Lively V&A
debate is prompted by new 'Great Things
Take Time' global education campaign by
leading luxury Scotch whisky producer
Chivas Brothers
 Quick fix culture is losing its
lustre and even fast turnaround
commodities can depend on time and
experience to succeed. This was the
conclusion reached at a prestigious 'The
Age Matters Debate', led by award
winning historian Bettany Hughes and
cultural commentator Peter Aspden, at
London's Victoria and Albert Museum and
hosted by custodians of the largest
inventory of aged, luxury Scotch whisky
Chivas Brothers.
In a lively debate, Hughes
shared that luxury alcohol was intrinsic
to prestigious gatherings in classical
civilization and that 'Symposium'
translated means 'drinking together'.
Sumptuous drinking and fine dining
accompanied the intellectual gatherings
hosted by Socrates and Plato, a fact
only now coming to light as experts
examine ancient bowls in minutiae.
Peter Aspden challenged Hughes that the
highest quality arts and crafts are not
conducive to commerce but she countered
that our obsession with buying the very
best was intrinsic to the upper classes
of the great civilisations of Classical
Greece and Venice. Market-places for
international luxury goods at these
times also provided a hub for the
exchanging of ideas that shaped
civilisation such as democracy and
freedom of speech .
"'Made in Egypt' was a recognised mark
of quality in the Bronze Age and we were
making desirable objects as long ago as
500 000 BC - humans are at their
happiest and most productive when using
their hands to create something
beautiful - and then trade these with
other human beings," explained Hughes.
Aspden and Hughes also explored the
roles of time and craftsmanship in
realising things of great note. Hughes
noted that the Egyptian civilisation
took around 2,000 years in establishing
themselves as world-beater in creating
icons such as the Great Pyramid of Giza
- which took 18 years to be completed.
Aspden referred to Malcolm Gladwell's
seminal Outliers book, which states that
to become successful at something, at
least 10,000 hours need to be applied.
Aspden also explained that a complex
journey often results in greater value -
for example, Edvard Munch's The Scream.
'The Age Matters Debate' took place to
coincide with the unveiling of a new
global education campaign from Chivas
Brothers, aimed at informing consumers
about the true value of high aged Scotch
whiskies.
Chivas Brothers has found 90% of whisky
drinkers don't understand what the age
statement on a bottle of whisky means.
By law a Scotch whisky must be at least
three years old but when a number such
as 12 [year old], for example, appears
on the label, this refers to the
youngest whisky contained in the bottle.
Many of the whiskies in a blend may be
much, much older.
Chivas Brothers aims to bridge this
knowledge gap in a campaign entitled
‘Great Things Take Time’ to help us
understand the value of what we're
buying.
"We know whisky drinkers care about the
age of the whisky, yet most don't know
exactly what the age means. In a world
which demands transparency, it’s never
been more important for consumers to be
able to navigate and recognise value in
simple terms," explains Christian Porta,
Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers
Limited.
The Chivas Brothers 'Great Things Take
Time' education campaign will have been
rolled out in nine markets including
Australia, Middle East & North Africa,
global travel retail and the UK by the
end of 2012, including a dedicated website: www.guaranteedwhisky.com. The campaign
creative features historic icons such as
the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat and the
Chinese Terracotta Army to draw
attention to the fact that these
historic icons took the same amount of
time to be realised as Chivas Brothers’
Scotch whisky products.
The 'The Age Matters Debate' with Peter
Aspden and Bettany Hughes will also be
available to view at
www.guaranteedagedwhisky.com in the
future.
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