Whisky sales on the rise in China
Whisky sales on the rise in China
Chinese youths are increasingly turning away from the nation's traditional potent spirits, known as baijiu, in favour of whisky as their alcohol of choice.
Look around the bars and discos in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities, and famous baijius like Maotai are nowhere to be found, but whisky is flowing in ever greater volume for young party goers.
Groups of friends can be seen sharing one or two bottles between them as they dance the night away rather just buying whisky by the glass.
"While cognac is sold mainly in the south of the country, whisky is being drunk everywhere," said Philippe Guettat, China operations head of French group Pernod Ricard.
Sales of whisky have increased by about 30 percent annually over the last five years, with Pernod Ricard's Chivas Regal currently the top selling brand.
Although foreign brands represent less than 10 percent of the spirit market in China, that level is remarkably high considering Chinese labels are still by far and away the most popular across all alcohol sectors.
While Pernod Ricard refuses to reveal its sales figures, a sharp rise in whisky consumption in general has made China a key market not only for the world's second major seller of wines and spirits, but also for its competitors.
According to the Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association, China became a world top 10 whisky drinking nation in 2006, when total sales hit 58.2 million pounds (115 million dollars), an increase of 27 percent over 2005.
"People are drinking more and more, especially in night clubs," said Stefen Deng, a director at Maxxium, distributor of the American whisky Jim Beam, as well as Scotland's Highland Distillers and Macallan.
As with many other phenomena linked to the nouveau riche, wealthier Chinese youths are more attracted to brands, high class fashions and the need to be seen than they are to taste.
In most night clubs, a bottle of Chivas Regal sells for about 500 yuan (65 dollars).
"(But) it is no more a question of money. Whisky and cognac are linked to a certain atmosphere, an ambiance," Deng said.
Very few Chinese can taste the difference between a pure malt aged for 18 years and a cheap scotch, according to various industry insiders.
In Chinese bars and nightclubs, it is not uncommon to see young drinkers mixing their whisky with iced green tea, a cocktail that brings a local flavour to an imported drink.
But like many products that sell well in China, the new trend in drinking is also falling victim to counterfeiting with some fake whiskies capable of passing a taste test, although others are undrinkable.
The most common way to counterfeit is for a nightclub manager, smuggler, gang member or anyone else so-inclined to simply take an empty bottle of expensive whisky and refill it with an ordinary one.
Although counterfeiting has not greatly harmed the Chinese whisky market, industry watchers say that the future of the drink remains in doubt due to the fast-changing trends in modern China.
"The whisky market is dynamic, but it is not very solid," said Fu Leibin, editor of the Chinese magazine Food and Wine.
"People are always searching for something new and they have a tendency to always follow the latest trends. So sales will probably continue to rise, but growth may slow."
Look around the bars and discos in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities, and famous baijius like Maotai are nowhere to be found, but whisky is flowing in ever greater volume for young party goers.
Groups of friends can be seen sharing one or two bottles between them as they dance the night away rather just buying whisky by the glass.
"While cognac is sold mainly in the south of the country, whisky is being drunk everywhere," said Philippe Guettat, China operations head of French group Pernod Ricard.
Sales of whisky have increased by about 30 percent annually over the last five years, with Pernod Ricard's Chivas Regal currently the top selling brand.
Although foreign brands represent less than 10 percent of the spirit market in China, that level is remarkably high considering Chinese labels are still by far and away the most popular across all alcohol sectors.
While Pernod Ricard refuses to reveal its sales figures, a sharp rise in whisky consumption in general has made China a key market not only for the world's second major seller of wines and spirits, but also for its competitors.
According to the Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association, China became a world top 10 whisky drinking nation in 2006, when total sales hit 58.2 million pounds (115 million dollars), an increase of 27 percent over 2005.
"People are drinking more and more, especially in night clubs," said Stefen Deng, a director at Maxxium, distributor of the American whisky Jim Beam, as well as Scotland's Highland Distillers and Macallan.
As with many other phenomena linked to the nouveau riche, wealthier Chinese youths are more attracted to brands, high class fashions and the need to be seen than they are to taste.
In most night clubs, a bottle of Chivas Regal sells for about 500 yuan (65 dollars).
"(But) it is no more a question of money. Whisky and cognac are linked to a certain atmosphere, an ambiance," Deng said.
Very few Chinese can taste the difference between a pure malt aged for 18 years and a cheap scotch, according to various industry insiders.
In Chinese bars and nightclubs, it is not uncommon to see young drinkers mixing their whisky with iced green tea, a cocktail that brings a local flavour to an imported drink.
But like many products that sell well in China, the new trend in drinking is also falling victim to counterfeiting with some fake whiskies capable of passing a taste test, although others are undrinkable.
The most common way to counterfeit is for a nightclub manager, smuggler, gang member or anyone else so-inclined to simply take an empty bottle of expensive whisky and refill it with an ordinary one.
Although counterfeiting has not greatly harmed the Chinese whisky market, industry watchers say that the future of the drink remains in doubt due to the fast-changing trends in modern China.
"The whisky market is dynamic, but it is not very solid," said Fu Leibin, editor of the Chinese magazine Food and Wine.
"People are always searching for something new and they have a tendency to always follow the latest trends. So sales will probably continue to rise, but growth may slow."
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