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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For a selected list of top premium and superpremium spirits brands in all the categories mentioned in this story — including brief descriptions and histories of the products as well as product profiles and characteristics — please go to our website at StateWays.com and click on the "Selling Superpremium Spirits" story. ready information. Considering that your staff will have little time to close the sale necessitates providing them with a viable strategy. Whether selling spirits behind a swank bar or off your retail shelves, an important first step is for the staff to appreciate each product's singular claim to fame. It's safe to presume that the products commanding these elevated prices have sufficient attrib- utes that lift them heads and shoulders above the pack. Knowing what makes a par- ticular brand a brilliant player is crucial. As any sales veteran will attest, the key to effective sales is to "sell the sizzle, not the steak." That's what pushes people's hot buttons and these products are loaded with sizzle. This advice doesn't include reciting the medals they've won, or what ratings they've received. It entails talking plainly about what makes the certain brand singu- lar and different from the rest. Better than talking, conduct tastings for the staff and let them experience firsthand how magnificent these spirits truly are. Combine insight and a sense of appreciation into a person and you've set the stage for success. They say passion is contagious. SCOTCH hen it comes to marketing Scotch, intrigue sells. A superior malt with a compelling story line sells better than one draped in medals. Consumers have become jaded to marketing superlatives such as oldest, rarest, or most expensive. Most people would rather be intrigued than impressed. Tempting clients with some engaging insights into a particular whisky and the decision to purchase is a foregone conclusion. It's all tied-up with the sense of discovery, of which intrigue is an essential element. Sharing insider informa- tion with a whisky aficionado is an irresistible hook, instill- ing the person with a sense of ownership in the brand that W 30 Chivas Regal Gold Signature (18 Years) is a special reserve blend of more than 40 whiskies, all of which were barrel-aged at least 18 years. won't soon be forgotten. In fact, there are few things more gratifying to one's ego than passing along insider information about a whisky to friends and associates. Offering your clientele a dis- criminating selection of blends and single malts requires that you market a balanced offering, one that best represents the varieties of styles of each Scotch-producing region. First, a little back- ground information. The term single malt Scotch is often misconstrued. It is a whisky, produced in Scotland, at a single distillery using only malted barley, and no other grain or fermentable material. Blended Scotches are comprised of various whiskies from an unspecified number of distilleries. The heart of any premium blended Scotch is a collection of single malt whiskies. For instance, Johnnie Walker Gold Label is made according to a 1920 recipe created for the company's 100th anniversary. It Johnnie Walker Gold Label is made according to a 1920 recipe created for the company's 100th anniversary. It contains fifteen different 18-year- old single malt whiskies. contains fifteen different 18-year-old single malt whiskies. • Game Plan. Recommending a classy bottle of Scotch first requires a vital piece of information from the client, namely what brand or type of Scotch the person typically enjoys. From there you can easily begin sug- gesting brands that don't require the person to make a radical departure in taste profile. Second, ask if the person is looking for an accessible whisky, or one with a bracing amount of vigor and peat. Last, inquire about how much the person is looking to spend. Collectively the information should provide a blueprint on how to proceed. Soft and lush whiskies suggest either the Lowlands or the Speyside region of the Highlands. Exuberant, peaty malts bring to mind those made on the islands. While exceptions here outnum- ber the rule, it's a jumping off point. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask is a 14-year-old malt finished in Caribbean rum barrels. StateWays s www.stateways.com s November/December 2011