Bombay Sapphire launches VR shopping experience

Bacardi has launched a multi-media shopper experience at London Heathrow Terminal 5 with Bombay Sapphire, the world’s number one premium gin by value and the fastest-growing premium gin in the world. 

Running throughout September, the campaign seeks to epitomise the heritage of Bombay Sapphire, introducing shoppers to its brand home at The Laverstoke Distillery in the UK county of Hampshire, as well as providing the opportunity to enjoy the distinctive taste profile of Bombay Sapphire and Star of Bombay, with hand-crafted cocktail serves.

A customer wearing a virtual reality headset at Bombay Sapphire's Heathrow multi-media experience

Glass installation inspired by Thomas Heatherwick design

In the main terminal concourse area, Bombay Sapphire takes over The Connect Experience, Terminal 5’s exclusive experiential space, operated by JCDecaux Airport, with a stunning 360-degree virtual reality recreation of the Bombay Distillery at Laverstoke, Hampshire. The distillery is represented with a central glass installation, inspired by the original Thomas Heatherwick-designed glasshouses at the distillery.

Laverstoke’s elegant botanical glasshouses were designed by Heatherwick to house the botanical plants in their natural form with a passion for sustainable production that encourages future growth of the raw ingredients. The award-winning visitor centre brings to life all aspects of the character and unique story of the brand and visitors are invited to discover the same botanicals that Master of Botanicals Ivanno Tonutti hand-selects for every batch.

The airport experience comes to life through the latest Oculus Rift technology transporting shoppers for a 90-second journey to the heart of Laverstoke with a personal drone footage fly-through tour of the distillery and a detailed look at the vapour-infusion single-fold distillation process that gives Bombay Sapphire its London Dry flavour profile. 

Following the experience, retail ambassadors are on hand to offer hand-crafted tasting experiences with a choice of serves: The Laverstoke cocktail, first created by Senior Ambassador Sam Carter for the opening of the distillery in 2014, featuring a blend of Bombay Sapphire, Martini Bianco, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lime and ginger. In addition, there is a hand-crafted 50:50 Bombay Star and tonic finished with orange zest to showcase the smoothness of the latest gin in the family – a brand variant recently awarded the London Dry Gin Trophy 2016 and a Gold Outstanding medal 2016 by International Wine & Spirits Challenge (IWSC).

Bombay Sapphire's stunning virtual reality campaign at Heathrow Terminal 5

Gin's "amazing renaissance"

Visitors to the Terminal 5 virtual Laverstoke experience are invited to purchase Bombay Sapphire from the World Duty Free store and receive a 20% discount voucher to the Laverstoke Distillery. In-store, the brand enjoys a strong visual presence both in the gin category, with a multi-media branded wall bay, and at the temporary bar where shoppers can sample and discover “Your Perfect Gin and Tonic”, with each of the Bombay variants presented in its own expression of a gin and tonic serve.

Mike Birch, Managing Director, Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “Gin is enjoying an amazing renaissance today and we are proud of how Bombay Sapphire, as category leader, is playing its part in creating sustained growth in travel retail. This activation has been designed in close collaboration with the creative vision of the Bombay Sapphire global brand team and the deep knowledge in our travel retail team of how to deliver significant sales uplift in airports with an unforgettable shopper experience, complete with our passion for ensuring consumers have the opportunity to taste our brands.”

John Grieveson, Global Director of Bombay Sapphire, explained the appeal of Heathrow Terminal 5 for brand-building: “Bombay Sapphire has always held a desire to create moments of beauty, as witnessed in the selection of 10 botanicals from intriguing locations across the globe, the elegant vapour infusion process, its iconic blue bottle and glassware and, of course, the beautiful Laverstoke Distillery, where we produce every drop of Bombay gin consumed around the world. 

“This amazing experience at Terminal 5 is designed to bring to life these core components of heritage, creativity and innovation in a powerfully engaging story-telling experience that will have passengers setting off for all corners of the world carrying with them a flavour and memory of a stunning Bombay Sapphire experience.”

Some 1.5m passengers will pass the space this month

Alan Sullivan, Managing Director, JCDecaux Airport UK, said: “Premium spirits brands running campaigns like this in the airport are perfect examples of contextual advertising. Terminal 5 is a dynamic space and we expect over 1.5m passengers to pass within close proximity to this experiential space this month that, we know from our own research, enjoys a 98% chance of interaction.

“The location of our advertising opportunities in such close proximity to World Duty Free allows Heathrow’s discerning passengers to sample the brand in a mindset predisposed to treat themselves. With a 51% AB profile, airports are unique in delivering that highly-sought-after, affluent audience who have a real appetite for premium products, such as Bombay Sapphire.”

Beefeater bottle gets a new London look

Beefeater, the world’s most awarded gin brand, has redesigned its iconic London Dry gin bottle in honour of its UK city home. The new bottle is available globally, including travel retail. Featuring a hand-drawn map of the British capital, the bottle’s packaging reinforces Beefeater‘s status as an authentic London product which continues to be distilled in the heart of the city today.

New bottle: Beefeater London Dry gin

Representing the story of London

The bottle’s new look represents the story of London with the capital’s distinctive landmarks visible on the outside. The new pack design achieves an effective depth of imagery through a bird’s eye view of London – illustrated in classic Beefeater red – that sits on the back of the bottle, acting as a backdrop to the Yeoman and logo in the foreground. 

A stylised map of London captures the rich tapestry of the capital from the viewpoint of Tower Bridge, with other iconic landmarks drawing attention across the background.

Beefeater founder James Burrough’s signature has been introduced on the front label to mark the continued commitment to excellence of today’s gin, which is made using his original 19th century recipe. This recipe continues to make Beefeater the “world’s most awarded gin”, as indicated on the front of the bottle.

The new Beefeater London Dry Gin bottle began rolling out globally from July 2016 and retails at $23 or local equivalent per one-litre bottle.

Johnnie Walker Houses debut in Beijing and Seoul

Three Johnnie Walker House stores have opened their doors in travel retail to showcase the world-leading Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky brand, Diageo Travel Retail has announced. They include the first ever co-branded luxury space between Johnnie Walker and Shui Jing Fang, China’s first distillery of its favourite white spirit Baijiu, at Beijing Capital International Airport, and the opening of two Johnnie Walker boutiques at Seoul Incheon Airport. A range of exclusive and rare malts will also be available in all three stores.

Following the success of the Johnnie Walker House launches in airports including Mumbai, Taipei, Singapore, Auckland and Amsterdam, the new Houses in Beijing and Incheon are “multi-sensory embassies for luxury blended Scotch whisky”, Diageo said.

The new Johnnie Walker House at Beijing Capital Airport

Inviting travellers on a sensorial journey

There are now 15 Johnnie Walker Houses in travel retail and five in the domestic channel, all designed to educate and inspire travellers. Striking design features include a whisky scent bar, where people can appreciate the liquid’s subtle flavours and aromas; a luxury mentoring and engagement zone where brand ambassadors invite travellers on a sensorial journey to touch, taste and smell the elements that make up Johnnie Walker and Shui Jing Fang in the Beijing travel retail boutique; as well as a range of rare malts releases available in both Beijing and Incheon.

At Beijing Airport, passengers can also immerse themselves in a whisky constellation wall dedicated to the Johnnie Walker Art of Blending, and providing a comprehensive index for single malt Scotch whiskies.

Dayalan Nayager, Managing Director of Diageo Global Travel, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to extend the Johnnie Walker House footprint in Asia Pacific and bring three Johnnie Walker Houses to life in partnership with our customers in Beijing Capital International Airport and Incheon International Airport. This reinforces our long-term commitment to the travel retail channel, providing travellers with a luxurious and inspiring shopping experience in one of the most exciting travel retail regions worldwide. Both airports are key travel hubs, handling a combined 60m passengers a year, which make them critically important in the Johnnie Walker House global expansion strategy.”

Nayager continued: “We are also delighted to provide Shui Jing Fang a collaborative platform in the travel retail environment in Beijing Airport, as well as range of rare malts releases available in both Beijing and Incheon. Travellers are looking for innovative luxury shopping experiences that both educate and inspire them. The Johnnie Walker House encapsulates this for the brand.”

The interior of the Johnnie Walker House at Bejing Capital Airport

Johnnie Walker House at Beijing Capital Airport

The Johnnie Walker House at Beijing Capital Airport launches in collaboration with Sunrise Duty Free and is located in the prestigious Terminal 3 Departures terminal. It is the first ever co-branded luxury space between Johnnie Walker and Shui Jing Fang, China’s first distillery of its favourite white spirit, Baijiu.

The 150sq m luxury standalone boutique is located in the airport’s departures terminal, making it the largest boutique opening in global travel in Asia, following the success of the Amsterdam Schiphol House – the flagship for Europe.

To celebrate the launch, the Beijing Capital boutique offers a number of limited editions only available at the House, including Johnnie Walker House Zodiac Collection, Fu Lu Shou Limited Edition, Five Gods of Wealth Series Limited Edition, Johnnie Walker House Exclusive Collection and 1920 Epic Dates Collection. Also available are a wide range of offerings from Shui Jing Fang and rare malts releases, including The Singleton of Glendullan.

Johnnie Walker House at Seoul Incheon Airport

Johnnie Walker House Seoul Incheon Airport

The Johnnie Walker Houses in Seoul Incheon Airport launch in collaboration with Lotte Duty Free and are open to passengers departing from the East Main: ICN Lotte L1 and Concourse Main: ICN Lotte L6 terminals.

The East Main standalone space is 16sq m and the Concourse Main store spans 64sq m. The travel retail boutiques follow the opening of Johnnie Walker House Seoul, which opened its doors in 2013 and is located in the luxury retail district of Cheongdam, an area known for leading-edge fashion and lifestyle trends.

To mark the openings, Johnnie Walker House Zodiac Collection and Johnnie Walker House Exclusive Collection will available to purchase in both East Main and Concourse Main boutiques. Among the rare malts releases are The Singleton of Glendullan.

Andre Chong, Global Head of Johnnie Walker House, said: “The Johnnie Walker Houses are our global embassies for luxury Scotch whisky. Innovation and exclusivity is integral to the Houses, with a collection of unique liquids displayed and a number of limited editions available to purchase. We believe it’s important to educate consumers of our brand story, heritage and craftsmanship, and these Houses will provide travellers with the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the history of the brand and enjoy first-class retail experiences beyond Johnnie Walker Houses in Beijing and Seoul."

Celebrity Cruises bartender wins top Diageo contest

Andrej Malic of Celebrity Cruises has been crowned Diageo Global Travel’s best bartender at the lavish Diageo Reserve World Class final held last month in the Diageo Bar 396 in Miami.

Judged by a panel of industry experts including Julio Cabrera, Master Mixologist, David Molina, Head Mixologist for Diageo Bar 396, and Marcy Rudershausen, Senior Master of Whisky for Diageo, Malic proved outstanding showmanship and innovative cocktail creation.

Malic, aged 27, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, saw off competition from thousands of cruise line bartenders from three of the world’s leading cruise lines: Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises, in the biggest year in Global Travel yet for Diageo Reserve World Class.

Andrej Malic mixes his Old Spice Fashion, featuring Bulleit Bourbon

Championing the skills of cruise line bartenders

Malic and his fellow competing bartenders were judged on a range of elements of their craft, showmanship, creativity, bartending knowledge and the overall delivered drinking experience. He captivated the judges with his American whiskey signature serve: Old Spice Fashion, featuring Bulleit Bourbon.

He will go on to represent Diageo Global Travel at the star-studded World Class Bartender of the Year Competition in Miami on September 26-29, 2016, to battle it out against 59 of the world’s best bartenders for the coveted World Class Bartender of the Year title.

Malic, a leading bartender onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Millennium, said: “This is without doubt the best moment of my career to date. I’m hugely delighted and grateful to be recognised by Diageo Reserve World Class and to have won the Diageo Global Travel Final. I’ve been inspired and challenged by many talented bartenders over the last few weeks and I’m really looking forward to using the skills and knowledge that I’ve developed through the program to represent Celebrity Cruises and all cruise line bartenders at the grand final of the World Class competition, right here again in beautiful Miami."

Sandra Vaucher, Director Global Cruise and Airlines at Diageo said: “World Class is on a mission to inspire people to drink better, and it’s fantastic that we can offer this experience onboard our partners' ships. This competition allows us to recognise and champion the skills and craftsmanship of our cruise line bartenders. We want to congratulate all of our finalists and wish Andrej the very best of luck at the World Class Global Final in September."

Cornelius Gallagher, Associate Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations, Celebrity Cruises, said: “As an exceptional member of our team onboard Celebrity Millennium, Andrej inspires our guests to enjoy a taste of the world’s best drinks. We know these unique drinking experiences really do make our vacationers’ overall luxury experience when they sail with us. We wish him the best of luck in the World Class Final and are confident his craftsmanship and talent will wow the judges once more.”