News Briefs for September 8, 2015
September 8, 2015•Diageo North America, which earlier this year released a single-grain Scotch called Haig Single Grain ($50), is readying the launch in October of a second all-grain brand called Port Dundas, named for one of the Diageo-owned distilleries. Port Dundas will be offered in both 12-year-old and 18-year-old expressions, bottled at 43% abv with no prices set yet. “We anticipate single-grain whiskies becoming an important part of our Scotch portfolio,” said Brian Cox, marketing director for Scotch whisky at Diageo North America.
•In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Laphroaig single malt brand, Beam Suntory is introducing a Laphroaig 32-year-old to the U.S. later this month. Retailing at $1,200, it will join the Laphroaig 15-year-old ($80), which has been on shelves since July. Meanwhile, Beam announced that supplies of the Laphroaig 18-year-old ($110) have run dry and that the product is no longer being offered. No replacement is expected next year, the company said.
•Beam Suntory will also introduce a new Bowmore single malt later this month. Called Bowmore Mizunara, it carries no age statement and is bottled at 53.9% abv, with a retail price of $1,000. Aged in the rare Japanese wood, the new Mizunara expression is limited to just 33 cases for the entire U.S., and there are no plans for more.
•Pernod Ricard has unveiled new packaging for Chivas Regal’s flagship 12-year-old offering. Aiming to contemporize the iconic Scotch brand’s packaging, Pernod retained Chivas 12’s rounded bottle shape, but raised its shoulders. Additionally, the brand signifier has been made more prominent on the bottle, and the signatures of founders James and John Chivas have been added to the glass to emphasize the Scotch brand’s brotherhood ethos. Chivas Regal has struggled mightily in the U.S. in recent years. In 2014, the brand was down 8.7% to 357,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.
•The U.K.’s Conviviality Retail has agreed to acquire distributor Matthew Clark from co-owners Accolade Wines and Punch Taverns for £200 million ($300m). Matthew Clark will continue to distribute Accolade products in the U.K. on-trade via a ten-year pact the two companies signed as part of the Conviviality agreement, according to Accolade.
•Chicago sommelier Tom Powers, former host of the Discovery Channel’s “Bar Hunters” show, plans to open a wine bar in a converted warehouse on Chicago’s near west side. The venue will be called Lunatic, the Lover & the Poet. The launch has been set for November, with Steve Carrow, previously bar director at the Naha Group, signing on as beverage director. The wine bar will feature three dining rooms serving small plates, a 20-seat bar and a basement table for a dozen diners inside the wine cellar. Two dozen wines will be available on tap, offered in 3- and 5-ounce pours, complemented by a list of 200 bottles concentrating on American and classic European regions.
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