International business strategy plan

Belfast Distillery Company (BDC) is a new alcoholic spirits business venture based in Northern Ireland. The company owns the rights to McConnell’s Irish Whisky, an iconic brand that dates to 1776. The brand disappeared during the 1930s amid Prohibition but has recently been revived and reintroduced to the market. BDC currently sources the whiskey for McConnell’s from an external supplier but is in the process of building a new distillery in Belfast to produce its own spirit. Once the distillery comes online, BDC will be able to satisfy its own needs and supply other brands that lack distilling capacity. Given the growing popularity of Irish whiskey, attractive opportunities for McConnell’s abound both at home and overseas. But should the company seek to penetrate established markets for Irish whiskey in North America, the UK, and Western Europe, or faster-growing emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe? Or perhaps BDC should focus on growing its Global Travel Retail business.

Answer this question: How should it go about building the McConnell’s brand in markets where it has little or no name recognition?