The future of grain whisky

Could single grain really become as popular as single malt or blended Scotch? Now that William Grant is joined by Diageo (and David Beckham) in the race to establish the category, it could happen sooner than you think.

Reaching new heights? Can grain Scotch whisky grow as big as its malt brother?

William Grant claims its launch of single grain whisky Girvan is an “ambitious challenge” to champion the emergence of a “third leg of the Scotch whisky category”.

The family-owned, UK-based company is certainly known for its innovation over the years, having pioneered the global advent of single malt with Glenfiddich back in 1963, but how much commercial viability is there in single grain Scotch, and will Girvan really grow, as anticipated, to become a one million case brand in 60 years?

The group launched two expressions of Girvan in March: a 30-year-old and a no-age-statement whisky, Girvan Patent Still #5974, that both premiered alongside its existing 25-year-old at Whisky Live in London on 21 March. But while Girvan looks set to become a prominent advocate of single grain Scotch, it certainly isn’t launching the category.

Grain whisky has been produced in Scotland since the 15th century, using cereals not required as food. Since the invention of the continuous column still in the late 1820s, distillers have been using grain whisky to balance out what was typically very heavy malt whisky in blends.

Single grain Scotch history

In the mid-20th century a handful of single grain brands came to the fore. Invergordon Distillers produced a small amount of grain whisky in the 1960s, and came out with a fully-fledged 10 Year Old single grain in the 1990s under Whyte & Mackay that “bumped along but was never actually promoted,” according to Richard Paterson, master blender. “It was always in the shadow of our blended whisky and single malts and that’s still how the nation and industry sees it.”

Come 2000, Invergordon single grain had been terminated, with all liquid produced at the Highland distillery destined for the group’s blends.

The Distillers’ Company Ltd, and later Diageo, has produced a Cameronbridge single grain since the 1940s, aptly named Cameron Brig. But aside from some insignificant exports for Johnnie Walker education in emerging markets, its presence is restricted to pubs and local shops in the area immediately surrounding the distillery.

Consumer uptake on grain whisky has been paltry to say the least, mostly because producers have focused on growing their grain stocks for blends, which today account for around 90% of all Scotch sold. “The few people who do know what grain whisky is think it’s the crap that goes into blends, even though it accounts for 70% of whisky in that blend,” says John Glaser, founder of Compass Box. “But that’s because no-one gets out there and teaches people about it. Hence why there’s little demand for grain whisky.”

Right now the single grain category is dominated by small independent bottlings and a couple of larger brands like Girvan and Snow Grouse

Independent bottlings

Nowadays the brand with the largest presence on the market is Edrington’s Snow Grouse, a blended grain whisky designed to be drunk straight from the freezer. While it’s available in Sweden and the UK, its core market is travel retail, where it sells over 15,000 cases annually. It’s joined by a smattering of independent bottlings, the most successful of which is Compass Box’s Hedonism, which having grown into a 3,000 case brand is a flagship product for the UK-based company.

Berry Bros. & Rudd meanwhile has also been bottling grain whiskies for seven years, and has a 1962 expression joining the Extraordinary Cask Collection this summer. But none of these companies – Edrington aside – have the stocks, route to market and budget to pioneer the grain whisky category, which is one reason William Grant is so bullish over the future of Girvan.

“The single grains sold by independent bottlers are an indication of what’s available, but we are in a much stronger position, obviously with our own distillery and whisky stocks, to drive the category,” says Kevin Abrook, global marketing manager of innovation at William Grant. “They can provide some esoteric releases, but they won’t have the continuity of supply or brand building ability that we have to create a new category.”

An overlooked category?

William Grant is confident it can lead the emergence of an “overlooked” category, one that is eventually revered as much as single malts and blends, but the job will by no means be easy. Its action plan is to establish the three flagship Girvan products at ultra-premium price points – £45 for the Girvan Patent Still #5974, £250 for the 25 Year Old, and £375 for the 30 Year Old – to attract existing malt whisky drinkers in developed markets like the US, UK and Taiwan.

“Given that malt enthusiasts are our initial target, our price points are benchmarks against malt whiskies of similar ages,” explains Abrook. Phase two will see Girvan expand distribution to emerging whisky markets such as Latin America and Africa, “where malt whisky is less established”.

The rationale being that the soft, easy-drinking flavour profile of grain whisky will appeal to new whisky drinkers who are perhaps deterred by the complexity of malts. “The profile could be really exciting for female drinkers, younger drinkers and the Asian palate,” adds Damien Heary, global innovation director at William Grant.

Diageo believes its tie-up with ex-footballer David Beckham will help accelerate growth of the single grain Scotch category

Education and marketing

With this strategy, combined with a thorough education and marketing programme, William Grant expects Girvan to reach 250,000 cases in 25 years’ time. But like all burgeoning categories, it will need assistance from the launch of other grain whisky brands from like-minded competitors with sizeable and sustainable stocks to drive demand forward.

With that in mind, the quarter century target looked all the more realistic today, as confirmation came of the development of at least two new single grain brands from two of Scotland’s big whisky producers. It seems William Grant isn’t the only company to have spotted the potential for single grain Scotch.

Diageo has waded into the category with Haig Club, a no-age-statement single grain backed by marketing powerhouses David Beckham and Simon “Spice Girls” Fuller. Expected to launch this summer, Haig Club will be shipped out to global markets from the world ‘go’.

Grain acceleration

Diageo believes the new brand will act as an “accelerator for the whole sector”. “Whisky is experiencing a continued global renaissance and like many of the world’s most respected whisky experts, we believe this will be the year that grain whisky breaks into the mainstream and gains the recognition it deserves,” says David Gates, global head of premium core spirits at Diageo.

“David Beckham and Simon Fuller are renowned for breaking boundaries and shaking up markets in every sector in which they work. We are immensely proud to partner with them on our first large scale grain whisky innovation.”

Regardless of whether Girvan can achieve its ambitious one million cases by 2063, or if it does indeed lead the rebirth of single grain over the likes of Diageo-Beckham-Fuller, growing global interest in Scotch coupled with a renewed focus from distillers could very realistically, albeit eventually, spell the return of grain whisky in a big way.