Ginger Grouse aims to attract new Scotch drinkers

Maxxium UK is seeking to recruit new male and female drinkers into the Scotch whisky category by trialling The Ginger Grouse – a pre-mix of The Famous Grouse and ginger beer – in bars across Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The scheme, designed as part of Maxxium’s pre-mixed spirit development programme, will see the 6% abv drink served long over ice.

The product has been six months in development and is the result of a collaboration between Maxxium and The Edrington Group.

All participating bars have been supplied with a branded bar tap to dispense The Ginger Grouse, along with glasses and test kegs that have been designed especially for the five-week run.

Tent cards and posters have also being produced to push consumer awareness of the new product and POS will be changed regularly throughout the test period in order to gauge the effectiveness of different communication types and messages.

Jim Grierson, on-trade sales director at Maxxium UK, said: "This is an exciting innovation which allows us, for the first time, to see The Famous Grouse displayed and served from the front of bar.

“By using existing dispense technology we are making this as convenient as possible for the on-trade to introduce, and we look forward to receiving feedback from the bars involved in the trial in April."

Helen Potter, innovation manager for The Famous Grouse, added: “The Famous Grouse is always looking to break new ground within the drinks industry, and The Ginger Grouse bar tap trial is a fantastic example of this.

“We hope that this specially developed pre-mix serve will encourage more people to try The Ginger Grouse, which has already established itself as a firm favourite with our fans.”

The Ginger Grouse taps will be trialling from 1 March until the second week in April in the following bars:  

·        Tiki Bar and Kitsch Inn                         214 Bath St, Glasgow
·        Campus                                               396 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
·        Iron Horse                                            115 West Nile Street, Glasgow
·        The Horse Shoe Bar                            19 Drury Street, Glasgow
·        Parkville                                               296 Glasgow Road, Blantyre
·        Log Cabin                                            32-34 Bredisholm Road, Baillieston, Glasgow

·        KoKo                                                    32-34 Potterrow Newington Edinburgh
·        The Thistle Street Bar                          39 Thistle Street, Edinburgh
·        Mathers                                                Queensferry St, Edinburgh

Alan Lodge, 08.03.2011