Grant's whisky puts Teachers in its sights

Published: 23 July, 2008

Spirits company First Drinks Brands has set is itself the ambitious target of making Grant's Family Reserve the number-three blended whisky in the UK by 2012, behind Bell's and The Famous Grouse but ahead of Teacher's Highland Cream.

Around 3.8m is being invested behind the family-owned Grant's Family Reserve in the UK in 2008, including new-look packaging that still retains the brand's familiar triangular-shaped bottle and press and poster advertising using the theme of "Try a different angle".

Total UK sales of the brand are around 500,000 cases a year.

According to First Drinks Brands, its blended whisky brand enjoyed a bumper Christmas with sales up 20%, while nearest rival Teacher's declined by 8%.

The Checkout Nielsen survey into the biggest alcoholic drinks brands, published last summer, put the take-home value of Teachers at 60m and Grant's Family Reserve, which has been the number-four blend for many years, at 44m.

Chris Mason, managing director at First Drinks Brands, said Grant's was enjoying a "tremendous first quarter" in 2008.

But, he said, the brand would not be on UK TV screens this year.

The new-look packaging is currently moving through the supply chain and it should be on-shelf within a couple of weeks.

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