Morrison, a family Scotch whisky distiller and independent bottler based in Perthshire, had grown their portfolio of brands organically over several years. By 2024 they had Càrn Mòr, their home for limited-edition bottlings from fantastic distilleries; Mac-Talla, their ode to the smoky malts of Islay where the family has its whisky-making roots; Old Perth, their celebration of sherry-cask maturation; and Bruadar, their gently honeyed whisky liqueur.

They needed to work out how these different pieces fit together into one coherent portfolio strategy, and to lay the groundwork for the 2026 launch of what will become the jewel in their crown: their own distilled and matured single malt, Aberargie.

I worked with Morrison’s Finance and Managing Directors to develop an approach to portfolio strategy, something that the business hadn’t previously done.

The approach was both bottom-up and top-down.

We first worked through each brand in isolation, considering its own individual role and positioning in the category and what opportunities were open to it. We then identified targets

We then squared that against a holistic view of the portfolio as a whole and what the ambitions of the broader business were, and identified the gaps.

As a result we identified new market entry opportunities and opportunities for new brands which will be pursued in the coming years.

• A commercial plan for the coming year
• A brand-by-brand assessment of how the portfolio needed to work as a coherent whole