BEYOND TASTE
Experiential, Immersive, and Multisensory By Colleen Thompson
We are gaining insight into how drinking is a multisensory experience that goes far beyond sensations on the tongue. Sight, sound, touch, and smell are just as important to engage our emotions and influence our purchasing behavior. Enter the multisensory experience. The experience economy has been tipped to be the next trend in drinks marketing. With an almost endless stream of new products and brand information, it’s little wonder consumers are left feeling a bit overwhelmed. In an effort to break through the marketing clutter and connect with consumers in a meaningful way, the increasingly high-tech world of sensory marketing is becoming big business. From virtual reality goggles and interactive tours to aroma labs and gin suites, brands are creating entire immersive experiences designed to appeal to all the senses.
78
CHILLED MAGAZINE
Technology has kicked open the doors for brands to deliver previously impossible experiences to consumers. The Macallan Distillery, one of Scotland’s purveyors of fine whisky since 1824, has launched a reality experience at its state-of-the-art $186 million distillery. An interactive tour takes visitors through the six pillars of the whisky-making process, from field to bottle. Visitors enter a cube-like room containing a glass wall of 840 archived Macallan bottles from Victorian times to the present. Each bottle has its own digital file (accessible via a touchscreen) with 360-degree photos, in-depth specs, and video content. The experience includes cutting-edge wind and scent diffusion technology matched to the footage. There’s also a barrel room, where guests can whiff various cask types from American bourbon-seasoned to Spanish sherry, to understand the flavors each imparts. There’s also a taste component, where visitors get a quarter-
