Sipsmith is to launch a limited-edition, Wimbledon-inspired London Dry gin bottle, available exclusively to global travel retail, following the announcement that it is the official gin partner of The Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

The one litre Sipsmith gin bottle is adorned with Sipsmith’s swan and Wimbledon’s hawk, Rufus, who stand head-to-head on the court while surrounded by British emblems that are at the heart of Wimbledon.

In homage to the partnership, the bottle will be available from June as a global travel retail exclusive at selected UK airports, including London Heathrow, Stansted and Luton. Travellers now have access to the gin as a limited-edition collectible.

As official gin partner to Wimbledon, Beam Suntory says this Sipsmith bottle stands out from the rest and sets the bar for the perfect exclusive relationship.

Beam adds that this type of channel exclusivity is a major growth factor to global travel retail customers and has experienced an increase in importance from 53% in 2020 to 62% this year (Source: M1ndset Overall trends — 2021 versus previous years, March 2021).

‘CONSISTENTLY STRONG PERFORMANCE’

In GTR alone, Sipsmith has shown a consistently strong performance, having grown more than 24% in volume in 2019 (Source: Internal Beam Suntory data 2019, volume growth 2018-2019) and by almost a third (30%) over the last three years (Source: IWSR 2019, 17-19 2 Year CAGR).

As part of Beam Suntory’s, Sipsmith’s and Wimbledon’s commitment to bringing customers and consumers the ‘Perfect Serve’ this summer and some of the Centre Court atmosphere to the travel retail arena, a bespoke activation will run during June and July at London Heathrow Terminal 2.

The activation will showcase all things quintessentially British, melding the heritage, tradition and craftsmanship of Sipsmith gin with the Wimbledon Tennis event.

Travellers will have the option to have their ‘Perfect Serve’, while enjoying a Sipsmith gin and tonic and will also have the opportunity to win Centre Court and Grounds Pass tickets for next year’s Wimbledon Championships.

Manuel Gonzalez, Brand Marketing Director at Beam Suntory Global Travel Retail, said: “We’re delighted to see this iconic Wimbledon-inspired London Dry Gin launching exclusively to global travel retail channels and we’re confident that customers will love the new bottle, which we hope will transport them to a hot sunny day on the court with every sip.

“There’s no doubt that this limited-edition packaging in ode to one of the world’s greatest sports events will help drive further excitement among our shoppers and turn heads in stores.”

Fairfax Hall, Sipsmith Co-Founder added: “It is a genuine honour to become one of Wimbledon’s exclusive partners. We have a shared commitment to quality, integrity, and legacy creation, with people at the heart of all that we do.

“These values have undoubtedly led Wimbledon to become a pinnacle in international sport and Sipsmith to have become a global benchmark for great quality gin. We could not be more delighted to be a part of the iconic Wimbledon experience for many years to come.”