Whyte & Mackay smooth things over with the British & Irish Lions stars

Whyte & Mackay’s partnership with The British & Irish Lions roars into life today as they announce Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Conor Murray (Ireland) and Elliot Daly (England) have signed up as ambassadors alongside former Lions star Adam Jones (Wales) for The Lions Tour in New Zealand from 3 June – 8 July.

In a hilarious short film released by the award-winning blended whisky today, the normally rival players try to smooth things over and find common ground in time for the coming together of the UK’s four nations - Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.

Post-training in the rugby locker rooms, they wryly deal with some difficult, long-overdue questioning on behalf of their respected nations:

• Does Ireland feel bad about denying England the Grand Slam?
• Who is the hardest tackler of all nations?
• Who should have been named the best player for the Championship?
• Who has the best national anthem
• Who looks best in a kilt?

Ruairi Perry, Head of Blended Whisky Brands shared: “These players are normally knocking lumps out of each other and their fans are usually on opposite sides. Whyte & Mackay have been on a fun mission to help smooth things over and celebrate each other’s heritage – well at least for the duration of the Lion’s Tour.”

“It’s fair to say that we’re pretty good at blending and we’ve not let ourselves down this time either. All for one – at least for now!”

Welshman Adam Jones, former British & Irish Lions player, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Lion – it’s an honour to represent the Lions but it’s also a great laugh. When you have a mix of players from all nations, there’s always going to be a bit of banter and gentle ribbing, but the second we step on that pitch as a Lion, we’re united.”

“It’s fantastic to see how fans from across the country unite to get behind the team, which doesn’t often happen in sport, and once every four years in our case. We need to make the most of this camaraderie while we can, so it’s been great fun working with Whyte & Mackay to smooth over any differences between nations.”

Englishman Elliot Daly, current British & Irish Lions player, said: “Playing as a Lion is honestly a dream come true. The relationships we forge as teammates and friends over great plays, chats, and drams, are those that last a lifetime.”

Known for its surprisingly smooth taste, Whyte & Mackay is now turning its attention to the fans, asking them to take its online ‘Lion Detector’ to prove that they can also be smooth enough to cast rivalries aside. A Facebook Bot using voice-activated technology will ask fans to repeat a series of statements about the other nations and will judge how genuine they are from their delivery.

Throughout the Lion’s Tour, Whyte & Mackay will release additional films, offer exclusive prizes and they will be announcing some select dates around the UK to help even more Lions fans #STAYSMOOTH.