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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/172332
Jim Beam recently launched the higher-end Jim Beam Signature Craft 12-Year, along with Jim Beam Signature Craft Rare Spanish Brandy, a bourbon finished with a touch of brandy. "Sometimes, it's hard to get your head around the idea that we make product right now for the year 2021; we've already made that year and that's it," Wheatley says." Higher-End Line Extensions art of what has driven sales higher has been consumer thirst for the generally more expensive line extensions and more aged expressions emerging from Kentucky. Fred Noe, master distiller at Jim Beam, notes the response is down to whiskey drinkers being less brand-loyal and more adventurous. "People are much more open minded today about American whiskey and want to try new things." He refers to the Beam small batch collection – Knob Creek, Booker's Baker's and Basil Hayden – launched in the late 1990s and how the idea of creating whiskies based on age, proof, barrel selection and warehouse location, considered unusual at the time, is now common. "People want to see what you're coming up with – they know your products and how they're made. Years ago people would have turned their noses up at some of these whiskies and they now are enthusiastic." It's part of the blossoming of straight whiskey, says Andrew Floor, senior marketing director - dark spirits, Campari America who oversees Wild Turkey. "The American Whiskey category is undergoing a renaissance, a revolution that began in the world of mixology and is fuelled by the post-global economic meltdown, along with the social and cultural movement back to hard working American values. That wave has certainly hit the retail space directly benefiting American Whiskies category, including our brands Wild Turkey and Russell's Reserve, which is now outpacing all other categories in terms of both volume and value growth in Nielsen driven by once niche segments – high proof, rye whiskey and craft brands." Beam's Jacob's Ghost is a good example of a niche segment product. Picking up on the curiosity among whiskey drinkers for raw spirit, Ghost is aged for one year, the oak adding a pale hue and a bit of maturity, making it more suitable for bartenders to use in cocktails, Noe says. "One year in the barrel really softens up that white dog quality, giving it a little bit of that wood quality. There's a place for white whiskey as long as it's palatable." P Conversely, Beam's Devil's Cut is designed for people who like a lot of wood and tannin flavors in their whiskey. Using a method that "sweats" the barrels, Devil's Cut includes more flavors extracted from the aged barrels – the two expressions – Jacob's Ghost and Devil's Cut - are examples of whiskey makers trying to create expressions for every drinker, Noe says. Even Jack Daniel's, a distiller not known for experimentation, joined the white whiskey parade this year with an unaged rye. Master distiller Jeff Arnett explains: "There's a market for white whiskey and people are very curious about them. Usually the only reason people sell unaged is because the aged isn't ready yet. We don't need to do that but we had already decided to make a rye, and because so much white whiskey has been coming out and people were interested in it, offering the rye this way made sense." The Jack Daniel's brand gained a healthy 3.1% nationally last year, while its popular branded liqueur, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, saw sales jump to 424,000 cases in only its second year on the market. Arnett says the interest in white whiskey in the past few years has been good for the entire whiskey category, but in the case of Jack Daniel's, this will be a one-off, a teaser for the mature product which will be following soon. However, while there are no immediate plans for new whiskies with the Jack Daniel's label beyond the fully aged rye, Arnett says using different grain bills or finishes, and experimenting with barrels "speaks more to our historic process and intrigues us the most." The Flavor Train ack Daniel's has already done exceptionally well with its Tennessee Honey flavor extension, as have other J Maker's Mark continues to be the fastest-growing major bourbon brand, with sales gains of 14.4% nationally last year. 26 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2013