Michael Owen will be ‘Trojan horse’ for Spey Whisky in China

Retired footballer Michael Owen will act as a “Trojan horse” for Spey whisky in China as the brand readies the launch of an eponymous limited edition in Asia.

Spey Whisky Michael Owen 1412 will be released in Taiwan on 14 December to mark the former Manchester United player’s birthday.

The expression is a no-age-statement whisky matured in Bourbon casks before two additional finishes in Sherry casks for eight months, and tawny Port casks for six months.

Presented in a black, white and gold football gift box, the golden whisky bottle is heavily branded with Owen’s name, signature and picture of the player in his football kit.

John Harvey McDonough, CEO of Spey whisky producer Speyside Distillers, said the expression, alongside the Michael Owen brand, would help the group reach its target audience in China.

“Michael is a very big brand in China, but we’re not,” he told The Spirits Business. “We have a good business in Taiwan, we like to think we can develop the brand around the world but the big opportunity is China, and our Trojan horse is Michael Owen.”

Spey whisky currently sells 60,000 nine-litre cases in Taiwan, representing 90% of its annual sales.

Speyside Distillers intends to launch the expression in both Taiwan and China, although limited quantities will be available in the latter online only.

“There’s a huge amount of product sold on the internet, so we want to reduce the distribution channel and tell consumers that if they want this special edition it’s only available in a few channels that are internet led,” McDonough added.

Owen, who also played for Newcastle United and England, signed a three-year deal to join Spey Whisky as its global brand ambassador in June. As part of the contract, Owen will lend his name to a series of bottlings.

“Part of the draw is to have my own range,” Owen told SB at the launch of his whisky at the Tower of London. “Back in the day when I was a football player brands would come knocking on the door quite regularly and you had to pick and choose which ones coincided with your image in many ways. Nowadays it’s a different phase of my life; I’ve stopped playing football and am doing different things, and certain things fit really well and this is really one of them.”

Owen’s involvement with Spey Whisky follows the partnership between his former fellow England teammate, David Beckham, and Diageo’s Haig Club.

However Owen insists that the pair’s timely move into the whisky industry is pure coincidence.

“We’ve both been recently involved with launches, which goes to show how big the whisky industry is now; it’s booming,” he said. “David’s side of things will be different to mine. His is a single grain whisky whereas mine is a single malt of very high quality.”