The Glenlivet unveils two travel-retail exclusives

Joe Bates

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The new malt whiskies will initially be exclusive to World Duty Free and will be rolled out next week

Chivas Brothers has launched two new The Glenlivet travel-retail exclusives as part of a multi-channel investment in the single malt brand.

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky arm of French drinks group Pernod Ricard, has also unveiled updated packaging for an existing travel-retail exclusive reference, The Glenlivet 15yo.

The most ambitious line extension is Nádurra, a 16yo, non-chill filtered malt, matured in first-fill bourbon casks and bottled at 48% abv. Lighter in colour and creamier in taste than other whiskies in The Glenlivet range, Nádurra takes its name from the Gaelic word for 'natural'. It will be a World Duty Free (WDF) exclusive for six months and is aimed at North American and northern European travellers, priced at £34.99 ($66.33).

The second exclusive is The Glenlivet 12yo First Fill, which is matured only in first-fill bourbon casks. Aimed primarily at customers travelling inside the EU, it is priced at £24.99 ($47.37) and will sell initially as a WDF exclusive for a period of two months.

Pernod Ricard says the repackaged The Glenlivet 15yo, which retails for about £28.99 ($54.95), is particularly attractive to the Asian consumer, along with the 18yo reference. Travel-retail generates about 14% of The Glenlivet's total sales.

Chivas Brothers travel-retail regional director Robin Johnston commented: "The launch of this new travel-retail range is further testament to our commitment to growing The Glenlivet brand, which grew by 9% globally in 2004, selling over 400,000 cases. The travel-retail channel also saw excellent growth for The Glenlivet last year and constitutes a strategic channel for the brand as single malts represent more than twice the total proportion of Scotch volume sales found in domestic markets."