Pernod Ricard: Responsible Hosting

Pernod Ricard has set an ambitious goal of raising the awareness on responsible drinking practices of 10 million visitors across its ’s 30+ brand homes by 2030. 

These brand homes are part of the Group’s legacy and are the perfect way to discover the comprehensive portfolio of brands in a safe and convivial environment. With Brand Homes across the world, from Jameson Distillery Bow St. in Ireland and Maison Martell in France to Rabbit Hole Distillery in the USA and The Chuan Malt Distillery in China, Pernod Ricard had the challenge of establishing what it means to ‘host responsibly’, both conceptually and in practice.  

What does ‘Responsible Host’ mean to Pernod Ricard? 

The result was a set of 18 ‘criteria’, which all Brand Homes in scope are now required to adopt and integrate into their visitor itineraries, enabling guests to make informed choices about drinking while training them to master the art of tasting.

These criteria cover a range of best practices, including:

• offering free water and snacks to visitors;
• always using measuring tools when serving alcohol;
• distributing scratch cards for guests to track how much alcohol they have consumed;
• distributing spittoons and emphasising the educational component of the tasting;
• helping visitors avoid drink-driving after their visit, and other. 

Having developed the criteria for what being a responsible host entails, Pernod Ricard required independent validation of the criteria and a process for ensuring Brand Homes were meeting it. That’s where we stepped in to help!

Evidence-based verification process 

The SRA developed a two-phase, evidence-based, verification process to ensure that responsible hosting measures were in place. This entailed an initial online self-assessment, completed by the Brand Homes, followed by an in-person, unannounced ‘mystery shopper’-style visit.

This process enabled both The SRA and Pernod Ricard to be confident that the 18 responsible hosting criteria were firmly embedded in the operations and culture of Brand Homes.

The process allows each property to adopt the responsible hosting practices in a manner and style that fits with their brand, ensuring that responsible hosting is ingrained in each Brand Home experience. 

Pioneering responsible drinking

As Créateurs de convivialité, Pernod Ricard cares for every visitor and wants them to discover the brands responsibly.

Pernod Ricard is the first company in the spirits industry to put in place a “Responsible Host” accreditation scheme to ensure best in class responsible drinking practices in all its brand homes.

Following, the Group’s Drink More Water campaign and the global roll-out of its digital labelling, this initiative strengthens the company’s commitment to responsible consumption.