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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DA TELINE Business Briefs Diageo held its Eighth Annual Golden Bar Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City recently, an event that honors 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 impor- tant role they play in their communities, the company says. Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North 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. America, said at the event, "Tonight, we honor and commend Diageo's distributors 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 categories. Glazer's of Texas was awarded Distributor of the Year for Beer…. The Washington State Liquor Control Board is implementing a spirits tasting pilot in 30 of its stores statewide, a program established during the most recent legislative session. Sampling will be limited to ? ounces, with four samples maximum per customer. Product sponsors with a MAST (Mandatory Alcohol Server Training) permit may serve samples in the stores. The pilot will run in the 30 stores until September 2012….The New Hampshire Liquor Commission recently announced a collaborative education and import assistance agreement with the Italian Trade Commission. The ITC is providing education surrounding Italian wines and spirits (700 Italian wines and 65 spirits are available at NHLC stores). As part of the Vino Direct program, the commission also has the ability to import new wines directly from Italian producers… Pernod Ricard has acquired exclu- sive 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 8 excellent 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 available in Silver, Reposado and Añejo varietals…. Bacardi Limited appointed Robert Furniss-Roe as presi- dent of Bacardi North America, with responsi- bility for leading all operations in the region. Furniss-Roe most recently served as regional presi- dent of Latin America and vice president of Global Sales….Kevin O'Neil has been named executive vice president of the Distributor's Michael Keyes, President, North America Region, Brown-Forman (left); and Sean O'Connor, Senior Vice President, Director of Sales, Brown-Forman (center), were pre- sented with several Beverage Information Group Growth Brand Awards by Tony Bongiovanni, Associate Publisher, Beverage Information Group. Dedicated Diageo/Moët Hennessy Division at Charmer Sunbelt Group. He had been president and chief com- mercial officer at Diageo North America…. Beth Gilden was named president of Rogue Spirits and will oversee the operations of Rogue Spirits and Ales distilleries 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 represent 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…. Glazer's Distributors launched an education 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. NOTE: Pendleton Whisky, a Hood River Distillers brand, should have been included as a 2011 Fast Track Growth Brand Award winner in the March/April issue of StateWays. StateWays www.stateways.com September/October 2011