Market Watch October 2020

At the onset of Covid-19 and the off-premise buying surge that ensued, consumers reached for trusted, big-volume favorites, and seemed disinclined to explore. Single malt Scotch, so high-end and connoisseurial, didn’t seem to be a tipple for the times. Add in the loss of the on-premise and the 25% import tariffs, and the scenario looked pretty grim—or so the conventional wisdom went. But as so often happens, that wisdom is being proven wrong. Single malt Scotch is showing resilience, as our feature on page 28 explains. There are many reasons for this, of course, but the key factor can be summed up in one word: innovation. For decades, much of the U.S. spirits industry’s growth has been fueled by new products. Scotch whisky, long criticized for being slow in this…

Constellation Brands Fully Acquires Kentucky-Based Copper & Kings…. After taking a minority stake in 2017, Constellation Brands has acquired Louisville, Kentucky’s Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. for an undisclosed sum. The move expands Constellation’s stable of highend spirits, which also includes whiskey brands High West and Nelson’s Green Brier, and strengthens the company’s position in the American brandy market. Distillery founder and CEO Joe Heron expressed confidence that the deal is the right move for the distillery, which produces a range of brandies, gins, liqueurs, and other specialty products at its distillery. D.G. Yuengling & Sons, Molson Coors Form Long-Term Partnership…. Pottsville, Pennsylvania-based D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. and Molson Coors Beverage Co. have formed a long-term brewing partnership that will expand Yuengling’s sales from its East Coast footprint.…

San Luis Obispo, California: Hospitality Group Debuts Rooftop Hotel Bar California’s Piazza Hospitality unveiled the rooftop terrace High Bar atop its Hotel San Luis Obispo this summer. It’s the company’s first property on the Central Coast. The large bar offers views of downtown San Luis Obispo and the surrounding mountains in an open-air space that provides opportunities to relax and socialize while also social distancing. High Bar serves craft cocktails, wines, and beers. Specialty drinks ($13.50) range from the Tito’s vodka-based Aperol Mule Spritz and the Hendrick’s gin-based Clover Club to signatures like the Slo Rated, mixing Svedka Clementine vodka infused in-house with Hawaiian pineapple, X-Rated Fusion liqueur, and pineapple juice, and the Mendoza’s Marg, blending Santo Blanco Tequila, house-made habanero syrup, lime juice, mango purée, and Tajín spice. High…

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight, John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend, and John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend Diageo is introducing several new Johnnie Walker offerings coinciding with the brand’s 200th anniversary. The 43.8% abv Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight ($350 a 750-ml.) is a new blend of whiskies from eight distilleries that all existed in 1820, including some whiskies from long-closed “ghost” distilleries. The 51% abv John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend ($75) is billed as a complex Scotch inspired by the flavors found in the Walker family’s grocery store during the 1860s, and comprises whiskies from distilleries operating at that time. Finally, the 46% abv John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend ($1,000) includes whiskies from closed distilleries such as Pittyvaich, Cambus, and Port Ellen, all aged…

Cider offers a creative way to add robust fruit flavors into mixed drinks, and is especially ideal for the fall season. Mixologists use cider to add crispness and viscosity to cocktails, and pair it with a wide range of spirits, from rum and whiskey to vermouth and vodka, proving its versatility behind the bar. While many consumers are unfamiliar with cider’s cocktail applications, bartenders say their adventurous guests enjoy the surprises that cider can bring to drinks. “Cider, in general, is not a go-to choice for many of our patrons,” says Caitlin Contreras, a beverage consultant and bartender at Astoria, Oregon’s Triangle Tavern. “So I try to find unique ways to showcase cider in cocktails. My patrons look forward to daily specials and have been much more curious than expected…

For yet another year, single malt Scotch has continued on a strong upward trajectory, both in the U.S. and abroad. Globally, consumption of single malt Scotch now comprises some 8.11% of the total whisk(e)y category, up from 7.69% the year before, according to Impact Databank. Consumption in the U.S., meanwhile, has posted similar gains—in 2019, single malts constituted a 24.3% share of all Scotch whisky consumed in the U.S., with 1.84 million cases of the spirit depleted stateside, marking an all-time high for the category. Behind this consistent and considerable growth are two factors: continued creativity by distillers and ongoing investments in marketing and branding. As a result of updates to Scotch whisky regulations instituted by the Scotch Whisky Association last year, more brands have jumped on the innovation bandwagon,…