News Briefs for October 25, 2017
October 25, 2017•Control state spirits volumes continued to decelerate in September, with growth registering at 0.4% for the month. Over the first nine months of the year, control state spirits volume is up 2.7%, compared with a 3.2% rate a year ago. The picture is similar on the value side, with sales growing by 2.3% in September and by 4.7% year-to-date. By comparison, control states’ spirits dollar value was up 5.4% in the first nine months of last year.
•Beam Suntory has launched a new limited edition El Tesoro Tequila made in celebration of the La Alteña distillery’s 80th anniversary. The new expression is made from the hearts of 100% estate-grown blue agave, which are cooked in a hornos oven for three days and then crushed under a two-ton volcanic tahona wheel. The resulting liquid is distilled in copper stills, with no sugar or water added, and aged for eight years in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels. Only eight casks were produced. Retailing at $199.99 a 750-ml., El Tesoro 80th Anniversary Edition (83 proof) is available across the U.S. and joins El Tesoro’s Blanco, Reposado, Añejo and Paradiso Extra Añejo expressions.
•California’s 3 Badge Beverage Corporation has launched Cedar + Salmon, a new wine label sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Initially, the brand will offer a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir, both grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. A Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills appellation will be added shortly. The 2016 Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir will retail for $19 and $25 respectively. Cedar + Salmon will debut first in California, Oregon and Washington ahead of a national rollout. For 2016, 3 Badge’s wine portfolio—also including Leese-Fitch and Moobuzz among others—was up 10% to nearly 340,000 cases.
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