Scotland’s only Scotch whisky cream liqueur brand, Magnum, has announced its first export deal in the United States, the world’s top consumer of cream liqueurs, shipping to around 250 retail locations in Minnesota and Tennessee. This makes Magnum the sole single scotch malt whisky cream liqueur in the US that boasts of being exclusively crafted and bottled in Scotland.
Plans are already in motion to broaden Magnum’s reach in the US, and by 2024, the brand aims to be available in other states, including Georgia and Texas. To help this expansion, Magnum has partnered with New York’s MHW, and is working with Tennessee’s Brio Brands.
Edinburgh-based Hemisphere Brands is the global brand agent for Magnum and manages the brand from production planning through to the strategy for market entry, as well as executing the sales, marketing and distribution plan.
Commenting on Magnum’s success in the United States and future global growth ambitions for the brand, Magnum Director, Lee Schofield, said, “This is a really significant milestone for our truly Scottish brand. Magnum is now the only single scotch malt whisky cream liqueur available in the US that is exclusively crafted and bottled in Scotland.
“Our strategy is to introduce Magnum to globally significant ‘cream’ liqueur category markets, including Canada, South Africa and the United States. The US is the largest cream liqueur market, maintaining around a quarter of the world’s consumption, so there’s great potential to widen our distribution across the country.
“We’re keen to establish Magnum in our launch states of Minnesota and Tennessee through 2023 and early 2024. From there, we plan to expand across Texas and Georgia.”
Lee added, “From start to finish, it took the best part of two years to get Magnum into the US. It’s an arduous process, from registration of the trademark, formula and certificate of label approval, to market research and finding our way around the unique US three-tier alcohol and distribution system. We needed to find an importer and distributor, as well as manage an effective route to market. Cost and effort is substantial even before the brand hits the shelves.
“In the UK we’re free to sell directly through a variety of trade channels. The three-tier system in the US prevents this. Each US state has its own legislative, trading, retailing and marketing environment. Our business is mostly international, so we learnt from our experience of researching and processing market entry, as well as from support and feedback from our US importer.”
Picture: Lee Schofield
