LONDON — Independent global spirits company William Grant & Sons is reviewing its consumer PR agency support in the UK, PRovoke Media has learned.

The distillery, whose global brands include Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Grant's and Monkey Shoulder whiskies, Drambuie, Hendrick’s and – as of September this year – Silent Pool gin, is seeking to consolidate multiple PR agencies into one or two accounts across all its brands.

It is understood that the brief is PR-led, but will also include social media, experiential and influencer elements. Creativebrief is running the competitive pitch for the account, which is in its final stages, with a new agency or agencies likely to be selected later this month.

William Grant and its brands have recently worked with agencies including Splendid Communications – which won its global consumer PR brief in 2016 – Porter Novelli, Tin Man and Red Consultancy.

This week, William Grant announced the appointment of former Heineken Europe president Søren Hagh as its new CEO from 1 January 2024, taking over from Glenn Gordon. The company appointed Vincent Gillet as its global CMO last November; he previously led the marketing function at Hertz and Nissan, and replaced Philip Gladman.

William Grant & Sons recently reported full-year turnover for 2022 up 21.7% on the previous year, and profits after tax up 33.8% to £331.3 million, bringing profit levels back in line with 2019.