Shiner Unveils New Entry IPA Category with Tex Hex Bruja’s Beer

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Shiner have consistently requested the brand have a bigger presence in IPA, the largest and fastest-growing beer category in the U.S. Bruja’s Brew will be the first of three new IPAs launched under the Tex Hex umbrella in 2022.

It’s launching with limited distribution in Texas and nationally this month and will have a full-scale launch in the spring.  It will be sold in six- and 12-pack cans.

Brewed with cactus water and Amarillo hops, an ode to the brand’s Texas roots, the beer delivers a hops-forward aroma and flavor that is a mix of bright, citrusy, resinous and tropical, featuring a medley of tangerine, pineapple, citrus and stone fruit. Initial consumer testing revealed that the brew outperformed the leading national and local IPA offerings in a series of blind tastings.

To capture the imagination of IPA drinkers, Shiner is also introducing the character of “La Bruja”, the alchemist, who is prominently featured on Tex Hex cans and packaging. La Bruja is a dark, mysterious shaman who roams the Texas desert gathering ingredients for her otherworldly creations. Brewed with fire, magic, and sin, her IPAs are only for the worthy, the ones called by the wind.  

“Shiner could not be more excited by the launch of Tex Hex IPA. Shiner fans have demanded that we get back in the IPA category, and we believe Tex Hex delivers in a groundbreaking way,” says Matt Pechman, Shiner Beers Head of Marketing. “With unique Southwestern ingredients like cactus water, and a taste that we know connects with IPA drinkers, we are incredibly proud of this beer. We can’t wait to see what else La Bruja has in store for us in 2022 and beyond.”

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Sazerac Expands Sazerac de Forge Cognac to New Markets

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Originally only at the Sazerac House in New Orleans Sazerac de Forge & Fils “Finest Original” Cognac, Sazerac Co. said it was expanding the product o new markets including New York, California and Illinois.  It will continue its expansion to additional markets throughout 2022.

The Sazerac de Forge & Fils “Finest Original” Cognac has its roots in the original Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac, part of the illustrious 17th, 18th and 19th century Sazerac family business empire that included a cognac house, an iron foundry, paper-mills and pottery-making.

Each of these businesses were history-making because of the Sazerac de Forge family – the U.S. Revolutionary Navy was armed with Sazerac-provided cannons, the Tsars of Russia printed their bank notes on Sazerac-made paper, the proprietary color “Sazerac Blue,” which is prominently featured on the new cognac package, was found on chinaware shipped worldwide, and the original Sazerac cocktail made with Sazerac Cognac was sipped in coffee houses around New Orleans. Ironically, the original Sazerac Coffee House was located a mere 350 yards from the new Sazerac House, located on Canal and Magazine Street in New Orleans.

According to Albert Sazerac de Forge’s private notes, the first U.S. shipment of Sazerac de Forge & Fils Cognac arrived in New York in 1782, followed by New Orleans in 1784 and San Francisco in 1786. By 1833, Sazerac de Forge & Fils was listed among the top six cognac producers in the world and by the mid-1800s it would be available on every continent.

Sazerac de Forge & Fils Cognac continued to grow until the catastrophic Phylloxera blight wiped out 85% of the grapevines in France in the final quarter of the century. As a result, supplies of cognac became increasingly rare and many producers disappeared completely.

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10th Street Distillery Taps SGWS

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

10th Street Distillery of San Jose has appointed Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer’s) as its distributor for California. A boutique distiller specializing in single malt American whisky, 10th Street has established itself as a leader in American single malts with a line of award-winning whiskies.

Southern Glazer’s handles 10th Street’s distribution in Northern California and Southern California. The line of 10th Street whiskies includes Peated Single Malt, Distiller’s Cut Peated Single Malt, STR Single Malt (non-peated), and California Coast Blend. A seasonal Port Cask Finished Peated Single Malt is also available.

 

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U.S., UK Start Talks to Address Global Steel, Aluminum Excess

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

The talks include the United States’ application of tariffs on imports from the United Kingdom under Section 232 and the UK’s retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. exports to the UK. Both parties are committed to working towards an expeditious outcome that ensures the viability of steel and aluminium industries in both markets against the continuing shared challenge of global excess capacity and strengthens their democratic alliance.

Robert Maron, VP-International Trade, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., call the news a very positive development.  Securing immediate removal of the UK’s 25% tariff on American Whiskeys will help support U.S. jobs as the economy seeks to recover from the harsh economic impacts and significant supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since the imposition of the tariffs, American Whiskey exports to the UK, the fourth largest market, have declined by 53%, from $150 million to $71 million (2018-2020).”

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Bourbon Pours $9 Billion to Kentucky Economy

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Kentucky Bourbon pours $9 billion into the Kentucky economy every year and generates more than 22,500 jobs with $1.23 billion in payroll, according to a new study for the Kentucky Distillers Association said.

Distilling also contributes more than $285 million in local and state tax revenue and is in the middle of a massive $5.2 billion capital investment spree that is creating more good-paying jobs and opportunities for supply chain partners, farmers, communities and tourism than ever before.

The study notes there are now more than 2,200 distilleries in the U.S. due to the booming craft movement. That has slashed Kentucky’s share of distilleries nationwide from 24% to 6%, and jobs from 43% to 30%. Ten states have more licensed distillery operations than Kentucky.

The study’s major highlights include:

  • $9 billion in economic output every year
  • More than 22,500 jobs, up 83% in last 20 years
  • $1.23 billion in payroll, up 250% in last 20 years
  • Average salary of $101,567 – the first time that amount has exceeded $100,000
  • KDA distillers bought 17 million bushels of corn in 2020, with 75% coming from Kentucky farmers
  • Corn production has tripled in many Kentucky counties where distillers are located
  • All-time record of 10.3 million aging barrels of Bourbon, the first time over 10 million
  • Bourbon production – number of barrels filled each year – is up 435% since 1999
  • Kentucky distillers filled a record 2.4 million barrels in 2020
  • $5.2 billion in capital projects completed or planned by 2025, including more than $100 million to build or expand Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experiences
  • Investments between 2021-2025 will create 4,565 new jobs, $258 million in payroll and $29 million in tax revenue
  • Distilling has the highest job spin-off factor among top 20 Kentucky manufacturers by employees; for every distilling job, three more are created
  • Value of distillers’ real and tangible property has quadrupled in last 12 years to $1.49 billion
  • Kentucky continues to tax distilling higher than all other large industries in the Commonwealth.
  • Distilling production and consumption generates $286 million in local and state tax revenue annually. That’s $179 million more tax revenue a year versus 12 years ago.
  • Kentucky has the fifth-highest Bourbon and spirits tax rate in the country, and the state’s distillers by far pay more in federal alcohol tax – $1.8 billion – than any other state
  • The KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour experiences continue their rapid rebound from COVID and closures, up 160% in total attendance from last year and just down slightly from pre-pandemic record in 2019.
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GlenDronach Announces Limited Release of It Oldest Expression

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

GlenDronach announced the limited release of its first-ever 50-Year-Old Single Malt, the Highland distillery’s oldest and rarest single malt Scotch whisky to date. Distilled in 1971, this expression represents a milestone in the near two-hundred-year history of GlenDronach Distillery.

The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years has quietly slumbered over five long decades in rare Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, from the Spanish bodegas of Jerez in Andalucía. Personally selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, these exquisite casks have been married for a final maturation in a single Pedro Ximénez cask. Only a small number of casks are chosen to reach such a celebrated age, and just 198 bottles will be available worldwide of The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years.

Protected and nurtured in The GlenDronach’s traditional dunnage warehouses for over half a century, this rare liquid has survived floods and extreme Highland winters, as well as being haunted by the legend of a Spanish ghost. This expression tells a story of the rare dedication and mastery of those custodians who have devoted their lives, through highs and lows, to protecting and nurturing this exceptionally rare Single Malt.

Master Blender Rachel Barrie said: “The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years is the most prestigious expression of what this timeless, richly-sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has to offer. At 50 Years Old, it is exceptionally rich and seductive, with mellow layers of alluring complexity. On the nose, ripe dark cherry and plum are the preludes to the harmony of rolling stone fruit, while the palate brings an exquisite overture of flavor with dense undertones of dark chocolate, tobacco, and cocoa.”

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