William Grant & Sons toasts success in Asia Pacific region through traveller engagement

William Grant & Sons (WGS) invites all at TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition this year (stand N 19) to toast a record year of success in Asia Pacific travel retail during 2012. With the team extended last year, WGS continues to raise the bar in consumer engagement with first class brand activations in core brands Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Hendrick’s Gin. All core brands reported growth rates significantly above category in value and volume.

The travel retail result reflected global success for the company with highlights including:

• Glenfiddich becoming the first ever single malt Scotch Whisky to sell more than 1 million cases in a single year (IWSR).

• Grant’s Blended Scotch moving ahead of J&B to become the world’s 3^rd largest blended Scotch by both value and volume (IWSR).
• William Grant & Sons named IWSC Distiller of the Year for a record breaking fifth successive year.
• Hendrick’s Gin cementing its position as the world’s leading super premium gin.

For 2013, WGS increases its commitment towards better service delivery and partnership for brand activations, as it continues to expand the Asia Pacific team. With two new appointments, the current Asia Pacific team organisational chart is as folllows:

WGS Singapore OfficeScott Hamilton, Director, Travel Retail Asia Pacific
Jack Tan, Regional Marketing Manager Asia Pacific
Joelle Zhuo, Promotions & Merchandising Executive South East Asia
Wah On Kan, Finance Administrator Asia Pacific

WGS Hong Kong OfficeKelvin Ng, Regional Manager, Greater China
Virginia Cheng, Promotions & Merchandising Executive Greater China

WGS Sydney OfficeKristy Ryan, Business Development Manager, Australasia & South Pacific

At this year’s Singapore show, WGS’s focus will be on exclusive editions for travel retail, as its portfolio shifts towards a greater gifting focus.

As a celebration of last year’s success and a toast towards greater partnership for 2013, WGS extends an invite to all its travel retail partners to tastings of travel retail exclusives for 2013 - The complete range of the new The Balvenie Triple Cask range and Glenfiddich Age of Discovery series I, II and III.

THE BALVENIE. The focus for The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the launch of the Travel Retail exclusive ‘Triple Cask’ range, comprising 12 year old, 16 year old and 25 year old variants.

The latest release from The Balvenie’s renowned Malt Master David Stewart, The Balvenie Triple Cask range crowns his remarkable 50^th year at the distillery. To create this range of single malt Scotch whiskies, David drew upon his fifty years of experiences and refined his recipe.

Created exclusively for Travel Retail, the Triple Cask provides international travellers the opportunity to discover more from a differentiated range of handcrafted single malt whiskies.

The range offers expressions of The Balvenie that has matured in the three most traditional types of cask – first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon and sherry; all in a large wooden vessel known as a marrying tun. These new marriages of The Balvenie are made to precise recipes refined over time by David Stewart to ensure each captures the distillery’s distinctive rich, smooth and honeyed style.

The three age expressions in the range all offer something unique: The Triple Cask 12 year old is elegantly sweet and spicy, with a mellow taste of dried fruits, vanilla and cinnamon; the Triple Cask 16 year old delivers a rich vanilla sweetness alongside hints of toffee and gentle oak; and the Triple Cask 25 year old is deep, rich and complex, with silky oak and spice and an exceptionally long and warming finish.

GLENFIDDICH. One of the big success stories for 2011 and 2012 has been the launch of the travel retail exclusive 19 Year Old Glenfiddich Age of Discovery. Such has been the reception that, following the introduction of a second version, William Grant & Sons is adding a third version in 2013. Again exclusive to the channel, and designed to become a gifting range, Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Red Wine Cask Finish will also be a 19 Year Old vintage, in this case celebrating Darwin’s voyage of discovery on board The HMS Beagle in 1831 that sailed from Plymouth in England. Charles Darwin, a young gentleman naturalist on board the ship – was recruited by Robert Fitzroy, ship’s Captain, to record the natural history and geology that they were to encounter in their travels.

Age of Discovery Red Wine Cask Finish is an extraordinarily rich Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, finished in oak casks previously used to produce the smooth, complex wines of South America.   Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes combine with the oak to deliver exceptional smoothness complimented by warm spicy notes - sweet berry flavours lend a velvety sweetness.

HENDRICK’S GIN.

Outstanding growth for the world’s leading super premium gin continues in travel retail thanks to a program of high profile theatrical promotions and activities that highlight the unique manufacturing process and taste of Hendrick’s. The Barber Chair activation in Changi Airport Nov-Dec 2012 caused a stir of curiosity with travelers and tripled sales of Hendrick’s gin for that period. 2013 holds more amazing concepts for activation and WGS looks forward to greater partnerships, in order to make consumer engagement come alive.

Following the success of the travel retail exclusive Tea Time Martini gift pack, WGS will also be showcasing the new ‘Teatime Pack’ for 2013 in Singapore.

This delightfully peculiar cucumber and rose petal infused gin has staked its claim as one of the industry’s most premium quality gin libations by taking silver at the world’s leading spirits competition, the 2012 International Spirits Challenge (ISC).

GRANT’S. For Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky – now the world’s number three brand in retail value according to IWSR - the focus continues to be premiumisation of the brand with the continued roll out of the global travel retail exclusive 25 Year Old, the premium 12 Year Old, and various cask finishes which highlight the depth and quality of the brand. To support the complete range of Grant’s whiskies, William Grant & Sons continues to install a new range of wall bays at key airports across the globe and creating theatre in store with a series of high profile sampling activities.

SAILOR JERRY continues to enjoy growth with distribution limited to locations where listings are supported by strong domestic on- and off-trade presence. Both are supported by impactful and entertaining promotions and sampling activity.

Innovation brands such as Milagro, Solerno, Hudson and Monkey Shoulder. WGS is steadily increasing the number of brands offered apart from whisk(e)y . The launch and roll out of these brands is controlled starting in 2013.

Press enquiries: Rowena Holland, Essential Communications. 

Email: row@essentialcommunications.org

April 2013

Notes to Editors

• William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family. The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite Single Malt Glenfiddich, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie Single Malts and the world’s oldest family blend, Grant’s, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s Gin, voted the ‘World’s Best Gin’ by the Wall Street Journal.

• According to recent IWSR results, Grant’s is now the world’s number three in retail value. The move onto podium reaffirms Grant’s’ credentials as a key player on the world whisky stage. Over the last five years, Grant’s has consistently grown ahead of the category, achieving in 2010 worldwide sales of 4.8 million cases and retail value of over $1bn.
• Visit www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands