Melbourne finds room for Scotch
Joe Bates travels down under to check out what’s on offer.
You will be hard-pressed to find a more patriotic nation than Australia so it is perhaps no surprise that Melbourne airport’s recently refurbished F1RST duty-free shop bangs the drum loudly for that most famous of Aussie tipples, Bundaberg rum.
The newly expanded departures shop features a whole branded display unit dedicated to the brand along with numerous ‘Bundy’accessories such as T-shirts and baseball caps.Thankfully, however, there is still floor space enough to house a decent Scotch whisky offer.
Prices are claimed to be up to 60 per cent cheaper than the Australian domestic market.
Overseas travellers are also likely to make some excellent savings thanks the shop owner’s policy of guaranteeing prices will be lower than at Singapore,Hong Kong, Bangkok,Dubai,Auckland and Heathrow airports.
The allowance for inbound passengers is large by international standards at over 2 litres per passenger and makes shopping in the airport’s arrivals store an attractive option.You can pre-order at www.f1rstdutyfree.com.au and collect your purchase when you arrive.
The standard Scotch and bourbon categories are particularly well represented — examples include Jim Beam White at A$28.99,Ballantine’s Finest also at A$28.99 (£12.90),The Famous Grouse at $27.99 (£12.45) and Wild Turkey at $29.99 (£13.33). Look out for regular ‘two for A$47’ deals on these and other standard brands.
In the premium and deluxe blended categories highlights include the likes of Johnni.....
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By Joe Bates
Section : Travel retail
Page number : 38
