Not too long ago, I wrote about the power of marketing and advertising in the world of whisky production, and looked at some of the most outrageous marketing campaigns in the history of the industry. As outrageous as they were, they clearly worked. 

Today, I’m going to stick with a similar theme, with more of a breakfast twist to it. Intrigued? You should be, because today, it isn’t just whisky I want to talk to you about, it’s marmalade as well. Not just any marmalade. Oh no. A marmalade produced by arguably the most prestigious whisky brand in the industry today, The Macallan. 

While it’s not uncommon for whisky to be used as a culinary ingredient in luxury products today, these days, you’re lucky if you get more than a hint of whisky flavour. The marmalade I’ll be covering in today’s blog, not only contains a healthy serving of premium Macallan whisky, but it also likely helped make The Macallan one of the most luxurious whisky brands on the planet.

So, what’s the story? Well, pour yourself a dram, get your feet up, and all will soon become clear. 

Macallan Breakfast Orange Marmalade

On those rare Sunday afternoons where I’m not working, or constructing my latest Lego masterpiece, Kirsty and myself like nothing more than indulging in the ultimate British Sunday pastime, and browsing a garden centre, finishing off with a look at the local produce in a farm shop. 

I could spend hours browsing the products in there, (if Kirsty would let me) as well as a small fortune. One thing you do tend to notice is that a lot of the breakfast spreads, jams, preserves, and marmalades are infused with booze. There’s flavours like champagne and strawberry jam, prosecco and marmalade, and gin and blackberry preserve. Alcohol and fruit flavours nearly always work well together. It’s rare however, to find whisky-infused produce these days, which I think is a crying shame. 

Marmalade is not just a favourite of Paddington Bear, it’s also a British classic, and has been for many decades now. During either the 1970s or early 80s, The Macallan released an orange marmalade spread containing genuine 10-year-old Highland single malt whisky. While browsing the web recently, I came across a few pieces looking at this very product, and after doing a little more digging, I thought I’d chime in with my thoughts. 

While I’ve not been lucky enough to lay my hands on a jar, or have a taste, I can certainly understand why they added malt whisky to the marmalade. After all, orange, citrus zest, sugar, orange peel, and Seville marmalade are all tasting notes commonly found in Highland malt whisky, particularly from The Macallan, so you can see why the two went together so well. A slice of toast, a good spread of salted butter, and a nice dollop of that marmalade to start your day and you’d be well away. 

But why marmalade of all things? Well, it all came down to branding and marketing…

Whisky Marketing at its Finest

One of the main reasons why The Macallan has been able to solidify itself as one of the world’s premier whisky brands, is due to its marketing and reputation. Of course, the whisky is truly exceptional, but honestly, there are heaps of drams out there equally as nice, available for a fraction of the price. Never discount the power of reputation, especially in this biz.

Many of the world’s most expensive drams have been from The Macallan. So, why is it that a brand is able to sell a bottle of whisky for upwards of £80K, with secondary market bottles fetching literally millions at auction? Well, reputation plays an enormous role, which is where marketing proves so useful. 

You see, in order to get ahead in this industry, you need to innovate, but at the same time, remain true to your roots. When this jar of marmalade was released in the 70s/80s, most distilleries were quite happy to distil their whisky, age it, bottle it, and sell it. The Macallan however, wanted more. They wanted to set their drams apart from the competition, appeal to a wider audience, and get their brand out there. Remember, back then, there was no social media or internet. Marketing options were limited, and costly. The Macallan, though, were not afraid to be bold. 

In order to help introduce the world to The Macallan brand, they were collaborating with other brands, taking out eye-catching ads in papers and magazines, and releasing other forms of merch. One of which was what is said to be a delicious orange marmalade containing more than a wee snifter of their very own 10 year old single malt whisky. 

Working in collaboration with the National Trust, The Macallan were placing their merch in National Trust properties all over Scotland. Their goal was brand awareness, and they most certainly achieved that. Not only did the marmalade feature The Macallan brand name, the label was also virtually identical to that found on their whisky. If you saw it elsewhere, there would be no mistaking it for another brand. That kind of brand awareness is still the goal today, and The Macallan nailed it decades prior. 

This kind of brand awareness, coupled with exceptional, premium quality whisky has helped to solidify The Macallan as arguably the world’s most luxurious premium whisky brand. Who knows, maybe we’ll bring out our own GreatDrams breakfast spreads in the near future? Just let us know if you fancy that, and we’ll see what we can do. 

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.