On the House

Saints Preserve Us!

Today, we shall talk about my favorite beverage in the world! OK, my second favorite, after milk...er, third, after tea...wait, pinot noir...

Today we shall talk about my fourth favorite beverage in the world! I am completely enamored of a newly fashionable liqueur, the stylish and beveled St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur!!! Holy smokes, I love me some St~Germain! Love! Love! Lu-uh-uh-ove!

Why do I love it so much? Have you tasted it? It tastes like the scent of honeysuckle on a breeze, like fresh, musky lychee fruit, like succulent peach nectar, like liquid happiness! All packaged in a beautiful beveled glass bottle bearing a remarkable resemblance to a top-heavy femme. And apparently, there is a guy in France traipsing around the Alps on a bicycle picking elderflowers just for me! Right now! As we speak!

Being a simple goddess, I prefer the signature St~Germain cocktail...a delectably large tot of the liqueur with champagne, club soda and a saucy twist of lemon. But in perusing their website, I found numerous cocktails that I will hasten to try, not least because of their clever asides embedded within their recipes. Such witty repartee reminds me of someone.. thinking ..thinking...

I discovered this elixir several years ago at one of our golf tournaments, when one of my distributors donated a case of the minis, also festively clad in the sexy bottle. (sidebar: it just tickles me that mini’s are just that.. teeny, tiny Lilliputian versions of themselves..same bottle, same labels... it cracks me up to see the teensy little Crown Royal bottle or the Dimple Pinch or the Tanqueray... but then, we have established that I am easily amused...). I had never even heard of St~Germain before. The minis were destined for the goody bags.

Sadly for some, after cracking it open, sucking it down and rejoicing in the sublime glow, I then absconded with as many minis as I could find without actually wrestling the bags out of our golfer’s hands.

Fast forward to about a month ago. We were having a farewell dinner for one of our comrades who was leaving. (another sidebar: a futile and wasteful practice, because we must have the highest percentage of boomerang employees on record...the latest was only gone for 3 weeks before she came back. “Hey, sad to see you go! Here’s an expensive party! See you in a few weeks!”). As I waited at the bar, I, being a writer of menus and also unable to sort through the myriad of options for cocktails entrenched in my brain, rendering it impossible to order in any semblance of quickly, picked up the sticky bar menu and right there at the top of the page was my old friend, The St~Germain Cocktail, singing her siren song of promises of deliciousness.

“I’ll have this”, says I. I said that about four more times through out the evening...which is awesome!! It is light enough in ABV for me to have several, which I promptly did.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why the long stretch of time betwixt discovery and enamored? Well, as I have noted in past blogs, I’m actually not much of a drinker. I am a lover of all things beverage, but not a consumer so much. So, since I hadn’t seen it around anywhere, nor had anyone presented it to me (bad reps!), I had forgotten about it.

But thanks to that sticky menu and my revolving co-worker, I was reminded and am now firmly in the cult of Germain. And now that I know there are bicycling Frenchmen risking life and limb in the mountains of France just for me to possess the heavenly nectar, I shall not ever again forget. In fact, it is the only liqueur I have actually me myself purchased in years! (I am a ‘buyer’, which means I don’t actually ever have to buy anything to have the world’s best liquor cabinet. Ironic.)

So, if you haven’t tried it yet, do yourself a favor and hie on down to the liquor store and pay your money. You will not be sorry!

And if I see a rash of baby goddesses named Oenoli in the future, I will know you appreciated that advise. Vive la France! Vive la St~Germain!

(All goddessy opinions are free and sincere. No recompense was paid for this or any endorsement. Though I’m open to that. I can be bought.)

If you have a question or comment for the One Most High, email her at beverage.goddess@yahoo.com

7 Questions: Ardmore Scotch Whisky Distillery’s Manager

Alistair Longwell
Manager
Ardmore Scotch Whisky Distillery

The Ardmore Scotch Whisky Distillery is located in Speyside, Scotland and was built in 1898 by Adam Teacher, son of its founder, William. One of the largest distilleries in Scotland, for many years the whisky produced there was the “fingerprint malt” for the Teacher’s blended Scotch whisky. However, in recent years the Single Malt produced there has become increasing popular, both in the U.S. and around the world.

In fact, the Scotch market is hot, and the interest among malt enthusiasts continues to drive Single Malt Scotch growth at a healthy rate, up 6.5%, while overall consumption patterns have pushed the entire category up slightly in 2006, up by 0.1%, according to the Cheers On-Premise Handbook 2007. And much like other spirits categories, Scotch has benefitted from the industry’s move towards super-premium products. Riding this wave of interest, earlier this year, Ardmore Traditional Cask was released in the U.S., the first single malt from Ardmore to be widely available in the U.S. The distillery’s manager. Alistair Longwell, visited America for the first time to inform bartenders and consumers about Ardmore. Here, Longwell informs us about this unique Single Malt release, his work at the distillery and the rich history behind Ardmore.

The Beverage Information Group: What are your main responsibilities as the manager for Ardmore Distillery?

Alistair Longwell: As Distillery Manager, I am responsible for ensuring that the high standards of quality and tradition as set forth by Adam Teacher, the son of our founder William Teacher, are maintained and followed through daily. I rely heavily on the wonderful Ardmore staff employees who are equally as dedicated to producing the finest single malt in the world.

BIG: Are you also considered a brand ambassador for Ardmore? How much of your time is spent at the distillery, and do you travel as well to help promote Ardmore?

Longwell: While Simon Brooking is Ardmore’s Master Ambassador, I also have the opportunity to reach out to consumers, educate them on Ardmore and help represent this unique product. I spend a lot of my time in the Distillery working with our employees to ensure that we are producing the best product we can. I travel all over the world helping to promote Ardmore and its full, rich taste. Recently, Ardmore Traditional Cask was released in America and I had the opportunity to go to New York for the first time. I was able to engage with our new consumers and fully inform the American media about Ardmore. I visited (and drank!) with bartenders and consumers who are just now being introduced to Ardmore and share the rich history of our brand.

BIG: Have the issues of safety and compliance become more important over the years at the Distillery and if so, in what ways?

Longwell: We have always taken the safety of our employees and compliance with industry regulations extremely seriously. The Ardmore Distillery uses many of the same traditions and equipment that were used when production first started in 1898. We are committed to a program of renewing our traditional wooden washbacks to maximize the flavor production, while many other distillers have moved to stainless steel. We firmly believe that the flavors evident in Ardmore Traditional Cask are in some part due to the traditional production methods we employ during malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation.

BIG: Several of the Ardmore Distillery employees were recently honored by Tom Flocco, president and CEO of Beam Global Spirits & Wine, the supplier of Ardmore. For example, awards were presented to three generations of Grant employees, for their combined 100 years of service. It’s rare to find that kind of service to a company these days. Why do you think the Distillery has been able to retain employees for that length of time?

Longwell: At the heart of the Ardmore Distillery lies the passion of dedicated employees and their commitment to upholding quality methods of traditional distilling. The Grants represent three generations of their family that are faithful in maintaining Ardmore traditions. As a family, they help illustrate the fact that Ardmore is steeped in a tradition that not only brings about a great tasting single malt whisky, but also creates family heritage. Beam Global Spirits & Wine regularly honors employees who stand out as extraordinary examples in bringing the company’s vision of Building Brands People Want to Talk About, to fruition.

BIG: Ardmore Traditional Cask was released in the U.S. in March, the first single malt whisky from Ardmore widely available in the U.S. The Single Malt category seems to be growing in popularity. To what do you attribute this increased interest in Single Malts; what makes them unique, as compared to other types of Scotch whisky?

Longwell: There definitely has been a surge of consumer interest in the U.S. market for high-end premium whiskies - the single malt sub-category saw 13% growth in 2007 alone. On a global scale, growth is also strong as popularity of single malts is on the rise in emerging markets. For example, Taiwan saw almost 40% growth last year. Single malt whisky is the uniquely distilled spirit from one particular malt whisky distillery. The flavors tend to be fuller and more distinctive than those apparent in blended Scotch whisky. These are created by mixing a range of single malt whiskies with lighter grain spirits. For many years Ardmore was produced solely as the “fingerprint malt” for the internationally renowned Teacher’s Highland Cream Blended Scotch whisky, providing a substantial percentage of that blend’s full flavor.

BIG: Describe the flavor profile of Traditional Cask. What is distinctive or unusual about its distillation process and how does that affect the taste? Ardmore is the only fully-peated Highland Single Malt. This step can be time-consuming and expensive. Tell us a bit about this process and why it is necessary at Ardmore.

Longwell: The fully-peated Ardmore Traditional Cask offers the rich, sweet signature flavor profile of traditional Highland malts, but with smoky peat undertones typically reserved for Islay whiskies. The careful quarter cask production process – which the Ardmore Distillery is only the second to employ – results in a whisky that beautifully combines the unique flavors of smoke, vanilla and sweet, ripe fruit and spice. The Traditional Cask’s definitive character and flavor profile is an ideal step up for those that want to break away from the taste of traditional Scotch whiskies.

As you mention, the full-peating is very rare for a Highland Malt Whisky. The process was insisted upon from the very earliest days to maintain a unique, peat-smoke richness. For background, Ardmore is double cask matured, initially in ex-bourbon oak barrels and then in quarter casks; a type of cask extensively used in the 19th century but used less and less as the industry expanded. Quarter casks are significantly smaller than ex-bourbon barrels and allow greater contact with the oak during maturation. The result is a more rounded flavor, accompanied by a subtle sweetness and spice.

BIG: What’s your favorite way to enjoy Ardmore Scotch? Are these whiskies best served straight up, or can some be mixed in cocktails as well?

Longwell: The full-bodied smoothness of Ardmore can be appreciated best at a bottling strength of 92 proof, but also is enjoyed with water or over ice. If a touch of water is added, then the flavors increase with the addition of a sweet ripe fruit start followed by the tang of peat.

Latest Poll Results: Craft Brewers Should Just Pass on Costs

In our most recent poll, we stated that higher ingredient costs and other supplier costs have some microbreweries scrambling. These costs have risen sharply; for example, the price of barley has risen to roughly $400 per metric ton (compared to about $125 - $135 in 2005). In some cases, craft breweries can’t even get the right types of hops they need to make their beer, as these supplies have been quite limited. We asked how microbreweries should handle this crisis, and the majority of respondents had a definite point of view. Nearly 70 percent agreed that craft breweries should just pass on these costs directly to customers, simple as that. After all, they concurred, craft brews are enjoying a wave of popularity in the U.S., showing very strong growth, compared to other beer segments.

However, approximately 20 percent had a different point of view, and this group agreed that these brewers need to find ways to use cheaper or alternative ingredients and/or packaging, if at all possible. The third segment – just over 10 percent, said the best course of action for craft brewers is to cut back on production and/or limit distribution until supplier costs become more reasonable. The fourth possible answer -- Merge with larger brewing companies, as they have more bargaining clout and can better absorb cost increases – received no votes. To respond to our current poll, visit Bevinfogroup.com.

7 Questions: Les Vins Georges Duboeuf’s Founder and Owner

Georges Duboeuf
Founder and Owner
Les Vins Georges Duboeuf

Georges Duboeuf is the founder of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, one of the largest and best-known wine merchants in France. Duboeuf is well-known for the popularization of Beaujolais wines in the U.S., and especially the Beaujolais Nouveau, the colorful bottles of red wine launched each year during the third week in November. He still heads his company, though into his 70’s, travelling worldwide to keep Beaujolais wine on the minds and palates of consumers. His son, Franck, works closely with him as well.

Georges Duboeuf’s business produces in excess of 25 million cases of wine annually. The brand, which is supplied by W.J. Deutsch & Sons, is among the leading brands of imported table wines in the U.S. In 2007, Duboeuf notched 750,000 9-liter cases in 2007 (projected) in the U.S., the same number as the prior year, according to The Beverage Information Group's Handbook Advance 2008. Imported table wine from France grew by 25 percent in 2006 with its share of the imported market growing from 12.1 percent to 13.9 percent, according to the Adams Wine Handbook 2007. However, French imports have shrunk from a 22.1 percent share in 2000. French wine has been under pressure, resulting from the intense competition in the global wine market. Discounting of wines in the U.S., and the strong euro is making European wines expensive here as well. Here, this wine veteran and expert addresses these crucial issues, and discusses his lifelong love of wine and the iconic Beaujolais Nouveau for which he has become so well known.

The Beverage Information Group (BIG): Your background gave you an early introduction into the world of wine in France. Growing up in a farm family, your family also owned some vineyards. Has wine always been your passion, and at what point in your life did you realize you wanted to go into the wine business?

Georges Duboeuf: I was born in 1933 in the heart of Pouilly Fuisse into a family of vignerons who have been involved with the wine business since at least 1500. At the age of five I was already helping my uncle and brother in the family vineyard, so it was just a natural progression for me to make my adult career in the wine business. I discovered my passion and my mission within the wine business when I was 18 and began delivering wine on my bicycle to local restaurants. I realized then that I wanted to expand the distribution of my regions’ best wines and share their quality with a much wider audience. Today I am told that a bottle of Georges Duboeuf wine is opened every second around the world.

BIG: You have just released a range of new white and red vintage wines from Beaujolais. Please tell me a bit about the “Flower Label” wines, for example, and what they are like.

Duboeuf: The Flower Labels are my signature wines because they are the wines that I make in my own winery with my own winemaking team. For each of the flower labels we purchase grapes from several hand-selected producers, each renowned for specific characteristics, and create the ideal blend that typifies the area from which each flower label wine is derived. The flower labels range in (suggested retail) price from $10.99 for fruity, fresh, easy drinking Beaujolais to $16.99 for a structured Moulin-a-Vent, the “Lord of Beaujolais.”

BIG: Are your wines generally everyday drinking wines, or are they more for special occasions? Do you feel that Americans are catching up to what can be considered the European tradition, in terms of enjoying and appreciating wine fully, and incorporating them more in everyday meals?

Duboeuf: We want consumers to enjoy our wines everyday as a complimentary part of their meal or for social occasions. Our wines are not overpowering and therefore are suitable for many different types of food. For the summer, for example, we suggest serving our Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages reds chilled! We have even dedicated a website in order to educate people about this called chilledred.com. The variety of food that you can pair our chilled Beaujolais with includes: grilled steaks, hamburgers, barbecued chicken, grilled salmon, strawberries, salsa and chips, Pad Thai, pasta tossed with fresh tomatoes and basil, grilled fresh tuna, and grilled veggies – to name just a few!

On the other end of the spectrum we have individual Domaine wines, many that score 90-plus in the leading wine publications, which are ideal for special occasions. These wines are serious wines full of character and typicity, however they still offer excellent value as premium quality wines from Burgundy, and therefore are still appropriate for nice dinners at home or ordering at your favorite restaurant.

BIG: There is a lot of competition today in the global wine market. There has also been a good deal of discounting of wines in the U.S., and the dollar vis a vis the euro is making some European wines very expensive here as well. How do you feel French wines can compete successfully in today’s challenging wine market?

Duboeuf: Unfortunately we cannot control the currency situation and the price of many French wines has increased due to the strong Euro, however what we can do is continue to educate US consumers and demystify French wines. We are doing this through our websites, winewithoutrules.com and chilledred.com, sampling (for example the entire Kimpton hotel chain will pour our wines during happy hour to their hotel guests for the month of June), and our advertising campaign which good naturedly pokes fun at the French.

We are also cutting our own margins in order to ensure that our wines continue to represent excellent value for money during this challenging period. Our wine sales, particularly Beaujolais sales to the on trade around the world continues to increase, and we have just completed consumer research in the US that shows that Beaujolais has a very good reputation and a bright future in the market.

BIG: You are often credited as “the king of Beaujolais Nouveau,” as you are almost single-handedly responsible for popularizing this type of wine. The Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau always gets a lot of buzz when it arrives in the U.S. – and elsewhere around the world -- each year. There are parties and events to herald its arrival, and lots of merchandising and point-of-sale promotions in the off-premise. When did you first develop these clever ideas for promoting the Beaujolais Nouveau, and how did you create them?

Duboeuf: In the 60’s, a journalist sent by my friend Paul Bocuse came to Romaneche to do a paper for the magazine Express. I took him on a tour of the region and visted several domains. We spoke at great length and tasted many wines. After this meeting, he wrote a 3 page article with the headline “Georges Duboeuf, the king of Beaujolais”.

I was very fortunate to be raised in beaujolais and to participate to the Beaujolais Nouveau promotion in France and all over the world. We used to organize, every year, the night before the release of Nouveau, a big event event just like we used to organize a big event after the release of Nouveau in New York with the Deutsch family.

Nouveau is France’s most popular wine and probably the most media-friendly all over the world. Big celebrations have been organized by restaurants, hotel chains, French Chamber of Commerce, brotherhoods like “Les Compagnons du Beaujolais”, without mentioning wine shops that do a great job at decorating their front windows for the occasion. At the beginning, every player (winegrowers, cooperatives, negociants…) did its very best to come up with ideas, concepts to promote this unique wine – unique by its style, its fresh fruity aromas, soft and round, perfect for this festive time of the year.

BIG: Also regarding your Beaujolais Nouveau: the bottles are also well known for their colorful floral designs. Who creates the artwork for these and how are the designs chosen each year? Also, the Beaujolais Nouveau is released in the U.S. exactly the same time each year – the third Thursday in November, regardless of the harvest time. How was this time chosen?

Duboeuf: Alain Vavro is the artist behind the original Beaujolais Nouveau labels. His extraordinary use of color and vibrant imagery helped to give Beaujolais Nouveau the iconic status that it has today. Vavro went on to work with Paul Bocuse, Villeroy & Bach, and many other famous names in the culinary world. Now we also invite other young artistic talents to propose designs for each year’s Beaujolais Nouveau label.

It is government regulation that the Beaujolais Nouveau is released every year on the third Thursday in November.

BIG: There seems to be an imbalance in supply and demand for Beaujolais Nouveau in recent years, as sales have tapered off somewhat. Is too much Beaujolais Nouveau being produced today, and what steps are French wine makers in the region taking to correct the situation?

Duboeuf: The 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau campaign has been very good in terms of volume as well as in terms of quality. The wines were praised by consumers. Every year, the office of Beaujolais Wines takes measures to level the supply and the demand depending on perspectives. Besides, It is important to note that the Beaujolais appellation requested to lower the yields to 50 hectoliter per hectare, which is very reasonable compared to other appellations that requested 52hl/ha.

The Beaujolais appellation is indeed very seriously managed.

The Deconstruction of a Beer & Food Partnership

As beer and food pairings go more and more mainstream – and believe me, they are! – I’m asked with steadily increasing regularity about how to best partner the two. Most often, I reply with a reiteration of my four basic guidelines for beer and food pairing, first posited over a decade ago in my book, A Taste for Beer. In brief, they are:

1. Think of Ale as Red Wine and Lager as White Wine: In other words, when red meat or any other dish that you normally pair with red wine is on the menu, select an ale to serve with it. Conversely, if the main course is fish or poultry, try a lager.

2. Hoppiness in Beer = Acidity in Wine: Anywhere that you would seek high acidity in a wine – such as with spicy, salty or oily food – choose a beer with significant hoppiness. The more acidic you would like the wine, the hoppier you will want the beer.

3. Complement or Contrast: Try to match foods to beers with complementary characters, such as a robust stew with a full-bodied ale. Or for a change, try a directly contrasting flavour, such as a crisp, delicate lager with a heavy cream soup.

4. Keep the Beer Sweeter than the Dessert: Nothing kills the flavour of a beer like the overpowering sweetness of a dessert. Keep the sugar contents of both beer and dessert balanced, however, and the pairing will work tremendously.

As a starting point, I believe they still work well. However, after recently enjoying and fully appreciating a pairing I did not concoct myself, I thought it might be fun to deconstruct the relationship of beer and food and present the detailed results. So here we go.

The dish and drink was enjoyed at the Duke of Westminster in Toronto as the concluding course of a beer dinner designed to showcase the beers of the London brewer Fuller’s, as well as welcome their Organic Honeydew to the local draught family. The beer was Fuller’s London Porter and the dish was described thusly: “Bittersweet Chocolate Tart, served warm, dusted with cocoa powder.”

This is a pairing that definitely violated Number 4, as the dessert was definitely sweeter than the beer, but as I always explain as a coda to that Guideline, you can do that with chocolate. Like beer, cocoa has a bitter component to it, even when sweetened liberally with sugar or fruit, and so a beer can play off that element even when it doesn’t necessarily have the malty sweetness to play in the same league.

Additionally, porters and stouts are great beers for chocolate pairings since they often have a cocoa or chocolate flavor to them, as do some Belgian dubbels, barleywines, brown ales and assorted other brews. (See how versatile beer is with chocolate? Try doing that with wine!)

And indeed, the cocoa dusting was key to the way this pairing worked, as it brought out all the roasty cocoa character of the ale, prompting me to make a note that I was tasting elements of the beer I hadn’t previously encountered. Additionally, Chef was wise to make the crust relatively dense and chewy, rather than light and fluffy, since a shorter crust would have provided more fat than the beer could properly balance.

Next, the chocolate filling itself was particularly well-balanced, neither too sweet (which would have overwhelmed the beer and made it taste sour, chocolate exception notwithstanding) nor too bitter (which again would have been at odds with the Fuller’s Porter, itself not a terribly bitter beer). And finally, by serving the tart warm, and the beer not too cold, the flavours in each were allowed to emerge and mingle with one another, creating the proverbial party in my mouth.

Simply, a splendid partnership of comestible and potable. Congratulations to all concerned.

In Latest Poll, Strong Response Indicates Pernod Ricard Overpaid for Absolut

We received a very strong response to our latest poll question, which asked if Pernod Ricard paid too much for Vin & Sprit this month. Pernod agreed to shell out 5.6 billion euros (nearly $9 billion) to purchase 100 percent of the shares of Vin & Sprit, whose brands include the fast-growing Cruzan Rum, and its crown jewel, Absolut Vodka. A bit more than half of all the respondents said yes, Pernod absolutely did pay too much. It paid roughly 20 percent above top-end estimates made by securities analysts, and the company will nearly double its debt load, as it plans to finance the deal almost entirely with debt.

However, approximately 28 percent were a bit more hopeful. They agreed that the purchase price could be worth it, if the new owners develop a significant way to market the brand. Crafting an outstanding marketing strategy that could compete in today’s very crowded vodka market – where new entrants are being launched almost weekly – could give Pernod a substantial payoff, they reasoned.

Another group could not say for sure at this time if Pernod overpaid, but they agreed that time will tell. Just over 15 percent of respondents felt it would take months, if not years, to determine if the spirit company’s payout was worth it. And finally, roughly 6 percent of respondents were quite bullish on the amount paid out for Absolut. This segment agreed that the Swedish vodka, the second best-selling imported vodka in the U.S. and a leader on the global vodka scene with a well established brand with its memorable (and lately, controversial) advertising campaign – is well worth the purchase price. Check out our current poll, at BevInfoGroup.com.

Strategy for Sustainability

On-premise beverage alcohol sales broke the $100 billion mark in 2007, coming in at $102 billion, an 8.3 percent increase, according to The Beverage Information Group’s Handbook Advance 2008. That’s a $33.2 billion revenue increase since 2002, certainly reason to celebrate.

The gain actually is a bit slower than 2006’s 9.2 percent increase, however, and just about every facet of the beverage alcohol industry, with the exception of wine, experienced slower rates of growth last year. Even Yellow Tail, the knock-out Aussie wine with skyrocketing sales earlier in the decade, saw growth decline precipitously from double-digits in 2005 to slightly more than one percent last year.

An 8.3 percent overall increase is nothing to sneeze at, nor is Yellow Tail’s 1.2 percent gain on 8 million cases. But looking ahead, we know an economic softening is in store for 2008; many restaurants that had been enjoying growth already are experiencing a slowdown in traffic and sales. Although the National Restaurant Association projects 4.3 percent growth for full-service restaurants in 2008, many operators now fear their own growth train will be derailed by forces outside their control. The question is how operators can keep growing even with the soft economy.

The 2008 Growth Brands, Cheers’ annual report on the fastest growing wine and spirits brands, hint at an answer. Almost the entire industry spectrum is represented—from high-end tequilas to value-priced flavored vodkas, from super- premium imported wines to bargain boxed varietals. But among such diversity, each and every Growth Brand shares a common characteristic: it connects with the consumer. Whether via tangible elements such as value pricing, convenience or flavor, or more qualitative factors such as brand image or affordable luxury, these brands forge a connection with the consumer. The really good brands continuously strengthen that connection for sustained growth, making adjustments along the way.

Good on-premise operations do the same, nurturing the connection with their guest through value, quality, flavor, experience or the combination of several elements. Those that excel at it find a way to grow,even in a soft economy. Discovering how to forge stronger bonds is the key to driving growth worth celebrating.

Cheers!

Reasons I’d Rather Be Somewhere Else This Week

For all of this month, Scala in San Francisco is offering a prix fixe “Three Martini Lunch,” featuring a selection of three martinis alongside a Caesar salad, grilled flatiron steak and mini-dessert, all for the meagre price of $50. No word on whether or not tax and tip are included.

Elsewhere on the beverage bargain front, this Friday, April 18, the Bourbon House in New Orleans is hosting a luncheon with Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. Included are passed hors d’oeuvres complemented by Sazaracs and Blue Grass Sunset cocktails, sweet potato soup served with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, prosciutto-wrapped salmon accompanied by George T. Stagg Bourbon and a chocolate pecan tart offered with a drop of the increasingly rare Pappy Van Winkle 20-Year-Old. All for only $45, tax and tip included.

Back in California, this week will also see the craft brewing community descend on San Diego for the annual Craft Brewers Conference. For four days, some 1,600 brewers, importers, wholesalers and associated hangers-on – like bar owners and beer writers – will overwhelm the Town & Country Resort, as well as many if not all of San Diego`s breweries, brewpubs and beer specialty bars.

On second thought, maybe I`m just as happy to not be in San Diego this week...

7 Questions: Sauza Tequila’s Senior Brand Director

Andrew Floor
Senior Brand Director
Sauza Tequila

Tequila has graduated from outside shot and Margarita glasses to being consumed on the rocks, in flights and even sipped and savored. The latest introductions tend to be above-premium, making the category even more relevant to today’s consumption trends. The Mexican spirit was the fastest growing non-whiskey in 2006, according to Beverage Information Group research. Sauza Tequila is a leading brand; in fact, from 2003 – 2007, it claimed the third spot among the top 10 leading brands of tequila in the U.S., according to the Handbook Advance 2008. In 2007, Sauza notched 1.44 million 9 liter cases – a 5.6 percent gain (projected) over the previous year. Supplied by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Sauza Tequila also ranked as the 29th leading brand among all distilled spirits for both 2006 and 2007.

Hornitos Tequila, a member of the Sauza Tequila line, emerged in the fall with new market positioning, packaging and a $15 million marketing campaign. In addition, the brand, originally available as Hornitos Reposado – launched two new variants -- Hornitos Plata and Hornitos Anejo. Supporting the new portfolio, the Hornitos campaign, “The Fine Line of Tequila,” delivers the message that these tequilas provide the expected tequila “edge” while an uncharacteristic smoothness. Sauza introduced its “sip, shoot, and savor” strategy, highlighting the diversity of the Hornitos trio and their consumption occasions. Andrew Floor, Senior Brand Director, is a vibrant, very visible force on the Sauza Tequila brand team. Here, he educates us on how the Hornitos brand evolved, how its new marketing campaign is working and the latest promotions being planned for Cinco de Mayo.

The Beverage Information Group (BIG): Sauza’s Hornitos Tequila was relaunched last year with a new look and ad campaign. But before we get to that, tell us a bit about the brand, its history and how it has evolved over the years. Just wondering, how was the name Hornitos chosen and what does it mean?

Andrew Floor: When Don Francisco Javier Sauza inherited La Perserverencia, the home of the Sauza family dynasty, he set out to create a tequila of unique character, a way to enhance what had already become the world’s premier tequila portfolio. He held a deep rooted love for the pure agave flavor that had traditionally been the domain of blanco tequila’s but he also loved the mellow complexity that oak injected into his beloved tequila. The result? Hornitos was born – the purest articulation of agave character possible in a wood treated tequila, uniquely rested in 10,000 gallon vats rather than the 55 liter barrels to minimize contact with the wood.

The brand was officially launched in 1950 and quickly established itself as a true icon of the tequila category, becoming known as Nuestro tequila in Mexico and quickly becoming America’s favorite 100% agave Reposado tequila, a position it still holds to this day! And the name? Hornitos means ‘little oven’ in Spanish, a nod to the small ovens Don Francisco used whilst realizing his dream.

BIG: In addition to the established Hornitos Reposado, two variants were added – Hornitos Plata and Hornitos Anejo. Why did the brand decide to launch these as well? Is this now the norm in the tequila market – for a brand to offer all three -- reposado, plata and anejo?

Floor: The tequila category has been experiencing a revolution over recent years as more and more consumers explore new and exciting ways to enjoy their favorite spirit. Hornitos, America’s favorite 100% Agave Reposado has some of the most loyal consumers in the world and as such we felt an obligation to ensure those loyalists had a Hornitos variant for any and every tequila occasion! Whether it’s sipping a Paloma made with the spicy agave of Hornitos Plata, or sharing a smooth yet complex shot of Hornitos Reposado or savoring the rich, oak of the Hornitos Anejo in a snifter there is a Hornitos variant for anyone who loves the true taste of agave. Is this the norm? For some brands line extensions are a cynical grab for shelf space but for a brand with the production credentials, the heritage and indeed the following that Hornitos has, it was a natural way for an icon brand to keep pace with an evolving consumer.

BIG: The new “sip, shoot and savor” seems like a very clever strategy to increase tequila consumption. How is it working? Also, please indicate how the new advertising campaign “The Fine Line of Tequila” came about – who created it and why that name was chosen.

Floor: The “Sip, Shoot, Savor” strategy was born out of an evolving category and has become a clear and simple way to educate a broader consumer audience on the versatility of tequila. It also provides an easy to understand “reason for being” for the three variants, de-mystifying what is traditionally a misunderstood and seemingly complex category. And the results? Hornitos was the fastest growing premium tequila in 2007 up 24% versus the previous year and that momentum has carried into the new year up 16% through the traditionally quieter Q108. With “tequila season” just around the corner Hornitos is set for another amazing year.

“The Fine Line of Tequila”, the first dedicated Hornitos campaign in over 4 years captures the idea of bringing 2 seemingly conflicting elements together to deliver the perfect combination, a concept born from the fact that Hornitos is the perfect combination of smooth agave taste and exhilarating tequila edge. The idea was developed by Publicis Dallas and launched in Q4 2007 with a record brand spend, brought to life via a variety of print and out-of-home executions, a major on line presence, unique word-of-mouth initiatives and an extensive entertainment marketing program including a celebrity-studded “Fine Line” launch party in Los Angeles hosted by Ashlee Simpson. Other celebrities in attendance included Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Vanessa Marcil and Jeremy Piven. We also recently helped Eva Longoria and Todd English celebrate the highly anticipated opening of their Latin-infused restaurant, Beso.

BIG: The idea of a sipping tequila seems rather novel, as the spirit has traditionally been thought of as the main ingredient in Margaritas and other cocktails. How did “sipping tequila” establish itself in the market? Also, is the trend we’re seeing in spirits (especially vodka) towards greater consumption in the super-premium category and less in the value area, also happening in tequila; if so, why?

Floor: Mexico is the home of tequila so it should come as no surprise to learn that it is also the source of tequila consumption trends! Mexicans have been mixing their tequila (in Paloma’s for example) for years and have been sipping it (neat or with sangrita) even longer and as the US consumer continues to evolve they are exploring similar ways to enjoy their favorite brands. It’s not just consumption formats that are changing the face of the category in this country however, consumers are also starting to understand and appreciate the amazing world of 100% Agave tequilas like Hornitos, dispelling the myth that tequila has to be harsh and challenging.

That consumer driven realization is accelerating the premiumization of tequila ahead of any other spirit category in the US with double digit growth in the Premium and Super Premium segments. But growth isn’t limited to these higher marques, Sauza’s Gold and Blanco brands are also showing double digit growth in the standard segment as consumers search for better tequila experiences across a variety of occasions.

BIG: What on- and off-premise promotions are being planned for Hornitos for Cinco de Mayo?

Floor: Hornitos is taking it’s “perfect combination” message to the market via a comprehensive series of “green room” experiences in key cities around the country in the weeks leading up to and (funnily enough) including Cinco de Mayo. Our promotional teams will lead consumers through a fun and engaging exercise aimed at proving that with Hornitos, you can indeed enjoy all the exhilaration of a tequila experience without all the baggage that people expect – the perfect combination of smooth taste and tequila edge. Hornitos House productions will also be hosting a star studded Cinco de May event in LA, the hottest ticket in town, as our Devils and Angels bring to life the Fine Line concept and allow the lucky few to truly experience the Hornitos perfect combination.

BIG: Can you offer a snapshot of the Hornitos Tequila drinker: by age group, top geographic areas, does it skew male or female, etc.? Also, how has today’s tequila drinker evolved, say compared to five to 10 years ago?

Floor: The Hornitos consumer is fairly evenly split between males and females roughly 26 – 32 years old, independent thinkers who reject the default choices of the masses preferring to actively search out ways to improve their consumption experiences by making informed decisions. They’re proud of their emerging maturity (career vs job, etc.) and enjoy the thrill of a tequila release but don’t enjoy the consequences of a bad one! Key markets include California, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona and Washington but are also appearing in emerging markets like New York, Atlanta and Florida.

BIG: What do you enjoy most about you job, and what do you find challenging? Also, just wondering, what’s your favorite way to drink tequila?

Floor: What do I love most about my job? We’re going to need a whole new page for this one! I love everything about my job! I love Tequila – all the quality options of scotch whiskies, all the production controls of champagne, all the romantic history of cognac, all the versatility of rum or vodka and underpinning all that tequila has attitude, a real personality that drags you in and never lets you go! I love Casa Sauza, a true pillar of the tequila industry since 1873 and I love our brands - Hornitos, Tres Generaciones (3G’s), 100 Anos and Sauza Gold and Blanco - a portfolio of brands steeped in history (the first to apply the name ‘tequila’, the first to export tequila to the world) with a pioneering spirit and production credentials second to none! I love the fact that we are a leading brand playing a leading role in the accelerating evolution of an exciting, sexy category that’s ready to explode in the world’s largest tequila market. Need I say more?

And my favorite way to drink tequila? There’s something incredibly refreshing about a Hornitos Paloma (Hornitos Plata, lots of ice topped with Squirt, at left) on a hot sunny day but there’s nothing like a Hornitos Reposado on ice in a rocks glass, anytime.

A Quartet of Recent News Items

A recent change of computers and operating systems has slowed me down a bit of late, so I thought I’d jump back into the blog with a quick summary of a few items that caught my eye in between episodes of database collapse and fits of uncontrolled cursing:

- A company called Havana Beverages is promoting what they call the “Easy Mint Julep,” composed by simply mixing one part bourbon with three parts Havana Mojito, a cane sugar sweetened soda designed to taste like a Mojito without the rum. I haven’t tasted it yet, so I’ll reserve comment – save to say that no reputable Mint Julep recipe I’ve ever come across calls for lime – but the press release put me in mind of this hilarious video clip.

- Pabst Brewing has unveiled plans to resuscitate the one time king-of-the-hill brand, Schlitz. Accompanied by the tag line “Go for the Gusto,” the beer has been reformulated to its recipe from the 1960 and packaged in an old-style long neck bottle with retro-looking label. Again, not something I’ve yet tried, so I’ll reserve further comment.

- Miller Brewing has decided to take its previously test marketed Miller Lite Brewers Collection national, beginning this fall. This is something I have tasted – although not the Amber, samples of which froze solid and subsequently leaked half their contents during shipping – and so I can comment on what you can expect. The Wheat has a nose resembling something akin to the canned fruit salad my mother used to serve and a sweet, citrusy body that both dries and thins towards the finish, while the Blonde Ale offers a lightly toasty, faintly hoppy nose and just off-dry, mildly toffee-ish body that ands with a reassuring hit of mild bitterness. Both are thin-bodied, which presumably will help them appeal to light beer drinkers seeking to “trade up,” but I think calling them “craft-style,” as did the original press release, is stretching reality more than just a bit.

- And finally, the unfortunate news has just come in via Associated Press that the proposal to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of Louisiana has been rejected by the state Senate. According to the report, three senators declared that it would “send the wrong message” about the state if they were to honor an alcoholic beverage. My question: Don’t these boobs know where they live!?