Royal Salute Targets Korean Premium Whiskey Market with 'Richard Quinn' Lead

Pernod Ricard's 'Royal Salute 21-Year Richard Quinn Edition 2' Launches in Korea for the First Time
Last Year, Domestic Royal Salute Shipments Grew by About 60%

"The Korean market has consumers who appreciate premium whiskey, and significant growth continues centered around them. This is also why we are introducing the Prestige Whiskey Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Richard Quinn Edition 2 in Korea for the first time."

(From left) Richard Quinn, fashion designer; Franz Horton, CEO of Pernod Ricard Korea; Mathieu Delang, global marketing director; Miguel Pascal, marketing executive director, are presenting the 'Royal Salute 21 Year Richard Quinn Edition 2'.

On the 4th, Pernod Ricard Korea held a press conference at Nudite Ikseon in Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, announcing the global first release of the fashion collection collaboration between Royal Salute and British fashion designer Richard Quinn, titled ‘Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Richard Quinn Edition 2,’ in Korea.

Pernod Ricard emphasized that Korea’s recent cultural influence worldwide was the reason for selecting it as the first global launch country. Mathieu Delang, Global Marketing Director, explained, “Korea is a country that has recently exerted strong influence across the global cultural industry with its dynamism and trendiness. Additionally, based on tradition, it shows a strong status in creativity and innovation, making it a country that can well represent the harmony of tradition and modernity that Royal Salute embodies.”

However, the decisive reason for launching this new product first in the domestic market is the recent sharp growth trend in the Korean whiskey market. According to Pernod Ricard, last year the Korean prestige whiskey market (based on wholesaler shipments) grew by nearly 50%, with Royal Salute leading the market with growth close to 60%. Given the clear growth trend in the domestic premium whiskey market, the intention is to proactively introduce prestige products to strengthen market dominance.

Pernod Ricard 'Royal Salute 21 Year Richard Quinn Edition 2'

Director Delang said, “In Korea, there are many consumers who pursue new and trendy things beyond tradition. To meet their demand, we aimed to inject a dynamic aspect into the existing whiskey through new design, and this new product is the result of whiskey meeting fashion.” According to customs trade statistics, as of August this year, domestic whiskey imports reached 22,779 tons, a 40.0% increase compared to the same period last year. If this trend continues until the end of the year, the annual import volume is expected to surpass the record high of 27,379 tons set in 2002.

The Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Richard Quinn Edition 2 was created by Richard Quinn visiting the Scotland Strathisla distillery in person and carefully selecting and blending malt and grain spirits aged at least 21 years from Braeval, Strathisla, and Caperdonich distilleries together with Sandy Hislop, Royal Salute’s Master Blender. It is characterized by a rich fruit aroma of mango and banana, balanced with the sweetness of strawberry jam, pear, peach, and a spicy flavor.

Fashion designer Richard Quinn (center) is posing for a commemorative photo while presenting the 'Royal Salute 21 Year Richard Quinn Edition 2'.

On the day, Richard Quinn said, “It was a very interesting project for me, who draws inspiration and motivation from new stories, perspectives, and completely new things beyond existing boundaries. Especially, the moments spent with Sandy Hislop at the Strathisla distillery, striving to create a deep and artistic flavor spirit, were unforgettable experiences. I hope this second collection, born from such efforts, will bring fresh enjoyment to Korean consumers and meet the high expectations of whiskey enthusiasts.”

This product will be released in two versions. One is ‘Orange Rose,’ featuring Richard Quinn’s signature pattern of rose petals and white polka dots embroidered on a black bottle, and the other is ‘Daisy,’ with a beautifully colored daisy flower pattern on a deep green bottle. The Korean launch price is in the mid-300,000 KRW range and will be sold through prestige distribution channels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.