Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2021 i Market Watch

Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits started 40 years ago as a one-man operation, run from founder Bill Deutsch’s home. It all seemed simple enough—another small, familyowned wine importer, like so many others dotting the landscape. But few people could have imagined that Deutsch would go on to build the biggest French wine brand in America with Georges Duboeuf (reigning from 1989-2010), and then top that performance by creating the market’s biggest Australian wine brand with Yellow Tail—which also became the largest-selling imported wine overall. For a period of time in the mid-2000s, Yellow Tail was America’s No.-1 brand by value among all wines, surpassing even the most successful players from California. And lest you think this is all about the past, you’d better think again—because the Deutsch story is still…

Woodford Reserve Very Fine Rare Bourbon Brown-Forman has launched the winter 2020 iteration of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection. This season’s whiskey, Woodford Reserve Very Fine Rare Bourbon ($130 a 750-ml.), is blended from Bourbon aged up to 17 years, dating back to 2003, when current master distiller Chris Morris took the helm. The 45.2% abv whiskey will also feature assistant master distiller Elizabeth McCall’s name on the bottle’s tag for the first time. The Bourbon is available in select markets. For more information, visit Woodfordreserve.com. Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Reposado and Platino Jose Cuervo is extending its high-end Reserva de la Familia range with Platino and Reposado offerings. Made at the La Rojena distillery, Platino ($65 a 750-ml.) is making its return to the U.S. market after…

SITTIN’ SIDECAR By Brandon Habenstein Ingredients: 1½ ounces Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac;¼ ounce Luxardo Maraschino liqueur;¾ ounce peach sorghum syrup1;¾ ounce fresh lemon juice;2 dashes The Bitter Truth Peach bitters;Lemon wheel. Recipe: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine Cognac, liqueur, syrup, lemon juice, and bitters. Shake and fine strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel. INSIDE KICK By Kellie Thorn Ingredients: 1½ ounces H by Hine VSOP Cognac;½ ounce Leopold Bros. New England Cranberry liqueur;Spritz St. George Verte absinthe;½ ounce maple syrup¾ ounce lemon juice;3 dashes fresh ginger juice;1 dash Scrappy’s Cardamom bitters;Candied ginger. Recipe: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine Cognac, liqueur, syrup, juices, and bitters. Shake and fine strain into an ice-filled rocks glass that’s been atomized or rinsed with absinthe. Garnish with candied ginger.…

MEGURONI #2 INGREDIENTS: ½ ounces Iichiko Saiten shochu;¾ ounce Choya Kokuto umeshu;¾ ounce Caffo Red Bitter liqueur;½ ounce Rutte Old Simon genever;Kinome leaf. RECIPE: In an ice-filled mixing glass, combine shochu, umeshu, liqueur, and genever. Stir and strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a kinome leaf. MELON-LIME SODA INGREDIENTS: 1 ounce Absolut Lime vodka;1 ounce Midori melon liqueur;½ ounce matcha-lime cordial1;½ ounce sudachi and lime juice mixture2;Soda water;Fresh lime leaf. RECIPE: In a 12-ounce beer mug filled with an ice spear or Kold-Draft ice cubes, build vodka, liqueur, cordial, juices, and soda. Garnish with a fresh lime leaf. 1Gently heat 1000 grams water and 1000 grams granulated sugar. Add 6 lime peels and stir until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and allow to…

Kentucky’s Liquor Barn Expands Footprint Kentucky beverage alcohol retail conglomerate Liquor Barn-Party Mart-DEP’s, owned by Blue Equity, LLC, has acquired longtime Kentucky retailer J’s Liquors Tasting Bar and Cheese Shop and J’s Liquors–West Parrish in Owensboro, Kentucky. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. The acquisition adds two stores to the 20 currently operated by Blue Equity, including 16 Liquor Barn locations, three DEP’s Fine Wine & Spirits stores, and two Party Mart stores. “We basically will blanket, for delivery and touchpoints, 90% of the state,” Jonathan Blue, chairman and managing director of Blue Equity, LLC, said of the acquisition. “Owensboro was a huge gap for us.” Blue Equity plans to integrate the J’s stores into the Liquor Barn franchise rather than keeping the J’s name. “We’ll change signage and logos,” he…

Faiveley Family Takes Stake In Williams Selyem Burgundy’s famed Faively family has purchased an undisclosed minority stake in Russian River Valley Pinot Noir stalwart Williams Selyem. Financial details weren’t released. In a letter to members of their mailing list, Williams Selyem owners John and Kathe Dyson said the move is part of their succession plan for the business, but that there will be no day-to-day change in winery operations now or in the immediate future, adding that they plan to stay in control for at least three years. Director of winemaking Jeff Mangahas and his team will in place as well. Williams Selyem has annual production of around 20,000 cases. The Faiveley family has made wine in Burgundy for seven generations, and holds 331 acres of vineyards across the Côte…

Supreme Court Declines To Address Walmart’s Texas Bid Walmart has hit another stumbling block in its mission to sell spirits in the Lone Star state. In December, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to take on Walmart’s challenge to a Texas liquor law which prevents liquor sales by publicly owned companies. The rejection, which came without comment from the high court, sends the retail giant back to federal trial court. Walmart alleges that 98% of Texas liquor retailers are owned by Texans and that the effect of the law violates the U.S. Constitution and the dormant commerce clause. For its part, Texas consistently argues that the law is aimed at preventing overconsumption of spirits, not economic protectionism for Texans. Walmart has challenged the Texas law for years, occasionally…

Moët Hennessy Takes Minority Stake In WhistlePig…. Moët Hennessy has taken a minority stake in Vermont-based distiller WhistlePig for an undisclosed sum. The move comes as the two companies have also announced a partnership in which Moët Hennessy will look to bolster WhistlePig’s international presence. “The partnership and minority investment will have no impact on WhistlePig’s distribution partnerships in North America and is focused on building WhistlePig and the brand outside of North America,” the two companies stated. One of the leaders in driving ultra-premium rye whiskey in the U.S., WhistlePig opened its distillery on a 500-acre Vermont farm in 2015. Along with Woodinville Whiskey in Washington, it gives Moët Hennessy exposure to the fast-rising upscale rye whiskey category. Gallo Closes Mega-Deal With Constellation….It’s been a long time coming, but…

When Covid-19 hit the restaurant and bar sector last spring, thousands of venues across the country were forced to close immediately and without warning. It was a devastating blow that will have lasting impacts. As restrictions loosened in some markets, on-premise outlets began reopening in various forms, creating takeout and to-go models as well as forming new outdoor dining and drinking spaces. In the hardest-hit cities, where extended closures went on for months, restaurateurs and bar operators had to get creative to find new revenue streams and extend their brands beyond the four walls of their brick-and-mortar spaces. Fostering at-home drinks experiences played heavily into this effort, boosting spirits and allowing for a new type of creative mixology. “Covid has impacted every aspect of our business,” says Death & Co.…

Just over a year ago, Australian brand Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee liqueur ($40 a 750-ml.), announced its “single origin” series, with each expression focused on a different coffee region. The series “captures the terroir” of individual coffee growing regions in a bottle, co-founder Tom Baker notes. “We’ve released two expressions so far, and they both sold out straight away,” Baker says, noting that consumers are eager to explore the nuanced flavor profiles offered. Mr. Black Single Origin Columbia carries a suggested retail price of $49 a 750-ml., while the Ethiopia-designated product is $40. Founded in 2013, the Mr. Black brand was created to capture consumer enthusiasm for coffee. “Specialty coffee shops were popping up throughout the world,” Baker says. “The coffee that people were drinking was changing. Coffee liqueurs…

Napa Valley-based Hess Family Wine Estates has current volume of approximately 600,000 cases across a portfolio that ranges from accessibly priced entries in the $10-$30 range up through luxury labels like The Lion Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($185 a 750-ml.). Last year, the company battled both the pandemic and harvest season wildfires, and like many California players was forced to react nimbly to the tumultuous conditions by accentuating the off-premise and DTC channels. MARKET WATCH consulting editor Daniel Marsteller, who is also executive editor of MARKET WATCH sister publication Shanken News Daily, recently caught up with Hess chairman Tim Persson to discuss that effort and the outlook for 2021. MW: What’s your read on overall conditions in the wine market as we embark on this new year? Persson: Although we…

RNDC To Acquire Opici Family Distributing of Florida Republic National Distributing Co. has announced a deal to purchase Opici Family Distributing of Florida, effective March 1. The price was undisclosed. “We are excited about the purchase of Opici Family Distributing of Florida as it expands our fine wine and craft spirits portfolio, as well as our relationship with Opici family,” said RNDC COO Bob Hendrickson. “The Opici family has been a successful distributor in Florida since 1980 and we are proud to carry on that tradition on their behalf under the RNDC name.” Along with the purchase, Opici Wines and Spirits, the supplier arm of the Opici family, will be distributed by RNDC in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and South Carolina. “We are pleased to grow our relationship…

Other Half Brewing Partners With Online Retailer Brooklyn, New York-based Other Half Brewing has begun shipping through online retailer Tavour. The alignment significantly expands Other Half’s distribution area up to 26 states including California, Illinois, Texas, and Florida, among others. The brewery has been expanding its production capacity as well and recently opened a taproom in Washington D.C. to complement its existing locations in Brooklyn and Broomfield, New York. Another production facility and taproom is slated to open in Brooklyn’s Domino Park neighborhood in the coming months.…

Michter’s Master Distiller Emeritus Wille Pratt Michter’s has announced the passing of master distiller emeritus Willie Pratt. Born in 1942 in Hazard, Kentucky, Pratt worked at Brown-Forman for over four decades before retiring at the age of 65. His passion for whiskey led him to rejoin the industry in 2007, as he accepted the position of master distiller at Michter’s. He oversaw the design and building of the state-of-the-art Michter’s Shively distillery, before turning over master distiller duties to Pam Heilmann, who was in turn succeeded by Dan McKee in 2019. Pratt remained actively involved in Michter’s production up to his passing.…

Last March, the world was unmoored by the emergence of Covid-19, a virus that would come to alter everyday living across all corners of the globe. While the pandemic has proven devastating to many industries, some have benefited from the new social distancing guidelines that have become entrenched in everyday life; among them is the wine industry, and, more specifically, its e-commerce enterprise. Over the course of 2020, wine’s e-commerce presence experienced astronomical growth, with both retailers and producers seeing gains that were once expected to take years explode seemingly overnight. Though there were early challenges in navigating such mammoth momentum, most in the industry have since adjusted accordingly, and at a rapid clip, meeting the demands of consumers who are now more acutely attuned to the benefits of buying…

Ektoras Binikos, co-owner of Sugar Monk in New York City, points out that even the newest-seeming trends in mixology are never truly new. “What I mean by this is that creative bartenders are often looking back in time for inspiration, trying to recreate or build upon old recipes by adding a modern twist,” he explains. “Brandy is one of those spirits that’s been used as a base in many classic recipes going back to the Prohibition era and beyond. So you now see great interest in such classics as the Sidecar, Vieux Carré, and Pisco Sour, as well as many new brandy concoctions.” All brown spirits have benefited tremendously from growing interest in historic cocktail recipes, but the momentum behind brandy and Cognac has been slightly slower than that of…

An izakaya is essentially a Japanese pub—an informal neighborhood spot to enjoy drinks and snacks. This is what Katana Kitten in Manhattan’s West Village is modeled after. “It’s a fun, casual place with both Japanese and American influences,” says Masahiro Urushido, managing partner and “director of deliciousness” for the bar, which he opened in the summer of 2018 along with Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality Group’s Greg Boehm and James Tune. “We offer simple, delicious, and approachable drinks but we make sure they’re executed perfectly.” A native of Nagano, Japan, Urushido entered the hospitality industry in the early aughts, working his way up from food runner to bartender at the fine-dining Tokyo restaurant Tableaux. He moved stateside in 2008 to complete his degree in hospitality management at the City University of New…

Constellation Closes Sale Of Paul Masson To Sazerac Constellation Brands has closed its sale of Paul Masson Grande Amber brandy to Sazerac for $265 million. The deal includes the brand, related inventory, and interests in certain contracts, and is subject to post-closing adjustments. “The closure of this sale concludes a series of transactions within our wine and spirits business designed to help accelerate revenue growth and operating margin performance by advancing our vision of building a winning portfolio of distinctive, higher-end brands,” said Bill Newlands, Constellation Brands’ president and CEO. “With these transactions now behind us, our team can more fully concentrate our resources and focus behind a smaller set of more premium brands that better align with consumer premiumization trends.” Prior to this sale, Constellation also closed its $810…

Aphria and Tilray Announce Merger Leading Canadian cannabis companies Aphria and Tilray have entered a definitive agreement to merge. The merged entity will retain the Tilray name but the all-stock deal involves Aphria shareholders paying a 23% premium to buy up approximately 62% of outstanding Tilray stock in a reverse acquisition. Together, Tilray and Aphria’s revenue for the last 12 months totaled $685 million on a pro forma basis, meaning that, once merged, the company will be the largest cannabis firm worldwide, with an equity value of nearly $4 billion. In keeping with Aphria’s controlling acquisition of Tilray stock, the new Tilray will be led by current Aphria chairman and CEO Irwin Simon, who will hold the same titles at the merged company. Its board of directors will consist of…

Following Alan Dreeben’s retirement from Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC), Marc Sachs has been named to the company’s board. He ascends to RNDC’s board with 25 years of sales and marketing experience. He joined RNDC forerunner Block Distributing in 2005, and has managed and led multiple sales, marketing, and organizational development strategic initiatives across his tenure. Diageo veteran James Thompson has been named chief commercial officer at Heineken, replacing Jan Derck van Karnebeek. Thompson’s 24 years at Diageo spanned three continents, including in North America as chief marketing and innovation officer, in Asia Pacific as chief marketing and innovation officer, and as managing director of Global Reserve. He started his new role leading the Dutch brewing giant’s commercial team early this year. Wilson Daniels has named Mindy Hewitson as vice…