Drambuie backs extreme sports event to target young

Drambuie, the whisky liqueur brand, is sponsoring a new extreme sports event in an attempt to reinvigorate its image and target younger consumers.

The move will be seen as yet another attempt to alter perceptions that the liqueur is drunk only by men aged over 50.

Earlier this year it tried to reposition itself as a “long drink”, to be mixed with soda and lime, to target the 20-something market.

The race, called Drambuie Pursuit and created by sponsorship agency Generate, is a multi-discipline contest aimed at 25- to 35-year-old men. It will take place in the Scottish Highlands this April. The competition, involving ten teams of four contestants, takes in a route from the Isle of Skye to Inverness and involves sports such as white water rafting, abseiling and kayaking.

The inspiration for the race was the route Bonnie Prince Charlie took when he passed on the recipe for Drambuie to his loyal clansmen in 1746.

Drambuie chief executive Phil Parnell says the sponsorship is a departure from the values the brand is traditionally associated with, and has been designed to attract a younger market, while building on the brand’s heritage.

A press campaign created by Nitro is due to break next month, and a new bottle design is being introduced, with fresh packaging by Design Bridge.