Looking At Heaven Hill Brands. Salvador Blanco, Managing Director Global Travel Retail, Interviewed.
5 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
As Heaven Hill Brands builds a dedicated global travel retail structure for the first time in its history, the company finds itself entering the channel at a moment with both opportunities and challenges. Against a backdrop of shifting consumer behaviour, price pressure and intensifying competition in the American whiskey and Tequila categories, André de Almeida for TRunblocked spoke with Salvador Blanco, Managing Director GTR at Heaven Hill Brands. Salvador talks about how the family-owned group is approaching the channel, where it sees the strongest growth potential, and how the travel retail channel fits into its long-term international ambitions.
André de Almeida (ADA): Salvador, to begin with, can you briefly outline your background and how long you’ve been with Heaven Hill?
Salvador Blanco (SB): I’ve been with Heaven Hill for three years. Until January this year, I was International Sales Director for the Samson & Surrey portfolio. Since January 2025, I’ve taken over as Managing Director for the Global Travel Retail (GTR) channel.
ADA: Heaven Hill’s travel retail division is relatively new. How has the business performed over the past 12 months?
SB: The GTR channel is completely new for Heaven Hill as a dedicated function. The team was created in January 2025, and before that, duty free was managed by domestic regional directors. We’ve only been active for about nine months, but the focus has been on establishing a strategic presence and building partnerships. So far, the results have been positive and in line with our expectations for this early stage.
ADA: What distribution model are you using in travel retail?
SB: The intention is to work directly with retailers and own those direct relationships. Depending on the customer and location, we then decide together how to supply the goods. We have one person based in the US, I’m based in Europe, and we manage those relationships directly.
ADA: How has that direct approach been received by retailers?
SB: Overall, retailers were probably expecting it. Heaven Hill is the second-largest bourbon producer in the US and is present in more than 50 international markets. Many retailers felt it was a natural step for Heaven Hill to enter travel retail with a dedicated team rather than through third parties, as has been attempted in the past.
ADA: Why did it take until now for Heaven Hill to come into the GTR channel directly?
SB: Our entry into the GTR channel was a strategic decision tied to the timing of our broader global expansion plan. As our brands continued to grow outside the U.S., we saw the need to ensure that GTR would complement and amplify what we were already building in domestic international markets.
For us, GTR is not an isolated business unit – it’s a key part of the global ecosystem. We needed to be ready to support it with the right brands, formats, and commercial approach. Now that those foundations are in place, we’re able to enter the channel with confidence, consistency, and a long-term vision to build meaningful brand equity through GTR.
ADA: Domestically, Heaven Hill has been performing strongly. How does that context shape your travel retail strategy?
SB: Around 90% of Heaven Hill’s business still comes from the US, and performance there is very strong. Recent data shows Heaven Hill is now larger than Pernod Ricard in the US market. Whiskey is driving that growth, along with tequila, particularly Tequila Ocho and Lunazul. Travel retail is about building on that domestic strength rather than starting from zero.
ADA: Is travel retail primarily a brand-building channel for you, or a genuine commercial growth driver?
SB: It’s both. Only 4% percent of the premium US whiskey is sold in travel retail, and travel retail is the third-largest channel globally after the US and UK. That represents real volume potential. At the same time, travel retail helps build brand equity and supports our internationalisation strategy. We see it as borrowing customers from domestic markets while they are travelling.
ADA: Which brands are your immediate priorities in travel retail?
SB: We have a large portfolio with over 120 brands and will look for opportunities across the channel and within the regions. However, our focus is on Tequila Ocho, Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, in line with the corporate strategy. Elijah Craig is present in over 60 markets, Tequila Ocho in more than 40, so the brands already have a global footprint. The travel retail channel builds on that existing presence.
ADA: Competition in American whiskey is intense. How do you plan to accelerate growth?
SB: We believe that we are a credible alternative to the two biggest (American whiskey) players in this channel. We can support growth as Heaven Hill is already the second biggest stockholder in Kentucky with more than 2 million barrels and we have recently built Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in order to continue meeting that demand in future. In terms of our plans, Elijah Craig is already gaining traction in key airports. The American whiskey category has strong momentum, and the brand’s quality and reputation helps us in that respect. We’re also developing travel retail–specific portfolios and activations. For example, Elijah Craig is sponsoring the Ryder Cup, and we are activating the brand at JFK Terminal 7 around that event.
ADA: Have price pressures changed consumer behaviour in travel retail?
SB: I don’t see it purely as trading down. It’s about perceived value. Consumers want to feel they are getting the best quality and experience for the price they pay. That applies just as much at premium price points. Retailers and brands need to work together to justify the purchase through differentiation and experience.
TRunblocked: How do you see the traditional value pillar of travel retail today?
SB: Entry-level price points are becoming less relevant. Consumers can buy those products anywhere. More than 50% of travel retail purchases are now for personal consumption rather than gifting, so shoppers need a reason to buy in-store. Differentiated offerings at the right price point are becoming more important than simply being cheaper.
ADA: As a late entrant to the GTR channel, what are the challenges that Heaven Hill faces?
SB: As a late entrant one of the biggest challenges for Heaven Hill was to develop a proposition that would truly resonate with the GTR shopper and enhance the assortments curated by our retail partners. Rather than replicating what’s already widely available, our goal was to offer something differentiated—premium, relevant, and rooted in our strengths.
Our differentiated proposal includes offering age statement expressions in American Whiskey and single estate credentials in Tequila—both of which are pillars of transparency, craftsmanship, and quality. This gives us a unique positioning that adds tangible value to the channel and aligns with the expectations of discerning GTR shoppers.
ADA: What role does innovation play in your travel retail plans?
SB: Differentiation is key. We’re introducing one-litre formats as travel retail exclusives for Elijah Craig and Tequila Ocho. We’re also launching a global travel retail–exclusive Elijah Craig with an age statement – a 10 year old expression – which brings back an important part of the brand’s heritage.
ADA: And on the tequila side?
Salvador Blanco: With Tequila Ocho, the opportunity is in allocated products rather than exclusives. The travel retail tequila assortment is dominated by mass brands and celebrity tequilas. Ocho offers something different: additive-free, traditionally produced, artisanal tequila. That’s where we see the opportunity.
ADA: Finally, Salvador,which regions are most strategic for Heaven Hill in travel retail?
SB: Our focus is on the Americas while continuing to seed Europe and the Middle East. Key markets include the US, UK, Canada, Spain, Germany and selected Latin American hubs. Asia is in the plan, but expansion will move from West to East as resources allow.
