Yes, it’s that time of the year when John McDonnell, Managing Director International, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and I chew over the brand’s success and cover key category and industry issues. And, as always, you won’t be disappointed – the interview is as direct and spiky as you might expect with very clear messaging. A one product company, Tito’s has enjoyed a unique dynamic in travel retail. We talk about the key drivers for growth, the scope for further expansion, the brand’s demographics, how the brand has successfully flipped from travel retail first then into domestic distribution in key markets and the benefits of moving to in-house distribution. We also discuss how retailers now appear to have ‘gin fatigue’ and are allocating more space to vodka. We chat about the need to declutter the spirits space, too.
There’s also passing reference to Kevin Costner and Yellowstone and Tito’s (unpaid) regular appearances – a function of this iconic brand’s standing in US culture.
And then – yes, you’ve guessed it, there is our shared hobbyhorse – the festering sore of the costs of Singapore and the need for TFWA management to seriously entertain a move away and undertake research into other potential candidate countries for this key annual event. There’s plenty of time to look into this before re-signing with Singapore post 2026.
As you can imagine, it’s a fast-paced,10 minute interview with a lot of ground covered and it’s thoroughly engaging and entertaining. A must-watch!
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