Drambuie's return from the dead

Drambuie.
Most people (nowadays) have never tried Drambuie.
Others have never even heard of Drambuie.
And the new leadership at the 260 year old business wants to change that.

Outsider CEO, Phil Parnell put it bluntly:

"We are sitting on top of a world-class brand that has ceased to exist in the minds of the next generation of customers. It is our task to make Drambuie relevant again."

When your CEO starts talking like that, you know he means business.

What is Drambuie?
In case you are one of the people who has never tried it, Drambuie is blended whisky, honey, with added "secret ingredients." It is sickeningly sweet when taken neat, but as a mixer it can be quite tasty - chances are that your grandparents drank it over ice.
Drambuie is not owned by one of the big conglomerates, and instead currently produces only three liqueur products: Drambuie, Drambuie Black Ribbon (same secret ingredients, but with vatted single malts), and Sylk, an unfortunately named product, which is Drambuie-based cream-liqueur.

Well, smart man that he is, Parnell realizes that their real market lies with the 20-30 something, bar-hopping, luxury-spirit drinking, lounge crowd. The new focus is pushing Drambuie as a core  ingredient for mixed drinks - which it is quite well-suited for.

Parnell's straightforward approach is refreshing.

"I am not in the business of criticising the past running of this company but it has been somewhat secretive organisation to say the least."

What he means is that the company was run into the ground by the MacKinnon family, shepherds of the secret recipe, lo, these many years.

You have to know your past to see your future. And Drambuie sees their future clearly: they  will now focus on the mixed drinks market and the 28- to 35-year-old clientele in the up-market lounge space, currently dominated by luxury vodka brands such as Grey Goose and Belvedere.

If he is smart, (and I'm betting the new guy is), Parnell will move Drambuie's marketing to play off the heritage and "secret ingredient" shtick - but to attract their target market, I believe they'll have to do it in a self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek way.

Oh, and my words of advice?
1. Drop the price. At least until you establish the brand again. If  you want the lounge people to start stocking their bars and using the stuff, you'll have to offer it at a better price than $20+ for a 375ml bottle

2. Sylk - You need to make some changes. First of all, going head-to-head with Bailey's in the cream-based liqueur arena won't work. Diageo has spent more money advertising Bailey's in the past year than Drambuie has made. And that name? Terrible - at least in the US market. Too close to Silk, a horrid, but soccer-mom popular, soy milk concoction - and let's face it - no one wants to  mix Soy Milk in with their tasty adult beverage.  (By the way, how DO you milk a soy bean?)

North America accounts for 50% of Drambuie sales, and will certainly be a major focus of marketing attention. I can see it now - hot girls in tight clothes plying drunken lounge boys with the sweet sticky elixir at binge bars across the country. Sweet.

www.drambuie.com

Comments

[Sandy]

Great drink.
Hate the screw top.It sticks.
Go back to the cork.
Not please JUST DO IT.
Sandy

[Bill J]

Agree with previous comment on screw top, it cheapens the experience. .. ..

Also, anyone know why they discontinued Brambuie Black Ribbon. .. . ?

[Eva]

having just bought my first bottle of Drambuie and being about 25 years older than the target market stated in the blog, I want to say that a lot of people are missing out on the experience.

Yes its sweet, but then so is a lot of the schlep that is marketed these days, then again it at least leaves the throat lining intact which some of the stuff recommended to me hasn't! You miss the point entirely, Drambuie is sipped while sitting about reminiscing about past exploits. Its not about getting drunk and seeing who can drink the whole bottle of it. I expect it will make a comeback because its hyped to the max, but people will continue to drink it because its nice, smooth and will kill any throat disease you might have, cure the common cold and make you sleep like the dead.

Personally it makes great fruitcake soak, and I like it as a sipping drink straight out of the bottle.

My personal bet on the recipe is heather honey (of course) nutmeg, and marmalade, not orange zest, lemon zest or juices etc, and definitely not anise.And a great Scotch whiskey, single malt with a bit more smoke than most.

[Kevin Erskine]

Not sure how I "Miss the point entirely", Eva.

You are commenting on a story that is 1.5 years old and which simply talked about Drambuie's latest marketing push. Which in retrospect has failed.

[Greek]

too bad. it's still a big secret. I love the stuff -- but that's because my parents always stocked their bar with it and I'd catch a "few drops" here and there of it

I never saw any of their marketing they promised, so I'm wondering if they ever really did any -- too bad -- I'd get a kick out of it had it come around. Maybe the secret folks took this CEO out for threatening to out the secret?

All I know is, the bottle has gotten cheaper and cheaper over the years. It used to have not only the cork, but also a real plaid ribbon and a fancy embossed label. I haven't seen screw tops, but the newer labels look cheap and the bottle uninteresting -- it certianly doesn't look like a $47 bottle ought to look.

[Robert Brown]

Drambuie, mixed 50-50 with a good blended scotch...aka "Rusty Nail", served with a lemon twist.

In my book, there is no better drink!!

[Jim W.]

I agree with Greek, still LOVE the flaver, but I was dismayed at the poor (cheap) design of the newest bottle. I remember my old classic Drambuie bottle had a raised embossed seal, and of course the cork. What nonsense is this screw cap! It makes opening a chore and just lacks style!

The old bottle was so intriguing it made you want to pull it out and enjoy looking at it- and of course take a glass or two!

Anybody remember the quote from the old bottle: "A link with the '45"? I told my daughter about this phrase but now I wonder if I was dreaming it all... now why didn't I save one of those old bottles from years ago?

[Drambuie Fan]

Sandy is right I'd prefer to seen them back to the cork.

[THOM gillis]

Bring Back the Cork

and the " Link with the '45"

[Ira S]

Black Label was not available in the US. It was delicious. I would buy it in the TelAviv duty free.
Can anyone suggest where I might get some?

[MissStallion]

I've made Drambuie my favorite liquer as of 2005. A couple I know introduced me to it and I simply fell in love- even though they warned of it's potency. And I've tried the "Rusty Nail"- no words can describe it!It's a wonderful beverage and I agree about the price- it's a little too steep compared to other liquers on the market. Drambuie is one of a kind.

[John H.]

I think that this drink can be marketed as a healthy alternative to all of the sweet after dinner drinks out there. It is made with honey, herbs, spices and is low fat . How many of these type of drinks can compete with that?