双语：限量版威士忌成为吸引中国消费者的杀手锏

　　China"s recent government crackdown on gift-giving by officials may have crimped spending on premium spirits, but that hasn't stopped distilleries from releasing pricey limited-edition bottles for Asian drinkers to splurge on.

　　中国政府最近整顿官员送礼之风可能抑制了优质烈酒的消费，但这并未阻止酒商推出价格不菲的限量版产品供亚洲消费者挥霍。

　　The Macallan has been making single-malt whisky in Speyside, Scotland, since the early 19th century, but on Thursday it released a new product in Hong Kong. Called M and available in just 1,750 bottles, the line is made of whisky selected from aged casks and bottled in 1.5-liter Lalique crystal decanters. Each is priced at $4,500.

　　麦卡伦(Macallan)从19世纪初以来就一直在苏格兰的斯佩赛德(Speyside)生产单一麦芽威士忌，但它5月30日发布一款新品却是在香港。这款新品名为“M”，只卖1,750瓶，由精选自陈年木桶的威士忌制成，装在1.5升的莱丽(Lalique)水晶瓶里，每瓶定价4,500美元。

　　'It's the first time we're launching a product in Asia,' Ken Grier, director of Malts at the Macallan, told the Journal. 'Asia is our top-selling region and Hong Kong is a window to the luxury world.'

　　麦卡伦麦芽酒产品负责人肯·格里尔(Ken Grier)说：“这是我们第一次在亚洲发布产品。亚洲是我们产品最畅销的地区，香港是通往奢侈品世界的一扇窗户。”

　　Though toasts in China are traditionally made with the heady clear-colored liquor baijiu, more people are turning to single-malt Scotch whisky as the tipple of choice at drinking sessions and for gifts between rich businessmen.

　　虽然中国人在干杯的时候一般都是喝易醉的白酒，但在饮酒场合或是在富商赠送礼物时，也有越来越多的人在选烈酒时选择了单一麦芽威士忌。

　　The Macallan isn't alone among Scotch distillers in promoting its products with expensive limited editions. Executives at French drinks giant Pernod Ricard RI.FR 0.00% told the Journal this week they are targeting affluent Asian buyers, whether at bars and clubs or at airport duty-free counters, with products like the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute, which retails at $2,000 a bottle. Meanwhile, earlier this year Diageo DGE.LN -0.28%-owned Johnnie Walker unveiled a Lunar New Year collection of 12 bottles specifically for the Chinese market, priced at $4,800 per set.

　　不止麦卡伦一家威士忌厂商在推销价格昂贵的限量版产品。法国酿酒巨头保乐力加(Pernod Ricard)的管理层上周向《华尔街日报》表示，他们面向亚洲富裕消费者推出了零售价2,000美元一瓶的Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute等产品，销售地点有酒吧、会所，也有机场免税店。今年早些时候，帝亚吉欧(Diageo)旗下的尊尼获加(Johnnie Walker)专门面向华人市场推出了12瓶装的农历新年版，每套定价4,800美元。

　　The Macallan and Lalique have teamed up in the past. For instance, they collaborated on a single decanter of 64-year-old whisky that fetched $460,000 at an auction in New York in 2010. The pair have also created a series of four decanters for whiskies, ranging from 50 to 60 years old, and with price tags of up to $20,000.

　　麦卡伦和莱丽在过去也有过合作。比如它们曾联合推出过一件单瓶装的64年威士忌，这瓶威士忌在2010年纽约的一场拍卖会上卖到了46万美元。除此以外，两家公司还曾联手推出一系列50年到60年的四瓶装威士忌，定价高的达到了两万美元。

　　Unlike those examples, which were one-off collaborations featuring a rare, old whisky, the new M will the first of a new annual ritual, Mr. Grier said.

　　不过以上这些都是双方在稀有陈年威士忌上的一次性合作。据格里尔说，今后双方将展开一年一度的合作，新品“M”便是打响的第一炮。

　　Asia now consumes half of the Macallan's production, with Taiwan being the largest market, according to Mr. Grier. But China is growing fast and has huge potential: Sales of all single-malt whisky almost doubled in the country between 2007 and 2012, according to market-research firm Euromonitor.

　　据格里尔说，现在麦卡伦产出的一半威士忌都是卖往亚洲，台湾是其中最大的市场。但中国大陆增长速度最快，并有着巨大的潜力：据市场研究机构欧睿信息咨询(Euromonitor)数据，从2007年到2012年，各类单一麦芽威士忌在中国市场的销量接近翻了一倍。

　　But even with strong growth, single-malt whisky as a category lags far behind baijiu, cognac and blended whiskies such as Johnnie Walker.

　　然而，尽管增长迅猛，单一麦芽威士忌作为一个门类还是远远落后于白酒、干邑和尊尼获加之类的混合型威士忌。

　　'It's a different drinking culture in China,' Mr. Grier said, noting that Chinese tend to 'share a bottle between friends, or at a business dinner.' By contrast, 'in the U.S., it's more drinking at bars or individually.'

　　格里尔说：“中国的饮酒文化不一样。”他提到，中国人往往是在朋友之间或商务宴请上共享美酒，而在美国，更多时候是在酒吧喝酒或一个人独自享用。

　　The Macallan said its sales have been unaffected by China's anti-corruption and gift-giving measures, maintaining that growth in the country remains in the 'double digits.'

　　麦卡伦表示其销量未受中国反腐败和整顿送礼之风行动的影响，其在中国的增长速度仍然是“双位数”。

　　Mr. Grier attributed the Macallan's continued growth to its measured approach to expansion. The brand's emphasis, he said, is on top private clubs, bars and wine boutiques in the largest cities, with limit the quantities sold.

　　格里尔将麦卡伦的持续增长归功于该公司有节制的扩张方针。他说，这个品牌的重心是大城市的高档私人会所、酒吧和葡萄酒专卖店，并且是限量销售。

　　Edrington Group, which owns Macallan, currently holds second place in China for single-malt whiskies with a 24% share, behind the 34% share held by William Grant &Sons, which owns the whisky label Grant's, according to Euromonitor.

　　据欧睿数据，麦卡伦母公司爱丁顿集团(Edrington Group)目前以24%的份额占中国单一麦芽威士忌市场的第二位。持有威士忌品牌Grant’s的格兰父子公司(William Grant &Sons)则以34%的市占率位居第一。

　　'We could easily sell another 25% of our current volume in China, but we want to control and preserve its cachet,' said Mr. Grier.

　　格里尔说：“我们可以在当前中国市场销量的基础上轻松提高25%的销量，但我们想控制并保留它的品位。”