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Is the whisky category becoming more accessible?

04 October 2024 By Jessica Mason

Spirits companies are finding new ways to make whisky more appealing for people curious to try it for the first time. Jessica Mason reports.

Speaking to the drinks business at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes this week, companies including premium spirits group Suntory Global Spirits, French drinks group La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, Scotch maker MacDuff International and English spirits producer Cotswolds Distillery all stated intentions to open up the category to make it more accessible for new consumers.

Suntory Global Spirits admitted it was taking its lead from its customers and really drilling down into what they want to find out from the end consumer how to approach new trends.

Suntory Global Spirits managing director global travel retail Ashish Gandham told db: “What we are doing this year is understanding from customers, what do they want?” and admitted that most of the innovation would see the business “looking deeper” at consumer preferences to “broaden the market” and “attract new whisky drinkers in Asia” as well as “expanding distribution and our execution in the America’s and in Europe to find new consumers”.

To open up the whisky category further and to make it more appealing to non-whisky drinkers, Martiniquaise-Bardinet has really thrown focus this year on its Label Five brand with a new flavoured whisky drink launch that it anticipates will attract a broader demographic.

La Martiniquaise international marketing manager Constance Deschamps told db: “The new launch is Label Five Original Citrus and it is the first flavour we have for the brand. So we are very happy to have this new launch, also to be able to show that we continue to innovate. We have a view on the market and what are the main flavours in this category? Citrus was really the most interesting for the brand.”

Deschamps explained: “Markets that are most popular for this brand are Poland, which is one of our main countries, but also some Asian countries and Africa and also mainly countries across Europe” and revealed that the company would be looking to open up the category to next generation drinkers by suggesting the flavoured spirit was served as a long drink to get people to get used to the taste of whisky a little before trying it neat and added: “We think this will be best mixed with lemonade and a slice of lime.”

Describing how whisky needs to innovate and show there is something for everyone, MacDuff International head of sales Andy Boughey said: “We are having some really positive conversations about all our brands. We have brands at lots of different price points, from entry level and mainstream products through to super premium products.”

Boughey admitted that “the whisky category at the moment is quite tough globally” and suggested that this was the reason why having a portfolio that offered something suitable for a range of drinkers was key. He added that, because of this MacDuff has been “able to showcase branded propositions and talk in some depth with people who want to hear about it” and hinted that having a brand for all people and all occasions and being able to share that “is really impactful”.

Boughey observed how “with Ryelaw, it is early days with the brand and yet we’re looking into different markets and looking at what else we can do in our existing markets, as well as global travel retail” but also hinted that the company was also readying a new launch as well. He told db: “We’ve also got upcoming releases that aren’t out yet [named KinGlassie], from our distillery that we’re offering people to sample, so it’s super exciting to be able to talk about what’s not even on the market yet and generate a little bit of excitement.”

Also banging the drum for making the whisky category more accessible and relevant to all people is the Cotswolds Distillery which told db about how the breadth of its portfolio has become a hook to open it up further to new audiences beyond its gin variants.

Revealing more, Cotswolds Distillery international sales and global travel retail director Lynsey Eades explained that “there is certainly a new trend for English whisky” and Cotswolds is “really seeing the impact that this trend is having for the whisky-curious. Primarily, those who are looking for something new and fresh and different”.

With fresh data this year from CGA by NIQ showing how Gen Z consumers are drinking even less than they were a year ago, the approach to adapt serves to lower abv optionss and look further into RTDs continues to be investigated. On a more global scale, last summer Gallup found that only 62% of adults under the age of 35 say they drink, down from 72% two decades ago. As such, spirits companies are looking at many new ways to grow the category while retaining relevance for next generation consumers. Other examples can be seen by Pernod Ricard’s latest Redbreast whiskey to attract enthusiasts and newcomers.

Other ways to retain appeal have been for businesses to look further into tapping into trends consumers find appealing such as companies with a green oir planet-friendly ethos. To assist with this, the Scottish Government recently awarded a share of the £7.2 million funding grant towards making Scotch more sustainable to further support the sector and safeguard its future.

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