Pubs: a whisky business

Making whisky as appealing to young people as rum and vodka is an ongoing challenge for producers. Sonya Hook looks at the work being done to shake off the drink's stuffy image.

When someone des-cribes the taste of a whisky it's easy to see why this is a category with strong "mature" male appeal. Words such as "peaty" and "smoky" don't tend to feature on drinks designed for women or younger drinkers.

These descriptive words are relevant though — producers have been making use of them in their work to educate consumers on the different taste characteristics of whisky.

But attracting new consumers into whisky is an ongoing challenge for the category. The bulk of the whisky market is made up of blended whiskies, and it's this sector that is struggling to grow. In value terms, the blended sector in the on-trade is down by 1.9% compared with last year, according to CGA data (year to 10 July 2010), although it is worth noting that the sector is outper-

forming the overall spirits market, which recorded a decline of 3.3%. This reflects the fact that consumers are beginning to trade up to premium blends.

"We are seeing a number of successful openings of good-quality outlets where atmosphere, experience and quality of spirits and drinks are key," says Maxxium UK's marketing manager for malts, Bob Dalrymple.

And there is more positive news for whisky — the smaller malt whisky segment did record growth last year in the on-trade — albeit only 0.8% — reflecting a continued interest in single malts, and in classic whisky cocktails.

Education​

Educating consumers, and also the on-trade in general, is a key focus for the category as a whole.

"The industry (and ourselves) is looking to provide education and tastings where possible," says Iain Weir, marketing director of Ian Macleod Distillers.

"We are trying to emphasise choice and variety in the brands, regions and key differences in the charac-teristics between them all."

According to Pernod Ricard, there is already evidence of an increased interest in premium, aged whisky, as well as signs that a lot more women are sampling the drink. Within the Pernod portfolio, Chivas Brothers has recently spent £10m to expand the size of its Glenlivet distillery to cater for this increased interest.

In terms of education, Chivas Regal has developed a new space at Vinopolis named the Chivas Room, within which the brand ambassador will host various trade and consumer events in the run-up to Christmas.

Meanwhile education has been a big focus for Maxxium UK — it plans to invest further in its Teacher's School of Whisky campaign in order to inform consumers about blended Scotch whisky, and to highlight the brand's mixability.

"By challenging consumer perceptions of whiskies, the Teacher's School of Whisky activity will drive value into the category," says brand manager Janette Murray.

This year the brand will continue its successful masterclasses and it also plans to introduce an educational podcast.

At the same time, First Drinks opted to appoint its first UK brand ambassador for Glenfiddich earlier this year. Jamie Milne was tasked with visiting the on-trade to educate people about malt whisky. The company's Monkey Shoulder brand has also been very active in the on-trade, rolling out its "Evolution of the Whisky Cocktail" events, which are a series of themed nights, demonstrating the development of cocktails.

New generation​

The aim of all of this education has primarily been to attract younger consumers into the category, by presenting drinkers with an alternative to the "trendier" and "younger" spirits such as rum and vodka.

"Whisky does not want to be rum or vodka, but it would like to attract a younger audience," explains Weir.

Ian Macleod's brand Smokehead has a particular appeal to the male 25-plus market, which the brand is managing to reach through other areas of interest for this group, such as rock music. The brand has developed links with Classic Rock magazine and the High Voltage Music Festival to tap into this audience.

Monkey Shoulder is another whisky brand using festivals as a marketing platform. The brand benefited from its biggest-ever marketing investment in 2010,

which featured the Monkey Shoulder Tree House at the Big Chill festival in August.

"Brands such as Monkey Shoulder have also clearly demonstrated that there is a strong interest in, and appetite for, malt whisky from a slightly younger audience," says James Stocker, First Drinks' marketing controller for dark spirits.

Spirits producer Pernod Ricard UK opted for film rather than music to recruit emerging whisky fans. Jameson Cult Film Club is now in its third year and, according to Nick Yates, Pernod's channel director for the on-trade, the platform has proven to be "both relevant and engaging for its target audience of 25 to 35-year-old males and has been successful in driving recruitment".

The new line-up of film experiences began on 23 September with Martin Scorsese's cult classic Taxi Driver, shown in a Soho car park.

Pernod also plans to increase marketing for Chivas Regal by 25%. The brand will appear on TV for the first time in the UK, with exclusive ads on SkySports to reach the core audience of 25 to 34-year-old men.

Also working to reach this audience, The Black Grouse, part of the Famous Grouse portfolio, has embarked on a year-long sampling campaign to introduce the "rich

and flavoursome" whisky to a new audience. "This campaign will reach a vast audience taking in consumer and trade shows as well as the rugby audience," says brand manager Linda Sooprayen. Pop-up bar sampling at train stations will target commuters.

It's not just whisky that has looked at ways to develop a younger whisky fan base either. Bourbon Maker's Mark has also been target-ing this market. Recent activity has included a pop-up mini-bar in the form of a vending machine (Maker's + the Machine), which was set up in Shoreditch, east London, serving Maker's Mark cocktails. A viral campaign supported this activity on Twitter.

Similarly, social media is also a tool chosen to promote Glenfiddich to a younger market. The brand's Explorers programme now has a new interactive website, which encourages conversations about the brand on the site and via Facebook.

"By providing such immersive and interactive digital share content, Glenfiddich is leading the way in engaging malt whisky fans — particularly those in their 20s and 30s," explains Stocker.

Auchentoshan has also invested in its website this year in a bid to appeal to new whisky drinkers, and the single malt whisky brand is, in addition, involved in a series of events across art, music, photog-raphy, architecture, design, catering and film. "We're really excited about the year ahead and the prospect of introducing new whisky drinkers to the world of single malts," said head of brands marketing, Kirsteen Beeston.

Cocktail culture with a taste of honey​

Whisky liqueur Drambuie is just one brand that's been taking advantage of moves to push the spirit to a wider audience.

The drink — which is a honey and herb-flavoured golden liqueur made from aged malt whisky, honey and spices — has been investing in the on-trade to get consumers (and bar staff) to understand its versatility as a cocktail ingredient.

"For Drambuie, it is the on-trade service that needs to offer something that drinking

at home doesn't," says senior brand manager William Birkin. "The obvious starting point

is cocktail culture."

Consequently, he explains, Drambuie has been investing heavily to re-establish classics such as the Rusty Nail — a mix of Drambuie, Scotch whisky and lemon — in the on-trade, as well as variants such as the Jamaican Nail (Drambuie, ginger beer and fresh lime).

"Whisky drinkers are always looking to expand their repertoire and knowledge. As a consequence there is an opportunity for smaller niche whisky brands to grow, if they get their marketing and positioning correct," says Birkin.

What do pubs need to know?​