Can Cocktails of Convenience Win Consumers Over?
There was something new and unusual among the flights of whiskey and gin at this year’s American Craft Spirits Association tasting competition: coolers full of cans.
“Canned cocktails have become the talk of the distilling world,” Campbell said. “I was surprised and amazed by how many [entries] we got,” Maggie Campbell, ACSA vp and head distiller at Ipswich’s Privateer Rum said. “It’s the largest growth we’ve seen in any category … and we added it as an afterthought with no promotion around it.”
“I’m now selling more spirits through cans than through glass bottles,” said Luke Davidson, founder/CEO of Maine Craft Distilling. “It’s just insanity. The volume of our products has gone through the roof.” (Boston Globe)
Distilling a New Way to Run a Whisky Business
A former management consultant is challenging the traditional image of Scotch. (Financial Times)
How a Decade of Drinking Changed the Future of Booze
The 2010s saw many ill-advised drinking trends, ones the average bar denizen will be happy to see the back of. Still, several are poised to influence the way we imbibe in the coming year and beyond. Over the last decade, radical shifts in collective taste, work habits, the way we consume information and even America’s hyper-polarized politics have driven our drinking style.
The 2020s will be no different. Indeed, six changes to alcohol culture may have a stronger impact on what, and how, we drink. (AP via The (Alton, Ill.) Telegraph)
Liquor Industry ‘Totally Invested’ in Fighting Holiday Drunken Driving: Q&A
The holiday season can be a time associated with consumption — and sometimes overconsumption — of alcoholic beverages. Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Responsibility.org, met with the USA TODAY Editorial Board recently to discuss trends that are affecting the industry both positively (the boom in craft distillers) and negatively (fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade war with Europe). (USA Today)
Solid Dividend Investments in Alcohol Stocks
Alcoholic beverages might not be where most income investors turn to find dynamic dividend stocks, and after Anheuser-Busch InBev slashed its payout in half last year, you’d be forgiven for being wary of the space.
Yet the sector tends to offer investors consistent payouts, and a number of companies regularly increase their dividends, all the while exhibiting positive qualities in all kinds of economic conditions. It’s a good reason why investors looking for steady, reliable income stocks should check out these three adult-beverage makers. (Motley Fool via NASDAQ)
She Thrives in the Male-Dominated Beer Industry
Laura Markstein was following her dream of becoming a medical examiner when her father asked her to come work with him for a summer in the family beer distribution business.
“He said he really needed some help,” and the offer was too good to pass up, Markstein said, so she joined the family business, Markstein Sales Co., in 1991, thinking it would be just a temporary gig.
That was 28 years ago. She has held every position possible since, and about 13 years into her career, her father retired and put her in charge.
Today, as one of the few women in the male-dominated beer business, Markstein’s Antioch-based company is thriving and just celebrated its 100th year. It delivers more than 4 million cases of world-class beers to 1,500 retailers in the Bay Area each year. (East Bay Times)
Jacksonville Is ‘The’ Place to Have a Brew(Ery)
Jacksonville — and Florida — has become a mecca for craft breweries, although the industry has its challenges. Seltzers also are becoming big business.
A decade ago you could count the number of breweries in Jacksonville on one hand. These days, you’d need both hands, both feet and still have to borrow a few digits from a close friend. There are at least 25 breweries in Duval County. (Florida Times-Union)
Winemakers are Using Cutting-Edge Data and Centuries-Old Wisdom to Combat Climate Change
Climate change isn’t some abstract concept in the wine world. It alters every facet of winegrowing and production. It has a direct effect on what’s in, or not in, our glasses. (Beverage Industry Enthusiast)
New California Law Makes It Easier to Blur Line Between Beer and Wine
The latest trend in craft beer isn’t hazy IPA or kettle sours or nitro coffee stouts. It’s wine. Two San Francisco craft breweries are investing seriously in winemaking. And, thanks to a California law that will take effect Jan. 1, a lot more breweries may soon follow. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Historical Treasure: Spirits of Terre Haute: Commercial Distillery
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, due to its location in the Midwest Corn Belt, Terre Haute was blessed with a substantial amount of spirits, the kind that are aged in a barrel and drunk from a bottle. The Vigo County Historical Museum is currently featuring breweries and distilleries in the Business and Industry Exhibit, which is where our Historical Treasure this week can be found. It is a custom-made metal stencil used by Commercial Distillery for marking barrel heads. Identifying information on the stencil indicates that the contents were “Distilled 190 Proof Natural Spirits Grain” produced in Terre Haute. (Terre Haute, Ind., Tribune-Star)
Wine Industry Faces Dramatic and ‘Calamitous’ Impact from Trump Administration’s Proposed Tariffs
A looming trade tariff of up to 100% that would affect all European Union countries selling wine to the United States, where imported wine is a $20-billion-a-year industry. This follows a round of 25% tariffs levied in October against Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
If the tariffs are levied, American wine drinkers would be faced with fewer wines coming to America from the EU (especially those made by small, independent producers) and higher prices on the bottles that do make it in. (Los Angeles Times)