StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q March/April 2014 34
t's a new time, a new age, a new era for Scotch
consumers in the U.S.," said Brian Radics, Director of
Scotch Whisky, Diageo. "Not every category can say
they're a dynamic category right now but Scotch can
say that."
With products at every price point, from the value-
price to a bottle of The Macallan that sold for more
than $600,000 at an auction earlier this year, the Scotch
whisky category is moving in an upward direction.
"There's this huge premiumization from the very top
collectible, rare bottles and that seems to trickle down
all the way through premium whisky," said David King,
president of Anchor Distilling.
As the economy improves, so does what consumers
drink. "The long trend of people drinking less but drink-
ing better continues and I think single malt whisky in
particular is benefi ting from that," King offered.
For a product so steeped in history, Scotch whisky
brands realize they can't rely solely on premiumization
for the new generation of drinkers. Rather than skew-
ing male and older in age, the Scotch category crowd is
becoming younger and not as gender-specifi c. "Younger
consumers are more adventurous and are starting to in-
corporate brown spirits into their drinking repertoire,"
said Jill Quady, brand manager for Cutty Sark.
Scotch brands are pushing the envelope when it
comes to innovation. "Super-premium brands, innova-
tion in particular, has been a huge part of not only Dia-
Sophisticated
The
Spirit
By Kate Strandness
ONCE A CELEBRATED SPIRIT,
ALWAYS A CELEBRATED SPIRIT.
SCOTCH WHISKY REEMERGES
WITH HIGH-END EXPRESSIONS
THAT APPEAL TO THE NEXT
GENERATION OF ENTHUSIASTS.
"
I