SCOTTISH drinks giant Diageo is aiming to make Scotch the top international spirit in China with a campaign of education and awareness.
The second edition of the two-day Diageo Whisky Summit is currently being held in Guangzhou, China, concluding today.
The event brings together more than 500 industry experts, Scotch lovers and business partners to discuss and share whisky knowledge, trends and opportunities in a series of panels, workshops and tasting masterclasses.
Diageo will showcase all the whiskies from its 27 distilleries in operation in Scotland, and visitors will be visually brought to Scotland through virtual tours of some of Diageo’s most iconic distilleries.
These will include journeys through the four Scotch whisky regions and masterclasses given by some of the world’s most renowned whisky experts.
Mark Edwards, Diageo China’s general manager, said: “Chinese consumers have a thirst for knowledge on Scotch whisky and a desire to refine their appreciation of its heritage, provenance and craft credentials.
“The Diageo China Whisky Summit is one of the major initiatives we have kicked off to drive Scotch category awareness and excitement about Diageo’s Scotch portfolio.
“We put a strong focus on education to inspire and recruit new consumers. We have also supported the opening of whisky boutiques in Xiamen and Guangzhou, setting up mentoring events and investing behind ‘liquid on lips’ activities in the growing number of malt bars that are opening up in the country.
“Scotch is vibrant in China and Diageo is well positioned to ride on the trend with our unrivalled selection of brands.”
China is largest alcohol market in the world with a growing luxury consumer base. Scotch whisky exports to China grew by 45 per cent to £27 million in the first half of 2017, according to the Scotch Whisky Association.
Those attending the summit include: Jim Beveridge, Johnnie Walker master blender; Georgie Crawford, Lagavulin distillery manager; acclaimed whisky writers Charles MacLean and Dave Broom; and Chinese scotch whisky experts Steven Lin and Sam Lu.
Sam Fischer, Diageo’s president for Greater China and Asia, said: “Diageo is the global leader in scotch whisky and our ambition is to make scotch the number one international spirit category in China.
“Scotch has an exciting future in China and I am confident Diageo is well placed to continue to drive the growth of the category and establish its leadership.”
Diageo currently employs around 3500 people in Scotland, with 85 per cent of the production in the country sold overseas.
The firm is part of a VisitScotland delegation of 11 businesses conducting a nine-day trade mission to China, in recognition of the country’s importance to Scotland as an emerging international market.
Sarah Dickson, Scotch Whisky Association global affairs director, said: “Scotch whisky is a globally renowned product and I am proud to be part of this Diageo summit.
“Some £4 billion of scotch is shipped across the world each year, making it the UK’s biggest food and drink export, and a vast contributor to the country’s economy. Tourism is another important part of the scotch whisky industry and last year 1.7 million visits were made to distilleries in Scotland, with many coming from China.”
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