Edrington UK names head of advocacy

Andrea Montague has been appointed to the position of head of advocacy at Edrington UK.

In the newly created role, Montague will lead brand advocacy, education and training. This will span bartender engagement activities and customer activations, plus industry events.

Montague has more than 15 years of experience in the drinks trade.

“Having spent the last four years dedicating myself to single malts, I am delighted to be working with such a rich, premium dark spirits portfolio,” Montague said.

“As we continue to accelerate our brands in the premium space, I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to support and unite our advocacy team to drive our business vision forward.”

Edrington’s portfolio includes The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, Brugal 1888, House of Suntory, Courvoisier, Laphroiag and Maker’s Mark, to name a few.

Montague will head Edrington UK’s ‘extensive advocacy team’, comprising the company’s brand ambassadors, whisky specialists and serve specialists.

Zak Laurence-Whalley, general manager at Edrington UK, said: “Advocacy has always been at the heart of Edrington UK’s brand-building strategies.

“We have delivered a wide range of globally recognised advocacy projects across our brands, such as the House of Suntory Dojo programme, The Macallan and Rosewood London partnership, and our bartender community space ‘Tending to the Tenders’ at London Cocktail Week.

“Andrea’s appointment is a vital step in recognising our advocacy successes to date and demonstrates our commitment to advocacy as a business.”

Last month, The Macallan released the world’s oldest single malt Scotch, which had been matured for 81 years.

Last year, The Spirits Business spoke to Edna Seah, marketing director of global travel retail at Edrington, to learn more about recovery in the duty free channel.