Winebow to Distribute Field & Sound Bourbon in 14 Markets

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Winebow will be representing Field & Sound Bottled in Bond Bourbon (SRP $49.99) in California, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The first batch is limited to 6,000 bottles.  It is a maritime whiskey, influenced by maturation on Long Island Sound and made from a high rye mash, with most grain sourced within 10 miles and milled, mashed and distilled on site, and  is sweet mash fermented, a process that uses only fresh yeast.

It’s produced by Long Island Spirits, which was established in 2007 as the first distillery on Long Island since the 1800’s and became the 100th Distillery in the United States of America. Surrounded by centuries old of potato, corn and rye farms, the distillery is located on the bucolic North Fork of Long Island, in the heart of the acclaimed wine region. The North Fork boasts over 70 wineries and dozens of pre-revolutionary family-owned farms that have been blessed with a microclimate that is very similar to the Bordeaux region in France. Long Island Spirits is housed in a twin-cupola barn that has been repurposed into a state-of-the-art Craft Distillery.

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Pour Volume Increased 41% for Beer Over SuperBowl Weekend

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

That’s the national figure.  In Los Angeles, the Super Bowl host city, pour volume increased 341%, according to BeerBoard.

The Big Game Pour Report found that after two years of flat volume, Light Lager show a 30% increase but still was down 3.9%.  Since 2020, BeerBoard said, the style has lost 9.3% in share.  Lagers, +42% in volume in 2022, were up a nominal +0.3% in share this year, but is up a solid +2.6% overall since 2020.  Bud Light was the top brand nationally, and
realized a nice bump of +18% in volume. Modelo Especial was the biggest mover among leading brands poured, climbing +70% nationally and an eye-popping +212% in Los Angeles, the Big Game’s host city.

For the second straight year, the host city was also the home of a participating team. Los Angeles saw a massive spike of +341% in pour volume when compared against 2021, though it should be noted the city was under heavy Covid restrictions at the time, Beer Board said. When looking at the date of the 2020 Big Game, LA was down -17.6%. Modelo Especial was the top brand poured in the city for the day.

Cincinnati, returning to the Big Game for the first time in 33 years, was up a healthy +55% over 2021 volume and +13% over 2020. Fans enjoying the game, at least until the end, made Bud Light the preferred draft beer in The Queen City

 

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Drizly’s Big Game Sales More Than Tripled

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Drizly’s Big Game weekend sales more than tripled since 2020, Drizly says.  Tequila SKUs were a winner among customers in the liquor category on Big Game Sunday. Don Julio 1942 gained share from the #13 spot of Drizly’s top-selling liquor SKUs in February to date to the #7 spot on Big Game Sunday, while Espolòn Tequila Blanco scaled from #12 to #10.

Certain vodka SKUs decreased in popularity on Big Game Sunday compared to February overall to date, with Grey Goose Vodka decreasing from #5 to #8 and Ketel One slipping from the top 10 list to #12.

Hard seltzer SKUs continue in popularity, with White Claw Hard Seltzer Variety Pack No. 2 moving from #14 to the #10 best-selling beer/seltzer/cider on Drizly on Big Game Sunday compared to February sales overall to date. White Claw Hard Seltzer Variety Pack No. 1 maintained the #2 spot, and White Claw Hard Seltzer Variety Pack No. 3 jumped from #10 to #9.

Champagne and prosecco held strong as a consumer favorite for Big Game Sunday, mirroring a larger trend seen throughout February. Meiomi Pinot Noir Red Wine moved from the #8 spot in February overall to date to the #6 best-selling wine on Drizly on the Big Game.

On the 2022 Big Game (Feb. 13, 2022), beer’s share of Drizly sales rose 8% compared to February 2022 sales to date, while liquor and wine slightly declined. 

Compared to 2021 Big Game sales, liquor held the top-selling category on Drizly, while wine experienced year-over-year gains to 36% from 33%. Beer sales were down year-over-over to 23% from 26%.

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Champagne Withstood Covid Crisis, Did Better Than Expected, Officials Say

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

No question about it: 2020 and 2021 were exceptional years, thanks to the Covid pandemic.  Exceptional, but not in a good way, officials of the Champagne Bureau said in a Zoom press conference.  “Champagne sales collapsed during this difficult time,” they said, blaming lockdowns around the world.  They thought it would take seven or eight years for Champagne sales to recover but the sales did better than expected.  The product, they said, was able to withstand the crisis.

The 2020 harvest was exceptional, completing a trilogy of good years.  “It was the earliest harvest in Champagne history, and the quality was exceptional.”  The next year, 2021, “began almost normal, then, all of a sudden, there was an explosion in shipments,” with shipments rising 8% from the 2019 level to 320 million bottles.  Shipments to the U.S. reached a record, shipments to the UK were almost back to 31 million bottles.  Australia exceeded expectations, the officials said.  There was only one down note:  The harvest was only 73% of demand, “but we can meet demand because of reserves.”

Champagne growers and producers are working to reduce the environmental impact of the sector, and are aiming for a 75% reduction in CO2 emmissions by 2075.  With global warming appearing to be a fact, the producers are seeking to develop some climate-resistant varities that will enable them to produce quality wine in the future, they said.

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Splash Beverage Group Public Offering

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Splash Beverage Group, which owns a portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage brands including Copa di Vino wine by the glass, SALT flavored tequilas, Pulpoloco sangria, and TapouT performance hydration and recovery drink, announced a proposed public offering.  Price of shares hasn’t been determined yet.  ON Feb. 11, the stock traded for $5.36 a share.

The offering is being made through EF Hutton Group.  Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and repayment of debt.  The company describes its stock as “highly speculative.”  It doesn’t plan to pay dividends.

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A-B Uses Zero Emission Trucks to Deliver Bud Light NEXT to Stadium

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

The special “zero-emission delivery” leveraged the technology of both partners to sustainably deliver beer from Anheuser-Busch’s Van Nuys, Calif., brewery to bars and retailers in Los Angeles using only zero-emission vehicles. The extended range Nikola Tre electric vehicle, which uses a hydrogen fuel cell, picked up a load of beer from the brewery and delivered it to the Anheuser-Busch AB One distribution facility in Carson, Calif. From there, a BYD battery-electric 8TT day cab tractor delivered the beer to local bars and retailers to be enjoyed by consumers during the big game.

“At Anheuser-Busch, we continuously strive to lead our industry by delivering our products in the most sustainable way possible – including by investing in the cutting-edge technology of our logistics partners,” said John Rogers, A-B’s Chief Sustainability and Procurement Officer. “As sports fans come together to watch the game this weekend, we are driving forward with this zero-emission delivery to inspire others to leverage the power of partnership and join us in creating a sustainable future with more cheers for our consumers, partners and communities.”

This milestone delivery also marked the expansion of Anheuser-Busch’s partnerships with both Nikola and BYD in California as part of the brewers’ global net-zero ambition and commitment to reducing carbon emissions across their U.S. value chain by 25% by 2025.

In 2018, Anheuser-Busch entered a partnership with Nikola for an order of hydrogen-electric powered semi-trucks to help transition its entire long-haul dedicated fleet to zero-emission vehicles.

This month, Anheuser-Busch and Nikola began a three-month pilot by placing two Nikola Tre alpha FCEVs into daily service within the brewer’s Southern California network. This pilot is a key step for both companies to refine the production specifications and features of the Nikola vehicles and to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell trucking and hydrogen refilling in beverage hauling.

At their distribution facilities, Anheuser-Busch is also adding an additional 20 BYD electric trucks into their California fleet this year.  That’s in addition to the 25 BYD trucks A-B currently operates across four California distribution centers, 21 of which were deployed in 2020 as part of the Zero- and Near-Zero Freight Facilities/Zero Emission Beverage Handling at Scale project.

Zero Emission Beverage Handling and Distribution at Scale is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. This year’s fleet expansion is a result of the California HVIP program and continued partnership with the California Air Resources Board and CALSTART to deploy advanced technology that is cleaner and quieter on the road.

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