SPOTLIGHT ON LIQUOR


mixing it with other casks – what we have is what we have. “They [the distillery] may consider


laying down two, three or four hundred thousand [litres per year] but right now, it’s still 100,000 litres per year, which in itself is very limited. “It will bring a good buzz to the


market around Balvenie and it means our ambassadors have something else to talk about. “It’s a conversation piece – not


Triple Cask Peated is available as a travel retail exclusive on a limited bottling run.


food bloggers and whisky enthusiasts were taken on a sensorial journey – from grain, to dram. Attendees witnessed the


preparation and soaking of the barley, which is used as the base for The Balvenie. Around 21 fresh water springs are used in the malting process, before the barley is milled, ground and prepared for mashing. The mash tun is then fermented


for a period of around 65 hours and twice distilled in copper pot stills for 15 hours, before entering the maturation and cask filling cycle.


‘Volumes +24% in 2016’ Customers for the new peated expression to date include DFS and Dufry, although WG&S could not be more specific on point of sale locations at the time of TRBusiness’s request for information. “The Balvenie has enjoyed an


amazing growth curve and is continuing to accelerate,” comments Ed Cottrell, Managing Director Global Travel Retail, WG&S. “Recently released IWSR 2016


data showed volume increased in GTR by +24% in 2016 versus a strong 2015. Value sales of The Balvenie have grown ahead of volume, more than doubling since 2010.” Cottrell says that stocks will


invariably be limited due to the expression’s one-week-per-year production cycle. When it comes to producing additional volume for travel retail, Millar is also speculative. “I don’t think we are going to compromise on what we have by


JULY 2017


everybody will like Balvenie peated – and there may be a lot of consumers who don’t like Balvenie, but will come into it because of this.”


Age statement appeal Increased demand for whisky globally has put pressure on aged- statement stocks, leading to a rise in appeal for non-aged statement whiskies. But while non-age represents a


vindication that a whisky’s taste and profile counts more than a mere year stamp, consumers – particularly in travel retail – still regard age statements as their good compass guide for experimentation. “Age is the simplest navigation


tool for the thing that makes Scotch cool,” says Samuel Simmons, The Balvenie Global Ambassador. “If we have no age statement,


eventually you’ll only have a rich- spicy one, a smoky one, and a light one, because you won’t need all the diversity. “I think it’s been proven by the likes


of The Macallan reverting back to age statements in most countries.” Meanwhile, Simmons says The


Balvenie’s existing triple cask range, available in 12, 16 and 25-year old iterations – provides consumers with a ‘benchmark’ to navigate the category. Building on the success of these


expressions in turn allowed The Balvenie to play to its strengths when it came to crafting the new peated triple cask. “The benefit of playing to our


strengths in travel retail is by having the signature style of Balvenie it means that when someone goes back to Lebanon, Taipei, or wherever they live and buy Balvenie – they are basing that on what it tastes like.” However, Simmons admits that


“Age is the simplest navigation tool for the thing that makes Scotch cool.”


Samuel Simmons, The Balvenie Global Ambassador


the launch of the product is a ‘brave’ move for a company not usually associated with peated expressions. Nonetheless, staying true to the


distinctive taste of The Balvenie by maintaining the taste profile remains important for the channel. “Speaking from my own


experience, it is the shop window for the world, because you will have someone who has never been to Scotland, connecting via London who has huge buying potential and wants to bring home something special,” Simmons continues. “If they bring home something


that represents the distillery style – and triple cask is all about that distillery style and the signature style of Balvenie – it is then a safe step to whatever is available locally.” This will no doubt come as


welcome news to both new and established Balvenie drinkers, along with WG&S’ further plans in the pipeline to continue its commitment towards travel retail moving forward. “The Balvenie acts as the next


step up as whisky drinkers begin to look for craft expressions and collections,” concludes Cottrell. “Its popularity is based on its


authenticity and taste and we see no signs of that abating. In terms of GTR, we will continue to create activations that reflect the craftsmanship and heritage of the brand.” «


A view of The Balvenie Single Malt distillery’s malting floor in Dufftown, Scotland.


TRBUSINESS 53


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