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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Texas climate, and will know in a few years whether it is something we want to release as a limited edition. The handmade pot-distilled Prichard's Double Barrel Bourbon is made in limited quantities from a mash bill of white corn and rye. After distillation, it is matured in small, new charred oak barrels for upwards of 9 years, after which it's reduced to 90 proof with spring water and put back into a different new charred barrel for an additional 3 to 5 years. It's an expensive process exclusive to the Prichard's. LIMITED-EDITION RELEASES F ew things pique consumer interest more than scarcity. It is certainly true for aged spirits. Distillation runs pro- duce finite quantities of whiskey. As that whiskey ages, some barrels will reach their maturity faster than oth- ers. Every rick house has places where barrels attain peak maturity quickly. Distillers are then faced with the decision whether to move those barrels to a different area of the warehouse, or bottle them as a limited-edition offer- ing. The allure for aficionados is when that lot of whiskey has been sold, it is gone and will not be replicated. It's the category's version of "here today, gone tomorrow." Limited-edition releases is an ongoing trend in the category, and the Elijah Craig 20-Year-Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is one of the latest examples. An excellent illustration is the recently released limited edition Elijah Craig 20-Year- Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Heaven Hill Distilleries. In order to manage stock levels in the warehouses, Heaven Hill temporarily sus- pended bottling of the 18-Year-Old Elijah Craig Single Barrel that it has offered for a number of years. The new bottling will retail for approximately $130 for the 750 ml size, but less than 80 specially selected barrels will be dumped, yielding fewer than 1,300 bottles. "Limited-edition releases are fantastic for the catego- ry, allowing consumers to explore the depth of the catego- ry and experience where the category is heading," con- tends Trey Zoeller, founder and master blender of the Jefferson's portfolio of bourbons. "We're releasing our Jefferson's Ocean Aged Bourbon right now, with only 250 bottles available nationally. It's a very limited offering, but it has already excited consumers and garnered substantial buzz because it's something different to explore in the world of bourbon." Buffalo Trace's master distiller Harlen Wheatley has IN THE CONTROL STATES (9-Liter Cases) Jack Daniel's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brown-Forman Beverages . . . . . . . .1,099,710 . . . . . . . . .1,131,030 . . . . . . . . . . . .2.8% Jim Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .750,715 . . . . . . . . . . .774,772 . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2% Evan Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heaven Hill Distilleries . . . . . . . . . . . .408,354 . . . . . . . . . . .440,277 . . . . . . . . . . . .7.8% Maker's Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217,503 . . . . . . . . . . .246,083 . . . . . . . . . . .13.1% Old Crow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beam Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175,840 . . . . . . . . . . .181,122 . . . . . . . . . . . .3.0% Wild Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Campari America USA . . . . . . . . . . . .155,740 . . . . . . . . . . .155,135 . . . . . . . . . . . .-0.4% Ancient Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sazerac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121,861 . . . . . . . . . . .118,498 . . . . . . . . . . . .-2.8% Early Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brown-Forman Beverages . . . . . . . . . .119,757 . . . . . . . . . . .117,029 . . . . . . . . . . . .-2.3% Ten High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sazerac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112,023 . . . . . . . . . . .111,202 . . . . . . . . . . . .-0.7% Ezra Brooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Luxco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85,312 . . . . . . . . . . . .90,707 . . . . . . . . . . . .6.3% Total Leading Brands Others Brand Supplier 2011 2012* Total Straight Whiskey in the Control States Source: Beverage Information Group Data from NABCA data * 12-month rolling data from first quarter 2012 StateWays www.stateways.com September/October 2012 33 4,082,790 3,246,815 835,975 4,265,286 3,365,855 899,431 % Chg 3.7% 7.6% 4.5%