Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has unveiled its new travel retail-exclusive range at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
The Glengoyne Spirit of Oak Collection features four expressions matured in sherry casks.
“This is a very significant moment for Ian Macleod Distillers [which owns Glengoyne Distillery] as a company and for travel retail, as it signals we are in travel retail for the long-term,” said Ian Macleod Distillers Travel Retail Director Andy Lane at a media preview event in late August.
“We always set out to have a travel retail range, and while it has taken a little longer than expected, it is about us being patient and making sure we have the right spirits to enter the market.”
Lane noted Glengoyne’s strong position in rankings of Scotch sales in travel retail compiled by Generation (see chart below). “We are establishing ourselves as a true travel retail brand and I am confident with the products we have we will be climbing these rankings, and our aim is to be in the top ten.”
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Brand Director Ian Weir said the sherry oak casks used in the new range added an unparalleled depth of character to the spirit, accentuated by the fact that they are “exceptionally rare and expensive”. “
The journey to the distillery takes up to six years. The European and American oak travels from the forests of northern Spain and the Appalachian Mountains in the USA, to the cooperage in Jerez in southern Spain. “Each cask holds fine sherry for up to three years before it is ready to house Glengoyne spirit. They are hand-crafted, sun-dried and delivered whole to our distillery [from Jerez],” said Weir.
The four expressions in the collection – Glengoyne Cuartillo; Glengoyne Balbaína; Glengoyne PX, and Glengoyne 28 Year Old – are said to tell the story of the cask journey, “from oak forests to Highland distillery”. The bottlings feature Moorish-inspired packaging to emphasise the Spanish influence.
Lane said the expressions “pay testament to the importance of the finest oak casks, and the unique effort we make to source them.
“The casks give our spirit 100% of its rich natural colour, and up to 80% of the flavour. So the rewards of slow maturation in fine sherry wood are there to taste – from the luxurious caramel, dried apple and cloves of the Balbaína to the extraordinary depths of the 28 Year Old.”
Ian Macleod Distillers International Brand Ambassador Gordon Dundas hosted a tasting session at the media event, where he noted that it was rare to see a diverse range of sherry cask maturation in travel retail, offering a potential point of differentiation for Glengoyne.
Weir noted that the “co-operation between sherry casks in Spain and the beautiful whisky we see in Glengoyne” made the collection an attractive proposition for travellers. “It is a story of this partnership between Spain and Scotland,” he said.
The four expressions will be available in travel retail in March/April 2018. Tastings around airports will be important, Lane said, and activations are planned.
The Spirit of Oak collection
- With notes of toffee, apricots, and a hint of cinnamon, Glengoyne Cuartillo has a heart of first-fill American oak Oloroso sherry casks and is bottled at 40% ABV (RRP €49.95).
- Glengoyne Balbaína is matured with a heart of first-fill European oak Oloroso sherry casks, imbuing the whisky with notes of luxurious caramel, dried apple, and cloves, according to Glengoyne (43% ABV, RRP €58.95).
- Glengoyne PX is matured in European and American oak, then finished in fine Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, giving it a “rich and intense flavour with fresh oak, spice and a touch of caramelised sugar” (46% ABV, RRP €89).
- Glengoyne 28 Year Old is complex and deep, with rich fruit and elegant spice, Glengoyne said. It has been matured for more than a quarter of a century in the finest first fill Oloroso sherry casks, and is bottled at 46.8% ABV (RRP €420).
