The BenRaich Distillery: Nicely done
Posted on 06. Aug, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry in Streetflava
A small parting gift
We attend a number of launches, events, tastings and things like that that you’d most probably label as branded experiences for want of a better term.
The ones that truly stand out are few and far between. Generally the devil is in the detail of the experience and that’s the thing that’s most often completely overlooked. Our head of production was recently invited to a small intimate BenRaich whisky tasting at the Bascule Bar in the V&A Waterfront. Since then all he can talk about was that there were only 15 people invited and his limited release [only 150 produced] 1988 single malt that he was granted as a special parting gift. He’s also sure to mention to everyone that walks into the office that there are only 6 bottles of this stuff in the country and he’s got one of them.
Yes - it's signed by the blender
As for the rest of the evening – they apparently tasted a Classic Speyside 12 and 16 year old as well as a Wood Finished Madeira 15 year old that we can’t get any word out of him as to its taste because his eyes just glaze over at the mention of its name and he makes quiet sucking sounds with his lips. Perhaps we should check the dosage of his daily Xanax consumption now that we think about it.
The point is that successful branded events are not like buying a full-page ad in the Sunday Times. They’re personal, require a professional, knowledgeable host [thanks Bernard Gutman]and a parting gift that’s thought out and special.
Just as a Friday afternoon joke – we may just crack open the thing and mix it with a splash of Coca Cola and a boerie while he steps out. Think the resulting video shot on his return would be viral gold on YouTube.
