Features

Will Payne – William Grant & Sons Inc.

That’s the spirit!

Well-versed in the liquor laws of his native Scotland and the Old World in general, Will Payne had some fast learning to do when his employer, the venerable Scottish distillers William Grant & Sons, deployed him to New York City in 2016 to be interim general counsel of their American operations.

“The United States is so much more complex when it comes to alcohol laws,” says Payne, the interim part of his title having given way to permanent. “Europe has principle-based regulations but here, the rules on the distribution, advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages are more prescriptive.”

Will Payne - William Grant & Sons, Inc. Vanguard Law Magazine

That stems from the 21st Amendment that brought an end to Prohibition and the temperance movements, leaving it to individual states to regulate alcohol.

“So now, I’ve got 50 different sets of regulations to follow,” says Payne, quickly correcting himself to increase that number to 52, to include the  nation’s capital and Puerto Rico.

There are a few common denominators. The drinking age is 21 everywhere and, leaving aside some limited exceptions in the craft beverage world, brewers, distillers and vinters must sell only to authorized distributors, rather than retailers, adhering to a strict three-tier distribution system. But after that, there can be a mishmash of rules and regulations to which Payne, ably assisted by his senior trade practice compliance manager, Sheryl Greene, is entrusted with complying.

But, as the ever congenial Payne reminds, basic compliance isn’t enough for the family-owned distillery that takes its social responsibility—and its family values—very seriously.

No DISCUS duck

Its central headquarters being near Glasgow, and its global marketing teams operating out of London and Dublin, William Grant & Sons is not a member of the American trade association, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), but voluntarily adheres to its general rules promoting responsible alcohol practices and then some. The same goes for Grant’s compliance with the goals set down by the trade associations in the other countries where it operates.

“My take is the spirits industry can help prevent government from imposing more stringent regulations by cooperating with and adopting industrywide standards,” says Payne. “Not only will we not breach the DISCUS code, we have our own codes that are even more stringent in order to align with our values.”

Will Payne - William Grant & Sons, Inc. Vanguard Law Magazine

Payne counters criticism over the potentially negative effects of alcohol on society by explaining there’s a big difference between premium distilled spirits and some other players in the industry; at least where William Grant & Sons is concerned. This being a high-end distiller of Scotch, Irish and Canadian whiskies, gin, vodka, rum and tequila, Payne takes great pride in the fact that many of Grant’s spirits are treated as “occasion drinks”—shared by consumers during the holidays and at special get-togethers.

While Payne doesn’t dwell on the obvious, the implication is unmistakable: There’s a dignity that goes with sipping a quality spirit that may not present itself when bellying up to the bar to toss down a few frothy pints of beer or cheap shots.

“We market our quality spirits responsibly, and encourage people to drink them responsibly,” adds Payne.

“Our family shareholders are committed to building a sustainable, long- term future for the business that future generations of the Grant family will inherit. So, not driven by the desire to realize short-term profit, our business will carefully nurture and invest behind our brands to become favorites among consumers for the long term. Rather than ordering a gin and tonic at a restaurant or bar, our consumers will ask for a Hendrick’s and tonic.”

But that’s not to say Grant’s marketing is staid. Check out its YouTube shorts for Hendrick’s gin and, in the curious Hendrick’s “brand world,” you may be reminded of the humorous, sophisticated and surreal graphics that accompanied Monty Python skits.

Details in the mix

The marketing restraint being Grant-imposed, it does free up Payne to focus on other matters, such as ironing out the details from the company’s purchase last year of the New York-based business, Tuthilltown Spirits, LLC, manufacturer of William Grant & Sons’ Hudson whiskey brand.

And getting back to regulatory compliance, a much-abbreviated primer on some issues facing Payne: In 17 “control states” the state has a monopoly on the retailing or wholesaling of distilled spirits, the revenues going into the general fund. Other “free states” allow private liquor sales out of licensed stores, and levy taxes. Some states, primarily in the South, still have so-called dry counties, as well as blue laws that prohibit Sunday sales. Six states have no laws against drinking in public. And, as is the case with tobacco, transporting volumes of liquor from a no-tax or low-tax state to a high-tax state can be a felony.

Will Payne - William Grant & Sons, Inc. Vanguard Law Magazine

Adhering to all the regs while still carrying on the many other responsibilities of being the distiller’s U.S. general counsel, well that can be a lot for one lawyer and his compliance manager to handle. Payne maintains a team of trusted external advisers, high among them Miami-based Malkin Law which is noted for serving all three tiers of the alcohol industry: producers, wholesalers and retailers.

“Ryan Malkin is an expert in alcoholic beverage law with good networks within the industry and with state and federal regulatory bodies,” Payne says of the firm’s principal, a one-time Manhattan assistant district attorney, who’s also counsel to the American Crafts Spirits Association.

“Ryan knows our business, works well with our commercial colleagues in sales and marketing, and through his pragmatic and commercial-centered approach, we view him as a valued extension to our compliance and legal team.”

Changing his tune

With the help of Malkin and other outsourced legal talent, Payne relishes aiding William Grant & Sons’ cause on this side of The Pond. A University of Edinburgh law grad with an MBA from the Strathclyde Business School, he’s been a part of the Grant operation since 2011, coming aboard as senior commercial counsel in Scotland after earlier tours of legal duty as a legal adviser to Heineken UK (2008-2011) and Scottish & Newcastle PLC (2007-2008).

Will Payne - William Grant & Sons, Inc. Vanguard Law Magazine

However, Payne didn’t always aspire to be a lawyer. As an undergrad at Napier University, he majored in music, performing in the school’s big band and symphonic choir. An accomplished classical pianist who can still rock out a boogie number, Payne came to decide that music would be his avocation rather than his vocation.

Now living in New Jersey with his wife and four children, Payne feels he made the right decision and wants to enhance his legal creds. This year will find him, in addition to his day job, gearing up to take New York State’s challenging bar exam.

Upon passing, he might call for his favorite occasion drink: Hendrick’s and tonic with a slice of cucumber. Or maybe something else.

“We do have an embarrassment of great whiskeys,” he says.

Published on: June 20, 2018

regions:

categories: ,

Showcase your feature on your website with a custom “As Featured in Vanguard” badge that links directly to your article!

Copy and paste this script into your page coding (ideally right before the closing tag) where you want to display our review banner.

Testimonials

I was honored to be the subject of an article. I enjoy reading Vanguard articles and seeing how other attorneys got to their positions and see their jobs. It's also interesting to see how different law firms partner with the subjects of the articles.
– Henry Marquard, in-house counsel, Stanley Consultants Inc.
As promised in advance, my feature in Vanguard has increased my visibility within the profession and prompted more than a few people I have not communicated with recently to reconnect. One of the Italian law firms I have used in the past is now in the process of interviewing me for an article on their website and tweeting out the feature story. Activity and the number of people connecting with me on LinkedIn has soared, which is great. The Vanguard writers and editorial staff were great to work with—highly professional and made the effort to make the experience both fun and rewarding (they were also respectful of the time pressures and demands all lawyers face). I was very pleased with the experience and the final outcome. Needless to say, I have been very pleased. All in all working with Vanguard has been a very positive experience which generated good publicity for both Shawcor and myself. My sincere thanks.
– Tim Hutzul, General Counsel, ShawCor Ltd.
It was a great honor to be featured in Vanguard Law. Working with every member of the team, from the initial interview with Erin Clark, through production with Victor Martins, writing the article with Taryn Plumb and creating the final content with Dave Gushee, was a true pleasure. Everyone was very professional, enthusiastic and supportive, and their creative approach and positive attitude clearly came through in the final product.
– Kevin C. Rakowski, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Compliance with Radian Group Inc.
The piece highlighting my company, Bob Baker Enterprises, Inc., came out fabulous. Our company is in the new and used car sales and service industry. Everyone was great to work with and extremely professional. They produced a high-quality product and have provided expert assistance and guidance post-production of the article.
– Wade Poulson, General Counsel, Bob Baker Enterprises Inc.

LATEST EDITION

Spring III 2023

READ NOW

GET VANGUARD IN YOUR INBOX.

  • * We’ll never share your email or info with anyone.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.