There is absolutely no doubt that whisky is a great gift to give, whether presenting yourself or others with it. For that additional personal touch, bottle engraving can be used to add a thoughtful and hand-engraved message and this has been available for a while through retailers such as the Whisky Shop in the UK for example. But brands are allowing you to take this further…
Glenfiddich will allow you to add a personalised message on the label of the whisky through its website (picture below) at no additional cost – UK example.
A number of online retailers also offer this personalised label service to consumers, such as the Whisky Exchange in the UK (pictured below). Gordon & MacPhail also offer this service which is widespread and available across a number of brands.
Online shopping, or eCommerce, is a growing trend and although still relatively small in terms of business share, it allows brand owners and retailers to interact with consumers directly and in different ways. Personalisation is one such added value that can be provided.
As noted on a previous blog post – To be B2C or not to B2C? That is the eCommerce question – the term to ‘disintermediate’ is one of the possible attractions of eCommerce to brand owners, i.e. to cut out the retail middleman and sell straight to shoppers. Why? Because being able to sell directly allows as the article states “for end-to-end brand experiences and relationship building; and the chance to reclaim margin and assert greater control over pricing and promotions. Perhaps above all, it gives brand owners access to hugely valuable consumer data and shopper insight.”
The Glenfiddich Gallery is one such example (pictured above) offering rare, hand-selected whiskies with luxury bespoke packaging, and as they state on the website
“you can select everything from the colour scheme and packaging to the bottle’s engraving. Giving you or a loved one a truly one-of-a-kind whisky.”
This online portal has been brought into bricks & mortar by William Grant & Sons (WGS) with their introduction of the Glenfiddich Gallery concept into Dubai International Airport in partnership with the retailer Les Clos – as reported. WGS Global Travel Retail Head of Marketing Ifan Jenkins commented by saying:
“At William Grant & Sons we aim to give our customers memorable single malt experiences and The Glenfiddich Gallery is a perfect example of this. In this case we have adapted an online experience to a local activation which offers our whisky lovers a new level of luxury, innovation and the chance to experience some of the rarest and finest whiskies we have ever produced.”
Another possible way to make the whisky gift personal is to blend your own scotch whisky. This is a service provided by Master of Malt (pictured below) whereby you can pre-select the different types of grain and malt whisky to blend or simply purchase the Home Blending Kit.
Other options include the Whisky Blender online, ‘Blend Your Own’ session at the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, or alternatively a ‘Whisky Blending Experience’ at a distillery offering this type of service such as Glenturret Distillery (home of The Famous Grouse).
The Johnnie Walker My Edition service allows for consumers to create a bespoke label online, engrave the bottle with a personalised message and select a blended scotch whisky based on their preferred flavour profile. This is done through an online tool whereby you pre-select your taste preferences.
“We have created an engaging, accessible and easy-to-use tool that asks consumers a series of simple questions. Based on the answers given, Johnnie Walker My Edition uses machine learning and proprietary algorithms to match the taste profile to one of a range of six new and exclusive Johnnie Walker blends. It allows people to explore flavour in a fresh and engaging way not offered elsewhere.” David Gates, Head of Diageo Futures
“Johnnie Walker My Edition will also help people who are new to Scotch discover the wide range of flavours found in Johnnie Walker whiskies. Personalisation runs through Johnnie Walker My Edition from the website’s very first question on flavour preference through to the customised labelling and engraving options that result in a bespoke look for each individual bottle.”
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