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Glenfiddich Age of Discovery, the 19yo global travel retail exclusive which celebrates the pioneering nature of the 15th century Portuguese merchants |
UK. William Grant & Sons is returning to the TFWA Asia Pacific show next month with a strengthened regional travel retail team, an updated product portfolio and a series of high-profile promotional activities (Stand number: J2).
In 2009 William Grant & Sons had just two people dedicated to sales in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australasia. In 2011 the company will have five people dedicated to the region with:
• A new Regional Manager to be appointed based out of the newly set up WGS Australia office in Sydney
• Neeraj Sharma, new Business Development Manager for the Indian subcontinent
• Kate Minner, new Trade Marketing Manager for the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Asia Pacific and Australasia
“These three new appointments join Rajiv Bhatia and Kelvin Ng, our Regional Managers for Middle East & Asia Pacific, creating a truly powerful and dynamic team, befitting this vibrant region,” said William Grant & Sons Global Travel Retail Director Rita Greenwood.
NEW PRODUCTS
New to Asia Pacific markets is Glenfiddich Age of Discovery, the 19yo global travel retail exclusive aimed at gifters and whisky connoisseurs. This Madeira Finish Single Malt uses casks sourced from Henrique and Henrique, an independent Madeira company. This product celebrates the pioneering nature of the 15th century Portuguese merchants who were the forerunners of finding new trading routes into Asia and who started to map the world.
New premium packaging is also being introduced for Glenfiddich 21yo, moving it into the rare range alongside 30, 40 and 50yo. A brand new bottle and giftable outer case have been developed, improving the standout and highlighting the quality of the liquid inside, the company said. The new 21yo will be exclusive to global travel retail for at least six months.
Singapore also sees the launch of batch three of The Balvenie Forty, described as the most outstanding expression of this handcrafted single malt Scotch whisky. The first batch of The Balvenie Forty – just 150 bottles – was launched at the TFWA Asia Pacific show last year, and was available exclusively to travel retail; batch two has been available in domestic markets across the globe. Due to the “incredible” demand a third batch, again of only 150 bottles, becomes available this year exclusively to travel retail.
BRAND UPDATE
Glenfiddich
The roll-out of the new travel retail exclusive look and feel for Glenfiddich continues across Asia Pacific in 2011. This is the largest investment in merchandising across the channel that the brand has ever undertaken and includes the creation of new wall units, gondolas, podiums, light boxes and “˜golden’ visual assets and imagery which have become the flagship for Glenfiddich in all travel retail advertising and promotional activities.
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New premium packaging is being introduced for Glenfiddich 21yo, featuring a brand new bottle and giftable outer case |
Created to bring to life the pioneering spirit that lies at the heart of Glenfiddich, it also includes the “˜Glenfiddich Crystal Stag Gondola’. Only six of these pieces have been commissioned, the third of which made its appearance at Dubai Duty Free in December 2010. The next Stags are due to grace New York JFK and Hong Kong International Airport.
All of these activities are in addition to the new global marketing campaign, “˜One Day You Will’, hailed as Glenfiddich’s largest global marketing campaign in its 124-year history.
In addition, “˜A Century of Glenfiddich’ – one of the brand’s offerings made available at the DFS Master of Spirits event in Singapore in March – has been sold at Changi Airport for S$100,000. As a part of this exclusive package the buyer will also have a private tasting of the Glenfiddich range hosted by Global Brand Ambassador Ian Millar in the comfort of their own home.
The Balvenie
The Balvenie offers two global travel retail exclusives – GoldenCask 14yo and The Balvenie Forty – along with the limited edition 17yo Peated Cask and The Balvenie PortWood 21yo. The latter two are bottled at a higher alcoholic strength and are not chill filtered as they are in domestic markets, which William Grant & Sons believes will appeal to gifters and collectors alike.
Grant’s
For Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky, the focus continues to be on premiumisation with the continued roll-out of the global travel retail exclusive 25yo and the premium 12yo. This is supported by the global travel retail exclusive Distillery Edition.
Developing this wider range to highlight the depth and quality of the brand has helped to cement Grant’s position as a leading Scotch in the channel and helped to build the brand’s premium credentials, the company said.
To support the complete range of Grant’s whiskies, William Grant & Sons is installing a new range of wall units at key airports across the globe including Dubai and Muscat, creating theatre in-store with a series of high-profile sampling activities.
Hendrick’s Gin
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The TFWA Singapore show also sees the launch of the third batch of The Balvenie Forty, limited to 150 bottles |
For Hendrick’s Gin, 2011 will see a number of show-stopping promotions using themes such as the Grandfather Clock, Penny Farthing, and Ice Cream Cart, supported by new retail furniture and sampling to increase footfall and drive sales. This includes a new permanent wall unit at Hong Kong International Airport.
The Tea Time Martini gift pack, a travel retail exclusive combining theatrical design with travel-themed graphics in the brand’s inimitable style, will continue to be available throughout 2011. It contains a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin and a fine bone-china teacup.
Tullamore Dew
The purchase of Tullamore Dew last year was the largest acquisition ever made by William Grant & Sons, and provided an entry into the fast-growing category of Irish whiskey. In 2011 the focus for Tullamore Dew – said to be the world’s second largest Irish whiskey – will be on increasing distribution and building up visibility in the channel.
“William Grant & Sons enjoyed its most successful year ever in 2010 with an increase in travel retail value sales across all of our brands, and we are confident of an equally positive 2011,” said William Grant & Sons Travel Retail Global Marketing Manager Ian Taylor.
“Travel retail remains a fundamental pillar in William Grant & Sons’ strategy and we will continue to invest in the category, building a stronger and more focused travel retail team, continuing to premiumise our brands, emphasising travel retail exclusives and exclusive vintages, and creating high-end, high-profile brand activations that give travellers unparalleled brand experiences,” he added.
Stand contacts in Singapore are: Rita Greenwood – Global Travel Retail Director; Ian Taylor – Global Marketing Manager; Kate Minner – Trade Marketing Manager; Rajiv Bhatia – Regional Manager, Middle East and Indian Subcontinent; Kelvin Ng – Regional Manager, Asia Pacific; Erik Thomsen – Regional Manager, Europe; and Neeraj Sharma – Business Development Manager, Indian Subcontinent.
For trade enquiries, contact Ian Taylor, tel: +44 (0) 20 8334 1258, fax: +44 (0) 20 8332 1695, or e-mail: Ian.Taylor@wgrant.com.
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