Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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Imported Whisky 32 Beverage Dynamics • January/February 2017 www.beveragedynamics.com But younger consumers and Hispanics aren't the only areas of growth. "We're seeing a greater interest in Scotch by all de- mographics, as consumers look for more authentic products and naturally gravitate to brown spirits," says Andrew Nash, VP of Whiskies for William Grant and Sons. "We do a lot of work in outreach education and training because we find younger con- sumers understand that there's a flavor in Scotch for everyone when you can educate them and show them the breadth and depth of flavor." Millennials are more interested in exploring the category than previous generations at their age, Nash says. "We're seeing them expanding occasions and ways of drinking beyond just one cat- egory, and the rules about how to drink Scotch - just something you enjoy neat or on the rocks - are being broken, specifically with regards to cocktails. We're also seeing a blurring of gender lines, which is good for a category that traditionally appeals to a higher percentage of males than females." Just like with Canadian, cocktail strategies are all the rage in bringing younger American whiskey drinkers, used to Bour- bon and rye-based drinks, to Scotch. Grant's blended Monkey Shoulder has devoted energy to challenging the perception of Scotch as an acquired taste by getting on-premise customers to try it in cocktails. Marketers behind Beam Suntory's single malts, Laphroaig and Auchentoshan, also are devoting energy to a cocktail strategy. "Millennials are drinking spirits earlier than previous genera- tions, but they are very interested in flavor," Phillips says. "How- ever, experiencing spirits first in cocktails is not about all that LEADING BRANDS OF SCOTCH WHISKY, 2013-2015 (000 9-LITER CASES) 14/15 BRAND TYPE SUPPLIER 2013 2014 2015 % CHG House of Dewar's FB Bacardi USA 1,243 1,186 1,225 3.3% Johnnie Walker Black FB Diageo 940 886 899 1.5% Johnnie Walker Red FB Diageo 710 712 736 3.4% Buchanan FB Diageo 335 430 520 20.9% Chivas Regal FB Pernod Ricard USA 392 358 370 3.4% Total Leading Brands 3,620 3,572 3,750 5.0% Total Foreign Bottled Scotch Whisky 5,365 5,260 5,535 5.2% Clan MacGregor USB William Grant & Sons 470 463 453 -2.2% Inver House USB Sazerac 197 186 184 -1.1% Cluny USB Whyte & Mackay Americas 185 181 184 1.7% Scoresby USB Diageo 205 180 170 -5.6% Old Smuggler USB Shaw-Ross Int'l Importers 150 149 146 -2.0% Lauder's USB Sazerac 124 120 119 -0.8% Total Leading Brands 1,331 1,279 1,256 -1.8% Total U.S. Bottled Scotch Whisky 1,990 1,915 1,887 -1.5% The Glenlivet SM Pernod Ricard USA 387 387 425 9.8% The Macallan SM Edrington Americas 186 209 235 12.4% Glenfiddich SM William Grant & Sons 135 141 156 10.6% Glenmorangie SM Moet Hennessy USA 96 112 130 16.1% The Balvenie SM William Grant & Sons 74 81 89 9.9% Laphroaig SM Beam Suntory 48 55 70 27.3% Total Leading Brands 926 985 1,105 12.2% Total Single Malts 1,480 1,535 1,728 12.6% Total Scotch Whisky 8,835 8,710 9,150 5.1% FB=Foreign Bottled; USB=U.S. Bottled; SM=Single Malts. Source: The Beverage Information & Insights Group. For more data and analysis, visit www.albevresearch.com.