Hunter’s too, a cider brand, has been voted a favourite, coming in at number one in the same survey which involved over 15 000 adults. These achievements come at a time when other of its leading brands in the company's portfolio are earning international recognition.
For J.C. Le Roux this is the second consecutive year that this popular
brand has been honoured this way. The brand has also featured as a category
winner for five years in a row.
Conducted by Ask Afrika in partnership with two national newspapers, City
Press and Rapport, the survey describes icon brands as those
"that define a common experience, often on a daily basis, to which South
Africans are committed - they put their money where their mouths are. South
Africans will even seek these brands out in countries outside South
Africa".
Commenting on the results of the 2015/2016 survey announced earlier
today, Distell South Africa's marketing director Caroline Snyman said: "We
are immensely proud to have two of our leading brands honoured in this South
African survey. It's very affirming to know that despite an increasingly
competitive market and even with the advent of new offerings, J.C. Le Roux and
Hunter's are still compelling and relevant. For J.C. Le Roux
specifically, to be accorded iconic status is hugely motivating to the team behind
the brand."
The survey researchers apply the globally used Target Group Index to
derive at their results.
Snyman added that Distell has also recently received various
international awards, with the highlight being the IWSC trophy for best worldwide
whisky accorded to Three Ships 10 Year Old single malt. The company had
walked away from this event with a total of 16 gold outstanding or gold medals,
involving brands such as Amarula, Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky, Klipdrift,
Mainstay, Richelieu, Oude Meester and Van Ryn's. "It is critical that we
continually benchmark our brands against international examples as a mark of
assurance for our domestic as much as our international consumers."
In London, Nederburg, South Africa's most widely awarded wine brand,
recently earned an International Wine Challenge trophy for its 2012
Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest. In Italy, Fleur du Cap received
a Concours Mondial gold medal for its 2012 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon, she
confirmed.