a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scotch whisky backed by Game of Thrones star targets US
Long-term friends Rory McCann, the Scottish actor who plays Sandor "The Hound" Clegane in Game of Thrones, and veteran financier Stuart Montgomerie have joined the brothers as co-investors in the project.
The inaugural Slanj Whisky was produced in collaboration with Douglas Laing & Co, the Glasgow-based Scotch whisky bottler and blender. The whisky, a blend of Highland and Speyside malts matured in bourbon casks, is currently available on the Master of Malt e-commerce site, where it is retailing for around £47 per bottle, and in Slanj's new store in St Enoch Square by virtue of a premises licence.
Brian Halley told The Herald: 'We are looking to get into The Whisky Shop here and high-end bars [and] get it readily available in the UK. But the east coast of America is a real target market for us. We have got friends out there, so we are already speaking to them about putting us in touch with distributors. They also say you really need to play the 'tartan card' – tartan and whisky go hand in hand. With the name Slanj [associated with] Burns suppers, Highland games' gatherings and generally pubs all around the world, it is recognised as the saying when you are taking a drink.
'It really is the perfect name for a whisky.'
While Slanj had a brief flirtation with the whisky market several years ago, when it handed out miniature bottles of a single malt created in partnership with the BenRiach Distillery for promotions in the shop, Mr Halley declared the new venture is 'serious'.
He said: 'Because we didn't have the licence back then we were a wee bit limited in what we could do with it. We had produced some Slanj whisky in the past, but this is a completely different venture, the 70cl and with our new business partners involved.
'We are doing it properly this time.'
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Asked if he had any concerns about launching the whisky when conditions are so fragile in global export markets, Mr Halley said: 'It has been a long-term ambition. [Slanj] is 30 years old but by no means is this supposed to be a kilt shop making a whisky. This is a serious whisky venture and [with the diaspora] of Scots all round the world, there will be a nod to the tartan, but it is really completely separate.
'The whisky industry is resilient. There's a bit going on just now with the tariffs, which is not helping. But we are on the same level playing field with the rest of the whisky producers.'
Mr Halley said the immediate priority for the whisky business was to build recognition of the brand and increase its availability around the UK and beyond. It may launch limited edition bottlings and special released in the future.
It has already taken several years to get to this point with the venture. Mr Halley said: 'I trademarked it [brand name] back in 2005. It has taken a while. We just wanted to do it properly.
'I don't know if you know the Slanj history. We have had fires and floods, the pandemic and moved premises quite a lot. The timing was really good.
'One of my old pals, Stuart Montgomerie, who is a retired bond trader, started investing in various Scottish companies. I had the idea of getting in touch with him. He brings a real financial brain to the set up. Coincidentally, he was also good friends with Rory McCann. Rory and I go back a long way – we were pals after school but as his career took off I have made him various cracking outfits for premieres and things like that over the years. He has done incredibly well as well. It was just really good timing.
'Also my brother Craig, who has been in Slanj with me for 25 years, [is involved] as well. It is the four of us behind the venture.'
Mr Halley noted the potential of harnessing Mr McCann's vocal talents in future marketing activity. 'He likes a dram himself, so he was the perfect person to come in with us. Obviously has got a great voice, a good deep Scottish voice. So, in terms of marketing, we are hoping he to get him to record some voiceovers and things like that.'
The Slanj blend created in partnership with Douglas Laing includes six single malts from across the Highland and Speyside regions.
Asked how the whisky-buying public have responded to the new Scotch, Mr Halley said: 'It has been really positive. People are loving the design of the bottle with the very subtle tartan, which is obviously our core background.
'It does not have a really smoky, peaty taste to it, it is Speyside [in style], very much designed to appeal to the wider market. We are having people drink it and saying how moreish it is.'
He added: 'We did not want a smoky, peaty whisky you would have at the end of the night. This is something that you can sip away at. It is really middle of the road with a fruity taste to it; [it is] more sweet.'
Mr Halley prefers to drink the whisky neat but said it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, including in cocktails. 'I think it will appeal to a really wide market,' he said.
