La Martiniquaise unveils Bardinet XO and Label 5 Gold Heritage in Cannes

French spirits group La Martiniquaise launched the limited-edition XO Bardinet Grand Cru Wine Cask Finish and Label 5 Gold Heritage at last month’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

The premium XO Bardinet is slowly matured in oak casks and finished in Bordeaux Grand Cru Wine casks. It features notes of rich fruits, spices and soft woods.

The XO Bardinet is the latest addition to the Bardinet brand portfolio

Bardinet is La Martiniquaise’s bestselling brand in travel retail, with strong sales in India and Sri Lanka, the company said.

La Martiniquaise Group International Marketing Director Sylvia Bernard told The Moodie Report that the company’s priority is to invest in developing its portfolio of brands abroad.

Bernard added that La Martiniquaise believes it can play a substantial role in the travel retail market: “We are confident that we can really play a role in the development of the duty free channel. We have our travelling customers and we need to invent the right model for the duty free operators in order for it to be profitable.”

La Martiniquaise Group International Marketing Director Sylvia Bernard poses with a Label 5 Gold Heritage bottle at the stand in Cannes

The company’s other new launch, Label 5 Gold Heritage, has been created to “delight Scotch whisky lovers who are looking to explore Label 5’s character in more depth”. It will begin its domestic launch in the USA, Australia and China before rolling out to the travel retail channel.

La Martiniquaise said it believes Label 5 Gold Heritage is an important launch for the brand and for its development in duty free.

The trademark smooth character of Label 5 whiskies has been accentuated with woody hints and spicy notes. The taste profile lies between the smoky flavours of old malts and the creamy vanilla notes of grain whiskies.

The packaging echoes the Label 5 Classic Black and features gold and brown colours, aimed at creating a premium look.

Label 5 Gold Heritage was recently awarded with a double gold medal at the China World Spirit Award.

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