Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Market Watch

Our annual Hot Prospects list is out—a roll call of brands that have been showing high growth rates over the past three years. To qualify, Hot Prospect brands required at least 15% growth in 2023, as well as consistent growth in the prior two years. As prospects these are not big-volume players: their volumes must be between 50,000-100,000 cases for spirits, imported wines, and RTDs, and between 50,000-250,000 cases for domestic wine. In some cases, these brands are not new, but their sales are on a strong growth run over several years. In other cases, they’re new to the market, representing a sign of what’s to come. Close observers of the spirits scene won’t be surprised to see that of the 27 spirits brands making the list, 11 of them…

Bowmore Sherry Oak Collection & Appellations Islay single malt Scotch maker Bowmore, part of Suntory Global Spirits, is augmenting its core range with a Sherry Oak Collection, while also boosting its travel retail offerings with the cask-finished Appellations range. The Bowmore Sherry Oak Collection ($78-$534 a 750-ml.) will make its U.S. debut early next year in specialty whisky stores and luxury retailers, while Bowmore Appellations ($67-$500) will arrive in travel retail stores this month. Both sets of whiskies will also be available for purchase at Bowmore Distillery beginning in October. For more information, visit Bowmore.com. Little Book The Infinite: Edition 1 In the U.S., Suntory Global Spirits has announced Little Book The Infinite: Edition 1. The new release ($200 a 750-ml.) blends whiskeys made by the sixth, seeventh, and eighth…

McConaughey Tequila Makes National Debut… Pantalones, the super-premium Tequila brand from Matthew and Camilla McConaughey and spirits entrepreneur Andrew Chrisomalis, has partnered with Southern Glazer’s for national expansion. The organic brand initially launched last October in Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada with Blanco ($40 a 750-ml.), Reposado ($45), and Añejo ($50) expressions. Now Pantalones is taking aim at a full national footprint. Pantalones sold tens of thousands of cases in its limited rollout, and will look to double growth in its first year of national availability. Napa Valley Tourism Climbing Back…. More than 3.7 million people visited America’s premier wine region last year, according to a recent economic study, and those visitors are becoming younger and more diverse. That’s good news for Napa Valley just four years after the…

From humble beginnings working at a pizzeria during high school to helping run a hip Manhattan cocktail bar, New Jersey native Izzy Tulloch has worked her way up the hospitality ladder. Following a post-high school barbacking stint, she landed her first bartending gig at a private dining club in 2013. “I mostly worked weddings my first year, but my boss really loved craft cocktails and would share books and insights,” she says. When the dining club’s downstairs bar was transformed into a cocktail lounge, Tulloch’s boss encouraged her to contribute to the cocktail menu and eventually she started teaching cocktail classes to club members. “He introduced me to how creative cocktails could be and a bartending future beyond the monotony of a banquet bar,” she says. Bolstered by her experience…

Though the U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has yet to render a decision on whether to recognize American single malt whiskey as a specific category with its own distinct designations, the category is growing rapidly. There are now more than 200 U.S. producers of the whiskey represented by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC), the trade group that started in 2016 with just nine founding member distilleries. And big name producers are jumping on board too: Both Jack Daniel’s and Bulleit now tout American single malts, and James B. Beam Distilling Co. offers its own under the Clermont Steep label. “I think there are a few factors behind the growth of American single malts,” says Jacob Smith, bartender at La Taverne at The…

Off-Premise News: Flaviar Acquires Fellow E-Commerce Co. E-commerce player Flaviar, which has a strategic partnership with Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC), has announced the acquisition of fellow e-commerce company Speakeasy in a stock and cash deal. Terms weren’t disclosed. Flaviar noted that it will process over half a million orders this year, surpassing $100 million in online beverage alcohol sales across the U.S. and Europe. According to Flaviar, the deal for Speakeasy will result in faster delivery and lower shipping costs for consumers immediately, while also giving brand partners access to “value-add services like engraving, incorporating brand merch, custom packaging, and other ways for brands to create unique experiences for their customers.” Speakeasy counts 250 partners on its platform, which offers e-commerce fulfillment services, including Tesla with their Tequila, beer…

Each year, MARKET WATCH sister publication Impact Newsletter recognizes the wine and spirits industry’s fastest-growing smaller brands with its Hot Prospects honor roll, highlighting the ascendant labels poised to make their mark on the business in the years ahead. This year, a total of 66 brands from the wine, spirits, and RTD cocktail categories met Impact Databank’s criteria to earn honors. To qualify as Hot Prospects, brands must have achieved at least 15% depletions growth for 2023, while also showing consistent growth in the two preceding years. For spirits, imported wines, and RTDs, brand volumes must be between 50,000 and 200,000 cases, while domestic wines and RTDs must be between 50,000 and 250,000 cases. This year, 27 spirits brands earned Hot Prospects awards, including 12 agave spirits (11 Tequilas and…

Many independent grocers today take pride in featuring locally grown and produced goods. But California’s Oliver’s Markets takes its commitment and responsibility to support local products to a whole new level with four stores located in Sonoma County, home to a plethora of world-class wines. “Our mission statement is to offer the broadest selection possible of local products,” says Joshua Kirchhoff, corporate wine and liquor coordinator. “We’re fortunate to be located in a market like Sonoma County.” As a result, as much as 60% of the chain’s wine, beer, and spirits offerings are produced nearby, earning the stores strong growth trends in a competitive market, as well as trust and loyalty from its customer base. While annual sales revenue at the 35-year-old grocery chain is undisclosed, beverage alcohol is a…

Beer lovers around the country are increasingly finding their drink of choice has dedicated on-premise support in casino venues. Indeed, with the opening of legal gambling in more markets in recent decades, casinos are now positioning themselves as beer destinations, with tactics that range from on-site breweries to major beer events to extensive beer menus. Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California, for example, has featured its own brewery and restaurant for 14 years. The beer-heavy space is the first tribal-owned in-house casino brewery in the country. This summer, its Oroveza Mexican-style lager was awarded a gold medal in the U.S. Open Beer Championship. “People are often pleasantly surprised when they discover the brewery, along with our innovative and award-winning craft beers,” says brewmaster Joel Oropeza. In addition to…