Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Market Watch

Each year, Market Watch sister publication Impact Newsletter salutes the best performing wine, spirits, and beer brands in the U.S. market over the long term with its “Blue Chip Brands” honor roll. The challenges of the past year and a half have certainly created new business dynamics—accelerating some areas of the market while hampering others—but, as the Blue Chips roster shows, many of the industry’s major players remain at the top of their game. To meet Impact’s Blue Chip criteria, brands must show at least ten consecutive years of volume growth, or average annual compound growth of at least 0.5% from 2010 through 2020 with positive growth in at least eight of those ten years. In addition, the brands must have maintained gross margins of at least $25 million last…

Despite supply chain issues and product shortages, Cognac consumption reached 8.4 million cases on 24.5% growth in the United States last year, according to Impact Databank. No.-1 brand Hennessy grew 21.2% to 5.1 million cases, followed by Rémy Martin’s 50.6% jump to nearly 1.5 million cases and Courvoisier’s 20.9% rise to 707,000 cases. In fourth place is D’Ussé, which increased 47.1% to 548,000 cases, and Salignac takes the fifth spot, with a 4.7% bump to 177,000 cases. Of the top six brands in the U.S. market, Martell is the only one that declined, dropping 25.5% to 174,000 cases in 2020. Category leader Hennessy continues to dominate, due in part to a growing interest in the spirit among millennial consumers, according to senior vice president of Hennessy U.S. Jasmin Allen. “Our…

A 31-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Kim Dansereau initially had different career aspirations. “I started waiting tables at 19 and bartending at 20, but then I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in finance and went to work as a financial planner,” the Oklahoma native says. “I absolutely hated it—office life just wasn’t for me. I missed the hospitality industry and went straight back to it.” From casual eateries and dive bars to fine-dining restaurants and craft cocktail venues, Dansereau worked at them all throughout Oklahoma City over the next several years before deciding she was ready for the next big step: Owning her own restaurant and bar. “When I told my dad I was thinking about going out on my own, he said, ‘It’s about…

Shistory journal to track what workseveral years ago, whisk(e)y destination Sanfords Restaurant in Astoria, New York added a barrel-aged Manhattan to its signature drinks menu. The cocktail was designed to highlight the concept’s upscale brown spirits program and hopefully attract mature and adventurous drinkers. It has since become a fixture at the bar and is now joined by a full roster of other barrel-aged drinks all crafted using an elaborate system at the venue. Sanfords bar manager, Ali Sorensen, says the original barrel-aged Manhattan has been among the venue’s topper forming cocktails for the last six years. “Our guests love a barrel aged cocktail,” Sorensen says. “We added the barrel aged Sanfords Manhattan when we renovated in 2015 and it’s been our best-selling stirred drink to date. Our customers are…

Basil, ginger, lemongrass, mint, orange blossom, rose, elderflower, sage. The flavored vodka market has certainly come a long way since suppliers first flooded the market with sweet and artificially fruity offerings in the early 2000s. In the last several years, imported producers have been leading the way with more botanical and herb-driven combinations in the flavor space. These unique offerings are the latest gambit to try and compete with Tito’s, the domestic stalwart that has essentially taken over the vodka market. Overshadowed by the Texas vodka as well as the popularity of whiskies, imported vodkas are also trying to tap into the meteoric rise of RTDs with branded canned cocktails. And while flavors continue to make up a small percentage of total brand volume, these recent bottlings have helped bolster…

Port pileups, shipping delays, and supply chain disruptions are hampering industries across all sectors of the economy—and that includes beverage alcohol. For wine and spirits in particular, glass supply and shipping snags are two of the biggest problems. Sales remain strong, but businesses of all sizes—including producers, importers, and retailers, are scrambling to stock the most sought-after releases heading into the holidays. “Supply constraints are always popping up, but never to the extent and scope that we’re seeing now,” says Nima Ansari, spirits buyer at Astor Wines & Spirits in Manhattan. Preparing for the holiday crunch requires checking in daily on ETAs [and] quantities, plus anticipating needs. “We’re working with the assumption that further delays will continue at least for the foreseeable future, we’re prioritizing key SKUs and considering alternatives,”…

JAPANESE HOT TODDY By Shigefumi Kabashima Ingredients: 1½ ounces Nikka Coffey Grain whisky;⅓ ounce Kuromitsu black sugar syrup;½ ounce yuzu juice;Top hot water;Lemon wheel;Cinnamon stick;Cloves. Recipe: Build whisky, syrup, yuzu juice, and hot water in a mug or teacup. Garnish with a lemon wheel, cinnamon stick, and cloves. HAUTE HOT CHOCOLATE By Adrianne Calvo Ingredients: 5 ounces Señorío Joven mezcal;½ cup cocoa powder;1 tablespoon granulated sugar;Pinch kosher salt;1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract;2 cups whole milk;6 cinnamon sticks;1 whole dried ancho chile pod, split;8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips;Whipped cream;Dark chocolate shavings;Chile powder. Recipe: In a medium saucepan, stir cocoa with sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in milk, 2 cinnamon sticks, ancho chile, and bittersweet chocolate. Heat over medium, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is hot. Gently whisk to…

While much has changed in the drinks business over the past year and a half, the annual gathering of industry titans at the Impact Marketing Seminar hasn’t skipped a beat, taking place for the 45th straight year. The industry’s top players convened at The Pierre in New York City on September 29 for a packed program at the sold out event, hosted by M. Shanken Communications chairman Marvin R. Shanken. This latest edition of the Seminar featured presentations from top executives across wine, spirits, distribution, retail, fine dining, and the emerging cannabis industry. Opening the festivities, Shanken paid tribute to the 416 speakers who’ve addressed the Seminar over its 45 years, observing that in many ways they represent the history of the industry itself. In particular, he highlighted the many…

Wrapping up the 2021 harvest at his Willamette Valley property, Jim Bernau felt excitement and a great sense of relief. “I think the flavors in the Pinot Noir are the best I’ve tasted since 1988,” says the Willamette Valley Vineyards founder. “The yields were below average…and that tends to provide more opportunities for flavor.” Ed King, CEO of King Estate Winery, is similarly enthralled. “Our harvest is complete and I’m thrilled we’ve had no smoke issues in the Willamette Valley and that we’re seeing fruit of very high quality,” he says. “A lot of things have gone right in the vineyard this year and that’s going to pay off in the cellar.” The early enthusiasm for the 2021 harvest in Oregon comes at a time when the state is seeing…

After a difficult year in 2020, the Champagne category has rebounded strongly in 2021, and as the holiday selling season gets underway the biggest problem facing the category may be shortages of preferred brands. “Premiumization is a trend that continues across categories, and Champagne is no exception,” says Bill Edwards, senior vice president of on-premise national accounts at wholesale giant Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “It’s the ‘affordable luxury’ consumers are craving. People are treating themselves. Where we used to think there were thresholds, those thresholds are being shattered. As we go into the holidays, we expect pent-up excitement to return to celebratory gatherings will continue to drive demand for all things bubbly.” That pent-up demand has already been manifesting itself across the country, with the total Champagne category jumping…

A few years ago, Justin Pasha had an idea for a new business—a cocktail catering company that offered high-quality drinks for private events and parties. A bartending veteran, Pasha didn’t know of any businesses in the Northeast offering dedicated drinks services for private events, even though food catering is a huge business. He thought it was a missed opportunity on the drinks side and seven years later, his company The Cup Bearer is booming in Connecticut and New York City. As demand for private events services increases, cocktail catering has become a growing business, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when consumers looked for new ways to enjoy social experiences outside of traditional bars and restaurants. A handful of clever entrepreneurs around the country like Pasha have launched their own private…

At Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Co., the top-selling beer each year is often a label that’s only available for eight weeks. The brewery’s Christmas ale, released every October, has become such a cult favorite among beer aficionados and non-enthusiasts alike that demand often outstrips supply, according to vice president of sales Chris Brown. “In some years, bottles have dried up shortly after Thanksgiving,” he says of the seasonal brew, which was first produced in 1992. Beer retailers also note the continued popularity of yearend brews. “Every year we take on more and more winter beers, and every year they do very well,” says Ferdinand Sneed, beer buyer at Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. “It’s rare that they make it to our ‘Closeout Wall,’” which is the store’s display…