William Grant & Sons has launched Aerstone, a new single malt aimed to help new whisky drinkers better understand the single malt Scotch category.
With 18% volume growth annually, single malt is one of the fastest growing categories in liquor. But many whisky drinkers and retailers still feel intimidated by the apparent complexity of the category.
In a recent study conducted by William Grant & Sons, distillers of brands like Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Ailsa Bay, drinkers reported single malts as being “too complex with intimidating choice and language” and reported that higher price points made trial too risky for inexperienced shoppers new to the category.
Aerstone is designed to help new whisky drinkers and take the pressure off the journey to single malt exploration.
This new range aims to simplify the taste messaging in the single malt category and help new single malt drinkers navigate the category flavours through clear taste descriptors on pack. The range showcases two different styles of whisky under the same brand, allowing consumers to easily understand the spectrum of flavours and demystify the traditional – and often complex – language associated with the category.
Kristie Asciak, Marketing Manager Whisk(e)y at William Grant & Sons said: “The Aerstone brand allows consumers to make a confident choice and offers a great everyday single malt to complement the rest of our premium portfolio. We recognise that for some consumers, the category is complex and can be intimidating. With Aerstone we want to break down some of those barriers and help simplify single malts, inviting existing malt drinkers and new entrants to learn about all the different flavours and styles of single malt Scotch.”
Sea Cask, described as ‘smooth and easy’ on pack, is a classic Speyside-style single malt with nutty vanilla notes. This whisky develops its character from the time spent aging in warehouses located close to the sea on the Ayrshire coast, giving the whisky a subtle salty note on the finish.
Land Cask, on the other hand, is described as ‘rich and smoky’ and is a peated single malt heroing the use of highland peat in the malting. This whisky’s flavours are developed in warehouses located further inland, allowing the smoky notes to shine through.
Even the imagery for Aerstone aims to help new whisky drinkers clearly understand what each whisky might taste like without focussing on the more typical – and often ambiguous – whisky analogies for flavour.
Aerstone is recommended to retail for $58 and is available nationally.
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