THE PROBLEM
Exploring a quiet whisky revolution taking place in North America
Client
DIAGEO
Project Type
CATEGORY REVIEW
Location
FLORIDA, TEXAS, NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA, OHIO
THE BRIEF
When you think of whisky a lot of people will think of Scotland, Scotch, old white dudes sitting in front of a roaring fires, that sort of thing.
Well a quiet revolution has been taking place in North America.
Over the last 3 years, North American Whisky distilleries have grown from just over 800 to 1600 and as a result the old stereotypes about who drinks whisky are changing as well.
Diageo North America has seen this surge in appetite for bourbons and wanted to know who exactly these people were.
OUR APPROACH
Excited by whisky
The Mix were commissioned in 2023 to explore these emerging whisky drinkers across multiple states in the US, and across a broad range of diverse backgrounds.
We travelled to Florida, to Texas, to California, to New York and to Ohio and we found that things are looking very different out there. People are excited by whisky!
WHAT DID WE FIND?
People care less about education and more about discovery
Findings
But the things they are excited about, aren’t the same as they used to be.
People care less about education and more about discovery.
They are keen to explore flavor but in lighter way, they want to know where things come from, but they are keen for it to be local and perhaps be made by someone who shares their own values.
All this has resulted in a changing category landscape.
New emerging brands such as Widow Jane and black owned brands such as Uncle Nearest have taken new strongholds alongside the classic big brands such as Makers Mark and Bulleit.
THE RESULTS
A demonstration of real life and real experiences
We were able to share these findings, alongside video of real life people talking about their experiences. All of which were used to demonstrate the need for more investment by the exec board.
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