UK. Leading premium spirits group Beam Suntory today (14 March) revealed Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series London Edition with a high-profile experiential pop-up at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
The activation, which began in February and runs to 26 March, is in partnership with Avolta. The travel retail-exclusive expression is limited to 720 bottles with a recommended retail price of US$95 for 700ml.
The Moodie Davitt Report was on location at Heathrow Airport today to experience the animation and sample the 54.4% ABV London Edition.
The Wood Finishing Series, which debuted in 2022, takes inspiration from the character and flavours of cities around the globe. London is the fifth and final location for the limited launch; City Editions were previously released in New York, Sydney, Frankfurt and Singapore.
Beam Suntory Brand Manager Global Travel Retail Vincent Doutreleau said: “The five cities are strategic from a global travel retail perspective – for Maker’s Mark and Beam Suntory as a whole. They offer diverse nationalities and bourbon-savvy travellers.
“They’re the best locations to showcase the bourbon and to engage with consumers that are familiar with the Maker’s Mark range, or with our competition.”
Click above for our video from Heathrow T5 filmed by Reporter Ameesha Raizada
The pop-up at Heathrow offers passengers a tasting bar with complimentary sampling, high-impact merchandising and brand imagery, tastemaker information, Maker’s Mark ambassadors and exclusive screen-printed tote bags.
Maker’s Mark ‘through the lens of London’
Maker’s Mark collaborated with chef and Silo London Owner Douglas McMaster and cocktail bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (renowned as Mr Lyan) to create the London Edition.
Doutreleau told The Moodie Davitt Report: “We asked them to use their knowledge of the city to capture the London character within a whiskey bottle.”
Chetiyawardana said: “It was so exciting to travel to Maker’s Mark’s home in Kentucky. The unique profile of the whiskey reflects the land that surrounds the distillery.
“This comes through in its signature character, so to be able to marry this with a place [London] that is so important to me – and to be able to do this with one of my dearest friends [McMaster], someone I admire hugely from a professional point of view – was incredible.”
He added: “London is a very complex city, so to try and represent all the facets that make it exciting, we looked to create a sense of dynamism (and almost contradiction) within the whiskey.
“Building on the Maker’s Mark character, we looked to balance deep spice with something more fleeting, floral and elegant – to have something that was simultaneously bold yet elegant, with a long trail of spice on the palate.
“It’s a gem of a whiskey to seek out, and one that we hope does justice to both London, and to the amazing efforts of Maker’s Mark.”
“Crafted through the lens of London,” as Doutreleau said, the liquid combines notes of buttercream icing, toasted vanilla, orange peel, maple, caramel and vanilla bean.
On the palate, caramel, orchard fruits and marshmallow give way to notes of tobacco, oak and salted caramel. The texture and forward palate finish is enhanced with notes of citrus, spices and tobacco.
Beam Suntory Brand Ambassador Travel Retail Filippo Arena said: “London is multicultural – a spicy, bold city with a kind of sweetness behind it. That is the flavour profile that you will find in the London Edition.”
McMaster commented: “Our contribution to this collaboration was as unconventional as we are. Welcomed with sincere appreciation for our lateral thinking, we have made something truly magical – one of a kind.
“We closed the loop on flavour, made London proud and made the drinkers think. Maker’s Mark, thank you for letting me and Mr Lyan join your family. Our collaboration was fleeting, but the magic will live on, at least for 720 beguiling bottles.”
The distinctive taste visions of each release in the City Series are made possible through the brand’s wood stave-finishing technique, which enhances characteristics already present in Maker’s Mark Bourbon.
The Heathrow activation
“We are excited to reveal this latest London Edition of our Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing City Series Edition in partnership with Avolta,” noted Beam Suntory Brand Marketing Director Global Travel Retail Manuel Gonzalez.
“This collection, which incorporates destination-specific innovation within the reassuring familiarity of a world-famous premium brand, has really resonated with international travellers around the world.
“Our goal is to build Maker’s Mark into a global US whiskey icon, and pioneering new product development and consumer-first brand experiences will play a key role in achieving this objective.
“This London Edition spotlights our clear craftsmanship credentials, while offering a one-of-a-kind taste profile.”
Avolta Liquor Category Manager UK Paul Martin said: “At Avolta, and within our World Duty Free stores, we strive to deliver novel products and immersive experiences that really engage and inspire our customers.
“This striking activation with its tasting bar, impactful brand imagery and its strong Sense of Place with the release of this London Edition in exclusive partnership with us, will certainly capture travellers’ interest.”
On the consumer response Doutreleau remarked: “From what I discussed with the brand ambassadors this morning, the response has been great. The consumers love the liquid, and we are happy with the sale rate.
“The bottle will be available on shelf after the activation is finished – so consumers can still buy it, but they will not have a chance to taste it pre-purchase.
“Thanks to their success, Maker’s Mark is planning to release more bottlings of the five Wood Finishing City Series by the end of the year. The quantity is not confirmed yet.”
Travel retail innovation
Doutreleau also discussed the growing demand for US whiskey globally, both in the broader spirits & wines category and within the whiskey itself.
He said: “It’s very interesting to see that there is a stronger appetite for American whiskey all around the world, especially in the five locations that we have chosen.
“The ambition with Maker’s Mark is to make it a global icon. We are using travel retail to achieve this as it is a way for us to be connected in different places at the same time and achieve a global footprint.
“But to resonate with the consumers, we have to come up with this kind of innovation and create an emotional bond through personalised offerings.
“It is part of Maker’s Mark DNA to constantly try to connect with our consumers with new liquid propositions and expressions.
“It’s kind of obvious that travel retail exclusives are key for this. It is a way for brands to trigger the appetite for purchase at the point of sale with different propositions that are not available domestically.” ✈
