StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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The superpremium Pendleton has been acquiring a following since its debut several years ago. leries for quite a while now, but only recently have Americans seen so many at once alongside the handful of well-known brands," he notes. "It's the perfect storm. There has been a real explosion of new consumers, as well as a maturing of current consumers into explorers and discoverers in the category. Consumers are demanding a huge variety now. Gone are the days when you could just have those bigger brands. They are still extremely important, but variety is now critical," he says. J.P. Wiser's, which has been around since 1857, is part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio. J.P. Wiser's Rye and J.P. Wiser's Spiced, McLeod points out, "go after the regular guy. He is looking for a product of exceptional quality, that stands up straight, mixes with cola and is of great value." Another offering, Pike Creek, whose whisky rest in non-temperature controlled warehouses in Ontario so the wood can be exposed to Pike Creek's terroir, is finished in port barrels. "It's for the more mature consumer, the one who is only really starting to explore what's new in whisky," McLeod says. Whisky connoisseurs, the ones who relish artisanal offerings, will gravitate toward Pernod Ricard's Lot 40, which along with Pike Creek, just debuted stateside in October—after a sevenyear hiatus. A 100% rye whiskey, it's a seventhgeneration recipe distilled in a 12,000-liter copper pot and aged in virgin white oak. S Smooth Sailing Ahead idney Frank Importing Company's ambitious launch of Sortilège, meaning "magic spell," is testament to how the category is keen to strip its past stigmas in favor of quality. A blend of three-year-old Canadian rye whisky and topnotch "Canada 1 Extra Clear" maple syrup, Sortilège is aged in hand-selected white oak barrels for a minimum of three years. "Sortilège is currently available in Canada and is the country's best-selling maple spirit. We feel the time is right as there is an increasing demand for maple-flavored spirits from U.S. consumers," says Bill 36 Henderson, head of the brand. "Sortilège has seen early success largely due to the brand's use of pure maple syrup while many others are using artificial flavoring." Tastings will be key in the off-premise. Says Henderson, "The proof of a whiskey combined with an all-natural, high-quality maple syrup makes Sortilège an extremely versatile base and modifying spirit." Tastes are shifting, and to illustrate this point, Whiskey & Wine Off 69's Giresi recalls the time he gave his father a single malt Scotch as a gift, back in 1989. "He pushed it back and said 'I drink Chivas,'" Giresi laughs. "I told him how good it was, how it was made from a single barrel, and he still said, 'I drink Sortilège is a blend of three-year-old Canadian rye whisky and "Canada 1 Extra Clear" maple syrup. Now available in Canada, Sidney Frank Importing is about to release Sortilège into select markets in the U.S. Chivas.' Today's customer is more open-minded than my father was then, and Canadian whiskies are so accessible. It's only going to grow." Van Gogh Imports CEO Norman Bonchick agrees. In his portfolio is Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whiskey, which melds cask-aged rye whiskies with 'Canada 1 Light' maple syrup tapped at the first hint of Quebecois spring. "After too long a period of time the consumer is finally coming back to brown spirits as a whole and Canadian whisky is receiving some of that attention—its rich and complex, yet approachable, making it an especially great choice for new enthusiasts," he notes. Still, he thinks more effective organization can propel Canadian whisky even further. "We believe that a separate Canadian rye section is warranted within brown spirit shelf sets at the retail level to help consumers understand that there are differences and what their choices are," he explains. "The myriad whiskey types within brown spirits can be confusing, especially to the novice, and we wholeheartedly believe that a designated section benefits both the category and the SW account." Von Gogh Imports features Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whiskey, which melds caskaged rye whiskies with "Canada 1 Light" maple syrup. StateWays I www.stateways.com I January/February 2014