Winning season for Distell Brands

Tuesday, 28 July, 2015
Distell
Just after it was announced in London that Distell brand Three Ships had taken the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) trophy for best whisky worldwide ahead of some of the best-known contenders from the British Isles and Japan, J. C. Le Roux, a wine brand in the company's portfolio has been singled out as a South African icon in a new national consumer survey.

Hunter’s too, a cider brand, has been voted a favourite, coming in at number one in the same survey which involved over 15 000 adults. These achievements come at a time when other of its leading brands in the company's portfolio are earning international recognition.  

For J.C. Le Roux this is the second consecutive year that this popular brand has been honoured this way. The brand has also featured as a category winner for five years in a row.

Conducted by Ask Afrika in partnership with two national newspapers, City Press and Rapport, the survey describes icon brands as those "that define a common experience, often on a daily basis, to which South Africans are committed - they put their money where their mouths are. South Africans will even seek these brands out in countries outside South Africa".

Commenting on the results of the 2015/2016 survey announced earlier today, Distell South Africa's marketing director Caroline Snyman said: "We are immensely proud to have two of our leading brands honoured in this South African survey. It's very affirming to know that despite an increasingly competitive market and even with the advent of new offerings, J.C. Le Roux and Hunter's are still compelling and relevant. For J.C. Le Roux specifically, to be accorded iconic status is hugely motivating to the team behind the brand."

The survey researchers apply the globally used Target Group Index to derive at their results.

Snyman added that Distell has also recently received various international awards, with the highlight being the IWSC trophy for best worldwide whisky accorded to Three Ships 10 Year Old single malt. The company had walked away from this event with a total of 16 gold outstanding or gold medals, involving brands such as Amarula, Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky, Klipdrift, Mainstay, Richelieu, Oude Meester and Van Ryn's. "It is critical that we continually benchmark our brands against international examples as a mark of assurance for our domestic as much as our international consumers."

In London, Nederburg, South Africa's most widely awarded wine brand, recently earned an International Wine Challenge trophy for its 2012 Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest. In Italy, Fleur du Cap received a Concours Mondial gold medal for its 2012 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon, she confirmed.