Family-owned whisky business Gordon & MacPhail (G&M) has grasped a major opportunity at the prestigious Whisky Live Paris 2022 exhibition.
The largest event of its kind in Europe, Whisky Live Paris was an ideal way to promote G&M’s products to the French market, and elsewhere.
But it also meant G&M could get round France’s strict ban on advertising alcohol.
G&M sales director David King said: “Since the early 1990s it has been impossible to advertise in France.
“They passed legislation a bit like we passed tobacco legislation here, so the only way to interact with consumers is by attending these big trade shows.
“They are really quite something – they attract up to 50,000 people, it’s a great opportunity to get people to actually taste the liquid in a controlled environment, which is exactly what we want.”
We are delighted our Benromach 15 Year Old was awarded a Platinum award at this year's @SFWSpiritsComp. 🏆
This is one of the most elusive accolades in the competition, only awarded to spirits that have received Double Gold medals for three consecutive years.@tastingalliance pic.twitter.com/kJzW8cTBMf
— Benromach (@Benromach) September 7, 2022
Mr King said the popularity of the Paris event highlighted people’s “huge appetite” to get out and about and interact with each other since Covid restrictions eased.
Asked what aspects of G&M’s business the firm focused on at the French exhibition and other international trade events, he said: “We extoll the virtues of Scottish hand-made which really differentiates us from other producers.”
G&M’s Benromach single malt hits the mark for satisfying a growing clamour among consumers for authenticity and transparency, whether it be whisky, coffee or bread, he said.
G&M had two large stands at the Paris event, which ran from September 24-26.
One of these was dedicated to Benromach, produced near Forres.
G&M had a craftsman on the stand making tool bags and screen printing to reinforce its authenticity message.
The other stand highlighted the Elgin-based group’s bottling of malts from many distilleries.
‘Once it’s drunk it’s never going to be replaced’
Mr King said: “We also had a VIP area of really old whiskies and some from closed distilleries.
“People love that because once it’s drunk it’s never going to be replaced.”
The exhibition attracted visitors from all over continental Europe.
“We had a pretty sizeable presence there,” Mr King said, adding G&M could not afford to be complacent in overseas markets.
Other spirits – such as bourbon in the US – are enjoying popularity, while Japanese whiskies tend to perform well in international competitions, he said.
G&M, which started as a grocery shop in 1895, is certainly not just looking to European markets for growth, despite the Paris opportunity, the sales director said.
He added: “People don’t really understand that all of the growth in the world economies is south and east, not north and west. I am very interested in people in Taiwan and south-east Asia.”
North America still the largest market
“We are seeing huge growth in Asia. Taiwan is the second-most profitable whisky market in the world and China would be much bigger if it wasn’t for the duty rates.
“North America remains the biggest and most profitable sprits market in the world.”
G&M is focused on global demand for niche and premium products.
Mr King said: “Look at the seafood industry – it is all about quality. I see a really bright future for single malt whisky.
The Scotch Whisky Association is doing a lot of work around a free trade agreement between the UK and India, and G&M’s sales chief said this presented the producers of Scotland’s national drink with a massive opportunity.
“There is huge potential there which could surpass anything in Europe,” he added.
Mr King conceded Brexit had been “a major hurdle” for whisky exporters as it was for all sectors of manufacturing.
Although travel retail is not a significant part of the business, Mr King said he had concluded a deal with Dubai Duty Free.
“It (Dubai) is a crossroads of the world,” he said, adding: “You get massive exposure.”
As for any new opportunities emerging in the domestic on-trade market, those businesses are largely focused on spiralling energy bills just now.
They have only recently learned what Westminster has to offer by way of support as energy costs continue to spiral.
G&M is increasingly tapping into a phenomenon that was likely triggered by the pandemic – online tastings.
Virtual tastings popular
Mr King said: “Online tasting is the big thing now. You send samples out and do it via zoom.
“There has been a big growth in that and people really engage on the call.
“We got some extra zoom cameras and have a sort of interactive tasting session.
“They have been very popular – it is a new way of looking at technology.”
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