CHINA. Whyte & Mackay will celebrate its ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ single malt collection The Dalmore Decades, with a special promotion in Hainan throughout October.
The company revealed further details of the travel retail activation during an online media briefing yesterday hosted by Whyte & Mackay Head of Whisky Discovery Kieran Healey-Ryder and The Dalmore Project Lead and Senior Communications Manager Claire Clark.
Underlining the buoyant Hainan offshore duty free market, Whyte & Mackay plans to host a high-profile showcase on the island to promote the landmark The Dalmore Decades release. The activity will embrace online, domestic and travel retail channels and consumers.
Healey-Ryder said, “We have activity in three dimensions in China. First around the online channel with a domestic audience and second around the travelling consumer with local partners.
“The third aspect is travel retail and we plan to give that special focus throughout October [to coincide with the National Day Golden Week holidays -Ed]. We have adopted a triple approach because the way a consumer responds to each environment is different. The online space is very immediate, the domestic space is more considered while the travel retail space is between the two.
“Hainan is both an opportunity and a showcase,” he added. “The focus of our alcohol and premium spirits category is totally on that location. How much of a showcase is dependent on the pandemic situation, but we have a stand and a display that will be stunning. It is a location store that we’ve taken through the month of October.
“We’ve designed something specific and are investing to amplify that online with key opinion leaders to make sure that our domestic, online and travel retail consumers are really aware of the launch,” added Healey-Ryder.
“With the promotion, we believe that customers can have a true The Dalmore experience at the home of luxury spirits brands in China. For us, Hainan is a location where for a time, The Dalmore is going to be very active; and we are really bringing our brand story to life there this October.”
As reported, The Dalmore Decades is a celebration of the creators and stories behind each bottle. Whyte & Mackay is releasing only three collections of The Dalmore Decades in very limited quantities: The No. 6 Collection, the No. 5 Collection and the No.4 Collection.
The one-of-a-kind No. 6 Collection will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in October, with a significant portion of the proceeds to be donated to the V&A Museum Dundee, Scotland’s first premiere design museum.
Ahead of the auction, The Dalmore and V&A Dundee will be releasing a special art film featuring The Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson with voiceover from renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Kuma designed the V&A Dundee and most recently designed the Tokyo Olympics stadium. The film will explore how both masters have realised their potential in their respective fields through decades of their lives.
The No. 5 Collection contains five of The Dalmore Decades whiskies from 1967, 1979, 1980, 1995 and 2000. Five sets (out of 15) of the No.5 Collection will be launched in the travel retail channel. They will be available through China Duty Free Group in Hainan; Duty Zero by CDF at Hong Kong International Airport; Ever Rich Duty Free in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport; Lotte Travel Retail Singapore at Changi Airport; and DFS during its next Master of Wines and Spirits showcase in Macau. The No. 5 Collection is priced at US$270,000.
The No. 4 Collection contains four of The Dalmore Decades whiskies from 1979, 1980, 1995 and 2000. Four sets (out of 25) from the No. 4 Collection will be available in travel retail through China Duty Free Group in Hainan and Lotte Duty Free at Incheon International Airport. The No. 4 Collection is priced at US$135,000.
Commenting on the travel retail allocation for The Dalmore Decades, Healyer-Ryder added: “From a discovery perspective, we really believe that travel retail is a channel that offers a fantastic opportunity for any brand to tell a story. So, investing in those locations is important because we need to be visible and present there.”
