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Travel Retail only…

29 April 2010 909 views Written by: Gal Granov

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You know the feeling: A new exciting expression is released by your favorite distillery, you read raving reviews, and tasting notes, press released etc.. then you look in the small print, and it say : “Travel Retail Only”.

More and more distilleries are releasing “special” expressions to be sold only at duty free shops which is very annoying. Most of us spend most of our times at home, we don’t travel to often, and we pay higher prices than those who do fly at duty free shops. Ok, we’re fine with that. But hey, i also want to be able to shop for those ultra cool releases and enjoy them, without the need to buy an airline ticket…

So why am i starting this debate now? Highland Park, one of my favorite distilleries (see here) is also one of the distilleries that tend to use that method a lot. Only recently we’ve all gotten an email from Gary Tosh their brand ambassador, telling us about their new range of “Vintage” expressions.

The whiskies are not available anywhere other than duty free – not even at the distillery – and will be priced as follows; 1998 Vintage €46 (1l), 1994 Vintage €65 (70cl), 1990 Vintage €99 (70cl) and 1973 Vintage €750 (70cl).

HP have long been selling their highly acclaimed 21 year old expression (the one that dropped in ABV) at travel retail only for some time now, and those additions just make it even more vexing.

Of course there are other cases when duty free shops are used as “beta” for testing new expressions (J.W double black) which is OK, as long as this goes on for a predefined time and then if successful released to the entire whisky market. One good example for this is the Glenmorangie Sonnalte PX : It has been selling at duty free for a few months, then after getting Raving reviews by whisky bloggers and critics (such as J.Murray in his Bible), it was released and widely available at whisky retailers throughout the world.

I sure hope that HP learns from Glenmorangie , and after a certain trial period releases those expressions so the rest of us who fly less frequently will be able to sip a wee dram of those wonderful whiskies. I am not aware of any intention by HP to release the 21 year old (stocks are low as it is) to be widely available (even in small quantities) but i sure do hope they will open their eyes, and let eveyone enjoy even if they do not intend to fly in the near future.

Let’s hope so…

Slainte!

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  • http://jason-scotchreviews.blogspot.com/ Jason Debly

    You raise an excellent point. I have had the same thoughts myself. I suspect the distillers are of the opinion they can achieve better sales with the well-heeled clientele of an airport than the ordinary person in a liquor store. Hopefully it is a trend that may go out of fashion.

    • http://www.whiskyisrael.co.il Gal(WhiskyIsrael)

      Jason,
      thanks for sharing. I dont quite get why distillers think people on duty free will buy more. of course, it’s easier to buy when on holiday, but the amount of people traveling is much less than those who can purchase it say online. I dont mind that super expensive versions costing 1000s of $$$ will be only duty free, but selling a whisky for 80$ duty free only is weird.
      i do hope that this “trend” will go out of fashion soon.
      cheers,

      G.

      • Guest

        Selling on line is not a profitable market for “glass encased” merchandise , as a person that used to live in Israel and now lives in the UK I know this for a fact as once I tried to have a shipment of bottles from the uk via an online site – the price of shipping a bottle – and packing it , to ensure safe arrival – in the case of that bottle made the price of the bottle almost double ( shipping and package was an added 95% on the price of a single bottle).
        There for the market for individual shipping of bottles is not a lucrative one, and I suspect the main reasons why it is not done widely ( out side the uk ) .
        With in the UK , you can order via online stores – but again most do not ship “overseas” – the most they will sent to in Europe .

        Sad, Annoying , but unfortunately the truth.

        –
        http://www.maltgeeks.com

        • http://www.whiskyisrael.co.il Gal(WhiskyIsrael)

          well, some stores do ship, and yea shipping is a bitch. but if the bottle is expensive then the shipping is less of a hassle.. espcially when tax in israel is 200% on alc…
          i do prefer getting stuff from abroad from visitors ;)
          thanks for your comment assi. hope to see u here more.

  • http://jason-scotchreviews.blogspot.com/ Jason Debly

    You raise an excellent point. I have had the same thoughts myself. I suspect the distillers are of the opinion they can achieve better sales with the well-heeled clientele of an airport than the ordinary person in a liquor store. Hopefully it is a trend that may go out of fashion.

  • whiskyisrael

    Jason,
    thanks for sharing. I dont quite get why distillers think people on duty free will buy more. of course, it's easier to buy when on holiday, but the amount of people traveling is much less than those who can purchase it say online. I dont mind that super expensive versions costing 1000s of $$$ will be only duty free, but selling a whisky for 80$ duty free only is weird.
    i do hope that this “trend” will go out of fashion soon.
    cheers,

    G.

  • http://www.whiskywall.wordpress.com Chris

    Interesting discussion/question. The travel retail only is very annoying to me – but in another way. I do travel international 1 – 2 times/year (Japan) but it always seems that there is nothing all that exclusive or rare on either end of the trip. I can really do without the super-sized Glenmorangie Original or Glenfiddich 12.

    My knee jerk speculation as to why the distilleries use travel retail to release special/limited expressions has to do with import/export red tape. The hoops that they have to jump through to get a specific expression ok’d for import into countries might not be worth it to them. I have no basis for this assumption, but maybe the rules regarding selling spirits in duty free might be more relaxed? But then again there are the independent bottlers that release single cask stuff all of the time.

    • http://www.whiskyisrael.co.il Gal(WhiskyIsrael)

      well you are very lucky to travel to japan. amazing stuff going there in terms of whisky. most doesnt come to the west. so u can build your jap shelf.
      as for travel retail, i do think they live under some impression that travelers are more prone 2 try new expressions since they are more “darinh” i’ve read it somewhere.

  • whiskywall

    Interesting discussion/question. The travel retail only is very annoying to me – but in another way. I do travel international 1 – 2 times/year (Japan) but it always seems that there is nothing all that exclusive or rare on either end of the trip. I can really do without the super-sized Glenmorangie Original or Glenfiddich 12.

    My knee jerk speculation as to why the distilleries use travel retail to release special/limited expressions has to do with import/export red tape. The hoops that they have to jump through to get a specific expression ok'd for import into countries might not be worth it to them. I have no basis for this assumption, but maybe the rules regarding selling spirits in duty free might be more relaxed? But then again there are the independent bottlers that release single cask stuff all of the time.

  • whiskyisrael

    well you are very lucky to travel to japan. amazing stuff going there in terms of whisky. most doesnt come to the west. so u can build your jap shelf.
    as for travel retail, i do think they live under some impression that travelers are more prone 2 try new expressions since they are more “darinh” i've read it somewhere.

  • Guest

    Selling on line is not a profitable market for “glass encased” merchandise , as a person that used to live in Israel and now lives in the UK I know this for a fact as once I tried to have a shipment of bottles from the uk via an online site – the price of shipping a bottle – and packing it , to ensure safe arrival – in the case of that bottle made the price of the bottle almost double ( shipping and package was an added 95% on the price of a single bottle).
    There for the market for individual shipping of bottles is not a lucrative one, and I suspect the main reasons why it is not done widely ( out side the uk ) .
    With in the UK , you can order via online stores – but again most do not ship “overseas” – the most they will sent to in Europe .

    Sad, Annoying , but unfortunately the truth.

    –
    http://www.maltgeeks.com

  • whiskyisrael

    well, some stores do ship, and yea shipping is a bitch. but if the bottle is expensive then the shipping is less of a hassle.. espcially when tax in israel is 200% on alc…
    i do prefer getting stuff from abroad from visitors ;)
    thanks for your comment assi. hope to see u here more.

  • http://www.jewishsinglemaltwhiskysociety.com/ Joshua (Yossi)

    This is what I say about Duty-Free exclusives (and, a big kudos to Glenmorangie for releasing the Sonnalta PX to the general consumers): http://jewishsinglemaltwhiskysociety.com/?p=447

  • http://www.jewishsinglemaltwhiskysociety.com/ Joshua (Yossi)

    This is what I say about Duty-Free exclusives (and, a big kudos to Glenmorangie for releasing the Sonnalta PX to the general consumers): http://jewishsinglemaltwhiskysociety.com/?p=447

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