Aviation creates gin for travel retail
Ryan Reynolds-backed Aviation American Gin has launched a new expression, Expedition Strength, exclusively for travel retail.
The gin, bottled at 46.5% ABV, is made with the brand’s original seven-botanical blend, but with a more enhanced and concentrated flavour, which Aviation said delivers ‘bright citrus notes and a bolder botanical spirit’.
The gin’s formula includes notes of sarsaparilla, delicate floral sweetness, parma violets, bright orange zest, and a pinch of spice. It is also finished with a ‘soft linger’ of citrus peel and familiar juniper.
Reynolds, perhaps best known for playing Deadpool in the Marvel Studio’s franchise, invested in Aviation in February 2018. The brand was acquired by Diageo two years later.
On releasing Expedition Strength just for travel retail, he said: “No consumer is harder to reach than the duty free traveller. Yes, it’s a captive audience but it’s also walking by at top speed, rushing to a flight or to hastily purchase a neck pillow.
“That’s why I am so proud of Aviation Gin Expedition Strength. It’s custom built for today’s weary traveller and it’s the liquid equivalent of a neck pillow.”
The launch is being celebrated at Barcelona Airport Terminal 1 until 30 October, where the brand is hosting an activation giving travellers the chance to try two signature Aviation cocktails: Negroni Upgrade and Bee’s Knees.
As part of a link up with duty free retailer Avolta, fans can also win bottles signed by Reynolds, which are being raffled to Barcelona Airport. Furthermore Avolta has introduced an ‘AI totem’ at the airport for brand immersion and from where visitors can receive a personalised message from Reynolds.
The gin will roll out in airports globally for an RSP of €50 (US$55).
Earlier this summer, the brand created special edition bottles of Aviation to commemorate the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, which Reynolds starred in alongside Hugh Jackman as the film’s titular characters.
In the September 2024 issue of The Spirits Business magazine, we assessed the state of spirits in global travel retail as the space normalises following the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic .
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