Scotland’s capital is well known for its warm hospitality and fairytale architecture, but luxury shopping in Edinburgh is also to be revered. One reason is Scotland’s reputation for quality products, from loom-woven tweed to traditional fudge and whiskies distilled over decades. But this city is also physically a delight to shop, with secret-feeling passages and arcades branching off cobbled, sloping streets.  

Of course, any modern European city now has the chain boutiques and typical designer labels you’ll find everywhere. This means, for a quality Edinburgh gift or souvenir you have to know where to go. Whether you’re after quality scarfs and sweaters or a local delicacy to give to friends, visit these seven fabulous shopping spots before you leave. 

For travel inspiration: Scotland destination guide

Johnstons of Elgin, Multrees Walk 

Credit: @johnstonsofelgin on Instagram

Multrees Walk is Edinburgh’s luxury boutique enclave, where the cashmere and fabrics specialist Johnstons of Elgin nestles alongside Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Max Mara. The textiles company has had a store in Hawick, Scotland since 1797 and created its first tweed in 1846; this ultra-modern two-floor boutique sells menswear, womenswear and accessories, all made in Scotland. From buttery soft cashmere scarves (perfect for the flight home) to Fairisle knitted sweaters and timeless plaid coats, Johnstons has all of the cozy garb you’re craving.  

Discover Edinburgh on: Castles & Kingdoms, British Royale

Strathberry, Multrees Walk 

Credit: @strathberry on Instagram

A leader in handcrafted leather goods, Scottish label Strathberry is the place to snap up a smart tote bag or sophisticated leather wallet. An staple of luxury shopping in Edinburgh, it was founded in 2013 by husband and wife duo Leeanne and Guy Hundleby.  The brand is Edinburgh born and raised but inspired by leather artisans in southern Spain, where the couple once lived. Each item is handcrafted in Spain but rooted in the Scottish luxury scene; head to the company’s glossy Multrees Walk boutique to peruse the softly illuminated displays of bags in pine-needle greens, toffee browns and oxblood reds. There are also three branches in London.  

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Hamilton & Inches, George Street 

Credit: @hamitoninches on Instagram

Iconic jeweler Hamilton & Inches has had a headquarters in Edinburgh since 1866, with a history as watchmakers to the British royal family as well as high-end jewelry design and expert stone setting. This company’s showroom, all marble pillars and ornate ceiling mouldings is set across five storeys of a Georgian townhouse, looking more like a luxury bank than a jewerly store. This is where the city’s great and good come to get their engagement rings and milestone-marking watches.  

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TBCO (The Tartan Blanket Co), Great Junction Street 

Credit: @wearetbco on Instagram

Situated in the delightful waterfront suburb of Leith, this fabulous woolen goods specialist sells snuggly sofa throws, cushion covers, pajamas, picnic blankets and even Christmas stockings. Its modern collections and fresh colourways are a great example of how Scottish artisan brands can adapt to a modern interiors landscape: many collections are curated with tablescaping or Instagram-worthy picnics in mind, while gift boxes of monogrammed scarves, socks and scrunchies packed with mugs and candles are thoughtfully curated. TBCO is also big on sustainability: look out for the recycled wool blankets for an earth-friendly choice.  

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The Fudge House, Canongate 

Credit: @thefudgehouse on Instagram

Luxury shopping in Edinburgh isn’t just have to be about wearable goods. For an edible souvenir, you can’t beat fudge – also known as “tablet” in Scotland. This crumbly snack made with milk, butter and condensed milk is mentioned in Scottish records as early as the 17th century, and the most decadent place to shop for it is this third-generation family business dating back to 1949. Based on the iconic Royal Mile, the Fudge House’s team hand-makes small batches of the brown stuff in flavours as diverse as spiced ginger, maple walnut and lemon meringue pie. But purists will want to snap up boxes of the classic Highland Cream style. 

Walker Slater, Victoria Street 

Credit: @walkerslater on Instagram

For elegant menswear that harks back to the past, visit this tailoring and tweed specialist on Victoria Street. The Walker Slater brand originated in the Highlands before opening shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh. At this flagship store, a highlight of luxury shopping in Edinburgh, signature jackets and waistcoats come in flattering cashmere, tweed and lambswool styles. Alongside you will also find more casual cable knits and cotton herringbone shirts. A made-to-measure service ensures you get the perfect fit; and there’s a Walker Slater womenswear boutique at number 46 on the same street. 

You may also be interested to read: The Luxury Gold guide to the finest Michelin star restaurants in Edinburgh

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop, Canongate

Credit: @wmcadenheads on Instagram

Tucked into Edinburgh’s labyrinthine old town you will find Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop. This store may look modest in size, but it’s known for a personalized service style that luxury shoppers will love. What the team behind this emerald-green facade doesn’t know about whisky isn’t worth knowing; kindly attendants can help you select rare bottles or give you tasters to try. There’s an olde-worlde charm to the boutique, decorated with dusty bottles, portions of whisky barrel and handwritten labels; be sure to check out the mysterious “cage” of rare and small-batch whiskies. 

To enjoy Edinburgh and Scotland at their luxurious, best take a look at Castles & Kingdoms, British Royale

A punchy New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac has a long history, but remains a favourite in the Big Easy. We know the Sazerac was invented in New Orleans, but as for the exact bar it was born in?  

“There’s really no way to know,” says Matt Ray, the cocktail expert at the city’s Sazerac House. “Cocktail history is notoriously fuzzy, because not many people cared what bartenders were doing in the mid-19th century. And not many bartenders thought that what they were doing was important enough to catalog it.” 

Of course, we’re now in the midst of a classic cocktail renaissance. Travelers do care about a drink’s provenance, especially a drink as intertwined with a destination as the Sazerac is with New Orleans. Here, Matt takes us on a deep-dive into NOLA’s signature cocktail. 

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The history 

“Today, ‘Cocktail’ means a million things,” says Matt. “But in the early 1800s, it meant your spirit of choice mixed with sugar, water and bitters. You could walk into any bar in the city and ask for a ‘gin cocktail’, ‘brandy cocktail’, or ‘whiskey cocktail’, and that’s what you’d get.  

“At some point in the 1840s and 50s, bartenders started experimenting with new products from Europe ‒ absinthe, maraschino, curacao ‒ adding a dash or two and making a new category called ‘the improved cocktail’. That’s what the first Sazerac was: a cognac cocktail perked up with a swirl of absinthe. New Orleans was still such a European city in those days, and anise spirits like absinthe and pastis are so culturally important to Europe.”

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Winds of change 

Time, politics and the economy all made their mark on the drink over the next century. “As we became a much more American city in the late 1800s, tastes changed,” explains Matt. “Americans began to prefer oaked spirits to cognac; the quality of whiskey also went up following the Revolution. So bartenders started replacing the cognac in Sazeracs with rye whiskey. Another factor was the spread of phylloxera in Europe in the mid-1800s, destroying the grapevines that produced brandy and driving up prices.” 

Then, another twist ‒ absinthe was banned in 1912 for its supposed hallucinogenic properties.  

“The product that replaced it was called herbsaint,” says Matt, “another anise spirit which is almost indistinguishable.” Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s naturally had an impact, but for Matt, the real Dark Ages for the cocktail were the 70s and 80s. “That’s when classic cocktail culture kind of diWe also think you’ll like: All Natural: Meet the woman safeguarding the Mississippi Delta ed off, and everything became a mudslide or a Piña Colada. But New Orleans was still famous for hanging on to traditions like the Sazerac.” 

A timeless classic 

These days, the Sazerac beloved aperitif that New Orleanians still offer to family and friends. In terms of enjoying it like a local, Matt advises, “people usually drink it before dinner. It has a reputation for being the first drink you should have in the city ‒ I know a lot of people who make a point of having one right when they get into town. The locals also tend to have one around Mardi Gras, and around Christmas.” 

How you drink it also says something about you. “You can sip it slowly, so it opens up as it warms in your hands, or you can throw it back heroically,” says Matt. “You’ll see them on a lot of happy hour menus because it’s so quick and simple to make.” Despite its short stature, vintage nature and simplicity, young New Orleanians still order it in bars across
town. “People here don’t shy away from things their grandparents used to drink,” observes Matt. “Rather, the opposite: they find it kind of charming.” 

The recipe for this famous New Orleans cocktail

“First, you take two rocks glasses ‒ ideally a beveled rocks glass, if you want to get specific ‒ and you chill one of them. In the other, you throw in a sugar cube, or a quarter-ounce of simple syrup if that’s easier. Add three dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters and muddle that with the sugar, then add an ounce and a half of rye whiskey (I usually give that a quick stir to help dissolve the sugar).   

“Next, you add ice and give it a brief stir, then set that glass aside. Take the glass that’s been chilling, dump out the ice and add a splash of herbsaint or absinthe. Swirl it around the glass ‒  then either drink it or throw it out. Take your whisky mix and pour it really slowly into that chilled herbsaint glass. The last step is to squeeze a twist of lemon peel so it sprays a little lemon oil. I then either throw in the twist or use it to decorate the glass.”  

If you want to go old-school, advises Matt, make it with the original spirit, cognac. “The clove-peppercorn notes of rye are traded out for these rich, raisiny dark fruits. It’s a little bit more flowery and aromatic.” In terms of what can go wrong? “One of the worst I’ve ever had was completely green because it was probably half absinthe. It’s supposed to be a hint of liquorice or anise, not a punch in the face. And I once saw someone add Sweet’N Low instead of sugar.” 

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Sazerac stars  

Okay, so we’re visiting New Orleans. Where should we go for that first, I’m-in-town Sazerac? “You could come down to the Sazerac House and take a cocktail-making lesson, or visit the museum exhibits we have. But in terms of a straight-up bar, I love Peychaud’s Bar in the French Quarter, which specializes in New Orleans classics like the Ramos Gin Fizz and the Vieux Carré (like a supercharged Manhattan). Otherwise, I’d recommend a bar called Jewel of the South, and a little dive downtown called Bar Tonique.” 

Discover the magic of the American South for yourself and sip a New Orleans cocktail on our Southern Grace limited-edition journey.

Even in the luxury space, travel should not cost the earth. When it comes to sustainable luxury travel, we’re proud to lead the way.

As the new year approaches, we took the opportunity to talk with Shannon Guihan, TTC’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of TreadRight, our not-for-profit foundation. Here she shares how we’ve led the industry this year and takes a look ahead to 2024. Plus we announce a new project set to make a big impact towards our goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

The year that was

Focussed on change though action, we’re constantly adapting our sustainability journey at Luxury Gold and our sister brands at The Travel Corporation. Exactly one year ago, we announced a reset of our Climate Action Plan and, as part of this reset, we accelerated our original climate action commitments.

A major undertaking, we committed to reach net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050. “We were the first in the industry to have all three targets (short-term, long-term and net zero targets) validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), an organization that ensures our targets are aggressive enough to do our part for the planet,” Shannon explains.

“Another industry first, we established an internal Carbon Fund to invest in our net zero transition,” she continues. Luxury Gold contributes a dedicated amount annually to the Carbon Fund, alongside its sister brands within The Travel Corporation portfolio, this is then allocated to projects that will reduce our emissions in line with our Climate Action Plan. “Currently, we’re investing in 100% renewable electricity across our USA offices, solar power for our Australian offices and biofuels across our European coach fleet.”

Read ore about sustainable luxury travel: Slow and sustainable: The expectations of the luxury traveler in 2023 and beyond

Sustainable luxury travel in 2024

“Moving ahead, you’re going to see us really dive deep into our travel experiences to ingrain sustainability even further,” Shannon tells us. “Our itineraries already incorporate all of the work done to date into the guest experience. Many adaptations guests won’t notice, and that’s our aim – a seamless integration of greater sustainability performance, but guests can trust that as we are always evolving our approach.

“This is in addition to the gradual reduction of the carbon footprint through investment in our own infrastructure and assets and technology, all while  not passing that cost on to our guests, which is really important.”

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

“Our MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are a really wonderful way to identify pre-vetted experiences, ones that we know really benefit a community through either environmental or social justice,” says Shannon. “These are really interesting because they are immersive impact experiences that really get you into what makes a place tick, and quite often how that place is navigating with care the challenges the world faces today’. Ensuring you leave a positive impact in the places we visit, we are continuing to build these experiences and for 2024 we aim to have at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on every Luxury Gold journey.

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Investment in carbon reduction

“Investments into carbon reductions is going to be the big trend across the board in 2024, there are more and more technological solutions coming online and investments are needed so that these solutions scale,” Shannon says.

According to the World Economic Forum, ‘new technologies are key to achieving arguably one of the greatest challenges for humankind, the transition to net zero.’

“Some ways we have invested to date include ensuring that at our offices we are nearly at capacity in our ability to produce renewable energy. Looking ahead to next year we are heavily focused on our Scope 3 emissions, these are those produced by our partners and suppliers.

“There are several ways we can reduce our scope 3 footprint, such as by favoring electric and or biofuels, and by changing our routes such that we are on the road a little bit less and staying in places a little bit more. We can also greatly reduce these emissions by saying ‘no to more stuff’.”

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Say “no to more stuff”

We’ve recently discovered that the branded merchandise we give away at TTC produces 2,500 tones of carbon emissions every year. So, from today (7 December) we will launching a new project, saying ‘no to more stuff.’ Luxury Gold’s Sustainability Officer Gemma Myhill tells us more.

“Focusing on the non-essential carbon emissions that we emit as a business; we identified that 2500 tones of emissions go into the branded merchandise that we give away every year. This is the equivalent to 6.5 million car driven miles worth of carbon emissions that could be completely removed from our ecosystem.

“Instead, we can donate the money we would’ve used for merchandise designed to give away into projects that focus on nature-based carbon solutions to climate change. So, we asked ourselves, do we actually need more stuff?  And the answer is no.”

The projects

Credit: @greenwaveorg on Instagram

“The nature-based solution projects we have chosen to support are Project GreenWave’s Kelp Climate Fund and Rainforest Rescue’s Daintree Project,” Gemma tells us. “There are two existing partners of our not-for-profit foundation, TreadRight. The fact that we already have strong relationships in place to leverage is a testament to how much sustainability is engrained in our core.”

GreenWave trains and supports ocean farmers in the era of climate change. Donations will be made to their Kelp Climate Fund which enables Kelp farmers to play a climate-positive role with their ocean farms, including carbon and nitrogen removal and habitat restoration. Each donation will fund the planting of 40lbs of kelp, which will help capture carbon and restore marine ecosystems.

To learn more about sustainable luxury travel, our sustainability strategy and journey to Net Zero, read our Climate Action Plan.