Grey Goose, the world’s leading super-premium vodka brand, has
announced its official partnership with Virgin Galactic, which is preparing to
launch the world’s first commercial passenger flight into space in 2015. The
partnership was revealed on 22 September at the Rose Space Center and Planetarium in New York by Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard
Branson, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, Bacardi global category director
for premium white spirits Ben Farlow and Grey Goose creator François Thibault.
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| Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson celebrates with Bacardi's Ben Farlow (far left) and Grey Goose creator François Thibault |
As Virgin Galactic welcomes the first commercial passengers
into space, Grey Goose will bring this space journey to life through a range of
out-of-this-world experiences, exclusive content and a series of limited-edition
packs. This will be complimented exclusive sponsorship activity at the Virgin
Galactic launch location at Spaceport America, New Mexico. For those who will
be experiencing the commercial space flights, signature cocktails will toast
the new era of space travel planned for 2015.
Created by visionaries
According to a press release, the
partnership came about thanks to “a shared philosophy that extraordinary
achievement comes from acting on your beliefs”.
The companies said: “Both Grey Goose and Virgin Galactic were created
by visionaries who possess the determination to act on their beliefs, seeing
possibilities where others did not. François Thibault believed he could
revolutionise vodka by applying his skills of a traditionally trained cognac
Maître de Chai. Using only the finest ingredients François crafted a luxury
vodka, built from the ground up through a field to bottle process that
celebrates the quality of its ingredients versus neutrality.”
Thibault pioneered a process that sought to bring out the characteristics
and taste of the fresh ingredients. By combining soft winter wheat from the Picardie
region of France with spring water from Gensac-La-Pallue, naturally filtered
through limestone combined with this new distillation process, he created Grey
Goose.
Said Bacardi global category director for premium white spirits
Ben Farlow: “Sir Richard Branson truly embodies the Fly Beyond spirit of the Grey Goose vodka brand. A globally recognised entrepreneur who is both a
pioneer and visionary in his own right, Sir Richard has defied expectations by
constantly pushing boundaries and achieving unimaginable success from humble
beginnings.”
He continued: “Since 2008, Grey Goose has recognised and
celebrated this kindred spirit in Sir Richard and the Virgin brand. First, featuring Sir Richard in the acclaimed
television series, Iconoclasts, that showcases innovators and visionaries,
produced by Grey Goose Entertainment. Most recently with the creation of the
Grey Goose Loft at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow airport,
which elevated the travel experience to new heights. Now, by pioneering the
first commercial passenger flights into space with the world’s first spaceline,
Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard is at the forefront of a ground-breaking new
travel experience that few believed possible.”
Celebration of human achievement
As part of the evening celebrations in New York, Branson introduced Virgin Disruptors, a thought leadership series supported by
The Virgin Group. A panel of disruptive minds in the travel industry debated “The Future of Travel: Are We Moving Fast Enough?”
