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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35 StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q March/April 2014 geo Scotch but the category as a whole," Radics explained. Perhaps it's a result of that in- novation that the Scotch category is seeing so much success. That is especially true among single malts. "It's where most of the action is hap- pening," King said. "Single malt is incredibly dynamic." According to the Beverage Information Group, the Scotch category gained 3.5% in 2013. Carrying that growth were single malt Scotches, which were up 9.1%, while foreign bottled brands grew 5.6%. [In the control states, Scotch sales were not quite as ro- bust, with overall growth at 1.3%.] However, it's not so much about Scotch's volume but its value. "One of the key things to pull out in the last year has been the really strong growth of value over just volume, specifi cally in the single malt segment," said Andy Nash, Scotch category marketing director for William Grant & Sons. The Scotch category's success is about more than case sales and price increases. "It's not just about the prices increas- ing," Radics explains. "It's that the brands that are at the higher price tiers, those brands that are true craft and have true con- nections with the retail- ers and true connections with consumers, those are the brands that people are seeking and those are the brands that are growing." Line Extensions I n October 2013, the Diageo single malt Talisker expanded its brand in the U.S. by introducing Talisker Storm. Tal- isker Storm became a permanent addition to the portfolio and was presented as more intense and smoky to balance the warm sweetness that's Talisker's signature trait. And unlike many other single malts, Talisker Storm does not have an age statement. Before April 2013, Johnnie Walker Double Black wasn't avail- able stateside. But after a success- ful re-release of the limited edition, Double Black became a permanent addition to the Johnnie Walker U.S. lineup. "The response to Johnnie Walker Double Black in the U.S. market has been over- whelmingly positive," Radics said. The innovative blend keeps with Black Label's character while am- plifying and intensifying its fl avors. Revamped Not Recycled " T his has been a huge year for Johnnie Walker," Radics con- tinued. "We shook up our base portfolio. We've essentially said we're exiting the Green Label and Gold Label 18 Year business, and we've introduced a new Platinum Label 18 and a Gold Label Reserve in a limited-edition bottle." Platinum was inspired by John Walker & Sons rich his- tory, hearkening back to the Walker family custom of craft- ing exclusive blends for private gatherings. Available since its August 2013 launch, the Platinum Label has a suggested retail price of $110. "We saw more opportunity to create different propositions than what we had in Green Label and Gold Label 18," Radics said. "What we created wasn't the new Green is this and the new Gold is that." As if the Platinum launch wasn't enough, Johnnie Walker followed it up with the October launch of Gold Label Re- serve, a product that represents top-notch blending and introduces a new fl avor to the John- nie Walker brand. The limited edi- tion comes in a fes- tive refl ective gold bottle that retails for $87. "Gold Label Reserve provides consumers with a unique fl avor for high energy celebrations that may not have been traditionally looked at as Scotch whisky occasions," Radics explained. Although single malts might be driving the Scotch category's growth, Johnnie Walker fi nds itself in a unique position as a blend with super-premium offerings. The Johnnie Walker brand is Diageo recently released Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 and a Gold Label Reserve in a limited-edition bottle. Last year's release of Johnnie Walker Double Black has seen signifi cant success. Talisker expanded its brand in the U.S. by intro- ducing Talisker Storm, a more intense and smoky tasting single malt. With a wide portfolio of expression, The Glenlivet remains the top-selling single malt Scotch brand in the U.S.