Hot progress as Coole Swan flies high in travel retail – 02/07/08

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine and fifty swans.

The nineteenth Autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

– From ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ by WB Yeats

IRELAND. Coole Swan, positioned as Ireland’s first super-premium cream liqueur, has been making waves internationally – and particularly in travel retail – since its official launch in Dublin in March 2007.

Initially unveiled in its home market of Ireland, Coole Swan later made its travel retail debut at Dublin Airport in July 2007, followed by Belfast International Airport the next month.

Packaged in a frosted bottle accented with blue labelling, Coole Swan uses double cream blended with single malt Irish whiskey and tempered with charcoal-filtered spirit; it is ideally served ice-cold in a frozen glass


“The international reaction to the brand has been exceptional with many top endorsements from key players in the industry,” Coole Swan Managing Director David Phelan told The Moodie Report.

“Sales are being proven on a daily basis with examples such as Dublin Airport where, over the past three months Coole Swan has already become the third highest selling liqueur and the ninth largest spirit in sales.”

Similarly encouraging results have been reported in other Coole Swan points-of-sale, including Euroshop and Zürich, Belfast and Luton airports, he added.

Since its Irish premiere, Coole Swan has also been launched in the US, starting with New York in September last year. “While in the US recently we launched in US duty free with Chase Donaldson and his team at Chase International,” said Phelan. “Reaction again was excellent and we’ve already secured listings with HMSHost at Cincinatti, Minneapolis, Seattle, Charlotte and more recently with Alpha in Orlando.”

Coole Swan recently launched in US duty free with Chase International, drawing an “˜excellent’ response


Coole Swan entered the UK domestic channel in October 2007 when it launched exclusively at UK department store Selfridges. High-profile VIP events and promotional samplings held in stores saw sales targets exceed by more than +50%, the company claimed.

The brand now aims to make an even bigger impact in travel retail. “The Cream Category has been traditionally very strong in duty free and travel retail, [but] there has been very little innovation and additional offerings for consumers – particularly when compared to other categories – and we are really keen to develop our business in this area,” Phelan stated.

Sales of Coole Swan in Ireland were boosted by prominent window displays, high-profile events and outlet samplings


ABOUT COOLE SWAN

Coole Swan is the creation of David Phelan, Adrian Walker and David Gluckman, who have extensive combined experience in both the Irish and international drinks industries.

“Consumers want discernible product integrity and they actively seek stronger and verifiable product credentials,” said the brand owner. “Lifestyle and health choices are also driving the trend towards lower alcohol content choices.”

Phelan and his team went through 231 iterations of Coole Swan before settling on the final product – a wholly natural cream liqueur free of any synthetic flavourings or caramel colouring.

Packaged in a frosted bottle accented with blue labelling, Coole Swan uses fresh double cream from Ireland’s dairylands, blended with Single malt Irish whiskey and tempered with charcoal-filtered spirit.

Over the past three months Coole Swan has already become the third highest selling liqueur at Dublin Airport


The heart comprises bittersweet notes of velvety-smooth white and dark chocolate, infusions of Madagascan vanilla and rich cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire.

The brand was inspired by ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’, one of the most famous works of Ireland’s great poet, William Butler Yeats. The famous Swans of Coole Park are reflected on the premium bottle, which is itself crafted on a traditional 19th Century milk bottle.

The award-winning brand, which joined the Criollo Supreme Brands portfolio last year, won a gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and earned a five star rating in the Paul Pacult Spirit Journal 2008. Additionally, it picked up a Special Merit Award at the Bord Bia Food and Drink Industry Awards 2007.

For details, contact Criollo Supreme Brands, Stationsstraat 79, B-1930 Zaventem, Belgium, tel: +32 475255987, or e-mail criollo@skynet.be; or David Phelan, Managing Director, Coole Swan, tel: +353 1 6024760, or e-mail: davidphelan@cooleswan.com.

Visit www.criollo.be and www.cooleswan.com.

MORE STORIES ON COOLE SWAN

Coole Swan awarded Special Merit by Bord Bia – 05/11/07

Coole Swan brought under the wing of Raskin’s Criollo – 18/10/07

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