�I am also the head of the Campbell family. The last time we counted how many of us were there was in the early 1980s. There were three million! We are spread all over the world. You�ll find a Campbell in Australia, the US, New Zealand and UK as well. It�s a big responsibility I have!�

HIS Grace, Torquhil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll in the peerage of the United Kingdom and hereditary master of the royal household in Scotland, at 33, is the international regional manager for Chivas Brother Ltd. Chivas Brother is owned by the French company Pernod Ricard and the Duke, whose territory includes India and Australia, looks after such brands as Royal Salute, The Glenlivet and Chivas Regal. There are other brands as well, but he would rather talk about Chivas. And himself.

�The Duke of Argyll is a title,� he explains, �and my family name, my surname, is Campbell. I am head of the Campbell family. Last time we counted the family was in the early 1980s and there were three million of us spread all over the world. They all came down to Scotland.�

In Scotland apparently the clan system is important and every Scotsman worth his kilt wants to trace the family history and find his lineage. �Campbells are settled down in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and US as well,� the Duke says. �It is a big responsibility I have.�

His family seat is the Inveraray Castle in Argyll where he owns a large rural Scottish estate of 50,000 acres. �The castle is opened to the public between Easter and October and 100,000 people come to look,� the Duke says. �There is a huge interest in family and roots and history in Scotland. And this season is open house, the castle becomes like a museum, it is a huge responsibility to look after it and maintain it. And then I have my day job with Chivas Brother. I keep quite busy,� he adds.

For Chivas Brothers, he intends coming down to India every five weeks because this is a big market. He�s looking at achieving results by working with Seagram India, the local distribution company, in promoting his products through sponsorships and events.

�There is huge potential in India and I am fortunate to be working for Chivas. I knew the brand was available here for a long time. But Chivas Regal had become an older person�s drink until two years ago. Seagram has been trying to bring it back. Now it is like Chivas is for me and my Dad,� the Duke admits about the prestigious blended Scotch.

�The process of bringing about a realisation that Chivas Regal is for younger people, to establish its youthful image, has been a gradulal one,� he says. And he is trying to create a modern and trendy image for the Scotch. �We are trying to get younger people to drink the product through a series of promotions.�

The Chivas Regal 12-year-old is extremely good quality wise, says the Duke with authority. �I am fond of it, it is easy to drink, it is smooth, well-blended, blended to appeal to every drinker, all its tastes are subtle,� he says. �It is one of the premium blended whiskies of the world. Every single drop has been produced and matured in casks in Scotland for a minimum of 12 years.�

Worldwide, the market share for Chivas Regal is hard to calculate, but it sells over three million cases a year, which means, a bottle is being made every second and a quarter for 24 hours a day and 365 days a year! He talks about the Indian market. �The product comes into India in many different ways, like the Duty Free shops, and it is difficult to estimate how much of Chivas Regal is consumed here, but I am working on it.�

The problem with Chivas Regal is its availability, it is difficult to get old bottles refilled, and so the Duke of Argyll does not have too much to worry about spurious Scotch being sold under his brand labels. He recommends that Chivas Regal be had as an early evening drink with water, 50-50. He himself has it four to five times a week, depending on the weather and his mood, and often in cocktails.

The international division of Chivas Brother is based in London and that is where the Duke deals from daily with events in his market like sales, promotion of new ideas, organising visits to the 12 different distilleries of the company and his family seat in Argyll for journalists, writers and dignitaries.

And he talks about himself. He is 33, getting married on June 8, to a young lady by the name of Eleanor Cadbury (�as in the the chocolate�), and he is the youngest of all of the UK�s 26 Dukes. He is part of the British aristocracy, a Duke comes down the line after the King, Queen, Prince and Princess. �We�re not at the top, but high enough,� he says wryly.

People either call him Torquhil, that his Christian name, or �Your Grace�, which is his title. �It takes some getting used to,� the Duke admits. �But I�ve grown up in that environment, I knew that it was going to happen to me, so it was not a big surprise, just a question of when would it happen,� he says.

He invites everybody he meets to Inveraray Castle. �It has no moat, no crocodiles, it is by the side of the sea, there are no local monsters lurking in the castle, only family ghosts,� he says happily.