BROWN SPIRITS: BEAM SUNTORY


commitment to heritage, cutting- edge design and manufacturing, while attracting new whisky sippers and increasing basket size. “Aston Martin is just as excited


about our liquid as we are about their cars – it’s a quite wonderful partnership,” reacts Stening. “You will definitely see some items coming out very soon.” Aside Maker’s Mark 101 and the


finished in wine and sherry casks. The super-premium liquid,


currently live with Dufry in global travel retail (excluding Asia), is distilled by seventh generation Jim Beam Master Blender Fred Noe and blended by Suntory Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo. “We use it to refer back to the


success of small batch. People love the storytelling component of small batch and when you look at the craft behind it, you sort of tie that into ‘brand Japan’. “People are engaging with it from


a shopper perspective,” Stening continues, pointing to ‘gemba’, a Japanese term and colloquialism used within the Beam Suntory house that translates to ‘the actual place’ vis-à-vis spending time engaging with shoppers at airports. Legent is already gracing the aisles


of Heathrow Airport and Madrid and at the time of writing was involved in an activation at Barcelona Airport.


Bowmore and Aston Martin Stening says the company is looking at executing some additional activations this year, but remains tight-lipped on these. Likewise, he chooses to play


his cards close to his chest when conversation turns to the recent tie- up between Aston Martin and single malt Scotch Bowmore, sure to prick the ears of travellers and automotive enthusiasts across the globe. Bowmore was announced as the


British car manufacturer’s exclusive spirits partner in November and duty free will be ‘front and centre’ in the tie-up. Bowmore is working closely with


the Aston Martin design team to curate a series of limited edition bottlings that echo both brands’


MARCH 2020 Legent, Kentucky straight bourbon activation at Madrid Airport. TRBUSINESS 57


successful Maker’s Mark Christmas Sweater campaign, Jim Beam Black is another brand that has taken the spotlight in the drive to increase personalisation for


“Whisky lovers are now starting to understand and really respect the art of blending, which the Japanese do so well.”


Ed Stening, Beam Suntory


particularly non-age statements, so that means people are able to get access to the liquid as we start to try and manage our restraints.” Elsewhere, Beam Suntory


travellers


and retailers. “We’ve seen great pull-through,


which is what we want for this brand because ultimately, we are really trying to grow the category of bourbon [..] getting new drinkers into bourbon or into whisk(e)y is super important,” says Stening. Japanese whiskey adds another


dimension to the narrative and Yamazaki, Toki, Hibiki and Chita are just several anchors in a nimble portfolio. “Whisky lovers are now starting


to understand and really respect the art of blending, which the Japanese do so well,” says Stening who refers to events such as the Rugby World Cup and Olympics that have helped to levitate Japan and Japanese whisky into the consciousness of mainstream consumers. However, limited stocks has


always represented a challenge for the distilleries, requiring ingenuity from suppliers to create compelling product stories that go beyond simple age statements. “We’re trying to expand our range,


is responding to greater consumer demand for no- and low-alcohol choices. “It connects to so many


key trends, whether that be refreshment, healthy living and even premiumisation as a general concept,” says Stening. “The team are looking at various innovations in this space. It is definitely a key area of interest and we’re exploring as much as we possibly can.” More widely, perpetual


uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 has sent tremors through the DF&TR industry, with more than 86,000 confirmed cases at the time of writing, a situation which is leaving retailers exposed. “Obviously we’re keeping a very


close eye on this one as much as we can; we’re concerned for the industry and the health of people,” responds Stening. “We don’t want to be in a position


where we start pulling things back unnecessarily and want to make sure that we can support our retailers during this time. When things do get better, assuming they do, then we’re ready to jump on and support them further in the future.” «


Left: Passengers stop to enjoy a moment with Auchentoshan at Edinburgh Airport.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76