Benriach Intros 1st Single Cask Malt Scotch Whisky to U.S.

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Benriach Distillery announces the arrival of the Benriach Cask Edition, its first single cask single malt Scotch whisky bottlings ever available in the U,S. Each of the three expressions exclusive to the U.S. have been drawn from individual casks selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie to offer a rare and unique insight into the versatility of Benriach’s eclectic cask styles.

Limited to a few hundred bottles per cask, each whisky is bottled at cask strength, its most natural and non-diluted form. Age statements range from 12 to 27 years old.

“Our ‘sleeping beauties’, as we often call these casks, continue to be sourced from all over the world, enabling us to creatively explore the full flavor possibilities of Speyside Single Malt,” said Barrie. “Each cask will tell its own story of a journey of flavor where the spirit is married with oak, over years and through the seasons, to really create a unique moment in time never to be repeated again.”

“From the Marsala Wine Hogshead cask bringing out clementine, apricot, nectarine and cherry blossom flavors, to the Pedro Ximénez Puncheon with intense notes of heather honey, butterscotch and sultana, each cask allows us to explore a different aspect of Benriach’s fruit-laden character,” said Barrie.

For the first time ever, each of the three expressions have been released to select markets across the country. Depending on the expression, the ABV ranges from 55.4% to 58.2%, while SRP ranges from $100 to $380. Each bottle draws its natural color from the cask in which it rests.

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Phenomenal Spirts Debuts RY3 14 Yr. Cask Strength Single Barrel Light Whiskey

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Phenomenal Spirits, Virgnia Beach, Va., releases its new handpicked RY3 14 YR Single Barrel, Cask Strength Light Whiskey.

The debut comes as the overall Craft and “Light” Whiskey segments are building traction among cask-strength enthusiasts across the country, Phenomenal says. RY3 14 YR is bottled at Cask Strength (minimum of 120 Proof) to emphasize the true characteristics of this aged Whiskey that boasts layers of Cinnamon, Tobacco, Orange Peel, and subtle notes of oak.

Unlike other “light” product segments, Light Whiskey is neither lower in calories nor lower in ABV but rather the opposite. The “light” in the name refers to the whiskey’s flavor which tends to be less caramel-forward, smoother, and easier-drinking than its American Bourbon and Rye counterparts. The Light Whiskey segment was established in 1968, in response to the growing trend of U.S. drinkers towards lighter spirits including gin, vodka, and lighter blended imported whisky.

With the tremendous comeback of U.S. whiskey, craft whiskey substyles including light whiskey are enjoying renewed interest among enthusiasts and novices alike.

Light Whiskey’s is made with a mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley distilled to between 160 and 190 proof and aged in used or uncharred new American oak.

Phenomenal Spirits operates its own blending facility in Virginia Beach, Va., to achieve scale and operational efficiency and control quality and consistency along with all aspects of product development. Sudhir added, “We are thrilled with US consumer’s embrace of our RY3 Whiskey in the time since it first debuted in 2020. We are very excited to introduce a range of daring new products beginning with RY3 14 YR. Cask Strength Single Barrel Light Whiskey, a true treasure in the Craft Spirits category.”

SRP: $75-$85 in California, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

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Economy Watch: Expect a Strong Rebound in 2d Quarter — ING

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

After the surprise contraction in the first quarter,ING Economics says there is growing evidence to suggest the U.S. economy will rebound strongly in the second with 4%+ GDP growth on the cards. The labor market is strong, consumers are spending and there is now evidence that manufacturing isn’t struggling as much as feared while construction output continues grinding higher.

Any weakness in Friday’s employment report is down to a lack of workers willing and able to do the job rather than any softening demand. Job openings fell to 11.4mn from an upwardly revised 11.855mn (consensus 11.35mn), but this means there are still nearly two job vacancies for every unemployed American.

A tighter jobs market means more upward pressure on wages, which is likely to keep inflation stickier in the US than in other developed markets, ING said.

Separately, the Institute for Supply Management said its May survey found economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in May, with the overall U.S. economy achieving a 24th consecutive month of growth.  The new orders index is 1.8 percentage points higher than in April, the production index is up 0.6 percentage points, the prices index eased 2.4 points to 82.2%, and the backlog of orders index was up 2.7 points to 58.7%.

“The U.S. manufacturing sector remains in a demand-driven, supply chain-constrained
environment. Despite the Employment Index contracting in May, companies improved their progress on addressing moderate-term labor shortages at all tiers of the supply chain, according to Business Survey Committee respondents’ comments. Panelists reported slightly lower rates of quits compared to April. May was a second straight month of slight easing of prices expansion, but instability in global energy markets continues. Surcharge increase activity appears to be stabilizing across all industry sectors,” said Timothy R. Fiore, chair of ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

 

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Provi Completes 1st Stage of SevenFifty Integration

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Provi said it has completed the first phase of integration SevenFifty into Provi’s marketplace, which will now include SevenFifty’s pricing and portfolio information about 700,000 products from 1,200 distributors.

The integration is being done as a phased rollout, moving on-premise and off-premise buyers from SevenFifty to Provi through the remainder of the year.  By year-end, Provi will offer a single log-in for buyers, so they won’t have to search on one site and order on another.

“Provi and SevenFifty have the shared goal of better connecting all three tiers of the beverage alcohol industry,” said Taylor Katzman, founder and CEO of Provi. “SevenFifty has spent the last decade thoughtfully building innovative tools for distributor sales reps while creating a highly detailed wine and spirits content database. Integrating these distributor portfolios into Provi’s marketplace brings us one step closer to providing a more thorough and efficient experience for both on- and off-premise buyers.”

In January, Provi announced it was joining forces with SevenFifty to create a unified and expanded marketplace for the beverage alcohol industry. The integration comes with a shared focus on digital transformation and will provide a robust ecommerce marketplace and distributor toolkit to streamline operations for licensed buyers and distributor sales reps.

 

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Who & What —

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

KLG PR now represents Bearface Whiskey, which is aged in the Canadian wilderness.

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RtD’s Surpass Seltzers, Tequila Continues to Grow, But Tito’s Remains Top-Seller on Drizly

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Early reports on Memorial Day weekend sales are coming in, and it appears to have been a good holiday for bev/al marketers — or at least distilled spirits marketers — on Drizly.

The top-selling liquor on Drizly this Memorial Day weekend was Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tito’s and Casamigos Blanco both held their position from last year, but Jameson Irish Whiskey, Hennesssy V.S. Cognac and Grey Goose Vodka all fell from the top five, replaced by High Noon Hard Seltzer Variety Pack, Clase Azul Reposado Tequila and Espolon Tequila Blanco.

The fact that three of the top five sellers were tequila is symbolic of the strength of tequila this Memorial Day.  This year, vodka held only a 1 percentage point lead of tequila in terms of all liquor sales — 22% for vodka, 21% for tequila.

As for ready-to-drinks, for the first time the RtD subcategory surpassed the hard seltzer category, 4.8% to 4.4%. High Noon’s performance was especially notable, placing as No. 3 this year, up from No. 7 a year earlier.  Cutwater Spirits was even more impressive, climbing to No. 13 from No. 31.

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