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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StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q May/June 2014 56 CHARMING EXPRESSIONS D espite the new product emphasis on aged sippable expressions, silver tequila reigns, especially in the shots and cocktail arena. The Margarita is the most popular tequila drink, but mixologists are busy experimenting with new cocktails taking advantage of tequila's unique fl avor profi le. "Silver remains the volume driver for most tequilas, however with Avion, we see a strong mix of reposado and anejo," says Fagnan at Tequila Avion. "Brown spirits drinkers are moving towards an- ejos and tequila afi cionados tend to drink reposados more often." Ross at Beam too sees the cat- egory growth trend in silvers and platas, as well as increased con- sumer awareness of the importance of 100% agave content. "We expe- rienced a lot of success when we introduced our Sauza Blue brand, which is an example of both those trends because it is 100% blue agave, and although have both sil- ver and repo expressions, the silver has by far been the fastest growing." "Younger consumers are into shots, but as they mature and ex- periment more, they tend to move beyond blancos and get into repos and anejos where there is more sipping and appreciation of the complexity of the liquid," comments Valdez. Unlike other brands, Cazadores positions reposado as its key expression. Reposados, he adds, are the most ver- satile expression, because they can be sipped or mixed in cocktails. Barcardi is in the process of tweaking Cazadores pack- aging, to be ready for the 2014 holiday season. The re- pack is aimed at attracting a wider audience, says Valdez. The new look will be more masculine, with a more ma- jestic image of Cazadores iconic deer. The bottle will tip its hat towards other brown spirits like whiskey and tout the brand's heritage and authenticity. "The packaging is a huge investment, which will open up many new doors" he says. "The occasion for tequila is varied. There will always be people who want to do shots, and that's great if they equate celebrating with tequila," notes Cohen at Patron. "Con- sumers are realizing how many great cocktails they can make with tequila. Although the Margarita is still the number-one cocktail in the U.S., anything you can make with other white spir- its, you can make with high-quality tequila." TEQUILA SUNRISE T he spirit seems poised for continued growth and a bright future, agree indus- try execs. "Tequila is one of the three spirits cat- egories that is currently gaining share in the U.S.," points out Schuart at Campari Amer- ica. "The biggest opportunity for the tequila market right now is to continue to educate consumers. Consumers are consistently be- coming more educated about the spirits they drink, where they come from and how they are distilled. As the cocktail culture permeates the pop culture canvas of the U.S. and the bartender community con- tinues to embrace tequila as part of their craft, tequila will be among the leading spirits to drive growth in the years to come." "We are so optimistic, be- cause the outlook for the cat- egory is very healthy," notes Stickler. "Premium-plus is on a roll. The segment is up 13% the last three years glob- ally, and most of that is in the U.S. and is projected to stay at that pace," she says, add- ing up all the positives for the category. "There is nowhere to go but up." Casa Noble introduced two unique, high-end tequilas late last year, including a Santana expression, in honor of the musician Carlos Santana's long connection to the brand. Superpremium brand Tequila Avion launched the small-production, limited-edition Avion Reserva 44, an extra anejo tequila, late last year. The ultra-premium, limited- production Casa Sauza XA, Edicion Limitada, the fi rst global extra anejo expression for the brand, recently debuted. Partida Tequila just launched a new marketing campaign directed at con- sumers called "Start the Party/Start the Partida." The campaign encourages consumers to enjoy Par- tida and have fun, hoping to tap into the celebratory nature of tequila. The new integrated campaign for the 100% blue agave brand includes public relations, social media, a website redesign, POS materials and digital advertising.