In a further commitment to its expanding world whisky portfolio, Mangrove Global has welcomed experienced spirits ambassador and long-time whisky lover Stefanie Holt to head up the category. Joining the team as Curator of Mangrove World Whisky, Stefanie brings a host of experience in brand advocacy to the team where she will drive the strategy for whisky brands across education, marketing, and sales to the on and off trade.
Mangrove’s world whisky portfolio features a range of international spirits, including Stauning from Denmark, Abasolo from Mexico, Uncle Nearest from the USA, and Yamazakura from Japan. And its popularity is thought to be a driver of the wider category’s strength as GTR whisky volumes are expected to grow by 16 per cent this year.
“My job is to take new and existing whisky drinkers on a journey through our extensive portfolio,” said Stephanie. “The audience for world whisky is so much more diverse than that of your standard scotch. They’re explorers. Younger, more open-minded, and there’s more women too!”
Touching upon the increased diversity of the world whisky audience, Stefanie has also, in recent years, acted as a mentor for the OurWhisky Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that encourages more women working in the spirits industry and supports their roles. The organisation provides valuable peer-to-peer support and mentorship to help women overcome the challenges they face in relation to gender.
“World whisky producers aren’t as hampered by tradition in the same way that scotch is. And so, there’s heaps of creativity being poured into these spirits. Whether it’s floor-malting rye, tropical aging, using heritage grains or being the first whisky distillery in a country/region – the variety of flavour profiles is extraordinary.
“That’s another great thing about world whisky – even if you’re not a fan of traditional scotch, you will likely find something in this category that you thoroughly enjoy.”
Stefanie’s appointment marks Mangrove’s significant commitment to developing the category into a curated selection of the world’s best whiskies, which are then brought to the lips of thirsty customers through the best of the on and off-trade.
Nick Gillett, Managing Director of Mangrove Global said: “When you are fortunate enough to have award winning whiskies such as Stauning, M&H and the English Whisky Distillery alongside pioneers such as Allan Katz from New York Distilling we need to support them with the resources befitting of the quality of their products.
“Stefanie’s appointment marks not only our continued investment into the category of world whisky but also our commitment to adding the best talent to the company. I have no doubt she will have an instant impact and raise the bar yet further.”
