Miles has worked as a whisky specialist for EBS, formerly known as Maxxium, for nearly six years influencing the on-trade activations of Edrington’s whisky portfolio in the UK.
“We work with experienced bartenders to develop seasonal and signature serves because they have to align with current trends and bartenders are often the first to know what these trends are,” said Miles.
Edrington Beam Suntory UK's core whisky range includes brands such as The Macallan, Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam and Miles has been behind the nation-wide push of Jim Beam Highballs and similar serves.
“For our core brands like Maker’s, Jim Beam and The Macallan we’re always pushing them in new serves regardless of their current sales trends because we know they all have a significant role to play in the on-trade.”
Miles and his team, known as The Whisky Specialists, have already planned the signature serves for Christmas and throughout the winter.
“It’s important to match a product with the time of year,” he added.
“Laphroaig for example is more suited to colder climates and therefore works well in Christmas cocktails whereas a Jim Beam Highball is more refreshing and probably suits a summer’s day.
“Big pub groups, certainly throughout the UK, aren’t looking for complex cocktails so we help them by providing simple serves suitable for high volume service.
“Also the bartenders aren’t generally as creative in these big pub chains either and the bars aren’t set up to make complex drinks so that’s another reason why we target these venues with our simple serves.”
