Maxxium has added two new styles to its Famous Grouse brand in an effort to attract consumers back to blended whisky. The company has borrowed techniques from its malt whisky business and introduced special wood finishes to the blend to create points of difference. It selected casks used to mature Islay malt whiskies and port and left the Famous Grouse blend to mature in them for up to three months. Senior marketing manager Chris Anderson said: "This is part of a commitment within the company to new product development. There is other work going on behind the scenes which could also be introduced. We are creating a range proposition for the consumer." The brand is the number two blend in the UK behind Bell's and is the market leader in Scotland. The sector is in long term decline, although this year volume sales are up 1.4%. Anderson said Famous Grouse sales were up 5.3%. He added that the initiative was designed to put life back into the sector. "We are trying to push the boundaries of blended Scotch and get consumers to reappraise it and to do this we needed to offer something a bit different," he said. "Consumers tend to be either malt or blended drinkers and there is a perceived complexity of whisky which makes people cautious of trading between categories. "The two new finishes will give us more presence in outlets and bring people into the category." The company has set aside 7,000 cases for the launch and laid down further stock to supply demand. Anderson said it intended to make the two styles available all year. The Islay Cask and Port Wood Finishes have been listed by Sainsbury, Safeway and Tesco and will retail at £15.99, which is a £3.30 price premium to the parent blend. {{DRINKS }}

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