Pernod Ricard subsidiary Chivas Brothers Limited has unleashed a rare selection of 15 single malts dubbed *Secret Speyside.

Sourced from four ‘elusive’ distilleries – Glen Keith, Longmorn, Caperdonich (now defunct) and Braes of Glenlivet – nestled in the heart of Scotland’s most voluminous region for malt whisky production, the Secret Speyside range is available as a global travel retail exclusive for 12 months.

Available from 1 July, age variants range from 18 to 30 years at price points of between $100 to just under $1,000.

Glen Keith, Longmorn and Braes of Glenlivet have each yielded three aged liquids, with six for Caperdonich (three peated; three unpeated).

IMMERSIVE LAUNCH EVENT

A special launch event and private tasting held in central London yesterday (26 June) offered guests, including TRBusiness, the opportunity to sample 13 whiskies from the new range (the remaining two are still maturing and due for release later this year). 

Alex Robertson, Head of Heritage and Education, Chivas Brothers Limited led proceedings.

Rich narratives on the tasting notes and history of the expressions were accompanied by an interpretive dance performance to introduce each bottling.

The two expressions currently under maturation are a 25-year-old peated and 30-year-old unpeated from Caperdonich.

World Duty Free will list the peated and unpeated expressions from Caperdonich and Longmorn (18 and 25 YO) with more understood to follow.

“We’re super excited; when Chivas Brothers presented this product we both felt that travel retail was the best market to launch this range from a commercial perspective,” Laura Lung, Marketing Manager, Single Malts, Travel Retail, Pernod Ricard told TRBusiness.

“The average transaction value for single malts in travel retail is higher than the domestic market and if you think about the consumer mindset on holiday, you tend to try things you do not back home and try to spend a little bit more.

“For single malts, people drink a repertoire of different brands and don’t really stick with one. People are willing to try and share the liquid and knowledge with friends and that character in travel retail is even more obvious with our shopper types.”

PRICE AGILITY

Asked about the flexible price proposition across the range, she added: “Malt shoppers are very unique, discerning and pay for exclusive items and stories behind the products. Depending on the occasion – whether it’s for yourself or collecting – we see a lot of demand for these products in travel retail.

“For example, Glenlivet Winchester is $25,000 and we never have enough to sell. For single casks it’s about $350-$500 and usually we sell out. So we see different shopper types and occasions and price points.”

As far as marketing and promoting the ranges, Pernod Ricard says it will employ PR, digital and CRM activities to drive consumer engagement, with a heightened focus on education and storytelling due to the rarity of the expressions.

Instore, onus will be placed on equipping ambassadors with the relevant expertise, supported by activations, tastings and competitions for consumers.

*The full Secret Speyside collection includes the following: Caperdonich (21yo, 25yo, 30yo, Peated 18yo, Peated 21yo, Peated 25yo); Longmorn (18yo, 23yo, 25yo); Glen Keith (21yo, 25yo, 28yo); Braes of Glenlivet (25yo, 27yo, 30yo).

Further images to follow…