Craft spirits
Curating a creative spirits collection
ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery & Souvenirs Paul Hunnisett talks about actively promoting Irish whiskey brands, blending modernity with tradition and telling great stories through airport retail. By Dermot Davitt.
“Travel retail should represent a place of discovery, where heritage and innovation meet, with storytelling and education at its heart.”
So says ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery & Souvenirs Paul Hunnisett, speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report for this edition.
Across the company’s estate, Irish whiskey is a pillar of the spirits & wines category strategy.
“We put a special focus on bringing new and emerging distillers to the channel, providing a global platform to local producers,” says Hunnisett.
“We work closely with our valued partners like Pernod Ricard as well as smaller producers to bring newness and exclusive expressions to market. Travel retail is all about discovery, and passengers have come to expect to find something new and unique at the Irish Whiskey Collection.
“We balance heritage (with brands such as Jameson and Bushmills) with innovation (think new craft distillers like Two Stacks and Killowen).
“Seasonal and experiential activations keep the category relevant and again, create new reasons for passengers to shop when they travel. For example, we exclusively launched the Teeling’s Christmas Batch last year, offering something new and unique for whiskey collectors as well as a special gift in the lead up to the festive period. This was a limited-edition batch that sold out quickly at Dublin and Cork Airport Duty Free.
“Storytelling and education play important roles in the whiskey category. Customers often buy into the brand story and authenticity, as well as looking for particular qualities in the whiskeys they enjoy.”
Hunnisett says he is excited by the newness that brands are taking to the channel, citing formats such as Two Stacks’ ‘Dram in a Can’ – the world’s first portable Irish whiskey 100ml can – which he says attracts new shoppers to the category who want more convenient solutions and smaller pack sizes.
Both heritage brands and smaller distillers are introducing diversity with flavour-led innovation and various cask finishes.
“Sensory engagement drives purchase, turning curiosity into conversion” – ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery & Souvenirs Paul Hunnisett
Hunnisett also points to the popular emergence of peated and bolder expressions plus a rising interest in cask strength and age statements.
A key driver of innovation is the travel retail exclusive, which helps lift engagement.
“Take the success of the multi-award-winning Redbreast Cuatro Barriles Edition, which has been successful from both a commercial point of view and in raising the profile of Irish whiskey. We were delighted to win a TREX Award with The Moodie Davitt Report earlier this year and these awards are hugely important in recognising the importance of channel exclusives across all categories.”
Storytelling fuels category growth
As shoppers’ tastes for discovery increase, there is growth in related sectors such as whiskey liqueurs too, with brands such as Shanky’s Whip, he adds.
The Irish whiskey sector is led by Pernod Ricard’s Jameson as the global powerhouse alongside other key international brands, though ARI’s Irish Whiskey Collection has long taken on a leadership role in promoting smaller independents too.
Explaining how ARI considers the balance between the established and the new players, Hunnisett says: “Heritage brands have prominent placement throughout the store, for example the Jameson Tastehouse in Terminal 2, which helps to create an overall brand experience.
“HPP sites and activation zones are used to support emerging distillers and exclusive releases, most recently the Two Stacks Flight Series launch in Dublin.
“Experiential and educational marketing are key for the category. A new marketing initiative called ‘Experts Choice’ has been launched across the business which sees a different product selected each month at participating stores, selected by a local expert (a buyer or whiskey ambassador), with dedicated POS materials highlighting key product attributes and supporting in-store tastings. It helps to create an overall more personalised experience.
“We put a huge emphasis on training and development, and our team of Whiskey Ambassadors are among the best-trained in the world.
“Our support for limited editions and storytelling-driven launches help the category to develop and ensures diversity.”
Sensory engagement
Storytelling at its best also means sampling, a powerful conversion tool for any spirits retailer.
On the role of tasting, Hunnisett says: “Sensory engagement drives purchase, turning curiosity into conversion. Our ‘liquid to lips’ approach is fundamental for the spirits category – not only does this get product into the hands of passengers, but it adds to the overall theatre and experience of travel retail.
“We work with our brands to create special and unique experiences in store, from tastings to master distiller meet-and-greets to bottle personalisation. For smaller brands in particular, tastings boost visibility.
“Calendar events, such as World Whiskey Day, help to amplify engagement both in-store and online through social media and ecommerce.”
These campaigns can give particular uplift to emerging producers through in-store visibility and engagement.
Recent examples include a +509% surge in sales of McConnell’s Irish Whiskey when it launched its Cognac Cask Irish Whiskey expression, or a +411% sales boost for Clonakilty Irish Whiskey when its travel retail-exclusive Single Cask entered the portfolio (and sold out its allocation).
ARI has also long been a place for whiskey enthusiasts to trial, test and talk about the category. The creation of the Duty Free Whiskey Club, which consumers can join online via Dublin Airport Duty Free or Cork Airport Duty Free, gives members access to rare and upcoming releases, gift-with-purchase offers and product savings. They can also receive exclusive access to master distiller insights and pre-ordering of limited batch releases.
Hunnisett says, “The Duty Free Whiskey Club is a one-of-a-kind experience in travel retail, and we’re proud to say it’s the second-largest whiskey club in the world with over 31,000 members.
“It caters to the growing customer demand for exclusive experiences, personalisation and value – not simply in terms of price, but the overall retail experience.”
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, ARI and Irish Distillers launched the Redbreast Cuatro Barriles Edition with an immersive event at Dublin Airport
Small batch Irish whiskey brands such as Teeling reinforce the immersive sense of place that ARI brings to travel retail
Members can join even if they are not currently travelling, making it more inclusive and community driven.
Monthly newsletters feature interviews with master distillers, tasting notes and behind-the-scenes insights into whiskey production and cask selection.
Recent benefits included a Click & Collect exclusive pre-order option for the launch of Bushmills 46 Year Old.
The club positions itself as a curator of whiskey journeys, helping members explore new brands and expressions through storytelling and guided recommendations.
With this community engagement, alongside encouraging further innovation, ARI is maintaining its tradition of championing one of its hero categories. Concluding, Hunnisett assesses how Irish whiskey can be further elevated, and he homes in on the role of differentiation.
“A big focus is on encouraging brands to develop more travel retail exclusives that highlight Irish whiskey’s diversity, and to do so in partnership with us.
“In a busy and competitive duty-free environment, exclusives help Irish whiskey brands to stand out on shelf and allow brands to elevate their image globally, with high-end and limited-edition expressions.”
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The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 346 | 17 September 2025
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 6 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (MA Travel Retail). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com