East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has launched the new range of Singleton Single Malt Whiskies aimed at new whisky drinkers. In addition to the 12-year-old, the new range of The Singleton Malt Whisky will come in two variants namely the 15-year-old and 18-year-old; targeting a new demographic of single malt whisky lovers.
According to EABL the move is informed by consumer trends with most consumers opting to distinguish Single Malt Whiskies by age as opposed for brand names.
Diageo Brand Ambassador, Tom Jones
“For consumers who are looking to experience single malt whisky for the first-time, brand names and labels are a big hinderance as they are often confusing, it is easier to identify and classify whisky by age. This is largely informed by their interactions with more experienced whisky consumers who often introduce their less experienced friends to single malts,” said Diageo Global Scotch Brand Ambassador Tom Jones.
The global brand ambassador, who will be in the country from 15th to 20th November 2019, will train and mentor bartenders, mixologists and connoisseurs on the authentic heritage of The Singleton and the flavour profile of the new range.
The Singleton partnered with Movenpick Hotel & Residences to host an exclusive whisky tasting and grand dinner; which offered an exploration of whisky and meal that united two strengths of flavours and therefore created a new ensemble that goes beyond the pleasure of the sum of each element taken separately.
Throughout the Whisky Gourmet dinner, guests got to discover the flavour profile of The Singleton 15-year-old and 18-year-old, leading to a great appreciation of the experience. The amuse bouche featured a roasted cauliflower veloute cream soup and crispy pistachio biscotti; which offered a great warm-up for the dinner.
Amouse bouche
The starter was a salmon pan-seared sashimi, with black sesame, green apple sticks, orange-mint honey emulsion, roasted hazelnut dust and microgreens. This was paired with The Singleton 12-year-old.
The main course was a beef tenderloin with oyster mushroom saute, arrowroots, mascarpone puree, jelly of pear, grilled asparagus, dark chocolate and a one-of-a-kind Barolo reduction wine sauce. This was paired with The Singleton 15-year-old. The 15-year variant is aromatically drawn with a Toffee apple fragrant punctuated with honeycomb and hints of spice with underlying fruity cereal notes. It draws in the taste buds with sweet malty and oat tones with a feel of fresh fruit and a drying floral spiciness.
The dessert featured a chocolate Danduja, berry sorbet, caramelized walnuts, vanilla and sweet caramel parfait, butterscotch sauce and cocoa dust. This was paired with The Singleton 18-year-old. The 18-year variant taps out an aroma of Soft roasted nuts, fragrant wood and stewed fruit punctuated by a smooth vanilla and toffee fragrant. It draws in the palate with a dark toffee, mint and apple juice taste punctuated by almond and a hint of cocoa biscuits.
The Singleton is looking to capitalize on this rich taste to tap into its core target market of new single malt consumers who are looking for a new taste away from blended whiskies. Most of these consumers bring their own preferences and tastes as they move across drink categories favouring different ways of serving their drinks.
“Unlike other single malts, Singleton’s taste does not limit customer preference enabling them to mix it with their dilatants of choice and experience the drink as either a cocktail, mixer, with ice or on its own. Singleton has cut a niche for itself with its tagline ‘Unapologetically Enjoyed’ which means that unlike other Single Malts that recommend that the drink be served dry or on ice but not diluted with mixers, it can be enjoyed based on customer preference without diluting its taste. As such customer preference only act to enhance taste.” Jones added.
Singleton is Diageo’s top Global Priority Brand under its Single Malt Portfolio and is ranked as the 5th largest Malt brand globally. The introduction of the new range is expected to stimulate EABL’s competitiveness within the single malt market category and spur growth in the spirits category.
