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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53 StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q May/June 2014 says Dominic Alcocer, brand director of tequila for Pernod Ricard USA. Available nationwide in Plata or Reposado, the 100% agave Olmeca Altos retails for a suggested price of $24.99 for 750ml. Alcocer observes that tequila is espe- cially versatile. "Great tequila can either enhance the fl avor of a cocktail or be sipped like a fi ne bourbon or whiskey." Superpremium brand Tequila Avion made news when it launched Avion Reserva 44, an extra anejo tequila, just in time for the holiday season. The limited-edition (744 cases) extra anejo is packaged in a fi re-polished, crystal bottle, with an suggested retail of $150. "Tequila afi - cionados are trading up to Avion Reserva 44," says Jenna Fagnan, president of Tequila Avion. Not only that, she says, but the Avion extra anejo expression has also created a whole new fan group out of traditional Scotch and whiskey drinkers. "There is an interest in and appetite for artisanal brands, tequilas that are made in traditional ways, which is great," says Greg Cohen, vice president of corporate communications for the Patron Spirits Company. "Even though we've become a big brand, we still take great pride in that we produce Patron in an age-old traditional way with the tahona. Even though we sell quite a few bottles we still hand craft it in small batches." The second biggest tequila brand, Patron grew 3.8% in 2013, to 2.075 million cases. Patron recently released its fi rst extra-anejo, Gran Patron Pie- dra, which is an homage to the tahona; "piedra" translates from Spanish as stone, and the bottle's iconic shape refers to the tahona. The limited-edition tequila was aged for more than three years in new American and French oak barrels. "All the excitement around whiskey is leading drinkers to try anejo and extra anejo tequilas," Cohen points out. "There is interest in the extra anejo category, driven in large part by tequila afi cionados; we see them trading up from the anejos," says Ross at Beam, who adds that he sees consumers trading up in gen- eral, to more premium products across the expressions. Recently, the company launched Casa Sauza XA, Edicion Limitada, the fi rst global extra anejo ex- pression for the brand. "We got a lot of good feedback on Sauza XA's sophisticated and complex fl avor notes," says M escal is a sister spirit to tequila. It is fermented and distilled from the maguey, a type of agave. Mescal is largely produced in Oaxaca, Mexico, although good examples are found in Guerrero, Guanajuato and Zacatecas. It is a hand-crafted tradition, made by artisans using ancient techniques, in- cluding cooking the pinas in pit ovens, which gives mescal its signature smoky aroma and fl avor. More and more te- quila afi cionados bitten by the agave bug are exploring the mescal category. "Agave spirits as a whole are be- coming a bigger segment. Tequila is be- coming so popular that people are now embracing mescal," comments Kathleen Schuart, senior marketing director of White Spirits for Campari America. Casamigos Tequila was launched last year in the celebrity glow of George Clooney. This April, the brand teamed up with Sidney Frank Importing, as the exclusive importer and distributor of Casamigos in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Tequila Herradura has instituted a program of an- nual releases of different wood fi nishes, called Col- eccion de la Casa Reserva, which began in 2012 with a Port Cask Finish. With its unique fl avor profi le, mescal has growing appeal. "Mescals are showing a lot of inter- est," says Rick Ostrand, spirits buyer for Stateline Liquors in Elkton, MD. "There are a lot of exciting mescals available, all on the high end." But, he adds, compared to tequila, sales of mescal are small. "Mescal may not be for everyone, because of its taste profi le," says Rene Valdez, senior brand manager for Bacardi, USA. The spirit appeals to travelers who have tasted mescal in Mexico and to mixologists who have embraced the smoky spirit as a dif- ferentiating ingredient in cocktails. "Mescal defi nitely is hot right now, on the East and West Coasts." "You see more and more mescal in bars; the industry likes it," concurs Jose Hermosillo, founder of Casa Noble Tequila. "But it will be interesting to see if consum- ers will accept the taste profi le. Mescal is normally very earthy and smoky." "Mescal is an acquired taste," agrees Ann Stickler, senior vice presi- dent and managing director of Tequila at Brown-Forman. The category, she notes, is small but growing. "We're keeping an eye on mescal; it should be interesting to watch." Smoke SIGNALS Smoke SIGNALS