Scotch whisky

Whyte & Mackay looks poised to launch a new brand called Kane’s.

The Scotch brand has applied to register the name with the government’s Intellectual Property Office as a class 33 trademark covering non-beer alcohol.

Whyte & MacKay did not specify what exactly Kane’s would be, but confirmed it was exploring it as a new concept. “We are always innovating and developing exciting new concepts and ideas,” said a spokeswoman.

The brand ranked 37th in The Grocer’s ranking of Britain’s Biggest Alcohol Brands this year, after sales fell by £4.9m (6%) to £75.4m over the past 12 months, on volumes down 2.2% [Nielsen 52 w/e 22 April 2017].