Following hot on the heels of the launch of South Africa’s first single-cask PX Finish, the Three Ships team is presenting a live, online shopping experience for South Africans.
On 27 October, consumers will be able to purchase the first of 800 limited edition Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt Single Cask PX Finish whiskies in realtime – a first in South Africa.
Using live streaming and innovative technology to augment the online shopping experience, the live store will enable consumers to interact in real time as they select the hand-numbered bottle of their choice. Consumers will see their selected bottle being collected off the shelf and watch as master distiller Andy Watts signs their name on a certificate and prepares it for delivery.
Three Ships marketing manager Liezl Dippenaar says this way of making the whisky available to consumers fits well with the limited edition nature of the product.
“To create excitement and awareness we needed a platform that’s unique in the world of online shopping to mirror the pioneering spirit of the Three Ships brand which has created many firsts for the South African whisky industry.
“The process emulates the Old World appeal of walking into a cellar, hand-picking a numbered bottle and meeting the crafter of the product as he signs and wraps your purchase. In our fast-paced life consumers seek authentic, unique experiences, meaningful engagement with the crafter and the opportunity to own a limited edition.”
Three Ships has partnered with SnapScan for payment. Consumers will be able to purchase only one bottle at a time to ensure that as many whisky-lovers as possible can add this long-awaited whisky to their collection.
The process works as follows: The shop will be open for business from 12h00 to 22h00 on 27 October, when users can select the number of the bottle you would like to buy. They will be prompted to insert delivery details and then a unique QR code will be revealed, which should be scanned with the SnapScan app. Once payment has been verified the buyer will see their bottle being removed from the shelf and handed to Andy Watts, all in realtime. On the site they can also view footage and interviews with Andy on the story behind the creation of this limited-edition whisky.
The cost is R850 per bottle with an automatic R100 courier charge to anywhere in South Africa added to the final amount. An e-mail will confirm purchase and delivery is expected to take up to two weeks.
The Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt Single Cask PX Finish whisky was distilled in 2005 and initially matured for eight years and 10 months in American oak whereafter a small quantity was aged for a further 14 months in a cask in which Pedro Ximènez (PX) sherry had previously been matured in.
The whisky forms part of the Master’s Collection which, over the next few years, will see a limited edition being launched each year under the Three Ships brand.
