Australian and Italian whiskeys want a share of the Chinese market?

The 2021 alcohol import data recently revealed that the import volume of whisky increased significantly, with an increase of 39.33% and 90.16% respectively.
With the prosperity of the market, some whiskies from niche wine-producing countries appeared on the market. Are these whiskies accepted by Chinese distributors? The WBO did some research.

Wine merchant He Lin (pseudonym) is negotiating the terms of trade for an Australian whisky. Previously, He Lin has been operating Australian wine.

According to the information provided by He Lin, the whisky comes from Adelaide, South Australia. There are 3 whisky products, in addition to some gin and vodka. None of these three whiskies have a year mark and are blended whiskies. Their selling points focus on winning several international competitions, and they use Moscada barrels and beer barrels.
However, the prices of these three whiskies are not cheap. The FOB prices quoted by the manufacturers are 60-385 Australian dollars per bottle, and the most expensive one is also marked with the words “limited release”.

Coincidentally, Yang Chao (pseudonym), a wine merchant who opened a whisky bar, recently received a sample of Italian single malt whisky from an Italian wine wholesaler. This whisky is claimed to be 3 years old and the domestic wholesale price is more than 300 yuan. / bottle, the suggested retail price is as high as more than 500 yuan.
After Yang Chao received the sample, he tasted it and found that the alcohol taste of this whisky was too obvious and a little pungent. Immediately said the price was too expensive.
Liu Rizhong, managing director of Zhuhai Jinyue Grande, introduced that Australian whisky is dominated by small-scale distilleries, and its style is not the same as that of Islay and Islay in Scotland. pure.
After reading the information on Australian whisky, Liu Rizhong said that he had passed by this whisky factory before, which was a small-scale whisky. Judging from the data, the barrel used is its characteristic.
He said that the production capacity of Australian whisky distilleries is currently not large, and the quality is not bad. At present, there are few brands. Most of the spirits distilleries are still start-up companies, and their popularity is far less than that of Australian wine and beer brands.
Regarding Italian whisky brands, WBO asked a number of whisky practitioners and enthusiasts, and all of them said they had never heard of it.

Reasons for niche whisky entering China:
The market is hot, and Australian wine merchants are transforming
Why are these whiskies coming to China? Zeng Hongxiang (pseudonym), a distributor of foreign wines in Guangzhou, pointed out that these wineries may come to China to do business just to follow suit.
“Whisky has become increasingly popular in China’s first- and second-tier cities in recent years, consumers have increased, and leading brands have also tasted the sweetness. This trend has made some manufacturers want to take a share of the pie,” he said.

Another industry insider pointed out: As far as Australian whisky is concerned, many importers used to make Australian wine, but now Australian wine has lost market opportunities due to the “dual reverse” policy, which has led to some people with upstream resources, Started to try to introduce Australian whisky into China.
The data shows that in 2021, my country’s imports of whisky from the UK will account for 80.14%, followed by Japan with 10.91%, and the two will account for more than 90%. The value of imported Australian whisky accounted for only 0.54%, but the increase in import volume was as high as 704.7% and 1008.1%. While a small base is one factor behind the surge, the transition of wine importers may be another factor driving growth.
However, Zeng Hongxiang said: it remains to be seen how successful these niche whisky brands can be in China.
However, many practitioners do not agree with the phenomenon of niche whisky brands entering at high prices. Fan Xin (pseudonym), a senior practitioner in the whisky industry, said: This kind of niche product should not be sold at a high price, but few people buy it if it is sold at a low price. Perhaps the brand side only thinks it can only be sold at a high price in order to invest in the early stage and cultivate the market. have a chance.
However, Liu Rizhong believes that it is impossible to pay for such whisky, whether from the perspective of distributors or consumers.
Take the example of whisky with a FOB price of 70 Australian dollars, and the tax has exceeded more than 400 yuan. The wine merchants still need to make profits, and the price is too high. And there is no age and no promotion funds. Now there is a Johnnie Walker blending on the market. The black label of whisky is only 200 yuan, and it is still a well-known brand. In the field of whisky, it is very important to stimulate consumption through brand promotion.”
He Hengyou (pseudonym), a whisky distributor, also said: Whether there is a market opportunity for whisky in niche wine-producing countries still needs continuous brand marketing, and gradually let consumers have a certain understanding of whisky in this producing area.
But compared to Scotch whisky and Japanese whisky, it still takes a long time for whisky from niche producing countries to be accepted by consumers,” he said.Mina, an alcohol buyer who is also a whisky lover, also said: Perhaps only 5% of consumers are willing to accept this kind of small production area and expensive whisky, and it is very likely that they are just trying out early adopters based on curiosity. Continued consumption is not necessarily.
Fan Xin also pointed out that the main target customers of such niche whisky distilleries are concentrated in their own countries rather than exports, so they do not necessarily pay special attention to the export market, but simply hope to come to China to show their faces and see if there are opportunities. .