Alcohol subscription services have experienced exceptional growth in Australia over the past 18 months, as whisky lovers adapt to ordering online and treat themselves to premium offerings. This changing consumer landscape has led Proximo to launch Bushmills’ new limited 2011 Banyuls Cask exclusively via The Whisky Club.

The Whisky Club is the world’s largest whisky subscription service, delivering exclusive whiskies to more than 28,000 Aussies monthly. According to Bertie and Emily Cason, co-CEOs at The Whisky Club, the business has doubled in size in six months.

“We were already experiencing rapid growth, but this was accelerated with everyone investing more in their whisky exploration from home when COVID hit,” the Casons said. “We’re just catching up now in order to further accelerate that growth with more whisky legends now on deck here at Club HQ.

“In recent years we’ve firmly established ourselves as a global leader in online whisky retail, and the world’s largest whisky subscription retailer, even though we’re only servicing Australia currently. Needless to say that growth will expand internationally soon as we enter new markets: exciting times ahead for a homegrown whisk(e)y success story!

“It’s so humbling to be part of such a passionate community of whisk(e)y lovers, and we cannot wait to soon also welcome other nations to join in the whisk(e)y fun.”

The Casons said the popularity of Irish whiskey is on the rise with their members.

“A single release with the Club represents the world’s biggest single ‘liquor on lips opportunity’, with tens of thousands of whiskey lovers sharing their love for the whiskey at the same time,” they explained. “So when it’s an exceptional Irish whiskey that completely knocks their socks off, as our last Bushmills did, a cult following is created and we get inundated with requests for more.

“The exciting part then comes for example with our recent announcement of the next world exclusive Bushmills in the series, where the anticipation from everyone that loved the last one builds to a frenzy on social media, and we see a surge of new member sign ups as current members share the whiskey word and sign up more of their friends and family.

“It is so awesome to see record levels of love for Irish whiskey streaming in right now as we prepare to deliver the biggest cask strength Irish single malt shipment to ever hit Australia’s shores.”

Bushmills sees significant growth in Australia

Hayley Dixon, Proximo AU Spirits Specialist, said the company decided to release Bushmills 2011 Banyuls Cask exclusively through The Whisky Club because subscription channels offer a unique opportunity to target knowledgeable consumers with a heightened interest in exceptional whiskies.

“With only a small amount of the Banyuls Cask available we wanted to ensure it made it into the hands of the people most excited by its release,” she said. “Last year we released the ‘2006 Marsala’ cask exclusively through The Whisky Club, and it was a resounding success. Australia’s most influential people in the world of whisk(e)y were able to secure a bottle for AUD$120 when it later sold in a secondary market for AU$2393.”

Bushmills has seen significant growth in volume and more so in value, which Dixon said is driven by it being produced by the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.

“It’s quality liquid that has been perfected over 400 years,” she said. “Bushmills is all about craftsmanship, heritage and passion that goes into producing the liquid and the brand taps into this through a variety of local craft makers and artists to help tell the Bushmills story. Bushmills high quality and interesting finishes is what sets us apart, as we continue to expand into the realm of innovation in the category and increasing our liquid credentials among consumers.

“As a lighter and smoother style whisk(e)y, the Irish whisk(e)y category as a whole is making some great progress also. This
style is really at the forefront of people’s minds at the moment, and with summer on its way, we are really excited to see the Bushmills brand continue to grow.”

The ground-breaking Causeway Collection is a selection of extremely rare and unique cask finished Irish single malt whiskeys from The Old Bushmills Distillery – the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.

This year’s collection features 12 new releases to be launched worldwide across eight markets, namely the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Nordics and the Global Travel Retail channel.

Dixon said Australia was selected as one of the limited markets for The Causeway Collection’s 2021 releases because of our “amazing whisk(e)y culture” that lends itself “very favorably to the more premium market”.

“Craft and authenticity here in Australia are such valuable assets to have in the world of spirits, and both Bushmills and the Causeway Collection do this exceptionally well,” Dixon said.

“The Scotch segment is dominated by single malt offerings, and we are beginning to see some great growth in our very own Australian single malt category, but when it comes to Irish the blends have the largest share of the market. There is a really great opportunity for Bushmills to capture this market, with one of the best Irish single malt portfolios available globally, so by showcasing the Causeway Collection here in Australia we are hoping to extend consumers excitement for Irish single malts.”