Stateways

StateWays Jan-Feb 2015

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

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/447128

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 32 of 43

33 StateWays ■ www.stateways.com ■ January/February 2015 W hat do consumers know, or think they know, about imported Japanese products? Accord- ing to a number of sake and Japanese whisky experts, misconceptions about the category are plentiful and confusion is rampant. Since retailers are the gatekeepers who often intro- duce consumers to sakes and Japanese whiskies for the fi rst time (or at least the fi rst time off-premise), it's im- portant to understand the misplaced assumptions about Japanese products when educating consumers – especially given rising sales numbers in the category. Sales of sake were up 1.8 percent in 2013, rising from 1.90 million cases to 1.94 million according to Beverage Information & Insight Group data. Led by Takara Sake and Sidney Frank's Gekkeikan, the category is showing continued growth off-premise after years of on-premise success (though that success was largely limited to Japa- nese bars and restaurants until recently). Meanwhile, sales of Japanese whisky have risen more than 40 percent over the last year in the control states (the only markets for which data is available), led by Suntory's Yamazaki and Hibiki brands. Hibiki alone has risen from 31,000 cases in 2012 to 112,000 in 2013. While admit- tedly a small sample size, both brands will undoubtedly receive increased marketing from the new Beam-Suntory. SAKE'S LONG HISTORY "T he House of Gekkeikan was founded in 1637 by the Okura family and has been brewing sake over 14 generations, making it one of the oldest family-operated businesses in the world," says Yoshi Yumoto, vice presi- dent of Gekkeikan at Sidney Frank. Despite nearly 400 years of innovation, sake still faces hurdles to expanding in the U.S. "We have seven brewer- ies in Japan and one in California, which allows the de- livery of fresh sake to most of the world," Yumoto says. "However, many people don't realize that sake only has a shelf life of two years, much of which can be spent simply in the time it takes to export to America." The variety of sakes available on the market also al- lows the category to compete against much of the bever- age alcohol industry. Gekkeikan's portfolio, for example, includes 15 sakes and plum wines, including at least one offering in each of the four main sake categories. "For more traditional sakes from Junmai, Ginjo and Daiginjo, wines would be a direct competition," Yumoto says. "For the specialties such as Zipang (sparkling sake) it could be an alternative to Champagne and prosecco. Draft sake is a great substitute for beer occasions, and sake is a fantastic base for classic and contemporary cock- tails, taking share from the spirits business as well." RETAILERS GO TO SCHOOL ON SAKE "E ducation is an integral part of our strategy, and TY KU strives to ensure that retail partners are educated and informed on all aspects of sake," says Davos Brands vice chairman Guillaume Cuvelier. "Our entire team is Level 1 Sake certifi ed through our master sake somme- lier, which allows us to train our wholesalers and retailers, as well as conduct consumer tastings." TY KU has supported its education program through POS items, social media marketing, and even sake edu- cational classes to help retailers understand the category better. But it's tasting and pairing sessions that help the company educate consumers. "A majority of consumers have encountered sake at Jap- anese restaurants," Cuvelier says. "They tend to associate it with a beverage that pairs only with sushi, but actually sake is a better pairing beverage than white wine for many foods since it contains a high amount of amino acids." SakeOne also created an online course geared toward distributor sales representatives to educate them on the sake category. JAPANESE WHISKIES AND SAKES GAIN VISIBILITY THANKS TO INCREASED SELECTION AND EDUCATION. BY JEREMY NEDELKA CROSSING PACIFIC THE

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Stateways - StateWays Jan-Feb 2015