The Scotch whisky industry faces well-documented challenges. Changing consumer habits and increased competition mean even the most storied brands must adopt new strategies to keep up. Laphroaig is one of the most established brands in the Scotch industry, and there’s not a single bar in the country that doesn’t have a bottle firmly established on the shelf behind the bar.
For many consumers, Laphroaig is synonymous with the category and was probably their first introduction to Scotch. Its heavily peated notes, while not always welcomed by drinkers, are instantly recognisable and have, in some ways, come to represent Islay’s signature peated style.
As Nick Temperley, a Managing Director at Suntory, Laphroaig’s owner, tells City AM, the brand is trying to capitalise on this signature style as it reaches out into new markets, moving beyond traditional drinking habits. “Rather than asking them [new drinkers] to just buy a 70cl bottle and drink it neat… which might have been what previous generations did… I think if we’re going to recruit and get people interested in the flavour and the taste of our whiskies having different cocktails, different sizes, different price points… is important,” he says.
Laphroaig tries to get on the menu
With younger consumers moving towards ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails over neat spirits, Laphroaig faces an uphill battle. But the team believes it’s well-placed to move into these markets, even if it’s late to the game. “There isn’t a margarita for Islay whisky. But you can have variations of classic cocktails, whether they’re whisky sours or old fashioneds, even espresso martinis… which actually give you some part of the flavour in the cocktail that you’re familiar with, but with that peatiness as well,” says Temperley.
That means getting Laphroaig onto more venues as part of cocktail and highball menus. “Just getting people to kind of order them, drink them,” is the first part, says Temperley. “And that’s what’s going to be the success of the brand,” he adds. There are no plans for a Laphroaig RTD or canned cocktail right now, but as consumer tastes continue to change, Temperley and Suntory may have to keep thinking outside the box to get the brand in front of consumers.