Glendronach Distillery has come up with a quirky way to promote its new range of 12, 15 and 18-year-old malts in Belgium next month.
 
It has selected a single cask from the 1996 vintage, straight from one of the distillery’s warehouses in Aberdeenshire, and is taking it round Belgium…in the back of a van!
 
“Cask in a Van” is the title of GlenDronach’s unusual week-long road show.
 
Regional Sales Director James Cowan explained: “To help make our launch in Belgium more memorable, we’re taking a delicious 1996 limited edition GlenDronach on the road in a special liveried van. As our advertising slogan says, we’re taking the brand “on a journey of re-discovery”.
 
“It’s never been done before so it should be a great hit with Belgian malt whisky fans.”
 
James came up with the idea in tandem with his Belgian importer Mario Groteklaes, who runs The Nectar in Heusden-Zolder.
 
Mario added: “We’ll visit seven major customers for an in-store tasting of the new range of 12, 15 and 18-year-olds, plus a sample of the 1996 whisky straight from the cask which they can decant into their own personalised bottles. As it’s a limited edition, it’s going to be a highly collectable item.
 
“We will also undertake less formal tastings – for example a barbeque is planned in one of the Belgium market towns.”
 
GlenDronach launched its new range of malts in April and the first 3000-bottle consignment sold out in Belgium in just three weeks.
 
Mario said: “GlenDronach has always been a well-known brand here, especially the “old” fifteen-year-old. That, and the good publicity given to the new fifteen and eighteen-year-olds by some Malt Maniacs, and on some forums, made it easy to introduce the new range to about one hundred specialised liquor stores throughout Belgium in just one week.”
 
Watch out for the distinctive GlenDronach van somewhere in Belgium between 29 September – 3 October.
 
Attached is a picture of the van.
 
ends                                                                                        13 August 2009
 
INFORMATION – James Cowan, 00441324 682220

http://www.glendronachdistillery.com/