BROWN SPIRITS: WILLIAM GRANT & SONS


Hard work pays off for William Grant & Sons in Americas travel retail


Despite a challenging 2018 across Americas DF&TR, William Grant & Sons still generated single-digit sales growth and is confident about its prospects in the region this year, according to Regional Marketing Manager Richard Bush. Andrew Pentol reports.


D


espite challenging economic conditions in part of the Americas last year, William


Grant & Sons (WGS) still achieved sales growth of +6% in the region compared to 2017. Having worked extremely hard


during tough times, especially in Brazil where there was uncertainty in the build-up to the presidential election, the WGS team is confident of a strong DF&TR performance in the Americas in 2019. Richard Bush, Regional Marketing


Manager - Americas tells TRBusiness: “We were faced with crazy issues


in Brazil and Argentina, but things did start to bounce park in the latter half of the year. “Regarding the rest of the


Americas, the North American portion was steady with some modest growth.” He adds: “Overall, I still believe


we were ahead of the category worldwide with good performance from the brands, notably in our aged malt portfolio.” This year, WGS will focus on its


Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice, a small-batch, limited edition gin by Hendrick’s master distiller Lesley Gracie and the first variant released from the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ at the Hendrick’s Gin Palace. Launched in the US from March


and available for a limited time in 2019 only, Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice is bottled at 43.4% ABV.


Making a statement In terms of the general GTR business, Bush says: “We are offering the widest range of aged malts in global travel retail, whereas a lot of our major competitors in the channel are only offering non-age statements. This gives us a strong advantage right now.” Giving his own opinion on the


MAY 2019 William Grant & Sons is confident of a strong performance in Americas travel retail this year.


importance of age when it comes to whisky, it seems it is one of several factors that actually matter. He explains: “People have been


told for generations that age matters, so you can’t turn around and tell them overnight that it no longer does. Age is one factor that matters, but the blend and know-how which goes into production is also key.” The WGS Glenfiddich Cask


Collection is an excellent example of how age is not the sole focus and where the blend and production process are also significant. “With the Cask Collection,


it’s all about the blend, merits of the different whiskies, finishes, know-how and technical whisky- making aspect, not simply just the years spent in the barrel,” emphasises Bush. Technique and age both have a


role to play in the market and serve different consumer needs. “If a consumer walks into the store


wanting a 15-year-old whisky, you’re not going to convince them to buy something without a number on the bottle,” asserts Bush. “On the flip side, if someone walks


in not knowing what they want, is not as familiar with the malts or simply


wants a gift or to try something new, you have a good chance of making a sale without an age statement.” This, however, is far from a


foregone conclusion and depends on the scenario. “If you have a good story to


tell, good production process and somebody in-store who can explain this, there is every chance of completing the sale,” says Bush. Millennials in particular are hungry


for knowledge and brand stories. They also have very little in the way of brand or variant loyalty. “They want to know what’s


behind the product. Once again, if we have the capacity to transmit that information, there is a good chance of making a sale whether it’s an age statement or non-age statement.” «


“We were faced with crazy issues in Brazil and Argentina, but things did start to bounce park in the latter half of the year.”


Richard Bush, Regional Marketing Manager - Americas, William Grant & Sons


TRBUSINESS 123


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