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Fanfare for a flagship brand: Glenfiddich 50 Year Old is a milestone for William Grant & Sons |
UK/INTERNATIONAL. “Sometimes Glenfiddich is overlooked because it’s not a niche brand, but we’d like people to take another look at just how high-quality the liquid is, and at how great a brand it is. We want the whisky world to reassess us.”
That’s the view of Michael Benson, Global Brand Director for Glenfiddich, on the unveiling of the brand’s spectacular new 50 Year Old limited edition, first revealed by The Moodie Report on 28 July. [Click here for the story of the unveiling; click here for the story behind the creation of 50 Year Old, through the eyes of Malt Master David Stewart.]
As the brand that helped create the “˜single malt’ category in the 1960s, Glenfiddich is sometimes seen as less innovative or daring as other smaller, niche brands, yet there is much for whisky enthusiasts to embrace about Glenfiddich, argues the company. And the new 50yo line can help tell the Glenfiddich story.
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Global Brand Director Michael Benson: “We want the whisky world to reassess us” |
“We have a very special, indeed a unique, liquid,” notes Benson. “50 Year Old should be a vehicle that prompts people to think about the brand again. It will give people an idea of the other wonderful other products there are in the range. This spectacular example allows us to communicate the craft and experience goes into every variant of Glenfiddich.
“This launch is a very important moment for the company because this is our flagship. We have issued a 50 Year Old before, in 1991, but perhaps we didn’t make enough of it then. That’s different this time.”
As reported, just 500 bottles of 50 Year Old will be made available, at £10,000 per bottle – 50 each year for the next ten years. The line will be launched through Aelia at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on 1 September, with interest already high among collectors and whisky connoisseurs.
The Glenfiddich brand stands to benefit greatly from the “˜halo effect’ around 50 Year Old, said Benson – with the company’s drive into new and emerging markets gaining momentum.
“Asia represents an opportunity for us because single malt is a small category still, though one that is growing, and a region where we want to grow profitably,” he noted.
“And in the so-called more “˜mature’ markets of the US and Europe there is still room for growth. We’re also seeing an increasing awareness about Scotch worldwide, with consumers becoming more aware of the differences between single malts and blends – and that is an opportunity for us too.”
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A statue at Glenfiddich dedicated to the ‘angel’s share’ – the portion of whisky that evaporates while maturing |
With travel retail as the launchpad for 50 Year Old, how vital is the channel for the success of the brand?
“It’s hugely very important to us and perhaps it’s a channel we should be doing more with than we have done in the past,” says Benson. “It’s a great place to showcase Glenfiddich and the 50 Year Old in particular, and it’s a channel where we really want to show the world what we can do.”
Facing the future
In related news, William Grant & Sons Chairman Peter Gordon spoke at the 50yo unveiling about the new company structure and the appointments of Stella David as CEO – replacing Roland van Bommel – and Maurice Doyle as Group Marketing Director.
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The Glenfiddich Distillery: over 120 years of whisky-making history – but with an eye firmly on the future |
“As a traditional whisky company we went through the long phase of being product-led,” he said, “but now that we have become an international force – and want to become more of a force – it demanded a change of strategic direction, with more of an emphasis placed on marketing.
“In order to commercialise and strengthen our brands and become a more international company we have evolved our route to market as one major strategic direction. Now it’s time for the next step, which is what Stella David as the new CEO and Maurice Doyle as Group Marketing Director can bring.”
And Glenfiddich can become a brand not only associated with traditional Scotch, but one that is even seen as a “˜lifestyle’ brand as it grows its international reputation.
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The Robbie Dhu spring, the water source from which Glenfiddich is made |
“The next job, as we see it, is for Glenfiddich to break out of its definition as being simply a single malt or a specialist item and become seen as a premium whisky,” added Gordon. “The single malt category is six million cases, but you look at Johnnie Walker and Chivas and other brands and you see that the volumes of premium Scotch dwarf those of single malt as a category.
“So the question for us is, which pool do we want to play in? We have been gradually building up the skills to break away from being a traditional Scotch company; we now have a wider portfolio of brands in the premium gin and spiced rum categories, and we have the team that can push our ambitions through. So the next few years should be tremendously exciting.”
MORE STORIES ON WILLIAM GRANT & SONS
Landmark moment for William Grant & Sons as Glenfiddich 50 Year Old is revealed – 30/07/09
Grant’s strikes gold at IWSC 2009 competition – 29/07/09
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