Farooq Oreagba rode to the homes of five families who have held Ijebu culture together for generations, carrying four bottles of The Glenlivet to each door.
The four expressions he brought were The 12-Year-Old, The 15-Year-Old French Oak Reserve, The 18-Year-Old, and The 21-Year-Old; the expressions he carries as the brand’s ambassador in Nigeria.
The families visited were the Balogun Kuku, Balogun Alatishe, Balogun Otubu, Aregbe, and Iboriaran Moyegeso families of the Fidipote Ruling House. Oreagba arrived on horseback, accompanied by two women in teal aso-oke. Each family came out with horses and in full traditional attire.
The Balogun Kuku family’s forefathers created what is now one of Nigeria’s most celebrated cultural festivals. The Balogun Alatishe family has held their title longer than any other Balogun in Ijebuland history. The Balogun Otubu family holds the title of first Balogun. The Aregbe family has produced some of the finest riders across multiple generations. The Iboriaran Moyegeso family, represented by Boye and Desile, are princes and princesses of the Fidipote Ruling House, one of four royal bloodlines from which the Awujale of Ijebuland is drawn.
Oreagba has ridden at the festival for over sixteen years. His relationship with these families was personal long before it was professional.
The Glenlivet range he carried, from the 12 to the 21 Year Old, reflects its own kind of patience. Each expression represents decades of careful maturation and a refusal to be rushed. It was that quality that made these particular homes the right place to bring them.
