Stateways

Stateways May-June 2011

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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DA TELINE Business Briefs Beam Global Spirits & Wine has acquired the Skinnygirl spirits brand, created by reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. The brand’s flagship product, Skinnygirl Margarita is the spirits industry’s fastest growing ready-to- drink (RTD) product in the U.S. Distribution for Skinnygirl, launched in 2009 by Frankel and spirits veteran David Kanbar, is currently concen- trated in the New York, Florida and New Jersey markets. Annual ship- ments already exceed 100,000 9-liter cases. Frankel will continue to serve as the brand collaborator, developer and marketer. “Skinnygirl offers an excellent high-return opportunity to enhance our portfolio and leverage our scale and agility to accelerate the brand’s future growth,” said Bill Newlands, Beam Global’s President North America.Newlands said. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed….Brown-Forman Corp. has agreed to sell Fetzer Vineyards to Chilean wine producer Viña Concha y Toro S.A. for $238 million. Brown-Forman acquired Fetzer in 1992 from the Fetzer family. The Skinnygirl spirits brand has been purchased by Beam Global Spirits & Wine. In 2010, the brand sold more than 3 million 9-liter cases. Included in this sale of Fetzer Vineyards are the Fetzer winery, bottling facility and vineyards, as well as the Fetzer brand and other Hopland, CA-based wines, including Bonterra, Little Black Dress, Jekel, Five Rivers, Bel Arbor, Coldwater Creek and Sanctuary. Also included in the sale is a facility in Paso Robles, California. The fiscal 2010 net sales contribution from these assets was $156 million, including excise taxes. The key facilities are located in Hopland, CA, and employ approximately 240 people. The sale does not include the superpremium Sonoma-Cutrer brand or the company’s long-term agency relationship with Korbel California Champagnes….Anheuser-Busch InBev has purchased Chicago brewer Goose Island for $38.8 million, one of several recent moves by the company to increase its presence in the fast-growing craft beer segment. In addition to buying Goose Island, the company said it plans to increase by double-digit percentages this year its advertis- ing spending on its Shock Top wheat ale, Belgian import Stella Artois, Landshark Lager and other specialty brews. Goose Island Beer Co., founded in 1988, has become a popular name in Chicago and other parts of the Midwest with such labels as Honkers Ale, 312 Urban Wheat Ale and Matilda…. Francis Ford Coppola announced today 8 that he has acquired the iconic Inglenook trademark and that his celebrated Rubicon Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley, will now be known by its historic original name, Inglenook, which he has acquired from The Wine Group. In addition, beginning this summer, renowned Bordeaux winemaker Philippe Bascaules will assume the position of Estate Manager and Winemaker at the newly renamed Inglenook…. Founded in 1814 in France, A. de Fussigny Cognac is back in the U.S. market imported by Castle Brands Inc…. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has created a new Luxury and Imports Brand Group, which includes estates from California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, France and New Zealand. SMWE President and CEO Ted Baseler said that the Luxury and Imports Brand Group will focus on communicating the richness of each estate’s story as well as its place in history …. Jim Beam is offering a “Live Music Series” – a string of 10 concerts each featuring a different headline artist – and is high- lighting a program that allows legal-aged consumers to choose exclusive song downloads from the Live Music Concert Series, where legal. The Jim Beam Live Music The Charmer Sunbelt Group recently donated $25,000 to the charity CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees), meant to aid the chil- dren of those in the industry who have fallen on hard times. Here, CORE’s Brian Yost (left) presents a plaque to Greg Baird of the Charmer Sunbelt Group honoring the company for its support. Series artists include: Kid Rock, Bob Schneider, Cold War Kids, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band, The Fray, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, The Hold Steady, Manchester Orchestra, O.A.R. and Richard Ashcroft. Beginning in May, special boxes of Jim Beam and Red Stag by Jim Beam will be marked with offer details and instructions on how to download a total of five Live Music Series tracks from the ten artists on JimBeam.com. Jim Beam will also be streaming portions of each Live Music Series concert and exclusive interviews with each artist on JimBeam.com and Pandora…. TGIC Importers is partnering with California-based Ironstone Vineyards to lead its sales and marketing operations in the U.S….Robert Hall Winery, a family-owned winery based on California’s Central Coast, has selected Domaine Napa Wine Company to represent the winery nationally with sales and distribution management for its Robert Hall and Terra Robles wines. StateWays  www.stateways.com  May/June 2011

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