A-B to Distribute Canteen Spirits

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Canteen Spirits said its ready-to-drink spirits will be distributed by  Anheuser-Busch as part of A-B’s Beyond Beer portfolio.  It also said A-B’s’s investment and innovation group, ZX Ventures had made an investment in the Austin, Tex., company.

“Canteen Spirits has quickly built up a following in the U.S. since launching in 2019 and has had an impressive introduction to the category,” says Fabricio Zonzini, President, Beyond Beer.

“Ready to drink cocktails are one of the fastest-growing and most competitive alcohol beverage categories in the U.S. market and we couldn’t be more thrilled at what we’ve been able to accomplish at Canteen Spirits in just two years,” says Brandon Cason, CEO of Canteen Spirits. “We are incredibly proud of this distribution partnership with Anheuser-Busch, which will allow us to leverage their expertise in logistics and distribution to help us grow at an expedited pace.”

“We’re proud to invest in Canteen Spirits, which has quickly established an impressive following in theU.S. since its 2019 launch. It’s an exciting time for the brand — we’re thrilled to be partnering with Brandon, Daniel and Marc on this next stage of Canteen’s journey,” said Maxx Karr, Investment Principal, Beverage Fund, ZX Ventures.

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Cocktails-to-Go Permanent in Texas

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill making cocktails to go permanent in Texas.  It requires food to be included in the alcohol-to-go order. Texas is the 10th state to make a Covid-era cocktails to-go measure permanent.

“Governor Abbott acted quickly to support Texas restaurants and bars by allowing cocktails to-go via executive order during the pandemic,” said Kristi Brown, Senior Director of State Government Relations, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. “Cocktails to-go provided a much-needed lifeline for struggling hospitality businesses and prevented the permanent closure of many. Now that this measure is permanent, hospitality businesses will have increased stability as they begin the long path to recovery. We applaud the Texas Legislature and Governor Abbott for supporting local businesses and for providing increased convenience to consumers.”

Other market modernization efforts are also moving through the Texas Legislature including one bill to allow seven-day spirits sales statewide (HB 937) and others that would allow local option elections for seven-day spirits sales (SB 1013; HB 2232).

According to a statewide poll released by DISCUS, 65% of Texas voters support cocktails-to-go legislation; 65% support seven-day sales at liquor stores and craft distilleries; and 61%  support allowing seven-day sales to be decided at the local level via local option election.

The campaign for Sunday liquor sales garnered some support from NASCAR’s Sam Hunt.

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More Than One in Seven Social Safety Net Recipients in 2017 Were College Graduates

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

While adults without any post-secondary education made up the majority of participants in four key social safety net programs, college-educated adults account for over a third of some programs’ recipients.

These findings come from tables recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, which provide detailed information on program participation and income transfers in 2017 from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

The education profiles of recipients varied across programs.  Those with a high school diploma or less accounted for over half of WIC participants and about three-quarters of SSI recipients.

But those with college degrees (either an associate or a bachelor’s degree) accounted for as many as one in five of some programs’ participants. They made up 19.4% of WIC recipients, for example.

More than one in three adults receiving SNAP had attended at least some college classes and about one in seven had earned a college degree. SNAP provides food assistance to families below certain income thresholds.

The data show, for example, that while 52.9% of all bachelor’s degree holders were women, 63.6% of SNAP recipients with a bachelor’s degree were women.

Similarly, Black people made up 8.9% of all adults with a bachelor’s degree. But Black people were a quarter (25.3%) of those with a bachelor’s degree who were also getting SNAP.

The same pattern holds for Hispanic adults. They made up about 8.7% of all adults with a bachelor’s degree but 18.1% of those with a bachelor’s degree who received SNAP were Hispanic people.

There were also clear differences by marital status and the presence of children in the household.

Bachelor’s degree holders receiving SNAP were less likely than all bachelor’s degree holders to be married (38.4% compared to 63.9%), more likely to be divorced or separated (27.0% compared to 10.1%), and more likely to have children under 18 in the household (39.0% compared to 30.9%).

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Who & What —

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

RETIRING:  Steve Slater, evp-general manager, Wine Division, effective Dec. 31.  Cindy Leonard will succeed him as head of the company’s fine wine business.   Slater is currently senior vp-supplier engagement and business development.

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Goodwood Brewing Distills a Future

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

That future might include spirits for the Louisville brewer.  It released a premium bourbon aged in stout barrels and a rye whiskey.

The 90 proof, small-batch rye is the fourth product to be launched under the Goodwood Spirits line. As with all Goodwood Brewing products, an emphasis was placed on  quality and craftsmanship, with months of preparation and experimentation going into the spirit.

Goodwood Rye Whiskey is aged for two years, before being finished in Goodwood English Mild beer barrels, for a special flavor that can only develop from this process. Goodwood Rye will be released in early May in select retail stores and exclusive accounts throughout the Louisville area, and will enter the rest of Kentucky in the near future. Goodwood Spirits can also be purchased at the Goodwood Brewing Taproom in Louisville, KY.
Other spirits in development from Goodwood Brewing and Spirits include a Walnut Brown and an Imperial Stout.

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TTB Accepts $28.6 Million to Settle $40.3 Million Claim Against Distiller

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Joel Whitaker

Levecke Corp., Mira Loma, Calif., was accused of miscalculation Sec. 5010 flavor credits, unexplained inventory shortages, and failure to timely file and pay exise taxes, improper use of CNMA credit, and insufficient documentation of exports.

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