“Within our portfolio, our Scotch single malts are highly relevant in Asia Pacific, which is why we are giving The Glendronach such focus today.”
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report about the brand owner’s Asia Pacific strategy, Brown-Forman Director Global Travel Retail Oscar Camargo says that the introduction of The Glendronach House Editions, a travel retail-exclusive (TREX) city-inspired collection of single malts, makes sense from an investment and activation viewpoint.
This collection marks a milestone for the brand, as The Glendronach’s first dedicated, travel-inspired conceptual range. It brings together three collectible expressions developed by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, inspired by some of the world’s most renowned cultural cities.
The Glendronach House Editions includes The Sevillian Room, The Venetian Room and The Parisian Room, with each expression designed to capture the cultural richness and distinctive identity of its namesake destination.
The range, which debuts in July, joins The Glendronach’s existing travel retail and core portfolio, including the 10, 16 and 21 Year Old expressions, as well as the recently launched aged range featuring the 30 and 40 Year Olds.
The sharper focus on The Glendronach is a deliberate, timely move within malts, says Camargo.
“The Glendronach has such strong appeal, and its bicentennial anniversary presented the perfect opportunity to invest further in the brand. Celebrating 200 years of sherry cask mastery, we are increasing our focus on The Glendronach in travel retail to bring the range to a wider audience and invite more consumers to discover and appreciate it.”
He expects the approach to reap rewards in key global malts markets, with a focus in Asia Pacific on growth across the portfolio in South Korea and in China.
To seize the regional opportunity, Camargo recently introduced an almost entirely new team to manage the travel retail business in Asia Pacific.
“Practically everyone is new from the regional manager, key account managers to customer marketing; it is a reset in Asia Pacific. With a newly aligned team across the Asia Pacific region, spanning regional management, key accounts, and customer marketing, we are entering an exciting new chapter.
“Our focus is on evolving our collective capabilities and sharpening our commercial edge to capture future growth opportunities with fresh energy.”
Elaborating, Camargo says: “We used to be very focused on the regions and, within that, on the airport channel, which is the largest. We want to go beyond that and look more closely at all the channels, so the structure now has some channel focus and some regional focus.
“We are exploring to a greater extent how we can grow in cruises, airlines, the border and military channels.
“We have long been very successful, for instance, in cruises in the Americas. So we are addressing how to translate and implement that know-how in other parts of the world.”
Cross-over with food & beverage at appropriate locations is another opportunity, he adds.
“Based on the consumer mindset and the way that the industry is changing, food & beverage partnerships are becoming more important.
“We are approaching the retailers with ideas, asking how we can activate something in their shops and then cross it with F&B, or vice versa.”
The strategy also aims to align with how Brown-Forman brands are being promoted in domestic markets via the on-trade, with the powerhouse Jack Daniel’s brand the clearest opportunity.
“In our industry we talk a lot about connecting our presence through the journey from booking to the airport to arriving home. We are exploring that, but it takes time and work to align with our domestic counterparts.
“A good example of this at work is that we will host a ‘Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Month’ in travel retail in November, which will bring us a lot of activities that connect the brand to people through many channels. We will also link that campaign in some locations around the world with the on-trade in particular cities through the domestic teams.
“For a new generation of consumers, what is important is the whole experience, not just what they see on the shelf. At Brown-Forman, we have iconic brands, and it is about creating an experience that connects all the dots and can benefit the whole ecosystem.”
Building further visibility around hero brand Jack Daniel’s lends a further strand to the approach that connects with the full traveller journey.
Via the brand, travellers will be invited to go beyond the normal tourism sites in given locations and explore the best cocktail bars in the coolest neighbourhoods. Overlaying this in travel retail will be more use of digital tools, personalised gifting sets and other initiatives that create excitement and engagement at the airport.
Camargo says, “In Brown Forman, travel retail is a commercial channel to which the company is heavily committed.”
The channel’s internal reputation and status are aided by results from the last fiscal year (to 30 April), with net sales in travel retail climbing +6% year-on-year (+5% organic). Against the backdrop of a tough global market for spirits, especially at the luxury end, this represents an encouraging performance.
Camargo says, “Part of our success is that our brand offers and price points in travel retail represent what the consumer is looking for.”
Beyond Jack Daniel’s and the latest big focus on single malts, Diplomático rum is posting solid growth, and despite a slowdown in the gin category, Gin Mare continues to do well within the super-premium segment, says Camargo. Alongside this, extending the reach of Herradura and El Jimador tequilas beyond Mexico and US travel retail is high on the agenda.
“We have seen how tequila is growing in many domestic markets. And there are further opportunities for Herradura and El Jimador in major airport markets such as Dubai, where we have already seen success.”
On the priorities for the Brown-Forman travel retail team through the rest of 2026, Camargo says: “I am very excited about what we are doing in Asia Pacific with our new team and new ideas. We want to keep the momentum not only in Asia Pacific but globally. We have a fantastic global team and unique brands, a great combination which gives us optimism for this fiscal year.” ✈
