March 30, 2015
Bacardi Acquires ANGEL’S ENVY Bourbon
Bacardi has announced it is buying out the Louisville-based Angel’s Share Brands, makers of the renowned, small batch Angel’s Envy Bourbon and Rye. Their port-finishedaged Bourbon, which The Amateur Alcoholist highly recommends, is among ten fastest growing premium Bourbons in America.
No need to fear that Bacardi will interfere with the brand and liquid so many have come to love; they plan to maintain Angel’s Envy’s independence, with the business structure, employee base, production, distribution, commercial and marketing activities all remaining in-house.
The details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
To read more, view the full article here
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March 16, 2015
THE MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CRAFT SPIRITS
Emily Miles, who was discussed last week for recommending changing the definition of “craft” beyond production, has a follow-up piece at The Spirits Business looking at the top brands fans of craft distilling need to try. Offering two selections per spirit category, with a description of the benefits of each, there should be something for everybody – assuming you can get your hands on a bottle.
Vodka
- Woody Creek Signature Potato Vodka (US)
- Black Cow Gold Top Vodka (UK)
Gin
- Terroir Gin (US)
- Van Wees Zeer Oude Genever 15 Year Old (Netherlands)
Rum
- Thomas Tew (US)
- Privateer True American Rum (US)
Tequila/Mezcal
- Calle 23 Blanco Tequila (Mexico)
- Del Maguey Vida (Mexico)
Single Malt Whiskey
- Kilchoman 100% Islay (Scotland)
- Sullivan’s Cove French Oak Port Cask (Tasmania)
Bourbon
- Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon (US)
- Koval Single Barrel Bourbon (US)
Rye
- Corsair Ryemageddon (US)
- Dark Horse Distillery Reunion Rye Whiskey (US)
To read more, view the full article here
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March 11, 2015
CRAFT SPIRITS SHOULD NOT BE DEFINED BY SIZE
Craft. We’ve all heard it. You’ve probably tried one. But do you know what “craft” actually means? No? Me neither – nor anyone else really, because there is no standard accepted definition, and the commonly accepted definitions keep changing. One common way to measure the “craft-ness” of a spirit is by its annual bottle/case production. But this can be misleading: as products grow in popularity, and therefore in scale, do they necessarily lose craft status, even if the production process remains static? Tito’s Vodka, for instance, is certainly considered craft by many, if not most. But Tito’s has outgrown that designation if looked at on a production-basis, eclipsing the 40,000 case mark (considered the upper bound for craft designation by some trade organizations) more than 20 times over!
Today The Spirits Business, via Emily Miles – author of Craft Spirit World: A Guide to the Artisan Spirit-Makers and Distillers You Need to Try -, looks at alternative definitions that could be more appropriate. Miles dislikes the idea of ruling out distillers because of their output, especially because the American Craft Spirits Alliance has amended the cap for craft designation and has not ruled out raising (or shrinking) it again. She does, however, agree with the notion that a craft distillery should be independent, meaning not financially backed by a larger corporation. While Miles’s preferred definition of “a person or bunch of people who – in pursuit of the dream of excellent booze – turn organic matter into delicious-tasting alcohol” feels too broad, I think she may be right in moving away from a production-based definition.
To read more, view the full article here
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March 5, 2015
Challenging Year For Top 100 Spirits Brands, But Bourbon Rides High
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the craft spirits trend carried on strong in 2014. As Shanken News Daily reports, of the 6 brands to sell more than 10 million cases, only posted positive growth: Jack Daniel’s. Of the remaining five, Smirnoff (the world’s largest spirit brand) performed best, posting flat year over year sales, while and Bacardi, Johnnie Walker, Absolut, and Captain Morgan all posted decreases between -1% and -10%.
Across the top 100 brands, including Fireball (whose growth was featured yesterday, and this article adds that Fireball experienced the most growth of any spirit brand), there was growth, but it was meager at 0.6%. Other players that helped push big brand sales into the positive came from within whiskey brands: Jim Beam, Evan Williams, and flavored variants of Jack Daniel’s. Some “craft” spirits also saw significant gains, with Tito’s Vodka rising ~55% and New Amsterdam Vodka rising ~45%, bucking the trend of declining vodka sales to combine to sell ~5 million cases.
To read more, view the full article here
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March 4, 2015
Whiskey Market Heats Up As Jack Daniels and Jim Beam Challenge Fireball
We’ve all tried Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. The Amateur Alcoholist even makes sure to always have a bottle on-shelf. It’s wildly popular, equally drinkable, and hits a sweet spot for ready-to-go shots of something ridiculously drinkable.
But Fireball’s growth really is something to behold. Using grassroots marketing and some on-premise sales tactics that other big boys may frown upon (promoted drinking contests, anyone?), Fireball has grown from “Dr. McGillilcuddy’s Hot Cinnamon Fireball Whisky” to a top-ten US selling spirit. Fireball eclipsed the 4 million case mark last year, leading the $247 million Cinnamon Whiskey category, which is still growing strong with a 90% increase in 2014.
And major competitors don’t want to miss the boat, having launched their own cinnamon variants. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the moves Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam are taking to try to challenge Fireball’s market dominance.
To read more, view the full article here
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March 3, 2015
Whiskey essentials that everyone should have in their home bar
Business Insider offers their thoughts on various doodads every whiskey lover should have behind their bar. The Amateur Alcoholist doesn’t agree with all of them – an aging barrel is really only handy if you’re trying to make your own hooch – but it’s a solid start. Proper glassware and ice sphere molds are great additions that can be found at good value. Unfortunately, they left of the most important thing a whiskey lover needs in his bar: good whiskey.
To read more, view the full article here
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Top 10 spirits launches in February, 2015
The Spirits Business provides its monthly list of the the top ten new spirits launches. This month features:
- Highland Park Odin (Scotch)
- Talisker Skye (Scotch)
- Midleton Dair Ghaelach (Irish Whiskey)
- Captain Morgan Flavours (Rum)
- Macallan 1824 Masters Series (Scotch)
- Kilbeggan 8 Year Old Single Grain (Irish Whiskey)
- Havana Club Union (Rum)
- Bols Genever (Gin)
- John Walker & Sons King George V (Scotch)
- Redbreast Mano a Lámh (Irish Whiskey)
To read more, view the full article here
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