Our #StandFast campaign to support the on-trade

If you look at our Family crest, you’ll see the words “Stand Fast.” That’s exactly what we’re going to do, together as a business, a family, and an industry, as we work through this unprecedented time due to coronavirus.

To aid the industry, we have launched the Stand Fast Campaign (#StandFast), a multi-pronged relief effort to support the on-trade community in the immediate future and on an ongoing basis.

As part of the campaign, we have established the Stand Fast Fund through which all activities enacted to support the on-trade will be filtered. The fund will be deployed in several ways:

1. Via donations to industry-based charities
2. Initiatives to help get bartenders back to work. We will do this by tapping into bartenders and mixologists for various company projects such as recipe creation, brand consulting, and social media posts, and they in turn will be properly compensated for their time and talents.
3. Ambassador, on-premise, regional sales and marketing teams work with local organisations that can make grassroots impacts in their markets.

Launching the #StandFast Charity Auction in July 2020

In the UK this July, we are launching the #Standfast Charity Auction.

Assembled from the archives of Hendrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, Sailor Jerry, Tullamore D.E.W., Grant’s, Drambuie, Ailsa Bay and Reyka Vodka, our 300-item catalogue ranges from rare and aged liquids, and unforgettable virtual and in-person experiences, to bartending essentials every cocktail fan should have at home.

It is being hosted online by Whisky.Auction allowing everyone to experience the thrill of an auction from the comfort of their own homes, with all registration fees and proceeds donated to hospitality industry charities The Drinks Trust and The BEN Scotland.

The auction runs from 19–28 July 2020, online at Whisky. Auction and includes the following:

1. A hand-crafted Morgan vintage-style sports car from The Balvenie.
2. A rare opportunity for the curious to visit the Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Scotland and meet Master Distiller Leslie Gracie.
3. The chance to join the longest-serving Malt Master of any distillers in the industry, The Balvenie’s Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE, alongside his Apprentice, Kelsey McKechnie, behind the scenes in their Blending Lab.
4. A bottle of Glenfiddich Cask Collection Finest Solera, presented in a hand-blown Baccarat decanter.
5. A raffle prize of an at-home cocktail party with the impressive Monkey Shoulder mixer truck.

Registration to bid is £5 with all proceeds contributing to the auction donation total for The Drinks Trust and The BEN Scotland. This will give you a raffle entry to win an at-home cocktail party with the Monkey Shoulder mixer truck.

Visit whisky.auction to pre-register

Continuing to support the on-trade

But Stand Fast is supporting the on-trade with more than the fund. Our ambassador community will be checking in with their bartender contacts to actively listen to the community for what they believe is needed to move forward in the coming months.

The Stand Fast Campaign allows us to direct immediate efforts to those areas most in need, and then remain flexible with its approach as needs evolve.

To generate and sustain funds over what we believe will be a long-term need for the on-trade community, we plan to launch several fund-raising efforts in the coming months lead by various employee and brand driven initiatives.

By enacting an ongoing campaign that will continually benefit the industry both monetarily and through other direct support tactics, we hope to offer positive, pragmatic help as the industry rebuilds.