Jennie Baernreuther helps brands find their sweet spot
After serving as managing director of The Glenturret Distillery, Jennie Baernreuther established Baern Consulting in response to the growing demand from brands seeking assistance in navigating the challenges of the evolving industry. With two decades of experience in driving brand engagement and commercial growth, Baernreuther’s insights have become a highly sought-after asset in the market.
For nearly 17 years, Baernreuther directed sales, strategy, and commercial initiatives at London-based Speciality Drinks Group, the parent company of The Whisky Exchange and Speciality Drinks. Gaining a company-wide experience as one of the first employees at The Whisky Exchange, she also played a key role in integrating the company into Pernod Ricard following its acquisition in 2021.
In March 2024, Baernreuther left the bustling metropolis of London for the peaceful serenity of Creiff in Perthshire, Scotland, to assume the role of managing director of The Glenturret Distillery. Taking over from John Laurie, she entered the role with high energy and a vision, overseeing not just the distillery’s whisky operations but also its Michelin-starred Lalique Restaurant.
Baernreuther comments on her time at the distillery: “I learned a lot at The Glenturret, and really enjoyed the diversity of daily responsibilities. I enjoy introducing new things and getting people on board with new ideas. I joined The Glenturret with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. However, within the given timeframe, I found it challenging to advance the projects that initially inspired me to join.”
After just a year at The Glenturret, she gave her notice at the end of March 2025, knowing her career and personal life would take her back to London.
“Me and my husband (Daniel Baernreuther) always knew we would move back south. While The Glenturret was a huge challenge with accountability, responsibility, and team leadership, I really missed the buzz of London,” she explains. “With limited opportunities in Scotland for the roles I sought and the fact that most senior positions are based in London from a brand’s perspective, I realised I had to return.
“As I started exploring opportunities within bigger organisations, many companies were going in the opposite direction in terms of resourcing, bringing in external people. Ultimately, I didn’t want to sacrifice my own career progress and learning. I also realised my passion for not only innovative initiatives and ideas, but actually having the opportunity to bring them to life.”
This, along with brand owners and performance managers reaching out to Baernreuther for insight into the challenging trading conditions, inspired her ambition to not just work for one brand or company, but to start her own consulting firm to help more people.
Helping hand
Officially launched in October, Baern Consulting was established to enable businesses to have a conversation, taking into account their resources, offer support and expertise, and equip them with internal capabilities to move forward.
“Most businesses are not performing as well as they hoped. Founding my own consultancy enables me to gain a deeper understanding of the issues that brands need to address,” Baernreuther explains. “There are a lot of businesses that have really good, committed, and experienced people on board, but maybe don’t understand what it takes to build, for example, an effective retail strategy.”
For Baernreuther, it’s not about coming in and taking over the reins, but about working as part of the team, and picking up on the areas where help is needed.
“For small businesses in particular, where they might not have a sounding board, sometimes people just need an outsider to talk things through and have open conversations about the company to gain perspective,” she explains.
The consultancy offers a wide range of services, including financial planning, global distribution and channel strategy, as well as brand vision and initiatives. Not only limited to spirits, but also potentially related categories, the services offer a specialist perspective into the industry.
“A few people have advised me to set a focus for the services, but for me, it is more interesting to have the opportunity to work with a range of topics, projects, and clients,” Baernreuther says. “With the experience I have gained over the years, for me, it makes more sense to assume a more generalist role. I might not be an expert, for example, in auctions, but having worked with Whisky.Auction during my days at Speciality Drinks, I have a good understanding of how it works.”
For Baernreuther, the ideal partner would be a brand she can proudly stand behind. “For me, it needs to be a business that is ambitious and founded on solid merits that I can believe in. I want to give businesses the right advice for them, and I value a high level of integrity and want to remain discreet, as well as objective,” she adds.
Back to basics
As the number of brands continues to rise, many companies may struggle to establish their place in the market. For example, Baernreuther reflects on the number of gin brands, which have reportedly surged from approximately 20 two decades ago to nearly 7,000 today. She recognises that evolving consumer trends and changing behaviours have created more challenges for many companies.
“During Covid, companies got used to consumers ordering their spirits online and enjoying them in the comfort of their homes. However, many brands fail to realise that the world has since changed, and it has become more important to get back to doing the hard work. We have to go back to reassemble the building blocks. From my perspective, the brands that are doing well are the ones that have picked up the reins on traditional brand building,” says Baernreuther.
“Successful brands are built in the on-trade and bricks and mortar retail. It’s essential to engage with people, share a compelling story and product that people remember, and foster trust between the brand and its consumers. Somehow, this has been increasingly forgotten.”
Baernreuther emphasises that companies have different needs, although there is no quick fix to surpass footwork: “I truly believe that the traditional brand-building blocks are required to have a sustainable distribution network. A lot of it takes time – now even more than ever with the current difficult trading conditions – and at Baern, we help brands to navigate the roadblocks.”
According to Baernreuther, most businesses are currently focusing on short-term results. For longer-term competitive advantages, particularly in larger organisations, she emphasises the importance of new concepts and enduring strategies.
“Brands must be able to communicate to consumers their value proposition, whether it is on their website, social media, or face to face,” she emphasises. “The message needs to be clear. Why do they exist? Why should consumers choose them? What makes them stand out? Brands need to differentiate themselves to stand out and cut through the noise. And when something doesn’t work, they need to be able to go back and be able to identify why.”
For Baernreuther, the success of her work means ‘making herself redundant’: “My goal is to give brands and businesses the tools to be self-efficient. In the long run, we do offer the opportunity for brands to come back to us for another look. Whether it is to come and identify the wins and areas where improvement is still needed, or to plan their next strategy or help shape the direction, we are here to help. Ultimately, my goal is to make a positive impact in the industry.”
While the consultancy has just recently launched, Baernreuther is already batting at full swing. “I have a couple of clients who are really exciting,” she concludes.
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