UK-based beverages company Diageo has launched an experimental craft whiskey venture, called Whiskey Union, which will see a team of entrepreneurs working with the company’s distillers.

Diageo premium core spirits head David Gates was quoted by The Spirits Business as saying: "This concept is about experimenting, testing and giving freedom to our ‘makers’ imaginations and giving our consumers a range of completely different styles and personalities of whiskey."

The company will add three products under the new try-out concept, which will be initially trialled in Austria and Germany.

The products are Smoky Goat which is a blended Scotch, while Boxing Hares and Huxley will be marketed as spirit drinks.

Smoky Goat and Boxing Hares are already available in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna.

Huxley, which is a blend of Canadian, American and Scotch whiskies, will be launched in 2016.

Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes was quoted by just-drinks.com as saying: "These products were developed within the space of six months, we didn’t use consumer research, and instead we spoke to bartenders and to our whisky-makers. That wouldn’t have happened in the old Diageo. Nowadays, you need to experiment fast and be prepared to fail."

Recently, the company unveiled plans on offloading its wine interests in Argentina including Navarro Correas and San Telmo wine brands, together with production sites and vineyards to Grupo Penaflor.

Additionally, the Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) secured approval from US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the acquisition of Diageo’s wine business including Beaulieu Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, Acacia, Provenance and Hewitt this month.