Source: ©The Moodie Report
Protégé International, representing the Avalon Group, introduced its new range of premium Irish spirits to Asia Pacific travel retail at the recent TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition in Singapore. The range, said Protégé Chairman André Levy, “adds depth and breadth to the Irish spirits category”, which has traditionally been driven by whiskey and Irish cream.
Protégé Chairman André Levy: Moving Irish spirits beyond whiskies
Building on The Wild Geese Irish whiskey offer (three times voted best Irish whiskey), the new collection features gin, vodka, rum and a honey liqueur.
The Exiles Irish Gin was created with the assistance of an eighth generation gin-maker, whose family has been distilling the spirit for over 300 years. It is infused with Irish botanicals, including honeysuckle as well as red clover flowers, rowanberries and, uniquely, shamrock, for which a patent has been applied.
The other new items include Untamed Irish Vodka (produced from apples and also the subject of a patent application), Untamed Revolutionary Rum (with a tag line ‘We answer to no one’) and The Wild Geese Irish Honey Liqueur, which were developed following consultation with craftsmen working in the industry, noted Levy. The honey liqueur is made with organic Irish honey and the award-winning Wild Geese Irish whiskey.
Vodka, gin and honey liqueur: building a broader premium offer
On price, Protégé benchmarks against other premium spirits in the respective categories.
Levy said: “Irish whiskey is the fastest growing spirits category but it’s still quite niche and narrow, and dominated by very few brands. Our response is to go beyond that and develop a premium spirits portfolio that stretches across the major categories. It also reflects the growing interest in craft distilling, which is happening worldwide.
“The sentiment behind the brands is similar to the Wild Geese family, of character, magic and the Irish spirit abroad. We want to tell stories with these new products. And we want to do that by ensuring the consumer can taste these quality products, something that delivers high conversion rates where we have done it.
“The show at Singapore has provided a shop window for what we can do in a growing region for our brands.”
The core Wild Geese whiskey range includes the Classic Blend, the Rare Irish, the Single Malt and the Limited Edition.
