Shanken’s Impact Newsletter, the leading source for exclusive data on the alcoholic beverage industry in the United States and internationally. Every issue features up-to-the-minute data and analysis on trends in the worldwide drinks market.
THE 39TH ANNUAL IMPACT MARKETING SEMINAR, HOSTED BY MARVIN R. SHANKEN, chairman of M. Shanken Communications, brought together hundreds of the drinks industry’s top executives for a program that featured a range of presentations from thought leaders both within the beverage alcohol business and outside it. The event, which was held at New York City’s Pierre Hotel on March 19, was preceded by a welcoming reception the previous night at Trump Soho’s Hudson Square Ballroom, hosted by Jim Clerkin, president and CEO of Moët Hennessy USA. Addressing the audience at the seminar’s morning program were: Jerry Yang, co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo!; Peter McDonough, president, chief marketing & innovation of-ficer at Diageo North America; Pam Levine, chief marketing officer of HBO; Michael Clarke, managing director and CEO of Treasury…
WE RECENTLY HELD OUR 39TH IMPACT MARKETING Seminar, but in many ways the latest gathering was the first of its kind. While we’ve always invited many of the drinks industry’s most prominent players to address the audience, over the past few years we’ve brought in thought leaders from outside the business, figuring they would provide seminar attendees with a particularly fresh perspective that might allow them to do their jobs even better. This year, though, we took it to a new level, with a roster of speakers more illustrious and varied than ever before. They included key executives from much-admired companies like Google, Costco and HBO; tech pioneers Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo!, and Dennis Crowley, the cofounder and CEO of Foursquare; and leaders from three of the drinks…
PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK-BASED fine wine importer Vintus and Champagne Bollinger have entered into a long-term distribution agreement for the U.S market. Vintus and Champagne Bollinger are already affiliated in the U.S., as the importer currently handles Bollinger-owned Champagne Ayala in the market. “While Vintus is a young company (founded in 2004 by former Kobrand executive Michael Quinttus), we’re convinced that it’s the best partner for the future of Champagne Bollinger in the U.S.,” said Bollinger CEO Jérôme Philipon in a statement. Bollinger, which has been imported by Terlato Wines, is well-known for its long affiliation with the James Bond film series, having been featured in nearly all of the popular 007 movies over the past four decades. The brand currently sells approximately 25,000 cases annually in the U.S.…
THE BOURBON BOOM APPEARS TO be coming at Scotch whisky’s expense. Global Scotch exports fell by 7% to £3.95 billion ($5.85b) in 2014, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), with the drop-off due in large part to a 9% decline in the U.S. to £748 million ($1.11b). However, consumption figures in the U.S.—Scotch’s largest export market by value—were less discouraging. Scotch depletions in the U.S. were down by just 0.8% last year, according to IMPACT DATABANK, and single malt consumption continues to rise strongly, up 5%.…
BACARDI LTD. HAS BOLSTERED ITS whisk(e)y business with the purchase of a fast-rising Bourbon brand and a stake in a craft Scotch player. Bacardi Ltd. has acquired Louisvillebased Angel’s Share Brands, including subsidiary Louisville Distilling Co. and its Angel’s Envy Bourbon brand. The deal marks Bacardi’s entry into the high-flying Bourbon category, whose super-premium segment has been expanding at double-digit rates. Under the deal, Angel’s Envy will continue as a standalone operation, with its business structure, employee base, production, distribution, commercial and marketing activities unchanged. Angel’s Envy told Impact a year ago that it was in 32 markets, with full national distribution expected within a year or so. The brand’s sales are currently estimated at under 50,000 cases. Angel’s Envy is led by its Port Finished Bourbon ($46), one of…
AFTER A YEAR IN WHICH IT FORMED ITS OWN U.S. SALES AND MARKETING UNIT, Edrington Group tells IMPACT that progress is continuing apace for its key Scotch whisky brands Macallan and Highland Park, with each showing double-digit growth. Last year, Macallan posted a 15% advance to cross the 200,000-case threshold, earning IMPACT “Hot Brand” honors in the process. Fellow luxury single malt Highland Park is also increasingly making its presence felt, jumping 23% in 2014 to about 20,000 cases. Among the specific marques driving gains for Edrington’s luxury malt duo are two relatively new products, Macallan Rare Cask ($300 a 750-ml.) and Highland Park Dark Origins ($80), both no-age-statement whiskies. Dark Origins—which sees about twice as many first-fill Sherry casks as the flagship Highland Park 12-yearold and has a darker,…
