Stepping out of Great Portland Street station, One Marylebone Road appeared imposing and rather magnificent illuminated against the dark night sky. Chivas Regal had turned Sir John Soane’s Grade 1 listed, Neo-Classical church into a three day extravaganza: The Chivas Studio. This event showcased the Chivas Regal limited edition hipflask by fashion designer Todd Lynn, along with a collaboration of artwork from sisters Daisy and Poppy de Villeneuve.

The distinguished façade stood in sad juxtaposition to the display inside. The ‘artwork’ was garnished with pretentious, affected blurb from celebutante Poppy. The half-baked illustration and photography was clearly more a collaboration of name than talent. Or put bluntly, a meeting of models as opposed to merit.

Little was made of the limited edition Chivas Regal hipflask. Both the event and its guests appeared to lack focus. People milled about as though at a private view, with nothing to view. The event had a ‘backstage’, ‘behind the scenes’ feel. Most guests resembled the clichéd young PA.

Whilst there was photographic proof of various celebrities’ presence, I imagine they were in and out in less time than it took me to down my Chivas cocktail. Todd Lynn, Jasmine Guinness, Jefferson Hack, and Zara Phillips et al were all pictured, but in the couple of hours I stayed, no-one noteworthy was out in evidence.

However, the cocktails and canapés more than compensated for the ‘blah’ displays. There was a choice of three Chivas Regal cocktails. ‘Regally Blonde’ consisted of Chivas Regal, Mumm Champagne, pears, citrus and passion fruit, ‘London Trinity’ consisted of Chivas Regal, vanilla, anise and orange, and finally, my personal favourite, ‘London Spice’. This was a combination of Chivas Regal, warm apple juice and a cinnamon raisin spiced syrup. These were almost outdone by the canapés: Goats cheese pastries and falafel on sticks floated around at the end of lissome arms. My beekeeping schooldays came to mind as guests swarmed like honeybees around waitresses, or congregated on the stairs outside to smoke en masse. Very few observed the artwork or the single apologetic cabinet containing Todd Lynn’s Chivas hipflask.

The Chivas style director struck me as a little confused. Incongruous neon uplighting did little to enhance the beauty of One Marylebone Road’s 19th century carved ceilings. Nor the prestige of the whisky. The calibre of the cocktails was undermined by a naff plastic ‘coupon’ system. Guests were allocated two round coupons upon arrival, each to be exchanged for a cocktail of choice. I had the ingenious idea of inviting a long-suffering teetotal as my plus one. This allowed me to sample each cocktail once, then choose my favourite to duplicate as the fourth. This also meant I left the party in a rather impressionable state. And hold Chivas Regal responsible for the ill-advised night, and subsequent two-day hangover that ensued.