限量版威士忌成爲吸引中國消費者的殺手鐗
China's recent government crackdown on gift-giving by officials may have crimped spending on premium spirits, but that hasn't stopped distilleries from releasing pricey limited-edition bottles for Asian drinkers to splurge on.
中國政府最近整頓官員送禮之風可能抑制了優質烈酒的消費，但這並未阻止酒商推出價格不菲的限量版產品供亞洲消費者揮霍。The Macallan has been making single-malt whisky in Speyside, Scotland, since the early 19th century, but on Thursday it released a new product in Hong Kong. Called M and available in just 1,750 bottles, the line is made of whisky selected from aged casks and bottled in 1.5-liter Lalique crystal decanters. Each is priced at $4,500.
麥卡倫(Macallan)從19世紀初以來就一直在蘇格蘭的斯佩賽德(Speyside)生產單一麥芽威士忌，但它5月30日發佈一款新品卻是在香港。這款新品名爲“M”，只賣1,750瓶，由精選自陳年木桶的威士忌製成，裝在1.5升的萊麗(Lalique)水晶瓶裏，每瓶定價4,500美元。'It's the first time we're launching a product in Asia,' Ken Grier, director of Malts at the Macallan, told the Journal. 'Asia is our top-selling region and Hong Kong is a window to the luxury world.'
麥卡倫麥芽酒產品負責人肯•格里爾(Ken Grier)說：“這是我們第一次在亞洲發佈產品。亞洲是我們產品最暢銷的地區，香港是通往奢侈品世界的一扇窗戶。”
Though toasts in China are traditionally made with the heady clear-colored liquor baijiu, more people are turning to single-malt Scotch whisky as the tipple of choice at drinking sessions and for gifts between rich businessmen.
雖然中國人在乾杯的時候一般都是喝易醉的白酒，但在飲酒場合或是在富商贈送禮物時，也有越來越多的人在選烈酒時選擇了單一麥芽威士忌。The Macallan isn't alone among Scotch distillers in promoting its products with expensive limited editions. Executives at French drinks giant Pernod Ricard 0.00% told the Journal this week they are targeting affluent Asian buyers, whether at bars and clubs or at airport duty-free counters, with products like the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute, which retails at $2,000 a bottle. Meanwhile, earlier this year Diageo -0.28%-owned Johnnie Walker unveiled a Lunar New Year collection of 12 bottles specifically for the Chinese market, priced at $4,800 per set.
不止麥卡倫一家威士忌廠商在推銷價格昂貴的限量版產品。法國釀酒巨頭保樂力加(Pernod Ricard)的管理層上週向《華爾街日報》表示，他們面向亞洲富裕消費者推出了零售價2,000美元一瓶的Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute等產品，銷售地點有酒吧、會所，也有機場免稅店。今年早些時候，帝亞吉歐(Diageo)旗下的尊尼獲加(Johnnie Walker)專門面向華人市場推出了12瓶裝的農曆新年版，每套定價4,800美元。The Macallan and Lalique have teamed up in the past. For instance, they collaborated on a single decanter of 64-year-old whisky that fetched $460,000 at an auction in New York in 2010. The pair have also created a series of four decanters for whiskies, ranging from 50 to 60 years old, and with price tags of up to $20,000.
麥卡倫和萊麗在過去也有過合作。比如它們曾聯合推出過一件單瓶裝的64年威士忌，這瓶威士忌在2010年紐約的一場拍賣會上賣到了46萬美元。除此以外，兩家公司還曾聯手推出一系列50年到60年的四瓶裝威士忌，定價高的達到了兩萬美元。Unlike those examples, which were one-off collaborations featuring a rare, old whisky, the new M will the first of a new annual ritual, Mr. Grier said.
不過以上這些都是雙方在稀有陳年威士忌上的一次性合作。據格里爾說，今後雙方將展開一年一度的合作，新品“M”便是打響的第一炮。Asia now consumes half of the Macallan's production, with Taiwan being the largest market, according to Mr. Grier. But China is growing fast and has huge potential: Sales of all single-malt whisky almost doubled in the country between 2007 and 2012, according to market-research firm Euromonitor.
據格里爾說，現在麥卡倫產出的一半威士忌都是賣往亞洲，臺灣是其中最大的市場。但中國大陸增長速度最快，並有着巨大的潛力：據市場研究機構歐睿信息諮詢(Euromonitor)數據，從2007年到2012年，各類單一麥芽威士忌在中國市場的銷量接近翻了一倍。But even with strong growth, single-malt whisky as a category lags far behind baijiu, cognac and blended whiskies such as Johnnie Walker.
然而，儘管增長迅猛，單一麥芽威士忌作爲一個門類還是遠遠落後於白酒、干邑和尊尼獲加之類的混合型威士忌。'It's a different drinking culture in China,' Mr. Grier said, noting that Chinese tend to 'share a bottle between friends, or at a business dinner.' By contrast, 'in the U.S., it's more drinking at bars or individually.'
格里爾說：“中國的飲酒文化不一樣。”他提到，中國人往往是在朋友之間或商務宴請上共享美酒，而在美國，更多時候是在酒吧喝酒或一個人獨自享用。The Macallan said its sales have been unaffected by China's anti-corruption and gift-giving measures, maintaining that growth in the country remains in the 'double digits.'
麥卡倫表示其銷量未受中國反腐敗和整頓送禮之風行動的影響，其在中國的增長速度仍然是“雙位數”。Mr. Grier attributed the Macallan's continued growth to its measured approach to expansion. The brand's emphasis, he said, is on top private clubs, bars and wine boutiques in the largest cities, with limit the quantities sold.
格里爾將麥卡倫的持續增長歸功於該公司有節制的擴張方針。他說，這個品牌的重心是大城市的高檔私人會所、酒吧和葡萄酒專賣店，並且是限量銷售。Edrington Group, which owns Macallan, currently holds second place in China for single-malt whiskies with a 24% share, behind the 34% share held by William Grant & Sons, which owns the whisky label Grant's, according to Euromonitor.
據歐睿數據，麥卡倫母公司愛丁頓集團(Edrington Group)目前以24%的份額佔中國單一麥芽威士忌市場的第二位。持有威士忌品牌Grant’s的格蘭父子公司(William Grant & Sons)則以34%的市佔率位居第一。'We could easily sell another 25% of our current volume in China, but we want to control and preserve its cachet,' said Mr. Grier.
格里爾說：“我們可以在當前中國市場銷量的基礎上輕鬆提高25%的銷量，但我們想控制並保留它的品位。”
