On a whisky diet

Struan Grant Ralph, global brand ambassador, Glenfiddich, stands six feet several inches tall. He is the first to admit that the height was one of the many reasons why he was chosen to be a global brand ambassador for the small, yet renowned whisky brand, Glenfiddich, owned by William Grant and sons.

“I am a Grant, though not a William Grant,” says the 35-year-old. According to some accounts, Glenfiddich was the first whisky brand to be marketed as a single malt. Over the last decade or so, it has been good for the world of single malts. “There has been a renaissance for single malt in the last decade or so,” he says.

Try it with butter chicken And ambassadors like Ralph only want to broad-base the appeal for the spirit. As a qualified chemist and graduate of Glasgow University, Struan also likes to examine whisky at the molecular level and explore the true origins of all its incredible flavours. He prefers to take the road less explored by pairing whisky with local cuisine. In India, for instance, Ralph says that “a Glenfiddich 15-year-old whisky would pair well with butter chicken, while the 18-year-old would go well with tandoori.”

In many countries, advertising of liquor is banned. So what role do brand ambassadors play in dark markets? “We are the more personal face of the brand who help in tactical engagement more on a people-to-people basis,” he says, and adds that at a most basic level, brand ambassadors are story-tellers who get the audience to try out the liquid. The emergence of the on-trade as a huge market makes engaging with the bar community critical to ensure that whisky connoisseurs are well taken care of.

Let the whisky do the talking The brand is also trying to change the perception of the way whisky is being consumed. India recently played host to the bartending competition, “the world’s most experimental bartender” organised by William Grant. In Mumbai, a cheese-maker collaborated with a local bartender to produce interesting combinations and won the India round. “We are trying to push the boundaries from which people not just enjoy the whisky but also perceive it differently,” says Ralph.

At 35, Ralph himself has a lot of bartending experience behind him. He started bartending when he was 17-18 years and continued being a bartender for 15 years. “We start young in Scotland,” he says. With Glenfiddich his previous role was being a country ambassador for the brand in Asian markets. If you look at Mongolia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand — many of them dark markets — a large part of his job was in defining what single malt is, what is Scotch and so on. He then moved to the US before taking on the global role.

As global consumers we are becoming similar in terms of the consumption patterns. “A classic demographic for us would be a well-travelled person. Travel gives brands a lot of time to engage with consumers, especially in airports, in-flight and so on. The first point of contact could be travel retail,” he says. William Grant is not perceived as an aggressive brand. What does an ambassador do to change that? Ralph feels it is best left at that as he feels the family business that it is, they would rather let the product do the talking. “If the category of whisky does well, then we do well,” is his simple take on the situation.

His induction as a global brand ambassador involved travelling in Norway in the Baltic ocean with 3,000 people in a boat for a whisky experience show. Then he went to Las Vegas for a whisky tasting session in the Grand Canyon. Whisky is still looked upon as an older person’s drink and Ralph agrees that the perception needs to change.

Single malt isn’t only for men “In a market like India we need to be able to engage with younger consumers for the future and success of the brand,” he says. After all, India is the sixth largest market in the world for Scotch whisky. The other move is to make it more gender-balanced. “Single malt is not for just men. It has to be all inclusive,” he says.

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