The Drink Cabinet’s Jason Crawley and Dylan Howarth received a visit from Loch Lomond’s founder, owner and CEO Colin Matthews earlier this week. Colin came to experience The duos brain-child “The Loch Lomond Ice Program” which has just wrapped for NSW & VIC encompassing over 40 venues.
Colin said, “there has been so much interest in this initiative back home in Scotland. Loch Lomond Scotches are distributed in over 130 countries world-wide but no market has delivered such a unique initiative. We are actually considering taking this globally, as it is to our knowledge a real world first and it really works in connecting our brands with the ontrade in meaningful, relevant ways.
Loch Lomond Scotches are amongst the highest awarded in the world with San Fran Double Golds across the Glen Scotia, Inchmurrin and Loch Lomond portfolio. Crawley said, “the thing is, as the brands are new to this market no one really had experienced how incredible the liquids are. The Ice Program was a great way to introduce the trade and consumers to them.
The Loch Lomond Ice Program provides bars with the best hand prepared ice-cubes every week throughout June and July after purchasing a case of mixed Scotch. The ice is produced by the specialists Bare Bones Ice Company in NSW and Navy Strength Ice Company in Melbourne. Howarth said, “The larger format ice is absolutely perfect for serving premium spirits as the dilution rate is greatly reduced and let’s face it, it’s cool”.
Crawley said, “It all makes perfect sense really, as this quality of perfectly clear ban-saw-cut ice is almost unachievable in venue. From a cost point of view it saves on the staff labour working with plastic re-purposed tubs. The uptake has been phenomenal and we have partnered with over 40 bars nationally with sales and distribution being handled by the lovely team at ALBA WHISKY. Colin said, “we visited Bulletin Place, Kittyhawk and The Duke of Clarence, Beneath Driver Lane, Miss Collins, The Lui Bar and Boilermaker House last week and the feedback from the teams has been nothing short of wonderful. To see these beautiful Scotches being truly enjoyed and shared in the exactly the right way is exactly where we need to be and we are absolutely delighted”.
