In the same month that Edrington unveiled a fresh global travel retail branded outlet in London Heathrow Terminal 5 for its single malt flagship, The Macallan, the group’s regional MD of global travel operations, Jeremy Speirs, sat down with Global Drinks Intel senior reporter Henry Mathieu to discuss the company’s strategy in the channel.
What makes the launch of The Macallan “boutique” particularly significant for the brand and Edrington as a whole?
It’s been a real journey. We started this back in 2019, and it’s been an evolution – understanding what we want to do at Heathrow, how we want to show up and who we want to sit alongside. For me, this boutique represents six years of work. It certainly hasn’t happened overnight.
This launch also marks the debut of a brand-new concept in travel retail – ‘Nurtured by Nature’. It’s all about bringing that sense of home, that feeling of The Macallan Estate, into an international space like Heathrow. If you’ve ever visited the estate, you’ll know it’s something truly special.
We’ve put a lot of thought into making sure that even if someone doesn’t know the estate, they’ll still feel that same unique ambience when they walk into the boutique. It’s in the look and feel, the aesthetics, the aromas, the team and, of course, the products. Take the copper wall, for example – it mimics the curved ceiling of the distillery’s roof. These elements come together to create a multi-sensory experience that hopefully elevates the moment for travellers and communicates that they are, unmistakably, in The Macallan.
Can you elaborate more on the ‘Nurtured by Nature’ concept?
It’s a concept we’ve been developing over the past couple of years. We already have similar experiences in Singapore and Hong Kong – what we call ‘Macallan Houses’ – where we’ve refined this look and feel.
The boutique is designed to bring The Macallan’s key values to life through storytelling and sensory detail. For instance, the copper wall I mentioned showcases our ultra-prestige products and reflects the copper stills we use in production – our smaller “curiously small stills” that help give The Macallan its signature richness.
The back wall pays tribute to the soil of Jerez in Spain, where we season our sherry casks. That white, chalky earth is symbolic, as Jerez is the birthplace of the sherry wine we use in cask maturation. Every element tells a story.
We’ve even worked with a studio to develop a custom soundscape using actual recordings from the estate – the wind through the trees, the local fauna, and so on. It’s meant to transport visitors back to nature, which is a fundamental part of who we are.
The Macallan Estate spans 485 acres, and we see ourselves as custodians of that land. The design of our new distillery reflects that philosophy – it’s gently embedded into the hills, crafted to blend with the environment. It’s all in the details.
Zooming out a bit, how does global travel retail fit into Edrington’s broader business strategy?
It’s a key part of the business, and we’re investing heavily in it, whether it’s in cost, in casks, or in this boutique. For example, we’ve got a joint venture with a sherry producer in Jerez to secure our cask supply, and we built the new distillery in 2018, which was a huge investment.
So when it comes to travel retail, we’re investing in permanent spaces like this one, but only in locations where we feel we’re aligned with the airport and the retailer in terms of what we’re trying to do.
We also do other formats – pop-ups, shop-in-shops – but the boutique is the pinnacle. There are only four in the world. We’re not going to go from four to 50. It’s about being in the right locations, with the right offer. That could be someone coming in to buy a 12- or 18-year-old expression, or someone looking for a 77-year-old. We need to have the product range, the service and the team to support that.
From a consumer perspective, what major changes have you observed during your tenure in GTR, particularly post-pandemic?
There have been quite a few. After the pandemic contraction, we saw an initial surge in spend, but that has since normalised and even dipped slightly. People are travelling more, but spending a bit less.
One trend that pleasantly surprised me was how consumers still want human interaction. After the distancing and digital-first habits during Covid, I worried we’d see the end of in-person engagement. Thankfully, it’s been the opposite. People want to talk to staff, hear stories, ask questions.
As a result, we’ve doubled down on staffing – investing in more brand ambassadors, more training – so that our teams on the floor can really connect with consumers. That personal touch matters.
Strategically, we’ve also become much more selective. We’re no longer trying to be everywhere. Instead, we’re focusing on key hubs, like London, Dubai and Taipei. There are a few key locations still on our wish-list, so watch this space. But, we’re focused on ensuring availability and visibility in the right places, for the right consumers.
What was your reaction to the news earlier this month of a free trade agreement between India and the UK?
It’s hugely positive. We’ve already seen growth in our Indian business post-Covid, and the potential is massive. India is now the largest travelling diaspora and their spending is rising.
What’s exciting is that Indian consumers already enjoy brown spirits. So we don’t need to convince them to try whisky; our job is to help them trade up from blended whisky to single malts, and from there to The Macallan.
Domestically, we’ve seen increased demand, and as more Indians travel – particularly to the UK – they’ll be seeking out The Macallan in international retail. Whether it’s the Colour Collection or higher-end expressions, the opportunities are only going to grow.
Finally, congratulations on your new role as MD for the Americas, which was announced in April. What will your priorities be, and what excites you about the market?
I haven’t started yet, so it’s all very new! I see it as a real opportunity. American consumers are consuming less scotch, if I’m honest, and they’re switching to tequila, or even away from alcohol to some extent.
That said, America remains a hugely affluent market. Although it’s already our number one by volume, we’re still relatively small compared to our potential. There’s room for growth.
A key focus for me will be connecting more deeply with high-net-worth consumers – people who can invest in our rare and prestige products. I don’t think we’re doing that as well as we could be yet. We need to show up in the right places and in the right way, just as we do in GTR, but at scale.
I’m optimistic. I hope that the the noise that’s currently there will start to calm down a little bit, and we’ll get into doing back to building business again. I think there’s opportunity there.
