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 LATEST CROP OF IMPACT’S “HOT Brands” showcases a diverse array of fast-growing labels from across the spirits and wine industry. In all, 66 brands met Impact’s stringent criteria to earn the title of “Hot Brand,” including both household names like Diageo’s Crown Royal, Pernod Ricard’s Jameson, Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam and E.&J. Gallo’s Barefoot Cellars, as well as a host of rapidly growing upstarts from both new and established players, such as Deutsch Family’s Luksusowa vodka, Campari’s Espolòn Tequila, Treasury Wine Estates’ 19 Crimes and JaM Cellars’ Butter Chardonnay, among many others. Within spirits, the U.S. market’s ongo-ing fascination with brown goods of all types led the whisk(e)y category to account for more than one-third of the entire list. Likewise, on the wine side, the fast-expand-ing red blend and…
WHILE THE OVERALL WINE AND SPIRITS MARKET IN the U.S. has been showing low-single-digit volume growth in recent years, premiumization and a steady influx of intriguing new prod-ucts continue to drive progress. At the vanguard are the 66 brand franchises whose recent performances have earned them the title of Impact “Hot Brand.” On the spirits side, perhaps most impressive is the dynamic growth of some of the biggest brands across the industry. Diageo’s Crown Royal, invigorated by its foray into the flavored whisky segment, has added more than 1 million cases over the past two years. So has Hennessy Cognac, which accelerated in both 2015 and 2016. In wine, the U.S. consumer’s fascination with red blends has been a boon to labels like Ste. Michelle Wine Estates’ 14 Hands—which crossed…
TREASURY WINE ESTATES (TWE) IS toasting a strong start to its fiscal year, with net revenue leaping by 20% to A$1.3 billion ($993m) in the six months through December, represent-ing the company’s fiscal first half. TWE’s volume vaulted by 19% to nearly 19 million cases during the pe-riod, while EBITS grew 59% to A$227 million ($173m). TWE’s Americas region was a key contributor to growth, with the unit posting volume up 13% to 7.9 million cases and revenue up 26% to A$566 million ($433m). The company’s U.S. results benefited from the 2015 acqui-sition of the former Diageo wine busi-ness, partially offset by the divestiture of a slew of non-priority commercial wines last summer. TWE says the reset of its Americas business toward the higher end of the market is on…
NEW YORK-BASED PALM BAY INTER-national is bolstering its spirits stable with two new brands, adding Tequila Bribón and Ravo vodka. Tequila Bribón represents a new Palm Bay part-nership with family-owned Tequila producer Casa Don Roberto. The pre-mium brand, which retails at $20 a 750-ml., is made with 100% blue agave, fermented with a proprietary yeast strain and distilled in both pot and column stills. The new silver Te-quila (80 proof) is debuting nationwide. Palm Bay’s new Ravo vodka, mean-while, is a gluten-free Swedish brand made from winter wheat and distilled five times. Ravo is initially rolling out across the New York tri-state area, retailing at around $20 a 750-ml., with national expansion to follow. Ravo joins the U.K.’s Chase vodka in Palm Bay’s lineup, while Bribón comple-ments Palm Bay’s existing…
WITH THE UPSCALE TEQUILA SEGMENT CONTINUING TO SURGE, SEVERAL AM-bitious new players have recently entered the fray. After an initial launch in key markets last fall, luxury Tequila brand Código 1530 will expand to a total of 10 states in the coming months. The brand includes Blanco ($49), Reposado ($69), Añejo ($119) and Origen Extra Añejo ($249) variants, as well as newly launched Rosa ($65), which is finished in Napa Cabernet barrels. Código 1530 was co-founded by partners Federico Vaughan and Ron Snyder (formerly CEO of Crocs), and includes country music star George Strait among its investors. Meanwhile, Dulce Vida Tequila, acquired by Deep Eddy co-founders Eric Dop-kins and Chad Auler last year, has big expansion plans for 2017. The brand, which is currently in 10 U.S. markets and sells…
BEAM SUNTORY POSTED MID-SINGLE digit growth in 2016, driven by what parent company Suntory Holdings Ltd. called a strong performance across the Americas region. Beam Suntory’s U.S. sales also ad-vanced by mid-single-digits last year, propelled by the company’s thriving Bourbon business. Flagship brand Jim Beam enjoyed 9% volume growth to 4.6 million cases in the U.S. in 2016, ac-cording to Impact Databank, with both the core offering and its Apple extension achieving impressive gains. Meanwhile, Maker’s Mark advanced by 9.5% to 1.45 million cases. Upscale entries Knob Creek and Basil Hayden’s also made solid progress, with both up by double-digits. Additionally, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark were sharply on the rise globally, with respective volume growth of 9.7% and 10.5%. Sauza was also a U.S. growth engine for Beam Suntory.…
