indian brands are about RO1.50 on average.

RO1 = US$ 2.60

The question is, what’s the good stuff ?

I’ll keep you posted as to the brand names !

In case I get too cocky, I remember how the Scottish whisky industry used to laugh at Japanese efforts to copy Scottish whiskies with results like “King Anne” and “Black and White Horse”.

But it only took a few years to wipe the smirk of our self-satisfied faces though, once they hit the market with Suntory and other brands !