Border store
Joe Bates heads across the American border
The US and Canada share the longest common border anywhere in the world. It stretches an astonishing 5,522 miles and dotted along its length at major crossings are numerous duty-free shops,many of them run by small, family-owned businesses.
One of the biggest and best stores on the Canadian side of the border is at the Blue Water Bridge crossing between Ontario in Canada and Michigan in the US.
In 2003 family-owned Blue Water Bridge Duty Free won the coveted Frontier Award for the best duty-free retailer of the year— no mean feat given the size of some other duty-free operators in the running.
Blue Water’s whisky offer is very good, stretching to some 160 lines and is regularly updated as new launches become available.As you might expect there are plenty of Canadian whiskies on offer, including Gibson’s Sterling (C$12/£6),Canadian Club (C$40.97/£20.50) and the very collectable Wiser’s Red Letter (C$120/£60), which is aged 10 years in virgin oak barrels and commemorates the brand’s 150th anniversary.
The bourbon and Tennessee whiskey on offer is extensive too.
Jack Daniel’s fans will find a real cask of their favourite whisky instore and can purchase a specially engraved bottle siphoned from it.
Malt whisky sales are growing fast and Blue Water is building a new in-store area to showcase aged and rare Scotch whiskies.The new section of the shop is almost complete. High-end lines already available include The Macallan Fine Oak 18 Years Old (C$109.95/£55),G.....
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By Joe Bates
Section : Travel retail
Page number : 34
