The background

To stand out on an increasingly busy whisky shelf, Chivas Regal launched its Rum Cask Finish expression into BWS stores across Australia last year.

The release introduced rum-cask finishing at a more accessible price point than single malt and positioned the whisky as a versatile option for mixing, offering a distinct tropical flavour direction within the Chivas range.

To support the launch at the point of purchase, Pernod Ricard Australia partnered with Small Batch Learning to activate product training across hundreds of BWS stores. The aim was to ensure retail teams had the knowledge and confidence to recommend the new expression in store.

Sales performance was analysed over a 13-week period using Quantium scan data, alongside training engagement data from the Small Batch Learning platform. Thousands of frontline BWS team members completed the micro-lesson, allowing sales performance to be assessed against learner completion at store level.

The challenge

Despite strong global brand equity, Chivas faced a common retail reality:

If the team member doesn’t understand a product, they won’t recommend it.

In a format like BWS – where whisky is held behind the counter and customers frequently ask for recommendations – new product launches rely heavily on staff confidence and familiarity.

While some team members had previously completed training on Chivas XV, communicating the specific flavour profile and selling points of the Rum Cask Finish NPD still required focused education. Without this, new releases risk blending into an already crowded category.

The solution

Working closely with the Chivas Regal brand team and Pernod Ricard’s Customer Marketing team, Small Batch Learning developed a short, sales-focused micro-lesson built around three core persuasion pillars:

• What makes Rum Cask Finish different
• Why those differences benefit the customer
• Common customer objections and how to address them

Designed to be completed in under five minutes, the lesson enabled BWS team members to become product-competent quickly, while real-time reporting allowed engagement to be tracked at store level via the brand dashboard.

More than 1,000 learners completed the lesson in the first month. In the most engaged stores, five or more team members completed the training – a notable outcome given the small team sizes typical of high-volume BWS stores.

The results

Sales performance increased as learner completions increased.

Using stores with no learners trained as the baseline, analysis showed a clear correlation between training uptake and unit sales:

• 0 team members trained: baseline sales
• 1-2 learners trained: 12% uplift in units sold per store
• 3-4 learners trained: 39% uplift
• 5+ learners trained: 105% uplift

Across the BWS network, stores with higher training completion consistently delivered stronger sales results. Where more than half of a store’s team completed the training, sales more than doubled.

Takeaway: The results reinforce the role of education in driving confident recommendations – particularly for new products in a retail environment – and recommendations increase sales.

“We saw the direct impact that education had on recommendation, and ultimately, on sales," said Kate Yates, Head of Customer Marketing at Pernod Ricard Australia. "It’s exciting to see our brands come to life in this way, and we’re looking forward to expanding the partnership with Small Batch Learning in FY27.”

What’s next?

Following the success of the Chivas Rum Cask campaign, Pernod Ricard and Small Batch Learning are planning to expand product training further on the platform into FY27.

“Pernod Ricard recognises the role frontline teams play in helping customers navigate hundreds of products in store," says Adam Leibrandt, Co-founder of Small Batch Learning. "This campaign shows how targeted training can support that moment of decision.”

With clear, repeatable results, frontline team training is now positioned as a core component of Chivas’s retail activation toolkit, and Pernod Ricard and Small Batch Learning have developed a playbook that can be applied across its wider brand portfolio.