Whisky producers are gearing up for the key Christmas period with a raft of new launches and promotional activity. Following last week’s launch of a smoother tasting single malt, The Singleton of Dufftown.

Diageo is continuing its bid to appeal to younger drinkers this Christmas. It is running promotions for its Irish whiskey Bushmills and its blended scotch whisky Johnnie Walker, brands that Diageo claims have a more youthful appeal. The company is putting £4m behind a promotion to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bushmills Irish Whiskey including a neck collar promotion offering a free commemorative book worth £17.99.

For Johnnie Walker, which is particularly popular in Asian communities, the company is focusing on both Christmas and Diwali. A limited edition black ­bottle with gold detail to commemorate 100 years of the ‘striding man’ logo is to be released along with promotional activities in over 400 independent specialists.

For whisky enthusiasts, Diageo is launching a limited edition selection of Classic Malts this month, to include a £205 bottle of 30-year-old Talisker and a rare 29-year-old whisky from Port Ellen, a distillery that closed in 1983.

Other companies are also beginning to release details of their Christmas offers. Isle of Arran Distillers is launching a £49.99 Robert Burns Malt and Inver House Distillers is pushing its Acnoc brand south of the border via a tie up with a number of film, theatre and arts festivals in Leeds. Whisky accounts for the largest proportion of spirits purchased at Christmas, with blended whisky alone worth £58m in retail sales over the festive period.

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