Whyte and Mackay targets TR growth through innovation
The Dalmore Luminary 2 represents Whyte & Mackay’s focus on collectible whiskies for travelers
Acclaimed spirits company Whyte & Mackay aims to maintain its leadership in the global travel retail market by prioritizing single malt whisky, a category known for delivering superior returns per square meter, Mike Greggs, Managing Director Europe and GTR for Whyte & Mackay tells GTR Magazine.
The company wants to be a thought leader and an innovator specifically for malt whisky, he says. “We’ve done a lot of research studying different travel behaviors, key regions, looking at the missions/occasions people shop under and importantly, reasons for gifting,” he explains. This strategy is highlighted with the company’s recent promotional activity in partnership with Dubai Duty Free across its single malt whisky portfolio.
Recruiting customers
In a bid to bolster its travel retail performance, Whyte & Mackay is focusing on expanding its customer base in the malt whisky category, given the longstanding strength and growth potential of that segment of the spirits market. “Malt whisky is the engine of growth for spirits,” says Greggs. “If you look back over the last 20 years, the forecast has been that malt whisky will add more value than other spirits and at a higher growth rate. We do this by creating innovations that are particularly targeted to build penetration, by recruiting more people into the category.”
The company has a good history of recruiting customers by offering products for new occasions. “We think winning with recommendation is key; people like to buy across a big portfolio,” he adds. Greggs says the company sees an increasing opportunity by targeting women, to gift and buy whisky for personal use. “Our mission has been to make it more welcoming, more inclusive,” he says.
One of these inclusive stories is the success of Whyte & Mackay’s Jura whisky, which is going from strength to strength, and is a top performing whisky in the UK. “We’ve done that through simple cask finishes, attention to price points and a compelling story,” says Greggs. “It’s a tiny island community and they make great whisky.”
Expanded offerings
Jura’s Islanders Expression series has been important in the brand’s TR strategy. The third installment in the series is set for release later this year, featuring a distinctive red wine finish from Cabernet Sauvignon casks. This innovative approach aligns with Whyte & Mackay’s strategy to leverage customer insights gathered from their extensive research into travel behaviors and purchasing patterns.
“From our research we know customers in duty free buy across wine and spirits so we see this increasing wine focus as having lots of penetration cross over potential to recruit new customers,” Greggs says.
He highlights Tamnavulin as an emerging powerhouse in the company’s portfolio, with significant untapped potential in travel retail: “We’ve started with three SKUs exclusively developed for the channel: a Tempranillo finish, Oloroso sherry cask, and a new white wine Sauvignon Blanc cask edition. The three together showcase vibrant packaging, to make us more appealing to a wider group of customers and the range is easy to understand to get around the complex whisky category.”
Art-forward luxury
With Asia a firm focus for the company’s luxury-positioned The Dalmore range, the brand is launching more products for collectors. Greggs relates: “We are collaborating a lot in the world of art and design. Two years ago we launched our series Luminary No2., via a partnership with the V&A Museum in Dundee. For this year there is a very special collector’s item, The Rare 2024 Edition, in collaboration with Melodie Leong, director at Zaha Hadid Architects, together with Gregg Glass, master whisky maker at The Dalmore. With this, we are positioning ourselves as a masterpiece in the making, not just in the world of whiskies but also in the world of luxury.”
The Dalmore plans another artistic collaboration, partnering with Scottish spray paint artist Fraser Gray, for new packaging designs on The Portfolio Series. This upcoming release featuring three different red wine cask finishes, with prices ranging from £500 (US$640) and £3000 (US$3,840) across the set, is slated for launch in Q3 2024.
