Laden...
To view this email as a web page, go here |
Sign up for Shanken News Daily | Forward to a Colleague | Visit ShankenNewsDaily.com
Visit: WineSpectator.com | CigarAficionado.com | WhiskyAdvocate.com | Market Watch | Impact Newsletter | Impact Databank
Follow Shanken News Daily on: Twitter Facebook
Total gin volumes have struggled over the past decade, with U.S. consumption slipping by more than 1.2 million cases from 2008–2016. But the category has stemmed its losses this year, and Impact Databank projects that volumes for 2016 will be steady at just under 9.5 million cases. More notable is the progress being shown by the high-end players.
“Premium gin is in growth,” says Ned Duggan, vice president and managing director for Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire. “There’s a shift from lower-priced, domestic brands to imports, premium labels and craft brands.”
Bombay is projected to grow by 4.2% to 1.1 million cases this year. Led by its higher-end Bombay Sapphire ($25-$30) expression, Bombay has focused largely on building connections with mixologists with initiatives like its Most Imaginative Bartender competition.
The high-end segment is also being driven by Hendrick’s, which grew by 19.5% last year to nearly 300,000 cases. “Our focus is around the brand’s quirky and unusual branding, but it’s more about ensuring that people are familiar with the quality and uniqueness of the liquid,” says Jonathan Yusen, president and managing director for North America at brand-owner William Grant & Sons. “In 2016, we’ve seen growth trends similar to those of recent years.”
Meanwhile, Tanqueray ($25) has bounced back in recent months, and the range is expected to post 1.1% growth in the U.S. this year, to 1.33 million cases. The Diageo-owned brand has been focused on innovation, having added Tanqueray Bloomsbury—a more juniper-forward limited edition—in 2015, alongside the original Tanqueray and its Rangpur and No. Ten extensions. Additionally, Tanqueray is looking to drive buzz with its new “Gin & Juice” campaign, unveiled in September in partnership with entertainer Snoop Dogg.
At Pernod Ricard USA, volume leader Seagram’s Gin remains sluggish, but portfoliomate Beefeater is on track to make a 0.9% gain in 2016, improving on last year’s 2.4% decline. The Beefeater lineup includes its core offering ($20), as well as Beefeater 24 ($29), billed as a more modern version of a traditional London Dry gin. Beefeater also recently released the second iteration of its upscale Burrough’s Reserve gin ($70) in the U.S.
As Total Wine & More’s lawsuit against Connecticut’s minimum pricing law continues, a U.S. District Court judge is reportedly allowing wholesalers, retailers and restaurateurs to intervene on behalf of the state in the case. The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, the Connecticut Beer Wholesalers Association, the Connecticut Package Stores Association and the Connecticut Restaurant Association all plan to join in opposition to Total Wine, whose lawsuit asserts that Connecticut’s mandatory minimum pricing rules result in “price-fixing by wholesalers and retailers” and constitute “a restraint of trade and a violation of the federal Sherman anti-trust act.”
The wholesale, retail and restaurant groups contend that minimum pricing is necessary to prevent price discrimination in the market, as bigger players like Total Wine and BevMax seek to leverage their scale by selling certain products below cost. The Hartford Business Journal said District Judge Janet Hall has now ruled in favor of the trade groups, allowing them to intervene in the proceedings on the state’s behalf.
•Infinium Spirits Seagram’s vodka is extending its flavor range with two new offerings. Seagram’s will add Golden Apricot and Ruby Red Grapefruit entries to its flavor stable, which currently includes Grape, Peach, Red Berry and Apple expressions. Both newcomers will retail at $18 a 750-ml. Last year, Seagram’s vodka was up 12.1% to more than 1.3 million nine-liter cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.
•Florida-based importer Enovation Brands has added Gemma di Luna Moscato, a premium Italian sparkler, to its portfolio. Made with Moscato grapes from the Piemonte region, Gemma di Luna will be available nationwide, retailing at $17 a 750-ml. The 7.5%-abv expression joins Enovation’s existing Italy-centric wine stable, which also includes VOGA Italia, Luna Di Luna, Lady Lola, Ca’ Montini and Farmers of Wine, among other brands.
•Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC) has donated $55 million to Step Up For Students, providing scholarships for financially disadvantaged children in Florida. The donation, which will fund more than 9,000 K-12 scholarships, is more than triple the amount of previous years. RNDC has partnered with Step Up for five consecutive years, donating a total of $115 million since 2012.
•Brooklyn Brewery is reportedly planning an $80 million brewery and warehouse project in Orange County, New York. According to local reports, the pioneering craft brewer is eyeing a 250,000-square-foot space near Newburgh in upstate New York for the project. Currently the 12th-largest U.S. craft brewer, according to the Brewers Association—with volume of about 277,000 barrels—the company is also in the process of building a new headquarters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that will include a brewery and rooftop bar, set to open in 2018. Japan’s Kirin took a 24.5% stake in Brooklyn Brewery last month for an undisclosed sum.
•Wauconda, Illinois-based Small Town Brewery is introducing two new limited edition beers, Not Your Father’s Taproom IPA and Not Your Father’s Cherry Ale. Taproom IPA is made with U.S. and European malts and Yakima Valley hops, while the cherry ale is brewed with U.S., Belgian and German malts, Washington sour cherries and German hops. Not Your Father’s Taproom IPA (6.5% abv) and Cherry Ale (8.5% abv) will be available initially in Oregon and Washington in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles for about $11. The new entries join Small Town’s Not Your Father’s hard soda range that includes the flagship Root Beer, which depleted nearly 3 million (2.25-gallon) cases in 2015, earning Impact “Hot Brand” honors.
Get the latest edition of Shanken's Impact Newsletter, providing in-depth news and research about the beverage alcohol industry.
Subscribe today and you'll receive every issue in both print and digital format.
For a complete listing of M. Shanken Communications events or to register, click here.
Got a story idea, or general comments about this newsletter?
Contact our editors David Fleming, Peter Zwiebach, and Daniel Marsteller at:
[email protected]
Share this newsletter via: Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Twitter
For advertising information, contact Steve Senatore ([email protected])
Unsubscribe | Forward to a Friend | Manage your newsletter subscription
Copyright 2016 M. Shanken Communications, Inc.
825 Eighth Avenue, 33rd Floor New York NY 10019
Laden...
Laden...