Bushmills Kick-starts 400th Anniversary Campaign

13/12/07 Bushmills Irish Whiskey will be celebrating ‘Irish at its Best’ next year when it marks the 400th anniversary of the original licence to distil granted to the area in 1608. The anniversary celebrations will include a range of marketing activities designed to focus media and consumer attention on the brand’s heritage, provide trade support in all key global markets and help deliver brand growth now and in the future.

Acquired by Diageo in 2005, few, if any, whiskies can match the distilling heritage of Bushmills, which has since received a significant investment of more than £6 million in both production and marketing.

Shivaun Lucey, Bushmills Global Brand Director, said: 'The 400th anniversary presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Bushmills to capitalise on the growth of the Irish whiskey segment and to set both the tone and pace of on-going marketing support for a key brand in the Diageo portfolio. Today, as our only Irish whiskey, Bushmills is receiving the commitment it deserves to leverage both its fantastic heritage and quality.'

The anniversary programme kicks off with the release of a special edition whiskey, Bushmills 1608 Irish whiskey, alongside the brand’s first ever-global advertising campaign, new anniversary packaging and sponsorship of the Irish Rugby team. Further campaign activity and product innovations are planned for 2008, with more announcements scheduled for early next year.

Bushmills 1608 is a unique blend of tradition and innovation, combining some classic features of Bushmills whiskeys, such as triple distillation, with a pioneering process of distillation using crystal malt, a special type of malted barley selected to deliver exceptional smoothness. It will go on general release in the brand’s key markets from February through December 2008 and in subsequent years, will only exclusively be available in travel retail outlets and at the Distillery itself.

The brand’s first global advertising campaign, entitled ‘Welcome’ and carrying the sign off ‘Irish at its Best’, is now being rolled out in markets through ten print executions. Featuring real employees from the Old Bushmills Distillery, the campaign brings to life the people, the place and the craft of the distillers. World-renowned photographer, Jim Fiscus, shot the campaign entirely on location at the Old Bushmills Distillery and surrounding areas. It captures the innate craftsmanship and heritage that goes into ‘Irish at its Best’, conveying some of the unique facts and stories around Bushmills.

With rugby at the heart of the brand’s target consumer, Bushmills Irish whiskey has joined forces with one of Ireland’s best teams as the official Spirit of the Irish Rugby team. Irish Rugby legend Keith Wood has joined as the Official Bushmills Rugby Ambassador and will help bring to life some of the stories of the passion and spirit behind the game throughout the year and in particular during the 2008 RBS 6 Nations championship (starting 2 February 2008).

Although Bushmills 1608 has yet to be launched to market, celebrations have in fact already begun, with the special edition whiskey receiving Whisky Magazine’s 2008 Award for Innovator of the Year.  Commenting on the award, Shivaun Lucey added; 'We’re delighted to have won this award. We wanted to offer every Bushmills fan something special to celebrate our heritage and toast our future with us. Now we’ve got one more reason to celebrate.'