Market Watch September 2022

Amid distillery construction, new product offerings, and regional expansion, Bourbon makers are still racing to keep pace with the demands of the market. One key area is in broadening the portfolio, with the aim of creating a Bourbon type for every segment through new cask treatments, ultra-aged expressions, flavors, and everything in between. Even if some aren’t technically Bourbons, all are designed to expand the category’s appeal as much as possible. Ultra-aged whiskeys make great headlines, but engaging consumers with accessible products rather than exasperating them with whiskeys they can’t buy is more important, and that’s an area where Bourbon should be applauded. Consumers may complain about rising prices, but the Bourbon category has done a good job at keep things within reach. Read all about the category’s progress in…

Diageo Opens Scottish Distilleries To Visitors….. Funded by the company’s £185 million (roughly $220 million) investment in Scotch tourism, Diageo has reopened the Singleton Distillery at Glen Ord and Talisker Distillery. The new experience at the Singleton Distillery features a 90-minute tour as well as bars, tasting rooms, and a counter serving locally sourced Scottish foods. To commemorate the reopening, the brand has released The Singleton of Glen Ord Celebratory Bottling, a 51.8% abv single malt that is exclusively available at the distillery. Talisker, located on the Isle of Sky, has also reopened, and offersguestsaninteractive experience and new distillery tours, as well as two bars and a shop on-site that sells local products. The distilleries are the fourth and fifth of Diageo’s Scotch properties to be revamped for tourism, following…

NYC: José Andrés Expands His Manhattan Portfolio The Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad hotel opened in July, boasting a food and beverage portfolio managed by Chef José Andrés and his on-premise firm, ThinkFoodGroup. The hotel’s premier restaurant, Zaytinya, highlights Mediterranean drinks and food, taking inspiration from Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon. It’s the second outpost of Zaytinya, joining the flagship in Washington, D.C., which has been open for 20 years. Zaytinya NYC offers a full roster of Mediterranean wines, including 20 glass pours ($15-$22) and more than 130 bottles ($52-$1,100 a 750-ml.). These are joined by creative cocktails that incorporate ingredients like Batavia Arrack, ouzo, and olive oil. Zaytinya’s specialty drinks include the Minoan Sour, made with Tsilili Tsipouro of Theselay brandy, lemon juice, olive oil, and aquafaba, garnished with citrus ash,…

The Balvenie French Oak 16-Year-Old William Grant & Sons has added a new whisky to the Balvenie’s flagship Cask Finishes range, French Oak 16-year-old. The new whisky ($175 a 750-ml.), bottled at 47.6% abv, is finished in casks previously used to mature Pineau des Charentes, a French fortified wine made with unfermented grape juice and eau de vie. This marks the first expansion to the Cask Finishes line since 2013, when the Balvenie added the 14-year-old Caribbean Cask. In addition to Caribbean Cask, French Oak joins Doublewood 12-year-old and Portwood 21-year-old in the series. The Balvenie French Oak 16-year-old is now available across the U.S. For more information, visit Thebalvenie.com. Nelson’s Green Brier Nelson Brothers Classic Bourbon & Reserve Bourbon Nashville, Tennessee-based Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery is launching Nelson Brothers,…

From 2010 through 2018, Barcelona native Alex Serena was living in London and working on his English. “I thought a part-time job in the hospitality industry would be a great way to practice, so I started as a dishwasher at the high-volume restaurant and cocktail bar Agenda,” he says. When his English began to improve, Serena progressed to food runner and eventually became the lead server before requesting to work with the bar team, starting as a barback before settling in as a bartender. “I fell in love with it,” he says. “Bartending in London helped me acquire a practical foundation in the mechanics of mixology and cocktail preparation. Mixology captivated me from the very first cocktail shake, and with a strong desire to explore recipes, I found myself fulfilling…

Bourbon takes center stage at Bourbon Steak, located in downtown Nashville’s JW Marriott, where Michael Mina, a Michelin-starred chef, pays homage to the classic American steak house. Offering steak, seafood, and wines to its discerning clientele, head bartender Ryan Pendergast also takes guests on a one-of-a-kind whiskey and cocktail experience. “Given that we are a destination restaurant, a large part of our clientele comes from out of town, and they want to immerse themselves in our regional culture by trying Bourbons that aren’t readily available in their home markets,” says Pendergast. “In addition to selecting our own single barrels from iconic distilleries like Old Forrester, Huber’s Starlight, and Woodford, we work diligently with local purveyors to source highly allocated spirits to add to the Bourbon Steak experience.” Bourbon Steak’s traditional…