The Whyte & Mackay brand impressed the panel of judges with its originality, storytelling and connection to the island of Jura. This new expression is the first in a series of three whiskies set to roll out in Travel Retail and its impressive show earned the Scottish single malt a Trophy and the title of Travel Retail Exclusive of the Year.
The Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection explores a method of ‘perpetual maturation’. Similar to a solera system, its vats of whisky are only half-emptied for bottling, while the remaining whisky is topped up with younger spirit, creating a continuous flow between the old and new. As well as the unusual concept, the branding and in-depth brief to the travel retail sector resonated with our judging panel.
This year the Travel Retail Awards has two Supreme Champions: one for a product and one for a marketing campaign. While Glenfiddich took the supreme product award, the latter has been won by Aperol for its ‘Targeting the European leisure Traveller’ campaign, for which Gruppo Campari continues to capitalise on the in-vogue drink that continues to sweep across Europe.
The travel retail campaign has been intricately assembled to give travellers a memorable experience. Our judging panel were particularly impressed by the level of detail of this particular entry and the significant engagement figures since inception. Aperol also took home the Marketing Activation of the Year title.
Drinks International publisher Justin Smith said: “This year’s judging was particularly tough because of the quality found across the board. Difficult discussion, deliberation and decisions were carried out by our expert panel, who drew up shortlists in each of the eight categories.”
The full list of medal winners have been published in the October issue of the printed Drinks International magazine and are available through the digital edition here.
The Travel Retail Awards were launched 16 years ago to recognise and highlight the importance of the drinks industry within the Global Travel Retail sector. The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process and supported by many of the world's leading drinks producers, travel retailers and operators, who regard it as the leading drinks event.
Winning an award is an impressive achievement for any drinks brand that passes the tough assessment from the experienced panel of specialist GTR judges.
The full lists of award winners are shown below:
- Drinks Launch of the Year – The Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection, William Grant & Sons
- Luxury Drinks Launch of the Year - Patrón en Lalique, Bacardi Global Brands
- Travel Retail Exclusive of the Year – Jura Islanders’ Expressions, Collection No 2. Whyte & Mackay
- Drinks Innovation of the Year – RITO, Capri Cocktails.
- Marketing Activation of the Year – Aperol, ‘Targeting the European Leisure Traveller’ campaign, Gruppo Campari
- New Design Extension of an Established Drinks Brand – The Royal Salute, Coronation of King Charles III Edition, Chivas Brothers.
- Presentation Box Packaging, Penfold’s Bin 389, GTR Exclusive Travel Retail Gift Pack, Penfolds.
- Supreme Champion Product – The Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection, William Grant & Sons
- Supreme Champion Campaign - Aperol, ‘Targeting the European Leisure Traveller’ campaign, Gruppo Campari
