Diageo targets new Scotch fans with voice-activated tech

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 18 December, 2018

The traditional world of Scotch whisky and Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa system are due to collide this Christmas.

Diageo, the parent company of Scotch brand Talisker, is leaning on the growing use voice-activated technology among consumers for its latest initiative, dubbed the Talisker Tasting Experience.

The guided tasting will prompt users to name the whisky they would like to explore: Talisker Skye, Talisker Storm or Talisker 10-year-old Single Malt.

Users will then be taken on an audio journey that will educate them on how to taste Scotch explore the flavours in the Talisker range.

By 2020 it is predicted that 50% of online searches will be made using voice.

“Voice is the perfect technology to…provide an enhanced brand experience by putting the consumer, product and brand at the centre of a tasting, in a completely seamless and non-intrusive way,” Benjamin Lickfett, head of technology and innovation at Diageo said.

“Scotch is at the heart of our business and a product we are passionate about, but we realise that whisky can often be perceived as a complex category to access. Through the Talisker Tasting Experience Skill we’re able to bring the history and traditions associated with Scotch to a new generation of drinkers.”

Voice is an area in which Diageo continues to experiment.

The UK-based drinks giant reports that in September, the Baileys Almande voice activated ‘send me a sample campaign’ generated more than 6,000 sample requests in its first week of the campaign.

More than two thirds (75%) of the available samples were requested in the first 48 hours.

The Talisker Tasting Experience Skill is currently being piloted in the Amazon UK Alexa Skills store and is age-restricted.

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