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The Glenturret, The Macallan and Highland Park are all part of The Famous Grouse blend |
Nestled in the Valley of the Eagles an hour’s drive north of Edinburgh, the town of Crieff and The Glenturret distillery nearby could not be more unassuming. But every year more than 100,000 visitors pass through the distillery gates.
That’s in part due to its status as the oldest working distillery in Scotland, founded in 1775, but also because since 2002 it has been the spiritual home of The Famous Grouse, one of the world’s best-known and sixth best-selling standard blended Scotch.
It was also the first port of call on a whistle-stop trade media tour of The Edrington Group’s main distilleries last week. After a travel retail reorganisation that Edrington says will improve its focus on key growth markets, reported last month, the group is keen to share its passion for the three mainstays of its whisky portfolio: The Famous Grouse, The Macallan and Highland Park.
The Edrington Group has a lot to talk about. The Famous Grouse “˜family’ has expanded over recent years, with many references destined for travel retail and an eye firmly on product innovation. The Macallan has recently undertaken a £40 million investment programme that should eventually safeguard its stock levels for the foreseeable future. And after a significant repositioning of Highland Park in 2010, adding around 25% to its retail pricing, travel retail and duty free are set to become an increasingly important part of the brand’s renewed strategy.
Add the recent acquisitions of Cutty Sark blended whisky in 2010 and Brugal rum in 2008, and it is clear that the company’s business is in a phase of rapid change. Amid this frenetic activity, The Glenturret seems like the calm eye of the storm.
The single malt’s production process has remained virtually unchanged since it was opened. Edrington has resisted the temptation to substitute its Douglas Fir mash tun for a newer metal variety and has maintained the distinctive shape of its copper stills, with the bulges in the stills’ necks trapping heavier vapours and resulting in a lighter, less oily character than other whiskies.
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The Famous Grouse Master Blender Gordon Motion (left) and The Glenturret Production Manager Neil Cameron outside The Glenturret distillery during The Moodie Report’s recent visit |
Both in its scale and in the traditions of its production, The Glenturret could not be further removed from The Famous Grouse. The common link is that The Glenturret is one of many single malts married to create The Famous Grouse. Although that blend is naturally built around The Macallan and Highland Park, The Famous Grouse master distiller Gordon Motion explains that one of his tasks – as part of a wider remit to maintain the distinct character of The Famous Grouse – is to ensure that no one malt dominates the blend.
In light of the complex stock issues around single malt production (of which more in the next instalment of this series), this ensures that the taste, colour and feel of the final product does not change if one ingredient malt changes; Motion explains that he can simply substitute the ingredient for another malt with similar qualities.
The Edrington Group has taken full advantage of this adaptability in recent years. Alongside The Famous Grouse now sits The Snow Grouse and The Black Grouse, both of which have strong potential for travel retail, according to Edrington Global Travel Retail Area Director Steven Sleigh. The Snow Grouse, a light, vanilla-sweet whisky aimed at people who would not normally drink whisky, is designed to be served chilled. Sleigh explains that it appeals to a broader audience than the traditional variant, and is also more flexible in how it can be consumed; for example, the company has created a chilling machine that could be ideal for tastings promotions and, beyond travel retail, it is trialling a new mixed drink, The Ginger Grouse, a blend of The Snow Grouse and ginger beer, available on tap to the on-trade in select locations.
In direct contrast to The Snow Grouse, The Black Grouse plays up the traditional qualities of single malt to appeal to a more discerning consumer profile. The smokiness and peatiness of its ingredient malts, and its distinctive presentation, give The Black Grouse a more premium feel than other members of the brand family. As such it is ideally suited to travel retail; indeed, as recently reported, The Black Grouse Alpha Edition, will be a travel retail exclusive for the five months following its launch in May.
The innovation does not end there. The Naked Grouse, a pared-down, premium variant currently available only at Dubai Duty Free, is likely to get a wider roll out shortly. And a further development is in the pipeline – The Moodie Report will bring you details at a later date – that may well have strong potential in the travel retail market.
As the biggest volume brand in Edrington’s portfolio, The Famous Grouse has a totemic value for the company; The Glenturret Production Manager Neil Cameron, talking after the distillery tour, acknowledged that while he remains a Glenturret man to his core, he is proud that the distillery is now associated with The Famous Grouse.
But its value is more than symbolic. The Edrington Group’s travel retail team strongly believes that The Famous Grouse has great potential in emerging markets – notably in Brazil and throughout Africa. And innovations such as those it has recently created are likely to enhance its chance of success by giving this famous blend an even broader audience. Ultimately, that may mean even more visitors passing through the doors of a small, unassuming distillery in the heart of Scotland’s lowlands.
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The Glenturret’s distinctive stills add to its lighter character |
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The Glenturret has a select production run, producing only 160,000 litres in 10 years |
