In response to the constantly evolving US beer market, Innis & Gunn has revamped their retail strategy for the US.
Innis & Gunn was one of the first breweries to introduce barrel aging to the US when they launched in 2003. They built their success through their flagship styles- a scotch whisky barrel-aged ale and a rum barrel-aged ale.
The brewery evolved aiming to meet the demand of US consumers by introducing different styles over the years, one of which was an Irish whiskey-barrel aged stout. This Irish whiskey stout became the most popular seller and continues to be a seasonal favorite among retailers and consumers alike.
In 2018 Innis & Gunn revamped their packaging as part of a global strategy to make the brand more current in today’s craft beer market. Prior to that, the packaging hadn’t changed since they launched 16 years ago, well before the influx of craft beer brands we see today. This new packaging generated 13% growth in their home market, and showed early signs of success in other export markets.
As with many international breweries, the strive to be globally consistent is challenged by local market differences. Based on the feedback from the US market, Innis & Gunn decided to simplify its packaging with a focus on the casks in which the beer is matured, and offer flagship styles that remained consistent over the years: 1) The Original – Scotch Whisky Cask, 2) Caribbean Rum Cask & 3) Irish Whiskey Cask, their seasonal style launching this month, in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
“We recognize that the US beer market is both larger and more complex than other markets,” remarked Crawford Sinclair, Innis & Gunn Sales Director for the US. “We want to focus our packaging around flavor styles and unique cask maturation – the latter of which we are a renowned global authority – clean and simple design and messaging will help us stand out amongst a noisy and cluttered beer shelf.”
Kris Sjolander, Vice President of Brand Development for United States Beverage, Innis & Gunn’s importer, added, “Retailers and distributors are overwhelmed by the number of styles and new product launches emerging each year. We decided to focus Innis & Gunn’s offerings this year to highlight 3 different styles with a history of success among our consumer base: a scotch whisky barrel ale, a rum barrel red beer and an Irish whiskey barrel aged stout.”
Innis & Gunn’s seasonal Irish Whiskey Stout is arriving in markets now in 4pks. The refreshed packaging designs for both The Original and Blood Red Sky are starting to hit shelves and will be available year-round in 4pks. Draft will also be available for The Original Scotch Whisky Cask in 50L barrels.
For more information on Innis & Gunn, visit: https://www.innisandgunn.com/us/
About Innis & Gunn
Since its foundation in 2003 Innis & Gunn has grown to become one of the UK’s most successful international craft beer businesses: the number one craft lager in Scotland, the second biggest craft brewer in the UK off-trade, the number one imported craft beer in Canada, and continues to be in the top three imported craft beers in Sweden and the US.
In 2018 Innis & Gunn achieved its 15th consecutive year of double-digit volume growth, selling 21M pints of beer in over 30 countries with a portfolio including its flagship beer The Original, Innis & Gunn Lager, Gunnpowder and Session IPAs, and a successful limited-edition range of barrel-aged beers.
The Innis & Gunn Brewery in Perth is the brand’s home for innovation and barrel-ageing, with plans to build first new large-scale brewery in Edinburgh in 150 years to meet exploding domestic and international demand for its leading brand Innis & Gunn Craft Lager.
Winning over fifty awards in the past decade, Innis & Gunn beers are renowned for quality at home and internationally. Recent wins include Scottish Brewery of the Year and Gold and Silver product medals in the 2019 New York International Beer Competition, and Gold in the 2017 Monde and Scottish Beer Awards.
Terry Bunch
