We Love The Spirit World

Jul 13 2008

Experts Reveal Secrets Of Selling Scotch Round Globe

BRAND MANAGER

STUART HENDRY

STUART says he has two interests in life - talking and drinking.

He's in the lucky position of combining both those passions in his job with the Glengoyne Distillery.

He travels the world promoting Glengoyne's award-winning single malt whiskies and also welcomes the world to the distillery where he's in charge of the visitor centre.

Stuart, 40, says: "I have the best of both worlds in this job.

"I do get to travel to some of the countries where Glengoyne sells best, including Germany and the Scandinavian nations.

"But just as important is my job here at the distillery where we have thousands of visitors every year.

"Many of them are knowledgeable about whisky and the production process which makes this a very enjoyable part of the job." Stuart, of Milngavie, near Glasgow, has spent 12 years at Glengoyne, Loch Lomond.

He graduated with a degree in hotel management but decided the hotel trade wasn't for him.

As a bit of a wine buff, he took a job with off-licence chain Oddbins and quickly developed a taste for - and desire to know more about - Scotch and in particular malt whisky.

He says: "I become fascinated by the whisky process, how the different malts all achieve different tastes. I decided then I wanted to get involved, so I wrote to Glengoyne because it was the nearest distillery to me and basically badgered them until eventually they gave me a job looking after visitors.

"It's a job I love. I'm a proud Scot and very passionate about whisky, and it is wonderful to go abroad and meet people who know about Scotland because they love whisky."

Stuart points to India and China as the next big export market as the growing middle classes in both those vast nations learn to love Scotch.

But he points to the Swedes as a nation of whisky-lovers who probably know more about the drink than the average Scot.

He says: "Sweden has a lot of whisky appreciation societies. I've been in small towns of maybe 15,000 people and more than 200 will turn up at an event where I'm showing off some of our malts. It's a fantastic experience."

MARKETING BOSS

LOUISE HIGGINS

WITH a degree in modern languages, Louise knew she wanted a job involving travel.

So she reckons she's found her perfect job as global marketing manager for J&B whisky.

Not only does she get to travel the world promoting one of the biggest-selling brands in the Diageo portfolio, she does it all from her base in Amsterdam.

The 38-year-old, originally from Airdrie, says: "I am part of a team developing new strategies to promote J&B around the world.

We're obviously doing something right - it's the No.1 selling whisky in Europe and No.2 world-wide."

Louise joined United Distillers 12 years ago. It's part of the Diageo group and boasts such blended brands as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Black & White as well as a portfolio of best-selling malts.

"It's fascinating to see how different countries treat whisky," says Louise. "In China, for example, J&B is an aspirational drink and they like to mix it with green tea.

"But in Latin America, it's seen as more of a fun drink where they add apple or papaya juice."

MARKETING BOSS

IAIN WEIR

WHISKY is the only industry Iain ever wanted to work in.

So every day he pinches himself a little when he arrives at his desk at Ian Macleod Distillers.

As the firm's global marketing director, he is responsible for promoting and selling their products - including Glengoyne Single Malt and Isle of Skye - around the world.

For the 36-year-old, it's a labour of love. He says: "We sell Scotland's greatest product to the world so who couldn't be proud of that?"

Ian, of Edinburgh, set his sights on getting a job in the whisky industry as soon as he graduated with a BA in commerce from Edinburgh University.

He wrote to Ian Macleod Distillers looking for a job - any job. They finally offered him one covering maternity leave.

He says: "That was nine years ago and I've been here ever since."

Ian Macleod Distillers, based in Broxburn, West Lothian, owns the famous Glengoyne Distillery, near Loch Lomond, which has produced its single malt for almost 200 years.

The business is independent and family-owned, making it something of a rarity today.

Iain says: "The whisky industry in Scotland is like a big family - everyone knows each other and, while we're fiercely competitive, we also work in a very cooperative way, too."

Demand for Scotch is booming. In 2007, Scotch whisky exports rose by 14 per cent, reaching a new high of £2.8billion and earning the UK a phenomenal £90 per second.

Iain said: "I do this job because I am hugely passionate about whisky and patriotic about being a Scot.

"That's why I get up and come to work with a smile on my face."