Market Watch June 2024

For all three main categories—wine, beer, and spirits—it’s a constant battle out there to stay competitive. Once upon a time, rival brands fought within the boundaries of their own category, and there was little concern about the shelf battles going on elsewhere. But those days are long gone. In more recent years, spirits makers tried to woo beer drinkers and even wine drinkers, while craft brewers attempted to do the same. Now it’s a cross-category war, and the competition is pretty much everywhere. Wine, arguably the most traditional category, for years saw no reason to change, but as the competition intensified, that no longer rang true. So winemakers embarked on a steady march toward innovation—in packaging, but also in products. The work on the product side has been led by…

Gallo Enters Beer Category…..Gallo has made a strategic investment into Montucky Cold Snacks, marking the wine and spirits company’s entry into the beer market. While terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Gallo notes that Montucky has seen substantial growth in recent years, with the brand reaching 1 million cases last year. “Today’s consumer is shopping brands, flavors, and occasions across beer, wine, spirits, and RTDs. Here at Gallo, we focus on serving the consumer and expanding the boundaries of what’s expected,” says Gallo CEO Ernest J. Gallo. Montucky Cold Snacks’ flagship beer is a 4.1% abv light lager with 102 calories a 12-ounce can. The beer is currently available in 12-ounce cans ($15 a 12-pack; $25 a 30-pack), individual 24-ounce cans ($3), and 16-ounce cans ($8 a 6-pack),…

Chicago: Common Decency Offers Creative Cocktails And A 1980s Vibe Channeling Miami circa the 1980s, Common Decency opened in Chicago in late April, offering a menu of creative but approachable cocktails to complement upscale bar fare. The Logan Square concept is owned by newly formed Milkhorse Hospitality, which was created by a team of bar industry veterans that includes Mark Steuer, Jason Turley, Kelsey Kasper, and the late Felipe Hernandez. Common Decency is located in the space that formerly housed popular bar Lost Lake. The new spot offers specialties like the Frozen Key Lime Pie, mixing Planteray 3 Star and Original Dark rums, Mommenpop Lime liqueur, Greek yogurt, graham cracker orgeat, and lime juice, and the Dissociating In Roku City, a blend of Control Pisco, Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple rum,…

Ardnahoe Inaugural Release Owned by the Glasgow-based independent bottler Hunter Laing, Islay distillery Ardnahoe filled its first cask in 2018 and officially opened for visitors in 2019. Now, its debut whisky is here. Ardnahoe Inaugural Release ($88 a 750-ml.) is the first new whisky from a new distillery on Islay in 15 years—since Kilchoman launched its inaugural offering back in 2009. Matured in a combination of Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks, it’s bottled at 50% abv. It’s currently available at the distillery and retail in the UK and other global markets, and it’s set to hit shelves in the U.S. this fall. For more information, visit Ardnahoedistillery.com. Strathearn Single Malt Scottish independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. has announced the release of the inaugural single malt whisky from Strathearn Distillery…

Social media has been influencing pop culture since its inception, and online social networks like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have become big-time influencers at the bar, too. The on-premise is a social business, after all, and social media has naturally become a source of information and idea-sharing for consumers and bar aficionados. From a bartender perspective, social media often spreads awareness on new drinks trends and cocktails at a much more rapid pace than old fashioned word of mouth. TikTok in particular, thanks to its short video clip format, has become a haven for drinks trends. “TikTok has an outsized influence over the drinks business due to its enormous reach,” says Sother Teague, partner and beverage director at New York City bar Amor y Amargo and its parent company Overthrow…

It seems everyone is drinking bitter these days—and Italian aperitivo and amari are at the center of this trend. “There’s a bit of a renaissance in embracing bold flavors like those found in herbal and bitter spirits and liqueurs,” says David Ballew, president and CEO of Oregon-based Hood River Distillers. “This trend mirrors a broader cultural shift toward more complex and robust taste experiences across the culinary and beverage scene over the last few decades. As a result, U.S. consumer palates have evolved, and now consumers want and expect bold flavors, not only in their food, but also in their cocktails.” Gabriele Besozzi, general manager of Pendolino in Sandy Springs, Georgia, just north of Atlanta, also notes U.S. consumers’ evolved palates. “They appreciate the depth and versatility bitter liqueurs offer…