Innehållsförteckning för November 2023 från Market Watch

In the California wine business, the drumbeat of consolidation rolls on, and in recent years the pace has quickened significantly, with the top five companies now accounting for nearly two thirds of the state’s wine sales. It’s certainly an interesting time in California wine’s history: Spurred on by generational changes, many family-owned wineries founded in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s have been selling out. That, of course, has been going on for some time—think of Constellation’s acquisition of Robert Mondavi Winery nearly 20 years ago—but lately this trend has accelerated as more families look to exit the business, leaving the big players to become even bigger. This trend, coupled with all the consolidation at the distribution and the retail tier, has made it more difficult for smaller independent winemakers to…

Dewar’s Double Double 37-Year-Old Bacardi has announced Dewar’s Double Double 37-year-old, a new luxury blended malt from the U.S.’s second-largest blended Scotch brand. The 48% abv whisky ($1,800 a 375-ml.) is finished in Oloroso Sherry casks that previously held single malts from the Aultmore. The limited release is the first of four whiskies in Dewar’s Collector’s Series, with new entries in the series coming out every year until 2026. Dewar’s Double Double 37-year-old is available in limited quantities. Each bottle is packaged with two Baccarat Massena crystal tumblers. Last year, Dewar’s jumped nearly 20% in the U.S. to reach 1.1 million cases. For more information, visit Dewars.com. Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo Moët Hennessy has announced the latest limited edition offering from Glenmorangie, A Tale of Tokyo. The new single malt…

It may be hard to believe now, but it wasn’t all that long ago that Bourbon and rye were thought of as “something only your grandpa would drink,” notes Adam Morgan, bar manager of Husk in Nashville, Tennessee. Thankfully, the story is very different today. “Now they’ve evolved into mainstays on all cocktail menus,” he notes. Keith Ervin, food and beverage director at Elm Street Cask & Kitchen in Dallas, similarly notes American whiskey’s former identity as a certain type of older gentleman’s drink. “But these days, Bourbon and rye are trendy, and restaurants and bars are very competitive in developing unique and tasty cocktails with these spirits as the showpiece,” he says. “I think Bourbon and rye are so popular because of their higher quality, higher proofs, and exclusivity—there’s…

For retailer Kent Starr, owner of Liquor World in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the final four months of the year are a blur of activity. Located just down the road from the University of Arkansas, Liquor World does a booming business on Razorback football Saturdays, then transitions into holiday mode with a big focus on celebrations and gift-giving. “Our last home game is close to Thanksgiving, then we just roll right into the holidays,” says Starr. “It’s pretty amazing that we can just rock along all year, then all of the sudden run into the kind of [fourth-quarter] volume we’ve been having lately.” He adds that the escalated sales the store experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic are continuing today. Starr isn’t unusual, of course. While many beverage alcohol retailers may not have…

Russell’s Island INGREDIENTS: 1 ounce Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon1;1 ounce coconut-washed Campari aperitif2;1 ounce Dolin Rouge vermouth. RECIPE: In an ice-filled mixing glass, combine Bourbon, Campari, and vermouth. Stir and strain into a double rocks glass over fresh ice. Rigor Mortis INGREDIENTS: ½ ounce Arette Reposado Tequila;1½ ounces Banhez Ensamble mezcal;¼ ounce agave syrup;6 dashes Regans’ No. 6 Orange bitters;Grapefruit twist. RECIPE: In an ice-filled mixing glass, combine Tequila, mezcal, syrup, and bitters. Stir and strain into a double rocks glass over a large ice cube. Express a grapefruit twist over the drink, then use as garnish. 1The Richardson uses its own private barrel pick, but Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel is a good substitute. 2Heat ⅔ cup unrefined coconut oil until it’s completely liquefied. Add the oil to 750-ml.…

On-Premise News: Bardstown Debuts New Tasting Room Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Co. has opened its new tasting room on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. The facility features a full bar as well as three tasting experiences, priced between $25 and $35 per person and lasting around 40 minutes. The tastings—the Collaborative Experience, the Origin Experience, and the Art of Blending Experience—cover a range of Bardstown’s whiskeys, including their own distillation and their collaborative projects, among others. In addition to the bar and tastings, the Louisville tasting room will have a full retail shop dedicated to Bardstown’s portfolio. Off-Premise News: Total Wine Expands In Missouri Total Wine & More has acquired Lukas Fine Wine & Spirits’ Stateline store in Kansas City, Missouri for an undisclosed sum. This is the second Total Wine & More…

With Nabedian Set To Retire, Ernest Gallo To Lead E. & J. Gallo…. One of the foremost executives in the American wine business is retiring after a 37 year career. Roger Nabedian, long the head of E. & J. Gallo’s premium wine division, will be retiring effective in January. Post-retirement, Nabedian will join the Gallo board as a director. Across his more than three-decade tenure with the world’s largest wine marketer, Nabedian played a key role in Gallo’s transformation into a fully diversified wine group boasting a portfolio of brands at all price tiers of the business. Since 2005, he has led the company’s billion-dollar premium wine division, holding titles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his current role of executive vice president and general manager. It’s difficult to overstate Gallo’s…

NIGHT WALKER By Sam Levy Ingredients: 2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon;½ ounce coffee brewed with Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth1;¼ ounce Purkhart Nux Alpina Walnut liqueur;¼ ounce Aperol aperitif;Orange peel. Recipe: In an ice-filled mixing glass, stir Bourbon, vermouth, liqueur, and aperitif. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube and garnish with an orange peel. RYE, I OUGHTTA! By Maddie Kaye Ingredients: 2 ounces Sazerac 6-year-old rye;1 ounce Nonino amaro;1 ounce Chinola passion fruit liqueur;¾ ounce Giffard Orgeat syrup;1 ounce fresh lime juice;4 dashes Angostura bitters;Dehydrated lime wheel;2 Filthy black cherries;Mint sprig. Recipe: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine rye, amaro, liqueur, syrup, lime juice, and bitters. Shake vigorously and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel, cherries, and a mint sprig.…

According to one industry analyst, beverage alcohol shouldn’t be divided into three separate categories—beer, wine, and spirits—anymore, but rather, four. “The flavor category has established itself as a standalone fourth category in beverage alcohol,” says Bump Williams, president and CEO of Bump Williams Consulting, which advises suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers, and he notes that the category—which he says encompasses products like flavored malt beverages (FMBs), RTD spirits-based products, hard seltzers, and ciders—continues to lead beverage alcohol in sales growth and innovation year after year and has gained the most share of total beverage dollar sales from 2019 to 2022. Indeed, flavors are driving much of the excitement in the beer category today, whether it’s through line extensions of traditional beer products or the exploding FMB segment. The emergence of hard…

Ponderay, Idaho’s Laughing Dog Brewing is a rarity in the craft beer world. “We’re one of the few northwest breweries whose flagship beer isn’t an IPA,” says sales manager Cory Treman. Rather, it’s the brewery’s Mountain Hound Huckle-berry Cream ale—comprising Laughing Dog Loyal Companion cream ale and fresh, locally-sourced huckleberries—that has emerged as its top seller, setting the company apart from competitors. “Consumer response has been gigantic,” says Treman. “Huckleberries are readily available in northern Idaho, so locals are familiar with the fruit, but tourists also want to sample it.” In addition to Idaho, Mountain Hound is distributed year-round in Montana and Wyoming, and is available in both Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, which has helped expand consumer awareness of the brew, Treman says. Other craft brewers are also marketing…

Beam Suntory has appointed Hernán Tabah as senior vice president and chief digital and technology officer. In the newly created role, Tabah will be responsible for accelerating Beam Suntory’s enterprise digital, data, and end-to-end technology strategy. Tabah joins Beam Suntory from Altria, where he was senior vice president and chief digital and technology officer. Prior to that he held similar roles at Mondelez and British American Tobacco. E-commerce platform ReserveBar has promoted Derek Correia to CEO. Previously, Correia served as the company’s president. In his new role, he’s succeeding company co-founder Lindsay Held, who is transitioning away from a day-today role. The transition coincides with ReserveBar’s 10th anniversary. Bosscal mezcal has named Bill Edwards as chief strategy officer. Previously, Edwards served with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits as senior vice president…

If any category were to adhere to the proverb “variety is the spice of life,” it would be liqueurs. With selections ranging from bitters to crème liqueurs to pastis, the mere breadth of the segment has lent itself to a wide fanbase: mixologists looking for the next big flavor, at-home cooks infusing their recipes with a delectable cordial, LDA consumers celebrating with the latest liqueur-based shooter, and restaurant patrons enjoying an indulgent digestif. Perhaps, for that reason, the top ten brands within the category have turned in mixed performances, with category leader DeKuyper down 4.5% last year, as No.-3 Jägermeister was up by double digits. Brands priced above $25 a 750-ml. seem to be gaining the most traction, following the long-term industry trend of premiumization. Overall, the segment has been…

It’s no small feat to keep a bar running in New York City for 15 years, but Joel Lee Kulp has done just that with The Richardson in Brooklyn. He’s been in the industry since graduating college in the late ’90s, landing his first real bartending gig in New York City at Café Luxembourg in 1998. “I’ve tended bars and managed various venues ever since,” he says. “I managed a neighborhood bar in Nolita for five years before venturing out on my own and opening The Richardson in 2008.” Kulp says that The Richardson was always meant to be a “proper American bar,” which to him means “a place where every aspect of the beverage program is curated, nothing is an afterthought.” When the venue was being created, there was…