Bowmore seeks to stand out in burgeoning travel retail market in Asia with differentiated whiskey ages, packaging design
According to Teddy Joseph, global brand ambassador of Bowmore, travel retail and duty free is the fastest-growing channel for spirits, with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region particularly experiencing significant growth.
“We see a lot of the growth coming from Chinese and Indian travellers. Singapore, as a huge travel hub, is obviously such an important market for us. APAC is a region very much geared towards premiumisation, and that sits perfectly with Bowmore and our vision, where we consider ourselves as one of the most collectible luxury whiskey brands in the world.
“Also, we know that there are whiskey enthusiasts, collectors and investors who are very discerning, and that single malt whiskeys are preferred here. With our heritage and portfolio of expressions that have been released throughout our 250 years of history, it makes all the sense for us to be in the APAC market,” he told FoodNavigator-Asia.
The brand’s latest travel retail exclusive collection, named Bowmore Appellations, will be available in key global travel retail (GTR) hubs, starting with London Heathrow in late October and Singapore Changi Airport from November 1.
This new series, comprising four whiskeys that were matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in various wine casks, is a collaboration with some of the most renowned wine-producing locations in Europe, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Douro Valley.
“When producing travel retail expressions, we want something that is different from what we are offering in the core ranges that are sold in regular retail and domestic markets. We also look at our competitors in the GTR space and how we can stand out.
“A great point of differentiation for the Appellations range is the whiskey ages — our core ranges are usually 12-, 15-, and 18-year-olds, but our travel retail series goes from 14-year-old to 22-year-old. Specifically for Appellations, we have a 14-, a 16-, 19-, and 22-year-old. Furthermore, the focus on wine cask finishing brings very complex, varied and deep flavours.”
Forward-looking design
Packaging design is another “box to tick” to outshine competitors on the shelf, said Joseph.
From early 2025, the permanent portfolio of Bowmore whiskeys will take on a new livery, with the revamped design paying homage to the brand’s roots while conveying its desire to be more progressive and creative going forward.
The morphic linework design serves to reflect the expressive and layered flavours of the liquid inside the bottle, and the dominant use of black is a tribute to one of its most iconic whiskeys, Black Bowmore, distilled in 1964.
“We also brought back the sea dragon icon, which was part of our livery in the past — although not many people may have noticed it, as it was embossed on the back of some of our older expressions from the 70s and 80s.
“In the new packaging, the icon will be more visible. It used to face backwards, but we have flipped it so that it faces forwards. This represents our motivation to progress and look to the future,” Joseph explained.
Balancing heritage with innovation
While Bowmore hopes to excite modern consumers through cross-industry collaborations and activations in the digital space, it remains dedicated to upholding traditions for its loyal customers.
“One of our pillars is to craft with intent. We’re trying to produce new make spirits with abundant character, including new flavour profiles and finishes to help pull new consumers into the brand. As much as we want consistency in our product, we are always looking at how we can improve and make changes for the better. And that’s a Suntory philosophy.
“To excite our long-time customers, our Sherry Oak range, which will be launching in Singapore next year, showcases the very best European oak sherry casks in shaping layers of depth and flavour, both complementing and enhancing Bowmore’s signature style.”
At its distillery in Islay, traditional practices are still being employed.
For instance, barley is hand-turned on malting floors, kilns are used to flavour the barley with peat, and fermentation and distillation methods have been passed down through the decades.
“As we are dealing with organic products like barley, water, yeast and wood at every step of the process, we are never going to get the same result every time. So, while we are still utilising traditional practices, we are also tweaking them to make the best whiskey possible.
“Over the last few years, we’ve recognised that some of our most lauded expressions came from the 60s and 70s. Therefore, we looked at the practices back then, and increased the amount of time taken to ferment our wash and deliberately slowed down distillation processes to try to create more complexity and greater flavours,” Joseph shared.
