Innehållsförteckning för November 2022 från Market Watch

As we move into the final chapters of calendar year 2022, the biggest challenge to the holiday season clearly is the supply chain issue. The demand is out there, but will retailers get the goods they need to satisfy it? Producers, importers, and transport firms have been jumping through hoops to make it happen, and while problems for some items will likely persist, for the most part the products appear to be reaching the shelves. Our holiday coverage begins with our New Products section on Page 15, and continues with our annual roundup feature on Page 78. It was all smiles at our annual LEADERS Awards banquet in New York City on September 29, as our 2022 Retailer of the Year, Curtis Mann of Albertsons Cos., was joined by eight…

Glenfiddich 12-year-old Sherry Cask Finish William Grant & Sons has announced a new addition to Glenfiddich’s core whiskies, a 12-year-old single malt finished in Sherry casks. The 43% abv whisky ($55 a 750-ml.) is first matured in American and European oak before being transferred to Amontillado Sherry casks for finishing. While the whisky is now part of brand’s core offerings, it’s rolling out in limited markets at first, hitting shelves in California and Florida. In addition, William Grant has teamed up with e-commerce facilitator Thirstie to launch dedicated online stores for Glenfiddich and the Balvenie. Consumers are able to order whiskies directly through the websites and orders are fulfilled by partnered liquor stores in the buyer’s area. For more information, visit Glenfiddich.com. The GlenDronach Grandeur Batch 11 Brown-Forman has announced…

The U.S. wine market’s prevailing trend toward premium price points was on continued display in 2021. The total super-premium segment, defined as $15 and above for a 750-ml. bottle, grew a collective 9.5% in volume last year in the U.S. to 23.1 million 9-liter case depletions, according to Impact Databank. In retail sales, the super-premium segment, including imported and domestic offerings, continued its years-long expansion, growing 11.9% to more than $5.7 billion in 2021, far above 2015’s total retail sales of $1.9 billion. Within the U.S. market’s leading premium-plus wines, defined as $10 and above, the most impressive growth was seen among super-premium brands last year, including Meiomi, Bread & Butter, and Decoy by Duckhorn. Premium wines, defined as $10-$15 a 750-ml., collectively grew 3.7% in 2021 to 70.1 million…

While many consumers are familiar with the idea of Jell-O shots, few have experienced the upscale versions being made by today’s science-savvy bartenders. More than a simple spirits and Jell-O mixture, the new crop of edible gelatinous cocktails are made with premium ingredients and high-end mixology techniques, offering a true cocktail-turned-food experience. New York City bar Milady’s reopened in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood in October with a new management team led by cocktail heavyweights Julie Reiner, Susan Fedroff, and Christine Williams. Their revamped drinks program includes two upscale Jell-O shots and juice-filled, caviar-style “popping pearls”. “Jell-O shots and popping pearls bring a sense of nostalgia,” says beverage director Natasha Mesa. “A cocktail experience is all about being social and having a good time. We offer two edible cocktails and I don’t…

On-Premise News: Darden’s Mackey Talks The Future Of Restaurants The entire restaurant industry was turned on its head at the onset of Covid-19, and for those that survived, major pivots have been necessary. During the 46th Annual Impact Marketing Seminar in September, Helen Mackey, senior vice president of marketing for Darden Restaurants’ specialty restaurant group (which owns and operates major dining brands like Olive Garden, Yard House, The Capital Grille, and Eddie V’s), spoke to the resurgence of restaurants in her talk, “The Future of Restaurants—Post-Pandemic.” Despite the difficulties the on-premise faced during the pandemic, Mackey said it also provided an opportunity to simplify business models and figure out how to work more efficiently. She pointed to the rise of to-go operations and ghost kitchens, both of which continue to…

FTC Takes Action Against Drizly….The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last month announced plans to hold Drizly accountable for a 2020 data leak that exposed the information of up to 2.5 million consumers. Under the FTC proposal, Drizly and CEO Cory Rellas would be required to delete unneeded consumer data, while issuing a report to the FTC on what is deleted, and to restrict the data the company can collect and retain moving forward. Drizly and Rellas must also implement an information security program to protect Drizly’s consumers. The security stipulations would follow Rellas to new positions beyond Drizly, which was acquired by Uber for $1.1 billion last year. According to the FTC, “Rellas will be required to implement an information security program at future companies if he moves to a…

Originally from Mexico, Lucia Corichi cares deeply about honoring cultures through food and beverage. “Hospitality, in the sense of large communal dinner tables, big families, and storytelling, has been with me since birth,” she says. “That cemented my drive to go to culinary school after graduating high school in the U.S.” While attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York City, Corichi interned at The Modern, the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art, and upon graduating she planned to start a job there in the kitchen. “But while at CIA, my front-of-house professor planted a seed in me that just couldn’t be stopped, so I asked if there was a front-of-house position open and there was—as a bar back,” she says. “I took it, not really…

While the early years of the cocktail revolution involved digging deeper into U.S. history and pre-Prohibition spirits and cocktails, today’s bartenders tend to seek inspiration farther afield, notes Jason Lee, beverage director at N/Soto in Los Angeles. “A lot of the first boom in cocktail culture was pretty American-and European-centric, but I think overall, with both food and drink, there’s a renewed interest in expanding palates and trying new things,” he says. “Bartenders and consumers are discovering that there are so many more ideas to be shared and stories to be told about beverages between cultures.” Lee adds that the popularity of books like “The Japanese Art of the Cocktail” by Masahiro Urushido and “The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes” by Julia Momosé, as well as…

Bacardi Ltd. has announced that current regional vice president for North America Pete Carr will move to a global role within the company, taking on the newly created title of executive vice president and global growth officer. Stepping into the North America role will be Tony Latham, who currently serves as the company’s global CFO. In addition, Bacardi has promoted Albert Vila Tarres to global CFO. Villa Tarres has over a decade of experience at Bacardi and has served as CFO in markets around the world. The changes are effective at the start of Bacardi’s new fiscal year on April 1, 2023. Carr and Villa Tarres will be based at Bacardi’s headquarters in Bermuda, while Latham will be at the company’s office in Coral Gables, Florida. Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC)…

Sparkling wine has effectively moved beyond the celebration space into everyday consumption, with marketers leveraging its versatility across multiple occasions and tapping into new drinkers with single-serve formats, rosé offerings, and cocktail concoctions. At The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky, the segment is easily the store’s top-selling wine category. “We can’t get enough sparkling wine,” says president and CEO Jon Stiles, noting that consumers are mostly reaching for higher-end brands. This everyday evolution has mirrored the rise of imported sparklers, with imports up dramatically in each of the top countries of origin last year, including Italy, which increased 33.4%; Spain, which rose 44.2%; and France, which jumped 53.3% overall, including Champagne, and 45% without Champagne. In total, sparkling wine imports to the U.S. increased 39.7% last year to 22.1 million…