News Briefs for July 26, 2013
July 26, 2013•Moët Hennessy saw its first-half 2013 sales rise 5% on an organic basis to €1.81 billion ($2.4b), while profit increased 9% to €542 million ($719m). The company said its Champagne brands, including Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, showed “good resilience” in key European markets despite a difficult economic environment. Hennessy Cognac, meanwhile, was up 3% by volume, although Moët Hennessy said the increase was mainly driven by younger qualities.
•Heaven Hill Distilleries has unveiled a new advertising campaign behind its Evan Williams Bourbon brand for 2013-2014. Running under the tagline “Seriously Good Bourbon,” the new campaign will run 15- and 30-second spots on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, The Outdoor Channel and Fox Sports Networks, as well as ads in print such as Maxim, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. Heaven Hill has also said that it will increase spending on social media for the campaign. Evan Williams will also continue its partnerships with both Bassmaster fishing tournament and Championship Bull Riding.
•Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC) has named Scott Lammert senior vice president of marketing. Lammert, who first joined RNDC in 1990, most recently served as executive vice president of the company’s South and West Texas units. In his new role, Lammert will be responsible for spearheading all development and initiatives related to supplier marketing, as well as leading RNDC’s supplier brand management marketing teams.
•Southern Wine & Spirits (SWS) has appointed Dale Huhnke to the role of vice president, operations for the company’s Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota units. A 32-year SWS veteran, Huhnke most recently served as vice president, operations for SWS of Illinois, and previously led operations in both the Nevada and Kentucky markets. In his new role, Huhnke will oversee three divisional operational teams and focus on strengthening Southern’s supply chain operations across Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota.
•Buffalo Trace Distillery has debuted a line of experimental Bourbons. The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection consists of four different whiskies—Wheat 125, Wheat 115, Wheat 105 and Wheat 90—priced at $46 a 375-ml. bottle. According to Buffalo Trace, the company was experimenting with theories about whether a higher “entry proof” or lower “entry proof” (the alcohol content when it enters the barrel for aging) would result in a better product. By keeping all of the variables consistent such as the proof off the still, aging time and placement, the company studied how entry proof affects aging. Buffalo Trace put all four Bourbons in the barrel at different proofs (for which they were named), resulting in a variety of tastes. All were aged for 11 years and seven months, and were bottled at 90-proof.
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