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.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/41523
FYI Diageo held its Eighth Annual Golden Bar Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City recently, an event that hon- ors and recognizes the company's distributors and brokers from across the U.S. for their excellence in the marketplace regarding Diageo brands, as well as the important role they play in their communities, the company says. Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America, said at the At Diageo's Eighth Annual Golden Bar Awards, from left, Diageo USA President Larry Schwartz; L E. Lloyd Sobel, John Devin and Anthony Colamussi, all from Atlantic Wine and Spirits, which was awarded the Distributor of the Year in both the Wine and Spirits categories; and Ivan Menezes, President and CEO, Diageo North America. event, "Tonight, we honor and commend Diageo's distribu- tors for their dedication and hard work over the past year." Larry Schwartz, Diageo USA President, added, "It is Diageo's strong relationships with our distributors that help drive the success of our companies." Among the 45 24- karat gold statuettes presented, Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a Division of Empire Merchants, LLC, Metro New York, won Distributor of the Year in both the Wine and Spirits cate- gories. Glazer's of Texas was awarded Distributor of the Year for Beer…. Pernod Ricard has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the ultra-premium Tequila Avión, as well as a minority interest in the increasingly popular brand. Paul Duffy, Chairman and CEO, Pernod Ricard USA, said the agreement "is strategically important, and an excel- lent complement to Pernod Ricard USA's leading portfolio of premium brands." Tequila Avión is currently sold in 23 states and Ontario, Canada. Made from Blue Weber agave Tequila Avión's uses a combination of slow- roasting at lower temperatures and an ultra-slow filtration process, which results in a smooth taste profile, the company says. Tequila Avión is avail- able in Silver, Reposado and Añejo varietals…. Bacardi Limited appointed Robert Furniss-Roe as president of Bacardi North America, with responsi- bility for leading all operations in the region. Furniss-Roe most recently served as regional president of Latin America and vice president of Global Sales….Kevin O'Neil has been named executive vice president of the Distributor's Dedicated Diageo/Moët Hennessy Division at Charmer Sunbelt Group. He had been president and chief commercial officer at Diageo North America…. Beth Gilden was named president of Rogue Spirits and will oversee the operations of Rogue Spirits and Ales distiller- ies in Newport and Portland, OR. Rogue's spirits portfolio includes Dead Guy Whiskey, Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, Hazelnut Spice Rum, Pink Gin, Spruce Gin and Vintage Vodka…. M.S. Walker has acquired ownership and sales rights to 15 spirit brands previously owned by White Rock Distilleries. Of the various brands, Orloff Vodka with sales around 140,000 9-liter cases, Zhenka Vodka with sales nearing 70,000 9-liter cases, Jenkins Products with close to 50,000 9-liter cases, and Poland Springs Vodka with sales near 40,000 9-liter cases repre- sent the largest brands. In total, M.S. Walker will be adding about 425,000 9-liter cases per year to its rectifying and bottling division…. Anheuser-Busch InBev NV unveiled a new Budweiser can, highlighting the brand's "bowtie" symbol and featuring more red than the previous cans. This is the company's 12th design since it began selling Budweiser in cans in 1936, and it comes in the wake of an 8% sales volume decline in 2010. "Our intent was to find a design that was very powerful and positive for both old and new Budweiser drinkers," said Rob McCarthy, vice president for Budweiser…. Glazer's Distributors launched an educa- The newly designed Budweiser can. Michael Keyes, President, North America Region, Brown-Forman (left); and Sean O'Connor, Senior Vice President, Director of Sales, Brown-Forman (center), were presented with several Beverage Information Group Growth Brand Awards by Tony Bongiovanni, Associate Publisher, Beverage Information Group. 8 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2011 tion program that it says will create value-added knowledge and training for their employees, suppliers and retailers. The new training program is called Glazer's University (GU), created to encourage partners of Glazer's to stay up-to-date on the constantly changing beverage alcohol industry. From GU, enrollees can obtain free and needed training to become experts on wine, beer and spirits by completing rigorous 10-15 minute courses that interactively engage the participants. Currently, GU students can enroll to get the degree of "Bachelor of Wines." Later in the year, a "Bachelor of Spirits" and a "Bachelor of Malts" will be added. Class registration is now open for qualified applicants. Please visit www.GlazersUniversity.com to start an adventure attaining a P.h.D.D. – a doctorate in Drinkology at Glazer's University.