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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The fast-growing Svedka line of vodkas is launching Svedka Colada beginning in June. ing and consumers seem to like our messag- ing," noted Timo Sutinen, vice president of marketing and business development for parent Imperial Brands. Actor Bruce Willis continues as spokesperson and new execu- tions are slated for Sobieski's Truth in Vodka campaign, including a return to outdoor billboards. Other brands showing solid growth include Tito's Handmade, which was up 59.9% to 582,000 cases last year. With a new look and strong retail merchandising support, Platinum 7X Vodka grew 16.1% in 2011, to 548,000 cases. E&J Gallo's entry New Amsterdam Vodka garnered sales of 300,000 cases. The most significant growth came from Pinnacle Vodka, which grew an impressive 92.9% to 2.7 million cases. Key to Pinnacle's success is its inventive flavors; 34 at last count, including Cotton Candy, Atomic Hots, Gummy and Cookie Dough. Whipped Cream was a breakthrough flavor; Pinnacle sold 850,000 cases last year, and extended that sweet subcategory to Cherry, Orange, Chocolate and the new Key Lime Whipped. Indeed, Absolut has recently released several new flavors to its lineup, the latest being Absolut Cherrykran, which features rich cherry flavor followed by notes of white cranberry and sweet plum, the company says. Flavor in the Driver's Seat T he flurry of flavor introductions is a chief driver of category growth. Virtually all of the major brands introduced one or more new ones last year. Attendant marketing support for these launches along with hubbub in print and the blogosphere around some of the wilder concoctions have kept vodka firmly in con- sumer's top-of-mind. Indeed, while sales of regular vodka grew by 1.0% last year, sales of flavored vodkas increased a whopping 18.0%. And one of the latest examples is the fast-selling Svedka, which is adding another interesting, new flavor to its vodka portfolio, Svedka Colada. Available nationwide beginning in June, Svedka Colado is a coconut-flavored vodka with a mixture of pineapple and tropical fruit flavorings. "Whipped Cream is not something consumers have to acquire a taste for. We create flavor profiles that are more palat- able to the novice drinker," points out Pinnacle CEO Paul Coulombe. "And flavors are very mixable." The company's website contains over 100 recipes just for the Whipped flavors alone. Pinnacle has moved from print to TV advertising on cable channels like Bravo and Oxygen, targeting women between ages of 21 to 35. "It seems like we are introducing new flavors every other month," quipped Coulombe. Peach and Blackberry were launched this spring; Atomic Hots is one of the newest flavors, a riff on the spicy cinnamon candy. Under con- sideration are limited-time seasonal flavors such as Pumpkin Pie in the fall. "There's plenty of room for more flavors, as long as they appeal to the American palate," declared Pinnacle's CEO. Of course, category leader Smirnoff, at sales of almost 9.7 million cases, also boasts a successful lineup of flavors (though not quite as flamboyant), as does Absolut, the second best-selling vodka in the U.S. Burnett's Vodka, with sales of more than 1.67 million 9-liter cases, just added Burnett's Pear and Burnett's Sugar Cookie Vodkas to its extensive lineup. The many introductions are taxing retailers' already burgeoning shelves. "We've been adding so many more skus that I don't know where I'm going to put them all," commented Rick Ostrand, spirits buyer for Stateline Liquors in Elkton, MD. "The flavor segment continues to be a key growth driver," said Clare Kanter, Absolut brand director. "Consumer demand for new flavors remains strong." Absolut Peppar debuted back in 1986, spicing up Bloody Marys, and subsequently Absolut Citron became a main ingredient in the ultra-trendy Cosmopolitan. A few months ago the company introduced Absolut Grapevine, featuring white grape balanced with trendy dragon fruit and papaya. "We've also translated our flavor inno- vation into our limited-edition 'City' series," added Kanter. Following Los Angeles, Boston, Brooklyn, and SF is Absolut Miami, combining citrus flavors, passion fruit and orange blossom. The Absolut Greyhound campaign was launched this spring; it's a collaboration between the brand and innovative music artists featuring tracks, videos, a TV commercial, Grey Goose Cherry Noir is the successful superpremium vodka's first flavor extension in five years. 22 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • May/June 2012