Small whisky brand trumps rivals with methane story

If a client phoned up and said – “we’re buying two new anaerobic digesters, can you get us some coverage – The Sunday Times maybe?” you could be forgiven for guffawing silently before moving into serious expectation management mode.

But there it was, half a page in The Sunday Times business section, a story about two anaerobic digesters. Few of their 1.1 million circulation can even have heard of these methane producing machines, I certainly hadn’t.

Signs that Bruichladdich, the 1881 whisky distillery buying them, is a talented, entrepreneurial business were much in evidence when I toured it back in May. From the slick packaging and innovative products, to the stealthy looking black helicopter parked on the lawn, Bruichladdich smacks of a star brand in the making.

The anearobic digesters are going to save them £50K a year in transport and energy costs, paying for themselves in 3-5 years, making Bruichladdich the greenist Islay malt of all in an industry with one of the highest carbon footprints of all food and drink producers. It’s just a great PR angle.

As one of only two independent distillers on Islay, competing with monster brands like Bowmore and Laphroaig, it’s a reminder of how PR can help small companies steal a march on their bigger budgeted rivals.