Innholdsfortegnelse for July 1, 2022 i Shanken's Impact Newsletter

E.&J. GALLO WINERY HAS STRUCK A deal to become the official wine sponsor of the National Football League. The partnership, which covers a variety of brands and will last multiple years, will feature team-specific activations, including individual athletes. Gallo’s brands will be featured at NFL events, and there will be broadcast, digital, and social materials showcased throughout the season. “As an industry leader our role is to welcome new consumers to the wine category in unique and relevant ways,” said Gallo CMO Stephanie Gallo. “This partnership will do just that by bringing our avid fan bases together.” The new initiatives will feature Barefoot at launch, with further details coming in August as the NFL begins its preseason. Gallo is the largest wine marketer both in the U.S. and worldwide, with…

VERMONT-BASED WHISTLEPIG IS ACQUIRING THE OTTER CREEK AND SHED brewery in Middlebury from Long Trail Brewing Co. in a move that will increase capacity for the growing whiskey maker. WhistlePig will convert production capabilities to bottling and distilling and continue to use the extensive brewing capabilities in Middlebury. Terms weren’t disclosed. “We believe the additional production capacity in Middlebury will complement our grain-to-glass distilling and warehousing operation on our 500-acre farm and are hopeful we can continue to grow both our brands and job opportunities in our community,” said WhistlePig CEO Jeff Kozak. WhistlePig’s ryes include Piggyback, Farmstock, and 10-, 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old expressions among other bottlings. The company is minority-owned by Moët Hennessy. While WhistlePig is gaining the Middlebury facility, fellow New England company Mass. Bay Brewing, owners…

STE. MICHELLE WINE ESTATES, which was acquired last year by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $1.2 billion, is considering selling its Woodinville, Washington winery. Ste. Michelle is looking to consolidate its wine production in eastern Washington, closer to its Columbia Valley vineyards. “Producing wine in Woodinville so far removed from our Eastern Washington vineyards has resulted in decades of shipping millions of gallons of white wine to our Woodinville facility and burning nearly 75,000 gallons of diesel through over 1,600 freight trips each year,” Ste. Michelle stated, adding that it’s exploring a potential sale of all or part of its Woodinville property, but that the plan is still in its early phases and may not come to fruition. Late last year it was rumored that Ste. Michelle could also…

•JOHNSON BROTHERS HAS AGREED to purchase the wine and beer distribution business of Dixie Beverage Company in Virginia. Terms weren’t disclosed. Dixie Beverage Company will retain its non-alcoholic distribution business. “This strategic acquisition continues to grow our Johnson Brothers footprint in the state of Virginia, further complementing our recent acquisition of Service Distributing Inc. in northern Virginia,” said Michael Johnson, chairman and co-owner. •SAZERAC IS INCREASING ITS PRESence in Irish whiskey, acquiring the Lough Gill distillery in County Sligo, Ireland, for an undisclosed sum. Sazerac plans to fully develop the 100-plus acre site to create a world-class whiskey facility and visitor attraction. Once complete, Lough Gill will be able to welcome up to 150,000 visitors annually, and will be the brand home for Sazerac Irish whiskies Paddy and Michael Collins,…

WILSON DANIELS IS BOLSTERING ITS Italian import range with the wines of Gaja, effective September 1, including the namesake winery in Piedmont as well as Pieve Santa Restituta in Montalcino, Ca’Marcanda in Bolgheri, and Idda in Sicily. Known as one of the top producers in Piedmont with vineyards in both the Barbaresco and Barolo districts, the company has branched out over the past three decades under the leadership of fourth-generation Angelo Gaja, and now the fifth generation, including Gaia, Rossana, and Giovanni Gaja. The brand was with Terlato for two decades, a period of marked growth.…

COCA-COLA CONTINUES TO EXPAND its activities in beverage alcohol, with its latest move a partnership with Brown-Forman to introduce Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola RTDs. The two companies announced recently that the branded RTD will roll out globally, beginning in Mexico later this year. Carrying both Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola branding, the new launch will have a benchmark abv of 5%, although its strength will vary depending on the market. Brown-Forman emphasized that it will include “clear responsibility symbols stating that it is to be enjoyed only by consumers of legal drinking age.” In addition to the flagship Jack & Coke, a zero sugar variant is also planned. “Brown-Forman has been a leader in the ready-to-drink category since we launched our first Jack Daniel’s RTD more than 30 years ago,” said…

HEAVEN HILL HAS BROKEN GROUND on its new $135 million project in Bardstown, Kentucky: Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. The name pays tribute to the Heaven Hill distillery destroyed in a 1996 fire. According to the company, the new distillery will be up and running by the end of 2024 and will initially produce 150,000 barrels, gradually ramping up to its max capacity of 450,000 barrels. When producing at its peak, the Heaven Hill Springs distillery will match the capacity of the company’s Bernheim distillery in Louisville and will create at least 38 new jobs at Heaven Hill.…

THERE’S BEEN NO SHORTAGE OF CHALLENGES FOR marketers of Champagne and other sparkling wines the past few years, from the threat of tariffs to the pandemic to inflation and supply chain struggles. But beneath it all, consumer demand for bubbly has never been higher. The overall sparkling wine market in the U.S. could surpass 25 million cases this year, up from 15 million cases in 2010. Champagne depletions in the U.S. reached a new record-high last year, according to Impact Databank, nearing 1.9 million cases on a 25% increase. Shipment value fared even better, leaping 58% to €794 million ($838m). Underlying those robust numbers were a host of buoyant performances for key brands—almost all of the top 20 Champagne labels in the U.S. grew by double-digits in 2021. Non-Champagne sparkling…

CALIFORNIA VINTNER BILL FOLEY IS bolstering his company’s presence in Napa Valley with a deal to purchase Silverado Vineyards from the Disney Miller family, Wine Spectator reported. The purchase price is estimated to be north of $150 million. Founded by Ron Miller and his wife, Diane Disney Miller, Silverado last year marked its 40th anniversary. Its holdings include 300 acres of vineyards, including 100 acres in Napa’s Stags Leap District AVA (where the winery is located), 100 acres in Coombsville and 100 acres in Yountville. Silverado’s current annual production is about 68,000 cases, sold primarily through the wholesale market, but it holds a permit to make up to 140,000 cases. Its offerings range from Miller Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, at around $25 a bottle, up through single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon expressions like…

AUSTIN, TEXAS-BASED MILESTONE BRANDS, KNOWN FOR ITS DULCE VIDA Tequila brand, has acquired Canada’s Victoria Distillers for an undisclosed sum, in a deal which will double company volume to above 400,000 cases. In addition to the Victoria, Canada-based distillery and its Vancouver packaging facility, the acquisition includes the fast-growing Empress 1908 gin brand, as well as U.S. importer Azzurre Spirits Corp. According to Impact Databank, Empress 1908 more than doubled in size to just under 70,000 cases in the U.S. last year, and its global volume reached 200,000 cases. The brand is climbing quickly within gin’s above-$25 super-premium tier. Milestone CEO Eric Dopkins, who served as Deep Eddy vodka CEO before that brand’s acquisition by Heaven Hill in 2015, called Empress 1908 a “differentiated innovation in the super-premium spirits category.”…

SPARKLING WINE HAS EFFECTIVELY MOVED BEYOND THE celebration space into everyday consumption, with marketers leveraging its versatility across multiple occasions, tapping new drinkers with single-serve formats, rosé offerings, and cocktail concoctions. This evolution has mirrored the rise of imported sparklers, with imports up dramatically in each of the top countries of origin, including Italy (+33.4%), France (+53.3%, including Champagne; +44.2%, excluding Champagne), and Spain (+44.2%). In total, sparkling wine imported to the U.S. increased 39.7% last year to 22.1 million 9-liter cases, with Italian sparklers, including Prosecco, accounting for 58.1% of the total. Even as American consumers embrace European categories like Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava, domestic sparklers have also been making strides lately, particularly higher-end bottlings, as premiumization takes root. Last year, the domestic sparkling wine market grew 4% to…

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, SPAIN’S GONzalez Byass has announced that César Sánchez Moral will become its CEO in January of 2023. Sánchez Moral most recently served as CEO of Rioja-based Grupo Barón de Ley, and previously spent time with Heineken and Suntory. He replaces Jorge Grosse, who has helmed Gonzalez Byass for 16 years. The Gonzalez Byass stable includes Tio Pepe, Beronia, Finca Constancia, Dominio Fournier, and Cavas Vilarnau among others. Through the first six months of the company’s current fiscal year, sales are on track to match their pre-pandemic level of $330 million. •Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has named Chris Williams as executive vice president, national accounts. Williams will report to Gene Sullivan, chief sales & marketing officer, and will lead the wholesaler’s On-and Off-Premise and Data Intelligence…