It was bound to happen. You simply can’t keep something this good to yourself. Yep, Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky is going global baby!
As I type this, Andy Watts – master distiller at the James Sedgwick Distillery (home of Bain’s and Three Ships whisky) – is winging his way to the good ol’ US of A to launch Bain’s in the States.
Edit (1 Jul 2015): Full tour details are available on the http://www.bainswhisky.com/ website. Looks as though Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri will be the first states to get Bain’s.
Bain’s seems to be a logical choice as the award winning single grain whisky is likely to suit the American palate a bit more with its toffee/vanilla/spice notes than the Three Ships range. In addition, we share the same bottling requirements as the US – 750ml bottles – which makes it a lot easier to get the product out to market.
The questions I have in mind are:
- Where is it being launched?
- How much volume will they receive?
- What is the price point?
- Who will be driving the brand in the US?
- How long until Three Ships heads over the Atlantic too?
- Which country is next?
As I get answers to these and other questions, I’ll update this post.
Edit (6 Jul 2015): Some answers from Lee-Anne van Wyk, global marketing manager for Bain’s:
Q: Where is it being launched?
A: MidWest – Being Introduced in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri
Q: How much volume will they receive?
A: At this stage the volume is quite small in order to first gain an interest in the country.
Q: What is the price point?
A: The Targeted Independent Retail Price for Bain’s is $29.95
Q: Who will be driving the brand in the US?
A:Â Imported by Distell Imports, Manhasset, NY
Q: How long until Three Ships heads over the Atlantic too?
A: At this point it is only Bain’s and we do hope that the Three Ships range will soon be able to reach America too in order to offer consumers a full South African whisky tasting experience.
Q: Which country is next?
A: We have a few stores in the UK, duty free and in Canada and working on a vision to see Bain’s available in Europe over the coming years.
These are exciting times for the Distell-owned distillery and in my mind marks the start of what I’ve been saying to Andy for years…
World domination! One bottle at a time…
With Distell’s acquisition of Burn Stewart Distillers a little while back, it definitely looks as though they are looking beyond SA’s borders – they’d be silly not to. And don’t forget the vast, untapped African market. Andy was in Zambia last week hosting a series of tasting events, so it looks as though brand awareness is being raised outside of SA’s borders. How much longer until more announcements of international distribution I wonder?
I’ve been an ardent supporter of the distillery and the skills of its master distiller from the start of my whisky journey and I can’t wait to see how warmly the world receives our proudly South African whiskies.
Slà inte!
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