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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/777147
Imported Whisky 36 Beverage Dynamics • January/February 2017 www.beveragedynamics.com our whiskies," Nash says. However, while those different fl a- vors and expressions are interesting, the vast majority of what they sell is the core brand, unique in that it has all three types of traditional Irish whiskey - single pot still, single malt and single grain. "Since buying the brand, we've invested heavily in repack- aging, and in the new distillery being built, so that we own our own future," Nash adds. EASTERN RISINGS Even Japanese whisky has benefi ted from the boom, al- though much education will be needed if the category is to become more than a cultish on-premise fad. For Phillips, who oversees Yamazaki and Hakushu Single Malt, Hibiki blended and the recently released Suntory Toki, creating a lasting impression is the goal. Suntory isn't alone in the market, as both small compa- nies and larger ones like Nikka are focusing on the U.S. Ear- lier this year, the Nikka Whisky Distilling Company and U.S. importer Anchor Distilling Company introduced two new expressions: Yoichi Single Malt and Miyagikyo Single Malt, both non-age statement whiskies. Nikka now sends single malt, blended malt and grain whiskies to the U.S. "Our higher-end and limited release Japanese whiskies do get scooped up at retail very quickly, and the single malts and Hibiki are mostly a whiskey connoisseur's product. With the launch of Toki, we're defi nitely trying to expand the market, to tell the market that Japanese whiskey is a segment not just for connoisseurs," Phillips says. Toki is receiving much more of a retail push, meant to be enjoyed in highballs and refresh- ing cocktails rather than sipped and savored, she says - an everyday, rather than a "special occasion," whisky. "We're making our own category and spend a lot of time and effort on education. From a retail perspective, we aim to get its own section and we are targeting more sophisticated whiskey stores, where we can educate the staff that it's not Scotch that comes from Japan," she says. Nash of William Grant neatly sums up the opportunities and challenges facing international whisky makers and re- tailers these days. "What you'll fi nd is there's a tremendous amount of choice out there, with people coming in to one type of whis- key and drinking around. It's not as clear cut as fi nding one expression and moving up. The more we can give consumers broader expressions of taste, price point and interesting ele- ments, the more they will come to it. Whiskey drinkers have a huge variety in front of them and it's only getting larger - our job is to make sure we are coming up with expressions that make sense to consumers." BD JACK ROBERTIELLO is the former editor of Cheers magazine and writes about beer, wine, spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications. More of his work can be found at www.jackrobertiello.com. "WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHOICE OUT THERE, WITH PEOPLE COMING IN TO ONE TYPE OF WHISKEY AND DRINKING AROUND. IT'S NOT AS CLEAR CUT AS FINDING ONE EXPRESSION AND MOVING UP." —Andrew Nash, VP of Whiskies for William Grant and Sons