Bermuda-based spirits group Bacardi Limited is celebrating a significant first in China with the opening of a new luxury seasonal boutique for its whisky portfolio.
The boutique is located in the China Duty Free department store at Haitang Bay Mall, Sanya, on the holiday resort island of Hainan.
Trading for three months until the end of April, the 35sq m boutique (pictured below) presents the award-winning range of Dewar’s blended Scotch whisky, including Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old, which scooped Whisky of the Year in the 2020 International Whisky Competition.
The retail experience also showcases the acclaimed single malts portfolio of Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Glen Deveron and Craigellachie.
A key highlight, exclusive to the store, is Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Exceptional Cask, which, with only 594 bottles produced, is a limited time offer appealing to connoisseurs and collectors. The aroma is delicately suffused with cinnamon and allspice, melting to creamy vanilla and frangipane. The whisky (54%abv) retails at $166 for a 70cl bottle.
To promote the shop opening, Bacardi has activated a digital media campaign, targeting travellers while they are on Hainan island, spotlighting travel retail exclusives Aberfeldy 16yo and 21yo, both finished in Madeira casks. In-store, shoppers can watch the hand-dipping of bottles in gold wax, creating a luxury, celebratory memento of their vacation, and one that brings to life the Aberfeldy brand story of its unique water source – said to contain deposits of alluvial gold.
Gaurav Joshi, Regional Director Asia Pacific at Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “Our premium whisky brands are disrupting the category, and they are growing fast. New whisky appreciators – especially in markets like China – are looking for unconventional brands that offer aged whisky with authentic provenance and craftsmanship. That’s why, for example, Aberfeldy has grown from 20th to ninth largest malt in travel retail in just a few years, and recently Aberfeldy 12yo was voted by Chinese consumers as one of the top five brands in the Globuy Travel Retail Consumer Awards 2020.
"Dewar’s is the fastest-growing whisky in travel retail, up 14% year-on-year, with Dewar’s 12yo and Dewar’s 15yo growing at 23%. The Dewar’s Double Double range is driving one-third of Dewar’s total growth in travel retail [source: IWSR 2019].
“It’s very exciting for us to be operating in a dedicated space for our whisky portfolio in China, and we have worked closely with the China Duty Free Group team to bring this concept to life in a short time. We greatly appreciate the support we have received.”
Provenance and heritage
Ms Zhao Fen, Vice President of China Duty Free Group (CDFG), said: “Bacardi has always been a long-term strategic partner of CDFG. This is a perfect opportunity for our whisky customers, visiting from across China, to explore and discover the provenance and heritage behind Dewar’s, Aberfeldy and the range of single malts. The in-store presentation of the brands is highly engaging, especially with the feature vapour units and the Aberfeldy gold wax-dipping service elevating the shopping experience and engaging shoppers with the stories behind these brands. We look forward to working more closely with Bacardi to drive whisky business.”
In-store tutored tastings are designed to enable shoppers to appreciate the craft of Dewar’s Master Blender Stephanie Macleod in guiding the alchemy of the maturation process in this range of aged whiskies, resulting in smooth, textured, elegant and more flavoursome drinking experiences. Every bottle of whisky in the Bacardi-owned portfolio carries an age statement – a key benchmark of the spirit company’s commitment to ensuring superior quality across its broad range of whiskies.
The wider Bacardi premium portfolio is also available in-store, including Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Martini vermouth and Patron tequila.
