News Briefs for January 6, 2012
January 6, 2012•Beam Inc. has expanded its Pucker flavored vodka range with two new offshoots— Lemonade Lust and Raspberry Rave. Priced at $15.99 a 750-ml. bottle, the 70-proof offerings will be available nationwide by February. Lemonade Lust and Raspberry Rave join Pucker’s existing lineup, which features Sour Apple Sass, Grape Gone Wild, Cherry Tease and Citrus Squeeze extensions. Beam launched the flavor-only range in April 2011, alongside premium vodka portfoliomates Effen and Vox and value vodka brands Kamchatka and Wolfschmidt.
•William Grant & Sons is launching its Monkey Shoulder blended malt Scotch whisky brand in the U.S. market. The new offering debuts today in Illinois, with expansion to Texas slated for later in the year. Monkey Shoulder, which rolled out in the U.K. in 2006, is a blend of malts from Grant’s three Speyside distilleries—Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Kininvie—and matured in first-fill Bourbon casks. It will sell for around $29 a bottle.
•Champagne Lanson has relaunched in the U.S. with the release of Lanson Black Label ($39-$49 a bottle) and Lanson Brut Rose ($49-$59) in major markets, as well as Gold Label Brut 2002 and Ivory Label Demi Sec in select markets. In September, fellow Champagne house Moët Hennessy USA began importing the brand to the U.S., where Lanson had been absent. Founded in 1760, Lanson is the ninth-largest Champagne brand in the world at around 400,000 cases annually, nearly half of which is sold in the U.K.
•Alchemy & Science, an independently operating subsidiary of the Boston Beer Company, has purchased Los Angeles-based microbrewery Angel City Brewing for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1997, Angel City has emerged as a prominent player within the L.A. craft beer scene with core offerings like Che Pale Ale, Angel City Pilz and Angel City Lager. Angel City is in the process of expanding into L.A.’s John A. Roebling Building, a historic, 27,000-square-foot space currently undergoing renovation. Brewing is expected to begin there early this year. Alan Newman, founder of Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, launched Alchemy & Science following his departure from Magic Hat in 2010 (that year, Magic Hat was purchased by KPS Capital Partners’ North American Breweries). Boston Beer began backing the company last fall.
•Moët Hennessy has named Stephane Baschiera as CEO of Moët & Chandon Champagne effective in March. He replaces Daniel Lalonde, who departed last month. Baschiera has been CEO of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin since 2009. Prior to that, he served as commercial director of Moët Hennessy Diageo France, director of Moët Hennessy in Italy and CEO of Ruinart. Jean-Marc Lacave, previously CEO of LVMH’s Watches & Jewelry division in Asia, will replace Baschiera as head of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.
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Tagged : Beam Inc, Boston Beer Co, Champagne, craft beer, William Grant & Sons
