Virginia Spirits Association Joins Spirits United as Partner Member

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

“Virginia Spirits Association’s member companies supply more than 96% of the distilled spirits sold in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As one of 17 states where the state government manages the sale of distilled spirits at the wholesale and/or retail level, ABC stores are the only retail outlets in Virginia where customers may purchase distilled spirits. Our member companies and their brands were associated with $445 million in fiscal year 2020 General Fund ABC disbursements,” said Don Tierney, Virginia Spirits executive director.

“The Virginia Spirits Association will be another critically important state partner for Spirits United as we work to secure cocktails to-go permanency and grow the spirits market in Virginia,” said Chris Swonger, president/CEO of DISCUS and Responsibility.org.

“Currently, the distilled spirits industry provides more than 15,700 jobs and $1.4 billion in gross domestic product in Virginia. Together, we will use the Spirits United platform to ensure lawmakers hear our collective voices on legislative issues that matter most to Virginia distillers and industry stakeholders to ensure the continued growth of our sector.”

Posted in Marketing | Tagged , | Comments Off on Virginia Spirits Association Joins Spirits United as Partner Member

Domaine Bousquet Debuts Uco Valley Reserve Cabernet Franc

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s largest producer and exporter of certified organic wines, is introducing a new Uco Valley Reserve Cabernet Franc to the U.S. The debut 2020-vintage Domaine Bousquet Reserve Cabernet Franc joins an existing line of Reserve-designated varietals comprising a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Pinot Noir, all line-priced at $18 and 100% certified organic.

“The high-altitude vineyards of the Uco Valley, especially in Gualtallary, have become the epicenter of superb quality Cabernet Franc with a distinctive style that has the potential to become a benchmark for this grape variety, joining the classics from the Loire and Bordeaux,” said Anne Bousquet, co-owner. Domaine Bousquet.

Domaine Bousquet’s vineyards are among the highest in Gualtallary. An elevation of over 4,000-foot ensures that grapes  offer more aroma and body, while preserving food-friendly acidity. The wine has the savory characteristics beloved by Cabernet Franc fans, without the variety’s occasional green/leafy notes thanks to the area’s ample/intense sunlight. The wine is aged six months in French oak.

It’s imported by Origins Organic, Miami, and is available in California; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington State.

 

 

 

Posted in New Products | Tagged , | Comments Off on Domaine Bousquet Debuts Uco Valley Reserve Cabernet Franc

Grain & Barrel Spirits Honors Chicken Cock Cotton Club Pre-Prohibition History

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Grain & Barrel Spirits (“G&B”) released a limited-edition Chicken Cock Cotton Club Canadian Rye Whiskey (SRP $499.99), which was aged for 20 years and bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style bottle at 100 proof (50% ABV).

The mash bill contains 90% rye and 10% malted barley. Originally established in Paris, Ky., in 1856, Chicken Cock–known as “The Famous Old Brand” –was forced to move production up to Canada during Prohibition. The Canadian Rye whiskey produced during that period was then smuggled back into the U.S. in tin cans, earning the brand the nickname, “the whiskey in a tin can.” It was around this time that Chicken Cock rose to fame as the featured house whiskey at The Cotton Club (located in Harlem at 142nd St. and Lenox Ave.), one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies.

Here the brand was ceremoniously opened table-side where Duke Ellington and his orchestra regularly performed on the Cotton Club’s stage. In an excerpt from ‘Music is my Mistress,’ Ellington said, “during the Prohibition period, you could always buy good whiskey from somebody in the Cotton Club. They used to have what they called Chicken Cock. It was a bottle in a can, and the can was sealed. It cost something like ten to fourteen dollars a pint” ($140+ today).

“This luxury spirit and commemorative tin honor Chicken Cock’s Prohibition-era history and a period where the brand ventured north to carry on its tradition of bringing high quality whiskey to patrons across the country,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits. “This rare straight rye whiskey signals a return to pre-prohibition times when the classic spirit was more prevalent, while also honoring the brand’s history and heritage. We even maintained the spelling of ‘whiskey’ versus ‘whisky’ on the original tin from Prohibition.”

Posted in New Products | Tagged , | Comments Off on Grain & Barrel Spirits Honors Chicken Cock Cotton Club Pre-Prohibition History

What We’re Reading —

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Smoke-tainted California grapes find new life as vodka

Nicolas Quille, chief winemaking and operations manager for Crimson Wine Group, partnered with Hanger 1 Vodka, which turned the wine made from smoke-tainted grapes into vodka.  It’s ““a gorgeous vodka that is very easy to sip,” says distillery sales and marketing manager Emily Webster. (Reuters)

Posted in What We're Reading | Comments Off on What We’re Reading —

Who & What —

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association hires Eddie Wirt as chief financial officer.  He joins from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.

Posted in Who and What | Tagged | Comments Off on Who & What —

TTB Proposes to Deregulate Some Regulations on Spirits Plants

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

The idea is to ensure the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau collects only information needed to meet ‘s statutory obligations.  The agency said its general approach was to identify information being collected that could be eliminated without hindering TTB’s ability to evaluate an applicant’s qualifications and to more narrowly focus the application questions to capture only the information that is needed. In addition, TTB also considered whether there were any requests made in the application process that were so commonly approved that the regulations themselves could be amended to accommodate them without the need to submit the request.

The proposed rulemaking affects only distilled spirits plants, users and dealers of specially denatured alcohol and tax-free alcohol, and Federal Alcohol Administration Act basic permit holders, TTB intends to engage in further rulemaking to address other regulated industries within the context of their respective statutory eligibility requirements.

The proposed amendments include:

  • Eliminating various requirements to submit operational information. Specifically, TTB proposes eliminating eight (8) regulatory provisions requiring submission of information including, but not limited to, descriptions of production procedures and storage systems.
  • Tailoring requirements to describe the DSP premises more narrowly to specifically correspond with statutory requirements, and consolidating requirements to provide descriptions of alternation operations with the general DSP premises description.
  • Replacing requirements to submit narrative descriptions of DSP security with certifications that the applicant’s security measures will comply with enumerated regulatory requirements.
  • Eliminating requirements to provide serial numbers of DSP equipment in the application, thereby allowing equipment to be reported in the aggregate where applicable and allowing a DSP application to be submitted prior to physical receipt of the equipment.

In other actions, TTB said it plans to amend its regulations to:

  • Extend deadlines for reporting certain changes in the business from 30 days to 60 days.
  • Allow regulated businesses to add or remove trade names by submitting a notification to TTB rather than applying for TTB approval.
  • Allow regulated businesses to maintain required records at a location other than the permitted premises without first obtaining TTB approval.

Comments due:  Feb. 1, 2022.  Details, as well as ability to submit comments, are at https://www.ttb.gov/​distilled-spirits/​notices-of-proposed-rulemaking under Notice No. 207.

 

Posted in Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau | Comments Off on TTB Proposes to Deregulate Some Regulations on Spirits Plants