American Single Malt Category at a Crossroads
There are now 170 single malt distilleries in the US, and they are joining forces to push for an official definition for the category. In 2017, all 170 members of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission sent a proposal to the TTB seeking to create a category...
Constellation Brands Prepares New Innovations for OND
Constellation Brands reported an 11% sales drop for its wine and spirits business in its second quarter ended August 31. During its earnings call this week, CEO Bill Newlands said the company's results were "excellent" despite the challenges due to the pandemic....
Glass Fire Destruction Likely Brings Napa Valley Harvest To An End
As the Glass Fire continues to burn, many Napa vintners are expecting the 2020 harvest to come to an end due to high risk and too much smoke-damaged grapes left on the vines. Thus far a couple of wineries lost infrastructure in the fires, including Castello di...
Distill Ventures Delves Into The Next Generation of Whiskey
A new, younger (18-34) generation of whiskey drinkers is emerging and with them comes a new generation of untraditional whiskey makers producing innovative and quality new liquid. Distill Ventures explored the New World of whiskey through interviews with whiskey...
BW166: Consumers Spent $121.3 Billion on Alcohol During the Pandemic
There has been much debate on whether consumers are in fact drinking more alcohol during the pandemic. Analyst firm BW166 has released some data with their input on the topic, noting that its Total Beverage Alcohol Index was up 1.9% for the month of August. Taking...
Summer 2020 Hastened Uneven Growth for Spirits Category
The alcohol category seems to be having its own K-shaped recovery as brands and categories that were well-established pre-COVID have bounced back quickly, while others have not been so fortunate. For example, Tequila, Cognac, and Whiskey were all doing well before the...
Nielsen: Nearly Half of US Consumers Returning to On-Premise
48% of consumers have been out to eat in the last two weeks, while 15% have been out for a drink, according to a Nielsen CGA poll from the weekend of September 11-13. New York, Florida, and Texas have all surpassed the 50% mark of consumers returning to on-premise,...
Trends Emerge for Future of Beer and Hard Seltzer
In the early days of COVID-19, the beer landscape was severely disrupted by shifts in packaging, channels and a shortage of aluminum. The industry feared that 40-50% of American craft breweries would shut down. However, some trends have emerged that paint a brighter...
Constellation Brands Acquires Copper & Kings American Brandy
Constellation Brands has acquired Kentucky-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Company after an initial investment through Constellation's venture capital group in 2017. Copper & Kings was founded in 2014 by beverage industry entrepreneurs Joe and Lesley...