Stoli Group aims to showcase its increasingly diversified portfolio at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo (12-16 October).
Stoli Group’s portfolio includes Stolichinaya (Stoli) vodka, Elit vodka, tequila brands Villa One and Cenote, Kentucky Owl bourbon, Bayou rum, Se Busca mezcal, Gator Bite liqueur and Tulchan Gin. |
A Gold Partner (#Virtual Stand WS-G4) at the Expo, Stoli will spotlight expressions from Elit vodka, along with Kentucky Owl bourbon, Tulchan Gin and two tequila brands: Cenote Sac Actun and Villa One.
“Over the past few years Stoli Group has significantly expanded its spirits portfolio,” said Stoli Group Global Duty Free and Travel Retail Director Jean-Philippe Aucher. “We are no longer just a vodka company, but an ultra-premium spirits company focused on bringing forth innovative, luxury products for spirits enthusiasts.”
Kentucky Owl Bourbon: Confiscated but not for long Pharmacist Charles Mortimer Dedman created a distillery on the banks of the Kentucky River in 1879. In 1916, a few years prior to strict Prohibition laws which banned the production, importations, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages in the US, federal troops seized the Dedman Distillery’s bourbon for ‘safekeeping’. They claimed later that fires led to the stock’s disappearance.
In 2014, almost a century after the original distillery was shuttered, Dixon released Kentucky Owl Batch #1 and has since introduced nine batches of bourbon, including Confiscated, and three batches of rye whiskey.
Only 2,000 bottles will be made available worldwide, with a very limited allocation to travel retail at the end of this year. |
Nearly 100 years later, Dixon Dedman began to research his great-great grandfather’s story. While working at his family’s Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, and serving whiskey to travellers along Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail, he began to create a new, small-batch Kentucky Owl.
Kentucky Owl Dry State is a limited edition, ultra-rare bourbon blend which commemorates 100 years since the start of Prohibition. Only whiskeys aged at least 12 years (and up to 17 years) were considered for this blend, which is, according to Dixon Dedman, the brand’s rarest and longest-aged expression.Aucher underlined Stoli Group’s intention to offer products that “truly stand up to the quality that travellers expect and are unique”.
“Of course, we will also continue to offer products that will appeal to those travellers for whom price is a critical factor. We have a diverse portfolio that meets all consumer needs.”
“When consumers do travel, making the most of their experience and finding something new and different will become more important.”
Aucher is confident that innovative products will be critical to driving consumer interest and sales in post-COVID-19 travel retail. He underlined the importance of offering a “diversified product mix rather than a reduced offering of brands you can find everywhere”.
“Our focus is on offering exciting new, ultra-premium spirits for travellers that are looking for unique, rare, crafted products. Our portfolio offering includes luxury white and dark spirits, which we believe have global appeal but play particularly well in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.”
Aucher believes that travel, at least in the near future, “is going to become less frequent for many people, more considered, and more special”.
“People are not going to be taking last minute breaks or quick business trips. When consumers do travel, making the most of their experience and finding something new and different will become more important.”
Cenote Sac Actun Extra Anejo tequila takes its name from a Spanish/Yuacatec Maya combination meaning White Cave System.
Its standout bottle is presented in a gift box inspired by the deep blue Cenote waters. Stoli’s serving suggestion is neat or on the rocks. Cenote Sac Actun will be available next year. |
Featuring blue agave, harvested from the lowland region of Jalisco, and pure volcanic water sourced from an artesian well located at the Fabrica de Tequilas Finos distillery in Jalisco, the spirit is aged ten years in American oak barrels.On COVID-19’s impact on the travel retail industry, Aucher said, “At this stage it is still incredibly hard to predict, because we are by no means through this pandemic.”
“Things will not normalise for some time. We do see travel beginning to open though. The positive news is that consumers still want to travel, and according to m1nd-set research, only 16% of international travellers say they will refrain from visiting the duty free shops when next travelling on an international flight. Less than a quarter say they will spend less time in the duty free shops on their next international flight.
“It is imperative that travellers feel safe to enter airports and the retail shops within them,” Aucher added. “The key is to offer travellers different purchasing solutions (e.g. click and collect) to reassure safety measures.”
| Elit Rye vodka is a limited edition developed to celebrate vodka’s original ingredient. Using 80% superior alpha-grade rye from organic-certified fields in the Tula region and high quality rye from Northern European countries, elit Rye is freeze-filtered at -18 degrees Celsius to guarantee a consistent purity and the rye notes. Elit Rye will be available in travel retail in 2021. |
Aucher believes travellers – once they are on the move again – will be on the lookout for limited, ultra-premium offerings. “We are convinced that the appetite for novelties and innovative products will remain in the future and (we) must be ready for that demand,” he said.
Considering the evolvement of industry partnerships in travel and travel retail’s ‘new era’, Aucher said: “There has been a lot of talk about how the traditional Trinity model should change.
“The pandemic has shown up many fault lines in the concession format and the relationships between key stakeholders have been pushed to the limit in some case. For sure there has been calls for change for many years; let’s hope that one positive from the pandemic will be to see it happen.”
Villa One The creative duo got together “over a love for tequila and for experiencing ‘life as it should be’, with friends old and new, one glass at a time”. With Stoli Group and Master Distiller Arturo Fuentes, they created a tequila using sustainably- sourced 100% blue weber agave and water drawn from the Fabrica de Tequilas Finos distillery’s artesian well.According to Stoli, a double-pot distillation process gives the tequila a unique character and a smooth finish. It is available in three expressions: Silver, Reposado and Anejo.
Villa One tequila will be available outside the US next year. |
Villa One launched recently on the US domestic market and received SIP awards for each expression, including Platinum for Villa One Sliver, Double Gold for Villa One Anejo, and Silver for Villa One Reposado.Aucher also underlined the changing role of craft and niche brands. “They have become massive business across domestic markets in recent years and that trend has spilled over into travel retail,” he said.
“From the original craft revolution in beer, we’ve seen that move into many spirit categories, most notably gin.”
Aucher said Stoli would continue to support its product offerings in travel retail through targeted high-profile activations and impactful promotions where needed to engage with travellers and drive sales.
Born in one of the most prestigious estates in Speyside, Scotland, Tulchan Gin is inspired by, and rooted in, the dramatic Scottish nature. It includes aromas from locally foraged botanicals including asparagus, sloe berry, blackberry leaves, elder tree flower and lemon peel and its stand-out bottle features a Grouse Man estate symbol and ink jet tartan patter. This lighter, refreshing London Dry Gin will be available in travel retail later this year. |
