News Briefs for December 15, 2020
December 15, 2020•Keepers of the Quaich USA has announced that founding co-chair Jonathan Yusen of William Grant and Sons will step aside due to taking on additional responsibility within his company. Yusen will continue to be engaged with the group as part of its steering committee. Yusen was instrumental in launching the U.S. chapter of the prestigious Scotch whisky society in 2018, and guiding it through its first few years. Concurrently, Keepers of the Quaich USA has named Ed Pilkington as co-chair. Pilkington is chief marketing and innovation officer for Diageo North America, overseeing marketing and innovation for Diageo’s full portfolio of spirits and beer across the United States and Canada.
•It has been a particularly difficult year for craft distilleries, as the closure of tasting rooms, bars, and restaurants due to Covid-19 has significantly impacted their revenue streams. In response, e-commerce site Spirit Hub has announced a new nonprofit organization to provide financial assistance to independent craft distillers via grants. The Spirit Hub Independent Distillery Preservation Fund is governed by an independent board of craft distillers and other alcohol professionals, with Kent Rabish, founder of Michigan’s Grand Traverse Distillery, serving as board president. Whisky Advocate has the full story.
•Diageo has launched Cascade Moon Edition No.-2, the second limited edition whiskey celebrating the legacy of George Dickel and the Cascade Hollow Distilling Company. The 45% abv whiskey is bottled with a label paying tribute to the distillery’s 150-year history, which was hand-printed on a press that’s over a century old. Cascade Moon Edition No.-2 is rolling out now to retailers in Texas, California, and Tennessee, and will retail for around $250 a 750-ml.
•Cupcake Vineyards is adding a Prosecco Rosé to its range. Retailing at $16 a 750-ml., the new entry is debuting in select markets this month ahead of a national rollout in January. A blend of Glera and Pinot Noir from northern Italy, Cupcake’s Prosecco Rosé is aged in the traditional Charmat method for 60 days. It joins classic Prosecco, Cava, Sparkling Rosé, and Moscato d’Asti in Cupcake’s sparkling lineup.
•SevenFifty Technologies has unveiled a new platform called Online Stores, billed as “a customizable B2B ecommerce portal” offering alcohol distributors “a digital marketplace dedicated to their portfolio.” The company says its custom-branded stores will include up-to-date price and product information, targeted promotions, tailored brand design elements, and access to extensive user analytics. The Online Stores platform will allow buyers to place orders directly from a distributor’s website, using e-commerce features like order history and re-order options, advanced search capabilities, and invoice management, among others. Order volume on the SevenFifty Marketplace reached $1 billion this year, with 1,000 U.S. distributors listing their portfolios on the aggregated marketplace.
•Taylor Fladgate has released a 1970 Single Harvest Vintage Port. Retailing at $300 a bottle, the new offering is at 20% abv and marks the seventh release in Taylor Fladgate’s series of 50-year-old Ports, of which it releases a new entry each year. Packaged in a wooden gift box, Taylor Fladgate 1970 Single Harvest Vintage Port is debuting in a limited release of 200 cases. Kobrand handles the Taylor Fladgate portfolio in the U.S.
•Wilson Daniels has named Mindy Hewitson as vice president of sales, western division. Hewitson joins Wilson Daniels from Young’s Market Co., where she held a series of roles of increasing responsibility across a 19-year tenure, including most recently vice president of sales in Arizona. In her new role, she’ll report to Shannon Coursey, Wilson Daniels senior vice president of national sales.
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