Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Market Watch

It’s said that you can see further by standing on the shoulders of giants, and the story of Taub Family Cos. offers evidence of that. The group’s president and CEO, Marc Taub, has shown great skill at navigating the waters of consolidation that confront every independent player. In doing so, he’s strengthened by the life’s work of his father, David, and his grandfather, Martin. Taub Family Cos. is currently in an expansion mode that has included the acquisition of Pasternak Wine Co. from Domaines Barons de Rothschild and a significant push into the spirits sector. Meanwhile, the company has undertaken a restructuring that will lay the ground-work for more expansion in the future. To get the story on today’s Taub Family Cos., check out our cover feature on page 26.…

Marquii A new mobile app that helps bars, restau-rants and other businesses promote daily specials and happy hours directly to consumers launched in New York City in January. For $2 to $4 a day, Marquii deliv-ers marketing messages to potential customers who are looking for deals on dinner and drinks based on location. The cloud-based application program interface (API) connects with more than 70 online publishers, including Facebook, Four-square and Yahoo! to showcase specials in real time. For more information, visit Getmarquii.com. Growler Chill Myrtle Beach, South Carolina–based Penguin Tap Inc. launched a Kickstarter for its Growler Chill in January and surpassed its $175,000 goal within 24 hours. At press time, the project had reached nearly $600,000 with one more week to go. The countertop refrigerated appliance holds three 32-ounce…

Absolut Lime Pernod Ricard USA has added a new flavor to its Absolut vodka lineup. Absolut Lime (around $20 a 750-ml.) is produced in Åhus, Sweden, and has bright lime and crisp citrus flavors. The 40-percent abv offering is available nationwide. For more information, visit Absolut.com. Laphroaig 30-Year-Old Beam Suntory launched a limited-edition single malt whisky from its Laphroaig distillery this winter. Laphroaig 30-year-old ($1,000 a 750-ml.) was aged in first and second fill ex-Bourbon casks and has rich nutty and woody flavors, with peat smoke and iodine on the finish. The 53.5-percent abv whisky is available in limited quantities in select markets. For more information, visit Laphroaig.com. Svedka Blue Raspberry Constellation Brands added a new flavor to its Svedka vodka brand this month. Svedka Blue Raspberry vodka ($12.99 a…

It’s no secret that today’s consumers are fickle, changing from one spirit to the next with regularity. Today, Bourbon and other American whiskies are soaring, but tomorrow it might be brandy, gin, mezcal or something else. Amidst all that flux, vodka has risen above the fray. While individual brand performances have varied, the underlying trend remains positive. In fact, vodka hasn’t had a down year since 1996, and volume is now approaching nearly 75 million cases annually, according to Impact Databank. “Consumers are still drinking vodka, and they’re drinking it regularly,” says Reid Hafer, senior brand manager for Burnett’s vodka at Heaven Hill Brands. “They just have other things going into their basket as well.” Hugh Preece, operating partner of the five-unit Salt Creek Grille in California and New Jersey,…

HA! HE’S A GINGER By Moses Laboy Ingredients: 1½ ounces Reyka vodka; 1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur; ½ ounce Cointreau orange liqueur; Splash Castillo Perelada Brut Reserva Cava; ½ ounce fresh lemon juice; Candied powdered ginger1. Recipe: Combine vodka, liqueurs and juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for about 10 seconds. Double strain into coupe glass rimmed with candied powdered ginger. Top with Cava. Food Pairing: Beet dumplings with caramelized cabbage purée and roasted beets HESPERUS IS PHOSPHORUS By Angie Silberberg Ingredient: 1½ ounces Jougo Kokuto shochu; ½ ounce Chareau aloe liqueur; 1 ounce Manuel Acha Blanco vermouth. Recipe: Combine shochu, liqueur and vermouth in an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir for 40 rotations and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Food Pairing: Lean or…

The retail market for wine, beer and spirits in Madison, Wisconsin, has changed dramatically in the last generation. In the 1950s, liquor stores didn’t face the same competition from supermarkets, convenience stores and big-box players that they do today. But while numerous liquor stores in the region have been forced to change hands or shutter due to the increased competition, Steve’s Wine, Beer and Spirits retains ties to the family that founded it more than 60 years ago, while continued support from its loyal customers has enabled the company to expand into a three-store concept. “We became more streamlined and focused in our operation,” explains Joe Varese, partner and son of founder Steve Varese. “As the laws changed and grocery and convenience stores started selling alcohol, we began emphasizing wine…

Beam Suntory, Campari Link With Southern Glazer’s In New Deals…. Beam Suntory has inked a new long-term distribution deal with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, its largest distributor partner, which will continue the two companies’ existing alignment across nearly three-quarters of the United States. Running through 2030, the new perfor-mance-based agreement covers 21 open markets, as well as 16 control states in which Southern Glazer’s handles Beam Suntory’s port-folio. Southern Glazer’s exec-utive vice president Tony Truzzolino, a former Beam executive, was named to over-see the wholesaler’s business with Beam Suntory last year. In addition, Campari America and Southern Glaz-ers formed a new pact to align in more than 40 markets. Campari is shifting to South-ern Glazer’s in 14 new markets while maintaining its existing relation-ship in 27 markets. The 14…

* New York City’s Livanos Restaurant Group unveiled its fourth venue in January, debuting the Greek-focused Mediterranean eatery Ousia on Manhattan’s West Side. The concept features a bold and flavor-forward food menu that includes turkey leg confit and lamb roulade, as well as a drinks list that emphasizes Greek wines and Mediterranean cocktails. * Spanish and Japanese culinary influences combine at Cambridge, Massachusetts–based Pagu, the first solo restaurant from chef Tracy Chang. The venue opened in January with a menu that ranges from fried rice and oyster bao to crab croquetas. The diverse drinks program includes Spanish wines and sake cocktails. * Texas Gulf Coast fare takes center stage at Houston’s Riel, which opened in January with a market-driven menu of share-able plates influenced by chef Ryan Lachaine’s Ukrainian and…

Teeling Whiskey Co. Irish whiskey runs in the Teeling family: John Teeling founded the Cooley Distillery—which he sold to Beam in 2011—and his sons, Jack and Stephen, now run Dublin-based Teeling Whiskey Co. The company launched its Teeling Irish whiskey range in the United States in April 2014 and sold 700,000 bottles worldwide last year, with 30 percent to 40 percent of that in the U.S. market. Last year, Teeling’s sales were up about 30 percent. Available nationwide, the core range includes Teeling Small Batch ($39.99 a 750-ml.), which is finished in rum barrels; Teeling Single Grain ($49.99), aged in California red wine casks; and Teeling Single Malt ($59.99), aged in five different wine casks. The offerings are derived from old Cooley stocks that the family acquired following the sale.…

Taub Family Cos. has grown exponentially over the last few years, and its acquisition of Pasternak Wine Imports in Decem-ber 2016 added myriad new wines and employees to the fold. In light of that transition, Taub Family Cos. president and CEO Marc Taub restructured the business after the New Year, streamlining certain areas where resources could be shared while maintaining separation among his various businesses’ sales and brand management teams. The result is a new organizational process aimed at maximizing the company’s overall efficiency and talent. “In the evolution of the Pasternak deal, we decided to segment the different parts of the business,” Taub explains. “We created important synergies where we could, while always maintaining separation from a sales and portfolio management perspective. We want our sales and marketing teams…

It’s a chilly autumn morning in the southeast town of Kent, England, at the remote Chapel Down Winery. The property is fronted by a narrow, two-lane roadway and has few neighbors beyond oat and barley farmers and a pasture notable for frolicking alpaca. Yet the winery is hosting two dozen visitors, freezing even in their Barbour coats as they inspect vines and nose blancs de blancs under the tutelage of customer experience manager Gavin Kean. This sight isn’t unusual: Chapel Down Winery offers three tours a day and welcomed more than 60,000 visitors last year. The English sparkling wine industry, which once toiled in obscurity, is finally emerging. Wineries like Chapel Down are sprouting up across southern England on the belated discovery that the chalky soils and generous south-facing slopes…

Constellation Brands has appointed Bill Newlands to the newly created post of COO. Newlands joined Constellation in 2015 and has been serving as president of the company’s wine and spirits division. In his new role, he’ll oversee the beer division as well. Constellation also promoted Chris Stenzel from senior vice president of finance for the beer division to executive vice president of the wine and spirits division. Stenzel has been with the company since 2008. Meanwhile, Ben Dollard will transition to the role of senior vice president and international chief marketing officer for the wine and spirits division, reporting to Stenzel. Dollard joined Constellation in 2001 and was most recently chief growth officer. Finally, Jared Fix has assumed the role of senior vice president and chief growth officer. Fix had…

Veteran wine executive Sandra LeDrew has been appointed president of winery operations and chief development officer of Terlato Wine Group. LeDrew will be based in California and report to president and CEO Bill Terlato. Her role as presi-dent of winery operations is a new post and includes responsibility for Terlato wineries around the globe, including California holdings such as Rutherford Hill, Chimney Rock and Sanford, as well as joint ventures in France, Italy and Austra-lia. She will also oversee production of the Federalist, Seven Daughters and Terlato Family Vineyards brands, as well as all direct-to-consumer business and retail sales at Terlato’s wineries. As chief development officer, a role in which she replaces Chris Lynch, LeDrew will help drive expansion efforts as Terlato looks to acquire new vineyards and wineries and…

* Los Angeles’ H.Wood Group joined with Interscope Records in January to debut The Peppermint Club in West Hollywood, California. The 1960s-inspired lounge caters to musicians and features regular performances in an upscale space modeled after an executive living room, with a menu of specialty cocktails and small plates. * A female-driven team of restaurant and bar veterans debuted the wine bar The Riddler in January in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. The intimate spot emphasizes sparkling wines, as well as a limited selection of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—traditional Champagne grapes. Light fare and caviar are also available. * Creative cocktails shine at Until Tomorrow, a new drinks den in Brooklyn, New York’s, Clinton Hill neighborhood that opened in January. The venue features an extensive specialty cocktail menu that includes homemade…

By now it’s a familiar scenario: a retailer receives a small allocation of a limited-release whisk(e)y, sells it at the appropriate retail price, and then sees the product sold online at double or more the original price. In April of last year, social media giant Facebook moved to shut down groups that fostered the illegal practice, as secondary market sales of whisk(e)y and craft beer were flourishing on the site and reaping tidy profits for sellers of sought-after bottles. The Facebook effort helped stem the trend for a while, but when demand is high and supply is short, sellers will find a way. Prominent retailers say the secondary market continues to thrive, despite the efforts to stop it. “Anything in demand will create a furor,” says Jim Shpall, CEO of…

Distillers are used to hearing stories about how their spirits bring people together for celebrations and parties. Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, once met a man who claimed FEW’s Bourbon ended a decades-long estrangement from his father. “He happened to have a sip of our whiskey and decided his dad would love it,” Hletko recounts. “After 30 years of not speaking to his father, he called him up. Seven days later, they were together. They split a bottle of whiskey, and now they talk every week.” This effect might be unusual for a Bourbon consumer, but it’s right in line with Hletko’s reasons for founding FEW Spirits, which is named for Illinois temperance leader Frances Elizabeth Willard. His grandfather had been a brewer in Czechoslovakia before…

On-Premise News Hooters Launches Fast-Casual Concept The Hooters restaurant chain launched a new fast-casual concept in February, opening Hoots, a 75-seat location in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, Illinois. The venue features a stripped-down version of the core Hooters menu, based on the most popular items and geared toward takeout and quick service. The center of the space features a full-service bar with seating for 12 and a full selection of spirits, wine and beer. Two Brothers Brewing Expands In Chicago Two Brothers Brewing Co. in suburban Chicago is planning to open its fifth fullservice restaurant. The new 5,000-squarefoot venue will be located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park and will feature the brewer’s own beers and coffees. Two Brothers also plans to break ground on a 20-acre headquarters…