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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www.beveragedynamics.com November/December 2014 • Beverage Dynamics 23 Brandy & Cognac U.S., with the goal of introducing more than 10,000 consumers to Rémy Martin. Other major brand activities include Courvoisier's "Exceptional Journey" campaign, celebrating the path toward excellence and featuring an original Web series hosted by celebrity Chef Roble Ali, which tells the stories of fi ve indi- viduals on their own exceptional jour- neys, celebrating the passion that goes into their crafts and the moments that have defi ned their careers. SMALL BUT UNIQUE Outside of the big brands, smaller houses have continued to target U.S. consumers — Camus offers a VSOP entirely from the Borderies region, as well as the unusual Ile de Re line, distilled and aged on an island off the coast of the French mainland, with cellars as close as 10 meters from the Atlantic. Tesseron Cognac, a family-owned Cognac house, for the fi rst time made its Signature Collection and Royal Blend bottlings available nationwide. Each of the four offerings — XO Passion, Extra Legende, Tresor and Royal Blend, are at the top-end of the pricing tier ($300, $500, $1,200 and $1,500, respectively). Delamain, another family-owned house which only produces Grande Champagne Cognacs at XO range and above, repackaged its Delamain Vesper (a blend of 30- to 35-year Cognacs) and intro- duced rare vintage bottlings — limited edition Delamain 1963, 50 year olds; and Delamain 1973, 40 year old, both single-cask, single estate, Grande Champagne Cognacs. A. Hardy USA introduced its new VSOP Organic Cognac, certifi ed by Ecocert, meaning it contains all-natural ingredients and no chemical additives. BRANDY RISES WITH WHISKEY Meanwhile, American brandy marketers are exploiting their com- manding position to roll out fl avored iterations to introduce new consumers to brandy. Anna Bell, director of marketing at E&J brandy, says the growth of American whiskey can be useful for brandy marketers. "The re- surgence of whiskey can be looked at as a threat to brandy or as an opportunity. As whiskey grows, shelf space demands are putting the squeeze on brandy. Moreover, brandy is all but invisible to the Millennial drinker these days – if they have even heard of brandy, they have no idea what it really is or how to drink or why they should drink it. "E&J believes brandy has a unique opportunity in midst of the cur- rent whiskey boom to tell its own story. Trade and consumers seem receptive to learning about and trying new variants of whiskey. We believe we can leverage this circumstance to restart a conversation, maybe even a revival, with brandy; and as the leader of the American brandy category, we truly believe E&J should lead that conversation." Another opportunity lies with the growth of Cognac. "We believe the growth in Cognac has trickled down to the brandy segment, since it is priced more competitively," says Vicky Arcos, brand director at Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy. The brand does especially well in Texas, New York, Georgia and Maryland, accounting for about 30 percent of total volume. Last spring, the Constellation brand explored the explo- sion of fl avor innovations by launching Paul Masson Grande Amber Peach, with sales surging since then. "Consumers are more apt to try new and novel things and fl avored brandy falls into that. There is a huge opportunity to capitalize on the growth of the category by developing new products that excite the consumer, while also staying true to the core brand," she says. Mary Crae Guild, spokesperson on brandy for Christian Brothers, says their introduction of honey fl avor in 2011 and this year's peach has at- tracted new interest and consumers to the category. Christian Broth- ers also produces a fi ltered clear version of VS, called Frost, which has extended the traditional American brandy offerings beyond VS, VSOP and XO. She sees cocktails presenting hope to brandy marketers, just as it has for Cognac producers. "The category has been a bit soft, but it has become a lot steadier in the recent years but with the resurgence of cocktail culture," she says. "We have seen some lift as well as some excitement for the fl avored brands, especially from younger and ethnic consumers." BD Rent our list of targeted, qualifi ed readers for your next direct mail promotion. • TARGETED LEADS • SUPERIOR PENETRATION • PROVEN VALUE • OUTSTANDING RESULTS Call today for more information regarding our product lines and extensive database marketing programs. Contact Jim Scova Tel: 914-368-1012 jscova@MeritDirect.com LIST RENTAL "Educating consumers on how Cognac is made — from selecting the grapes, to distillation, to aging and blending, is an important part of fostering a greater appreciation for this category." — Emma Medina, Vice President of Rémy Martin VS, VSOP, V & 1738