Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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their first barrel. "That shows how wide-spread the appreciation of this type of whiskey program is, when New Hampshire, which you would not call a bourbon market by the normal stretch of the term, is buying single barrels," Morris says. (Brown-Forman has expanded their "by the barrel" initiatives to include Old Forster, delivered at a unique proof and package.) Morris points out that Wild Turkey has the "by the barrel" programs expanded its often allow customers to brand presence visit the distilleries, sample with expresbarrels and, presumably, sions like its Wild Turkey Rye, establish bonds with the introduced last maker. "We get very year. involved in the tasting process with the customer and hope and feel that we are building a friendship for life as they get to know the product through the distillery that crafted it." For its part, Early Times also used flavor in two new line extensions this past year: Fire Eater, a hot cinnamon flavored spirit sold in 19 markets, and Blind Archer, a spiced apple flavored spirit, sold in nine markets. amazingly popular and have become great tools for us, and it's a pretty cool brand building tool for us as well," says company spokesman Larry Kass. "There are a lot of accounts that are putting a good deal of effort into full barrel sales, not just retail but also on premise accounts." The Knob Creek "by the barrel" program has found some big fans – Noe says a restaurant in Minneapolis takes a barrel every month – and now even new whiskies are getting the barrel treatment. Until recently, the only Brown-Forman whiskey available in single barrel was Jack Daniel's, but the line extension of Woodford Reserve bourbon introduced last year – Woodford Reserve Double Oak – is the newest. "In the brief time it was out, we were inundated from off trade retail for a 'by the barrel" program,'" says Brown-Forman's master distiller Chris Morris. "So we just introduced a Woodford Reserve Double Oak by the barrel, single barrel in its own package." In July, the New Hampshire State Liquor Control Board bought Day-To-Day Sales espite all the activity around line extensions and innovation, it's the day-to-day brands that do the heavy lifting, and to speed growth of their growing Evan Williams brand, Heaven Hill is aiming more firepower behind the brand. "There's a lot of things we've done on Evan Williams – we've gotten pretty aggressive with our promotion, advertising and marketing. We have been really performing very well year on year, outpacing the category even though were a mid-tier player," says Kass. Brand execs have been researching their consumers and prospects at a time when "keeping people in your fran. . . . . .4,821 . . . . . .3.1% chise takes lots of work, there . . . . . .3,153 . . . . . .1.4% is lots of competition pulling . . . . . .1,431 . . . . . .6.0% people from one brand to the . . . . . .1,185 . . . . .14.4% next," he says. With many con. . . . . . . .564 . . . . .-1.9% . . . . . . . .536 . . . . . .2.7% sumers trading up at least occa. . . . . . . .448 . . . . .-0.4% sionally to small batch or single . . . . . . . .434 . . . . .-0.2% barrel extensions, the brand is . . . . . . . .360 . . . . .-2.7% poised with four expressions – . . . . . . . .341 . . . . .35.9% Evan Williams, Evan Williams 13,273 3.9% 1783, Evan Williams Single 3,257 9.9% Barrel Bottled in Bond and the 16,530 5.1% annual vintage release - a progression of offerings at a differ- D Leading Brands of Straight Whiskey (Thousands of 9-liter cases) Brand Supplier 2011 Jack Daniel's . . . . . . . . . .Brown-Forman Beverages .4,674 Jim Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .3,108 Evan Williams . . . . . . . . . .Heaven Hill Distilleries . .1,350 Maker's Mark (includes 46) Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .1,036 Early Times . . . . . . . . . . . .Brown-Forman Beverages . .575 Wild Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . .Campari America . . . . . . . .522 Ten High . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sazerac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450 Old Crow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .435 Ancient Age/AAA . . . . . . . .Sazerac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370 Red Stag by Jim Beam . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .251 Total Leading Brands 12,771 Others 2,964 Total Straight Whiskey 15,735 Source: The Liquor Handbook 2012 28 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2013 '11/'12 % Chg