Cotes de Provence Wine Region Ravaged by Wildfires

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

The blaze raged on teh French Riviera for a week, leaving two people dead, 27 injured and 10,000 persons forced to evacuate from the Var region, not far from Saint-Tropez.  At least one small estate in the region is known for its Cotes de Provence wines saw its vines destroyed.

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Ketel One Sponsors Emmy Awards Season

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

It’s the fourth consecutive year that Ketel One has been the official spirits partner of the Emmy Awards Season. Several exclusive cocktails will be served by Ketel One at official Emmy Awards events, including the annual Performers Nominee Reception Sept. 17.

To bring the same cocktail experience to consumers nationwide, Ketel One will partner with home delivery service, Cocktail Courier, to create a bespoke Emmy Awards cocktail kit, complete with everything needed to master the classic martini cocktail at home. The kit places the magic of a marvelous martini in the hands of the home bartender, allowing consumers to tinker with the tools of the trade, and make their cocktail precisely to their liking with a variety of garnish options for up to six people. The limited-edition Ketel One x 73rd Emmy Awards Cocktail Kit is now available for purchase nationwide on www.cocktailcourier.com.

“The martini is the arguably the most iconic cocktail in the classic canon and has undoubtedly cemented its place in television and pop culture history,” says bartender Charles Joly. “Since its creation, it has inspired so many memorable cinematic moments, and I’m thrilled to be able to bring those moments to life with this year’s cocktail collection. I hope that viewers at home get inspired in their own way by our cocktail kit, and create something that’s their own, because there truly is no wrong way to enjoy a martini. Whether you stir it or shake it, a martini is always iconic if it’s crafted with the best ingredients, balanced flavors, served ice cold, and of course, enjoyed responsibly.”

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A-B Revamps Commercial Structure

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Kyle Norrington, currently president of Labatt in Canada, will assume a new role as U.S. chief commercial officer, overseeing Anheuser-Busch sales and Marketing in the U.S.  During his time leading Anheuser-Busch InBev‘s business in Canada, Norrington developed and implemented the Canada 10YP, resulting in the gain of a full share point in 2020 driven by the outperformance of above core brands, led by Michelob Ultra. He also step-changed the Beyond Beer portfolio and performance through innovation, organic growth, and strategic acquisitions like Nutrl Vodka Soda.

Simon Wuestenberg, currently president of A-B’s wholly owned distributor business unit AB ONE, is appointed U.S. chief sales officer. Wuestenberg joined the U.S. business over ficw years ago and has served in several leadership positions prior to his current role in AB ONE. Most recently, Wuestenberg was the Midwest Region vp-sales where, under his leadership, market share grew for three straight years after eight years of decline and 90% of A-B’s wholesaler partners grew topline.

Marcel Marcondes, currently U.S. chief marketing officer, is transitioning to a new role within AB InBev that will be announced at a later date.  He will be succeeded by Benoit Garbe, currently U.S. chief strategy officer.

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Smirnoff Paints Miami Pink, to Visit 3 More Cities in September

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Smirnoff threw a party in Miami over the Labor Day weekend in which guests enjoyed a variety of tasty cocktails, ready-to-drink options and the delicious, crisp Pink Lemonade flavor of the latest offering from Smirnoff served from a neon, lemonade stand-inspired bar. A larger-than-life, two-story pink flamingo served up plenty of social media moments as guests vibed to the high-energy setlist of DJ Chantel Jeffries.

Smirnoff will be showing up in three more cities this month – New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles – to show guests their own version of a pink paradise. All events will adhere to local and state guidelines to ensure attendees are able to enjoy Smirnoff Pink Lemonade safely.

“Smirnoff is ready to bring some cultural Pink heat to Miami by pairing summertime classics with today’s hottest entertainers to celebrate the launch of our Smirnoff Pink Lemonade boutique of products,” said Jennifer Holiday Hudson, Smirnoff North America Brand Leader.

It’s part of Smirnoff’s “Get Your Pink On” campaign supporting teh new Smirnoff Pink Lemonade portfolio.

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Spirits Gains Share in Drizly Orders Over Labor Day Weekend

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

The liquor category gained share year over year Labor Day weekend, share was 45% in 2021 compared to 42% in 2020. Liquor share remained flat compared to August 2021.

Tequila gained share from 17% to 20% year over year, up from 19% in August 2021.        Ready-to-drink, a category that has been on the rise this year, saw the trend continue over Labor Day weekend, with share increasing from 4% to 7% share year over year. Further, RTDs saw gains over LDW compared to the month before share was 6% in August 2021.

High Noon and Cutwater retained their #1 and #2 position as the top two RTD brands Labor Day weekend from 2020 but On the Rocks replaced Jose Cuervo as the third best-selling RTD brand.

Whiskey declined share from 33% share of the liquor category in 2020 to 31% this year. Whiskey share dropped one percentage point over LDW from 32% in August 2021.

Vodka share remained flat at 24% year over year over Labor Day weekend as well as LDW 2021 compared to August 2021.

The wine category share remained flat at 34% over Labor Day weekend year over year, however share was down from 36% last month (August 2021).

The beer category experience share declines year over year this Labor Day weekend. Share was down from 21% in 2020 to 18% in 2021. However, beer share was up over the long weekend from 16% share in August 2021.

Over Labor Day weekend, hard seltzer, the best-selling beer subcategory on Drizly, lost one percentage point share year over year (26% in 2020 vs 25% in 2021).

White Claw, Truly and Bud Light held strong YoY at the top 3 hard seltzer brands however there were several new entrants to the top 10 brands including Topo Chico (#4), Lone River (#7), Michelob (#8), CACTI (#9).

Light larger saw gains within the beer category over the long weekend, growing from 15% to 18% share year over year

Though a small piece of the total beer category, non-alcoholic beer saw significant growth over the long weekend compared to last year, up from .4% share in 2020 to 1% share in 2021.

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A-B Steps Up Water Donations to Hurricane Ida Relief

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Anheuser-Busch, which last week said it was sending two truckloads of canned drinking water to help with Hurricane Ida relief, Friday (9/3) said it was sending more than five additional truckloads to its wholesaler partners Buquet Distribution Co. Inc. (Houma, LA), Mockler Beverage Co. Inc. (Baton Rouge, LA), and Schilling Distributing Co. (Lafayette, LA) who will work alongside the American Red Cross to distribute the resources to those in need.

The clean, safe drinking water was produced at Anheuser-Busch’s Cartersville, Ga., and Fort Collins, Colo., breweries which periodically pause beer production throughout the year to can emergency drinking water to help communities in times of disaster.

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