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INSIDER

Biggar & Leith targets travel retail success with Shanky’s Whip
and Butterfly Cannon

“2024 is going to be the year of duty Biggar & Leith has started listing
free for Shanky’s Whip,” Daniel Bras, Shanky’s Whip on cruise ships and is
Export Director at spirits creator, importer targeting Shanky’s home market as a
and distributor Biggar & Leith tells TMI. natural fit.
Shanky’s Whip, an Irish whiskey “We are listed in ten retail stores from
infused with natural vanilla and caramel, is Harding+ in the Caribbean. In Q2 we are
the number one brand for Biggar & Leith, doing a strong activation with P&O Cruises
with domestic success in almost eighty in Europe, basically taking over the retail
countries around the world. store and decorating the tunnels that lead
Biggar & Leith’s portfolio of brands to the store. We are also conducting lots of
includes Spytail Rum, Stambeco Amaro, tastings,” says Bras.
Hotel Starlino aperitivos and amaro, “Hopefully we will be listed with ARI
Gladstone Axe Malt Scotch, Butterfly in Dublin and we are in negotiations with
Cannon tequila, along with Shanky’s Whip some of the biggest guys in travel retail.
Irish whiskey liqueur. For Shanky’s Whip duty free will be one of
The company was created in 2015 by our top priorities in 2024-25.”
spirits industry veteran Elwyn Gladstone, Butterfly Cannon tequila is the other
who previously worked with Hendrick’s brand Biggar & Leith is launching in global
gin, Kraken and Sailor Jerry rums. Biggar travel retail.
& Leith’s first brand was Malfy gin, which Butterfly Cannon, created in 2021,
it sold to Pernod Ricard in 2019. That sale Butterfly Cannon at DFS JFK Terminal 4 started by being the first range of premium
allowed Biggar & Leith to create their own 100% agave flavored tequilas, and consists
range of spirits. fast growing markets around Europe, Asia, of three SKUs, including a blue color
“Biggar & Leith has always created Latin America, Canada, Australia, New changing tequila that definitely stands out
brands that work outside the box. They Zealand,” says Bras. on shelf, says Bras.
have a different approach to the category, “We did a lot of global domestic “Butterfly Cannon has been making
the packaging was always very cool and distribution quickly and we are just now good strides in U.S. travel retail. While
different,” says Bras, who began working bringing Shanky’s into the travel retail not as big as Shanky’s on a global basis,
for Biggar & Leith in 2021 after stints with channel.” it is doing super well in the U.S. We are
Actium, who were agents for Malfy gin, “We believe greatly in the importance also doing well in Europe, but are still very
and Alfred Giraud whisky. of Travel Retail for brand building - it is niche and growing from a smaller base.
“Our really crazy success globally is a window to the world and a great place “Because this brand is doing well in
Shanky’s Whip, the black Irish whiskey to showcase new brands to international U.S. domestic, and tequila is such a big
liqueur. We are going to sell 1.2 million travelers,” says Elwyn Gladstone, co- thing right now, we started in travel retail
bottles this year in the third year of the Founder of Biggar and Leith. earlier than we did with Shanky’s Whip.
brand. On a global level this is by far Having the right partners in travel Today, we are listed with DFS in JFK,
our number one brand. It is an incredibly retail is key, Bras tells TMI. LAX, and SFO. We are with the main
delicious product that has a conversion “We work with Actium for the cruise retail operators with Harding+,
rate of almost 30%. People who try it buy Americas and JP GTR for Europe and Starboard, and Heinemann Americas in
it. We are now in the four corners of the Middle East. They are focusing on a total of 45 ships. And we are hoping to
earth. The U.S. is the number one market Shanky’s Whip and Butterfly Cannon expand quickly. We are also with Harding+
followed by South Africa. We have very tequila.” in the UK.”
Between Shanky’s Whip and Butterfly
Cannon tequila, Biggar & Leith has two
unique brands that are now ready to excel
in travel retail, says Biggar & Leith co-
founder Gladstone.
“Our brands tend to be highly
different from the category - and great
gifts - Shanky’s Whip is truly one of a
kind - a Black Irish Whiskey Liqueur
Mockup of the Shanky’s Whip with standout packaging - it makes for a
activation taking place on perfect gift. Similarly, Butterfly Cannon
P&O Cruises Britannia in Q2. is unique within the category - there are
lots of flavored tequilas, but our Blue,
color changing liquid stands out from the
crowd.”

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