Whisky, not up your bum

“Whisky cannot be up your bum, it’s got to be fun” was the mission statement of advertising Mad Man and magazine publisher Shayne Dowling as he launched a new glossy whisky title on the unsuspecting SA market at Bascule Bar in the up-market Cape Grace hotel last night. A market which has doubled in size in the last decade (chiefly at the expense of brandy) according to Spar drinks exec Ray Edwards who was hailed as “patron” of the project and who will take 6000 of the 11 000 print run for his nearly 500 Tops at Spar outlets with a turnover nudging R3 billion.

Ray and Shayne

Ray and Shayne

Whisky will be given away free and via subscription (@ R20 a copy), which will chill the spines of SA’s battling lifestyle magazines and place it handily in a future SA where advertising alcohol is banned – as a private club newsletter.

The public area of Bascule was pumping (the launch was in a nautically enabled private room) and the downturn experienced after the Anni Dewani murder last year (the couple stayed at the hotel) is now obviously over. “We had UK press trying to enter through the swimming pool to get to [husband and murder accused] Shrien” confided the hotel PR “and quite a few bookings were cancelled.”

Former editor of WINE magazine Fiona McDonald “of proud Scottish heritage” is editor (“the yin to my yang” as Shayne joked) while celebrity chef Mike Basset of Myoga fame is food editor. Former Sunday Times controversial columnist David Bullard adds a “last word” column. “We couldn’t afford him” laughed Shayne “so we pay him in product.” So it’s a case of Jack this month and one of Glenrothes for the next edition in two month’s time.

Missing from the launch was the usual cloud of bar flies and bloggers encountered at wine events, confirming that this new venture is looking for traction beyond the traditional spittoon.

Stuart Johnston is motoring editor and Bruichladdich sales exec David Keir reckons “they’ve got the balance right. We’ve stopped advertising in UK whisky magazines as they’ve become too specialized, too anoraky. Whisky has to appeal to a larger market.” Too “up your bum” as Shayne might say. David is in town to line up distribution for Bruichladdich, second fastest growing whisky in the world. “Which is the fastest?” “I forget.” But then that was after a good few Singleton’s and a bottle of Constantia’s finest: Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc 2010.

David and Fiona

David and Fiona