Whisky: Making their name

A Welshman sitting at a bar in Gloucester once started up an argument with me when I was umming and aaing with the barman over whether to go with a Scotch or Irish whisky. "People always overlook the Welsh!" he cried.

There may only have been one Welsh whisky, Penderyn, available in the pub, but it illustrated the regional allegiances that come naturally with whisky.

As other drinks categories prove, this niche factor can be a powerful marketing tool in the pub. There are a number of quirky regional brands tapping into this outside of Scotland and Ireland.

As well as Penderyn, there is the English Whisky Company in Norfolk. This commenced distilling in November 2006, but is only due to start selling its product in December 2009, EU law dictating that the spirit that matures into whisky cannot be called "whisky" until it has been in oak for a minimum of three years.

When it does, though, managing director Andrew Nelstrop says it will be targeting the on-trade - nearby pub groups such as Adnams and Greene King, and the freetrade through wholesalers. "The English identity has to be the most important thing when we start," he adds.

Penderyn, on the other hand, is fully operational and has been on a real promotional drive. This year, its distillery opened to the public for the first time with a new £850,000 visitor and barstaff training centre. Earlier this month, it announced a new sponsorship of Cardiff arts complex the Wales Millennium Centre's main bar.

The on-trade in Penderyn's home country is having no trouble selling it to patriotic Welshmen. Richard Davies, SA Brain's sales and marketing director, says: "It does not sell at the rate of Glenfiddich, but the fact it merits a listing says volumes about how well it's doing. They've done an excellent job in getting the brand established. The trick for Penderyn is getting Welsh whisky recognised as a creditable alternative to Scotch."

Brains is rolling the spirit out across its estate and it has been supported with point-of-sale material from the supplier, according to Davies. But he believes its broader PR activity has been most powerful. The raised profile that has come from sponsorships and winning awards has noticeably driven consumer demand, he says.

Outside of Wales​

However, it is also being sold by pubs outside of Wales. Nick Griffin, head of Brighton-based pub company Pleisure, says he stocks it on the basis of the product's quality. The regionality is "an aside", and it is because of that that he finds many customers order it. "It's drunk mainly by people who are Welsh and recognise it. They will say 'I've never seen that outside of Wales'," Griffin says.

However, he has a major gripe with the lack of support that Penderyn provides for pubs outside of its Welsh heartland. "They don't try very hard to support it in England," he says. "They make a great product, but it's a busy marketplace. When English people think of whisky, they think of Scotch, and to get people to order otherwise, Penderyn needs to support it more."

Penderyn managing director Stephen Davies replies that this is a simple question of resources. While the company has launched a "Penderyn Club" to offer loyalty deals to trade customers in Wales, he says that it has been difficult to run such schemes in England.

If brands like Penderyn can get these resources in place, signs are there that such whiskys can have real appeal outside of their heartlands.

Regional whiskies outside of Scotland and Ireland

• The Welsh Whisky Company, www.welsh-whisky.co.uk

• The English Whisky Company, www.englishwhisky.co.uk

(Whisky ready for sale in 2009)

• Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm, www.thecornishcyderfarm.co.uk

(Whisky ready for sale in 2010)