Indholdsfortegnelse for September 1-15, 2022 i Shanken's Impact Newsletter

EACH YEAR, IMPACT’S ANNUAL ROSTER of “Hot Prospect” brands recognizes the upand-coming labels across the drinks business. This year, a total of 99 brands from the wine, spirits, and RTD cocktail categories met Impact Databank’s criteria to make the list. To qualify as Hot Prospects, brands must have achieved at least 15% depletions growth for 2021, 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 are between 50,000 and 250,000 cases. This year’s class of spirits Hot Prospects draws from 13 different categories, totaling 44 awardees. Given current trends in the spirits world, it’s no surprise that 12 whiskies and seven Tequila brands earned Hot Prospects status. While the Hot Prospects winners…

BEAM SUNTORY SAW GLOBAL SALES grow 13% in its fiscal first half ended in June, boosted by “stronger than expected demand in key markets and excellent performance for premium brands,” according to the company. Sales rose 25% in the first half of this year compared with the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. Beam Suntory saw double-digit growth across a number of key global markets, including the U.S., where the company recently upped its alliance with leading distributor Southern Glazer’s to 43 markets nationally. Overall North America sales grew by 13%. Maker’s Mark and Basil Hayden Bourbons drove growth for the company in the first half with strong double-digit gains, alongside The House of Suntory’s Roku Gin and Toki Japanese Whisky. Yamazaki, Knob Creek, Laphroaig, Bowmore, and El Tesoro Tequila were also…

CINCORO TEQUILA HAS ANNOUNCED a new national ad campaign—“Life Well Played”—coming to print, digital, social, and out-of-home channels. The campaign, which includes six-, 15-, and 30-second video spots, features all five of the brand’s NBA team-owning founders: Michael Jordan, owner of the Hornets; Emilia Fazzalari and Wyc Grousbeck of the Celtics; the Lakers’ Jeanie Buss; and Wes Edens of the Bucks. Last year, Cincoro had depletions of approximately 51,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.…

CONCHA Y TORO SAW SALES INCREASE 7% to $435 million in the first half of this year, as net profit grew 8% to $44 million. The Chile-based company said a solid price/mix effect due to price increases offset lower volumes in the six-month period. In the U.S., the company’s Bonterra Organic Vineyards unit posted a 6.7% increase to $70 million, despite a 15% decline in volume to 1.7 million 9-liter cases. According to the company, the decrease in volume is “mainly explained by lower sales in the non-premium category (less than $8 a bottle), and lower sales of bulk wine in this period. This is partly offset by higher sales of the super- and ultra-premium portfolio increasing 358% in value and 192% in volume.” Don Melchor, Casillero del Diablo, Trivento, and…

JONATHAN YUSEN HAS been appointed president of billion-dollar New Jersey wholesale player Allied Beverage, effective in November. He will add the title of CEO in January. Yusen will be joining Allied from William Grant & Sons, where he has most recently served as chief officer, network of distribution companies across the global business. In his new role, Yusen will report to Jeffrey Altschuler, Allied’s current president and CEO, who will transition to the newly created position of executive chairman. Allied Beverage is the eighth-largest spirits and wine wholesaler in the U.S. market, according to Impact, with projected 2022 revenues of approximately $1.385 billion. • Rodney Williams is joining Diageo North America as president, Diageo Beer Company and Canada. Williams is taking over for Nuno Teles, who is moving to serve as…

AFTER AVERAGING LOW SINGLE-DIGIT GROWTH FROM 2010-2020, VOLUME FOR THE TOP 10 spirits marketers globally surged 11.6% to a collective 685 million 9-liter cases last year, according to Impact Databank. With that performance, the 10 largest spirits players globally pushed their market share past 50% for the first time in memory, and the numbers are even more impressive in light of the fact that they exclude volume from the burgeoning RTD category. The share of the top 10 had actually slipped slightly from 2015 to 2020, as the entire industry reeled from the shutdown of the on-premise amid the outbreak of the pandemic. Last year represented a clear return to form, as consumers rejoined the on-premise market in large numbers and the spirits category continued to premiumize, with all members of…

TREASURY WINE ESTATES SAW SALES SLIP 1% ON AN ORGANIC BASIS TO A$2.5 billion ($1.7b) in the year through June, as the company battled exorbitant tariffs in China and reshaped its portfolio toward the premium end of the market. EBITS increased 4.4% to $524 million ($363m), as net sales revenue per-case advanced 8%. Treasury’s premium and luxury portfolios now contribute 83% of net sales, up from 77% a year ago. The group’s Treasury Americas unit posted organic growth of 12% to A$963 million ($667m) despite a volume decline of 3% to 8 million cases. Growth was led by labels including Beringer, Stags’ Leap, Matua, and 19 Crimes. Matua and recent acquisition Frank Family Vineyards were among the brands seeing price increases over the course of the year. That helped Treasury Americas’…

CAMPARI GROUP HAS ANNOUNCED AN agreement with Catalyst Spirits to acquire an initial 15% interest in Howler Head, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with natural banana flavor, for $15 million, including a path to complete ownership and exclusive global distribution rights. The brand was founded by UFC president Dana White, and partnered with industry veteran Simon Hunt’s new Catalyst Spirits group. “Campari Group has a proven track record for building global brands that consumers truly love and we can think of no better partner as we expand distribution of Howler Head around the world, as well as tap into the vast potential that remains in our existing markets of the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.,” said Hunt, CEO of Catalyst Spirits. Howler Head, an 80-proof whiskey that sources its Bourbon from…

PRONGHORN, A BRAND INCUBATOR and accelerator backed by Diageo focused on boosting Black-owned drinks brands, has announced a minority investment in Caribbean rum brand Ten To One, founded by CEO Marc Farrell and co-owned by Grammy-winning artist, Ciara. Pronghorn will make an undisclosed capital investment in the brand and help Ten To One scale its business. Farrell, a former SVP at Starbucks, founded Ten To One in 2019. The super-premium brand is currently present across 20 states. Pronghorn plans to make 57 investments in Black-owned drinks brands over the next decade, of which Ten To One is the first.…

• FREDERICK WILDMAN AND SONS is debuting Sweet Gwendoline French Gin. The gin was founded by spirits industry veteran Larry McGearty, who previously led the team that created Sailor Jerry Rum, in partnership with Dita Von Teese, “The Queen of Burlesque.” The brand was inspired by the work of fetish artist and publisher John Willie. Sweet Gwendoline French Gin, sourced from the South of France, is now available in New York, California, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as online for shipping to 30 states and Washington, D.C. • SAN FRANCISCO’S HOTALING & CO. has launched Fiero Habanero Tequila nationwide. The 40% abv agave spirit is distilled at Casa Don Roberto by Estella Anguiano and is infused for three days with Habanero peppers sourced from Jalisco, Mexico. Fiero…

IT’S BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PERIODS in history to launch a new drinks brand over the past few years, as the pandemic temporarily shuttered the on-premise and consumers gravitated to tried-and-true options. But that hasn’t stopped a host of small but promising brands across the business from gaining impressive traction. Impact’s “Hot Prospect” award winners total 99 brands across the wine, spirits, and premixed cocktail categories this year. The spirits contingent accounts for nearly half the overall list, as consumers continue to tilt toward that category in both the on- and off-premise markets. The Tequila and whisk(e)y segments lead the way among the spirits Hot Prospect winners, but they’re joined by an eclectic mix of labels from other categories including rum, gin, vodka, liqueurs, Cognac, and mezcal. California, meanwhile,…

CONSTELLATION HAS ADDED AN other wine label under The Prisoner Wine Co. The newcomer, called Blindfold, will feature white wine expressions from North Coast vineyards and appellations. Its first offering is a Sonoma County Blanc de Noir retailing at $35. The Blanc de Noir is made from early harvest Pinot Noir grapes that go direct-to-press, blended with Viognier and Gewurztraminer. Constellation says the goal is “to disrupt the white wine category the same way that The Prisoner did with the red category.” Blindfold will roll out across the country in the coming weeks. It joins The Prisoner’s eponymous brand, as well as Saldo and Unshackled in the brand family. The Prisoner grew 18% to 267,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank, while Unshackled was up 30% to…

AFTER A STRONG SHOWING IN THE 12 MONTHS THROUGH JUNE, THE U.S. IS once again Australian wine’s top export market by value. Aussie exports to the U.S. were up 9% by value to A$437 million ($309m) and 10% by volume to 139 million liters (15.4m cases), according to Wine Australia. The boost in the U.S. market was a boon for Australian exporters as the country’s wines faced challenging conditions in some other export markets, primarily China. Overall, Australian wine exports dropped 19% by value to $2.1 billion ($1.47b) and 10% by volume to 625 million liters (69.4m cases). Wine Australia attributes the challenging conditions to high tariffs in China, noting that, excluding China, global value for Aussie exports was up 5% to A$2.06 billion ($1.46b). Exports to the U.S., according to…

SALES OF BEVERAGE ALCOHOL BRANDS IN THE DUTY FREE travel retail channel have come roaring back after almost nonexistent sales throughout most of 2020 and only marginal improvements in 2021. The absence of any significant international traffic during the pandemic meant travel retail sales languished. This year, with most global travel restrictions lifted—with the exception of certain Asian countries that still have barriers in place—travelers have shown their enthusiasm by embracing international travel after two years of being pent-up. In fact, duty free sales among the top 10 distilled spirits brands in global travel retail gained 43.7% in 2021 over a dismal 2020, according to Impact Databank. This year, brands are expected to record strong growth as international travelers return. Full recovery will take a few more years, though. Air passenger…