Get to know Ken Grier — SME of Arthouse Spirits DAO

Ken Grier is a well-known name in the whisky industry, having spent 20 years as the Creative Director for The Macallan and looking after global whisky brands at the Edrington Group for a total of 14 years. Grier successfully repositioned The Macallan as the ultimate luxury brand in the spirits industry, which helped increase the value of the brand up to £3bn. He recently stepped down from his role and is now pursuing his own consultancy business.

Grier began his career as a marketing director at LEGO before entering the spirits business. He saw a job ad for The Famous Grouse and was interested in the spirits industry, so he drove up to interview for the position of global controller for Famous Grouse. Despite being told he was mad, Grier got the job and discovered that he enjoyed working in the industry. He later became Director of Malts for Macallan and Highland Park for 11 years, and then Brand Director for Macallan before becoming Creative Director.

During his time at Macallan, Grier played a pivotal role in increasing the brand’s volume by six times and the value by tenfold. He helped position Macallan as a luxury brand, which required a different approach to marketing and branding. He also spearheaded the creation of Macallan’s new distillery in Speyside, Scotland, which is the first architect-designed liquor distillery in the world. Grier wanted to create a strong behavioral statement and position the brand as the ultimate luxury spirit with a home that reflected a luxury connection to the brand. Visitors to the distillery can expect to see something man-made that is aesthetically beautiful, perfectly crafted, and engineered.

What’s more, Ken will be the subject matter expert (SME) of Arthouse Spirits DAO. This means that every month, he will be responding to questions from DAO members, describing the trends in the world of rare alcohol, and suggesting the next moves for the Treasury.