News Briefs for July 28, 2020
July 28, 2020•It’s usually record-breaking sales that grab auction headlines, but recently a massive flop sent shockwaves through the world of whisky collecting: A whisky collection valued at $2 million raised only $236,000 at auction on July 9. Over 81% of the whisky lots passed unsold at the Fine Wine & Whisky sale at Poly Auction, Hong Kong, part of China’s largest state-owned auction business. Could these poor results be an early indication that the pool of wealthy whisky buyers in Asia is drying up? Whisky Advocate has the full story.
•Oregon’s Hood River Distillers has named David Ballew as president. He will take charge of the company’s sales and marketing initiatives, and lead the ongoing restructuring that began in 2017 when Hood River sold Pendleton whisky to Proximo for $205 million. Ballew joins Hood River with over 30 years experience in the beverage world, most recently serving as president of Terlato Distell Artisan Spirits. Prior to that, Bellew was vice president of sales at Glazer’s, leading the Diageo Moët Hennessy portfolio in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Hood River’s portfolio includes Sinfire Cinnamon Whisky, Trail’s End Whiskey, Big Gin, and 44° North Vodka, among other brands.
•California sparkling wine pioneer Barry Sterling, founder and proprietor of Sonoma’s Iron Horse Vineyards, died Sunday, July 26, of natural causes at his home in Sebastopol, California. He was 90. Iron Horse, located in Russian River Valley’s remote Green Valley, was among the first sparkling wine producers in California. Iron Horse was served at the Geneva Summit meetings between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev which ended the cold war, and the wine has remained a regular at White House dinners and receptions ever since. Today, the winery produces close to 30,000 cases annually, with more than half the production dedicated to sparkling wine. Wine Spectator has more on Sterling’s life and career.
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