In-Store Experience: BevAlc Brands Go Experiential
As the beverage alcohol (BevAlc) category overall continues to point to more innovation and success, brands are testing out pop-up and experiential physical concepts in order to win new consumers and create brand awareness. Read on to learn how three BevAlc brands tapped into the power of human connection in-store via new concepts that champion their spirits while engaging shoppers.
In August 2021, Beam Suntory’s James B. Beam Distilling Co. opened the Fred B. Noe Distillery, which is dedicated to seventh-generation Beam master distiller Fred Noe and led by Noe’s son, Freddie. It produces several of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s well-known brands, including Little Book whiskey’s annual series of blends, and serves as a testing ground for future, high-quality innovations. The Fred B. Noe Distillery joins the Beam family’s iconic distillery campus in Clermont, Kentucky, which has produced bourbon (including Jim Beam) since 1935.
The new distillery, which is powered by renewable energy, also offers experiential learning through distillation sessions and seminars with Freddie Noe, hands-on activities in the blending lab, and a tasting bar to sample new and yet-to-be released innovations for select members of the trade. Additionally, a “state-of-the-art” classroom for the University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits educates future leaders in the American whiskey industry.
Remy Cointreau’s Remy Martin has opened its first standalone boutique in Hainan, China — the country where it has been exporting product from since the 1880s. Opened in October, the space showcases its fine Champagne cognacs by embedding the brand’s craftsmanship, heritage and its commitment to sustainability throughout the store. The sensorial and contemporary retail experience was created by Remy Martin’s architect team to characterize the House in Cognac, where Remy Martin’s cellars and tasting room is located in Cognac, France.
Inside the store, chalky white walls aim to resemble the Cognac vineyards, while light oak fittings serve as a reminder of the barrels deep in its cellars, according to the company. Remy Martin collaborated with French artist and designer Marianne Guely to create “poetic paper drapes” adorning the wall bays and to bring color to the space. Lavish displays and discovery tables encourage product discovery.
The boutique also offers tastings, gifting personalization and an interactive screen where shoppers can explore their organoleptic profiles and learn more about Remy Martin cognacs.
Johnnie Walker Princes Street Emporium
Diageo made a nearly $250 million (£185million) investment in the project — which was four years in the making — to create the Princes Street experience in Edinburgh, as well as to transform 12 of the company’s existing distillery single-malt experiences and to create other luxury branding experiences.
“It started with a challenge, which was how do we make Scotch whisky — particularly blended Scotch whisky — more shareable,” said Greg Klingaman, Diageo’s global reserve retail director, during a virtual session in November as part of Path to Purchase Live: The Digital Experience.
Johnnie Walker dove into a number of luxury experiences in one massive, eight-story former department store in Scotland, for whisky connoisseurs and tourists alike.
Brand innovation studio Dalziel & Pow assisted Diageo in designing the immersive retail experience on the ground floor of the brand home for Johnnie Walker. Some unique store features include:
• A personalization area on the ground floor allowing shoppers to customize bottles with engraving and bespoke label-printing services or bottle their own special-edition liquid.
• A “Flavour Finder” activity that uses an audio motion sensor showcase wall to tell the story of each liquid. This interactive moment can also match customers’ preferred tastes and scents with a whisky profile.
• A lifestyle boutique selling a range of store-exclusive branded garments and accessories, such as sustainably sourced clothing home accessories and bar tools.
“Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland, and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions,” Ivan Menezes, Diageo’s chief executive, said in a statement. “It celebrates Scotland’s remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky.”
