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Why the spirits category needs to rethink its future positioning - Comment 18 Sep 2018

Our spirits commentator, Neil Ridley, is all riled up. Again. This time, it's about the positioning at the higher end of the spirits category.

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Are spirits brand owners driving Global Travel Retail customers to distraction? - Comment 23 Aug 2018

With the Global Travel Retail channel becoming such an important testing ground for new innovative expressions, have brown spirits brand owners found the perfect launch pad for NPD, or are they slowly but surely confusing consumers with mixed messages? Neil Ridley checks in for a nose around.

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Who will buy Cutty Sark and Glenturret from Edrington? - Comment 17 Jul 2018

The opportunity to acquire an established, well-known Scotch whisky brand doesn't come along very often. So, you'll forgive our brown spirits commentator, Neil Ridley for being a bit excited right now.

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Why Irish whiskey must learn to manage its time - Comment 19 Jun 2018

Is the renaissance of Irish whiskey about to hit its first major bump along the emerald pathway? Neil Ridley looks at what can be learnt as the segment's popularity continues to rise.

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Why The Macallan 2.0 is the ultimate challenge to its Scotch whisky rivals - Comment 22 May 2018

The opening this week of The Macallan's newly-"reimagined" Scotch whisky distillery by Edrington is a defining moment in the category, believes Neil Ridley. So, what is the knock-on effect for the rest of the Scotch industry?

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How to avoid a legal row over your brand name - Comment 24 Apr 2018

What's in a brand name? A lot more than we would expect, according to spirits commentator Neil Ridley. And, he speaks from experience.

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What's the best way to market spirits brands to female consumers? - Comment 20 Mar 2018

Is gender becoming an all-consuming issue in whisky? just-drinks' brown spirits commentator, Neil Ridley, certainly hopes not.

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For which awards should you put your spirits brand forward? - Comment 22 Feb 2018

This month, spirits commentator Neil Ridley ponders whether there are too many spirits category awards these days, and what it actually means to win one.

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What's coming up in spirits in 2018? - Predictions for the Year Ahead - Comment 18 Jan 2018

This month, we've charged our category commentators with predicting the year ahead for their respective sectors. Here, Neil Ridley tells us how he sees 2018 panning out for the global brown spirits category.

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How Scotch whisky can flash its innovation credentials - Comment 29 Nov 2017

The Scotch whisky sector has long had an awkward relationship with the research & development department. Category commentator Neil Ridley, however, believes the two sides have plenty in common - and much more than we'd realise.

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Why the past isn't all it's cracked up to be, for younger consumers - Comment 31 Oct 2017

Nostalgia is a gloriously strange beast at the best of times. When it comes to marketing, however, brand owners would do well to consider the consumer's complicated relationship with the past. Spirits commentator Neil Ridley investigates.

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