News Briefs for September 5, 2015
September 4, 2015•In the super-premium Scotch category, Moet-Hennessy USA is planning to release a five-bottle pack of Glenmorangie single malt Scotch in its Glenmorangie 1970s Collection later this year. Each bottle will be sourced from a different vintage within that decade. The price will be $50,000, with only 10 of the packs available globally and two for the U.S. Moet is hinting that it may reserve the collections in the U.S. for public tasting events involving Glenmorangie loyalists. “If this goes according to plan, a few lucky people will get to try these vintages,” said Maxime Balay, brand director of Glenmorangie.
•Santa Barbara vintners Joey and Jennifer Lea Tensley have agreed to sell their Pinot Noir- and Chardonnay-based brand Lea to Roblar Winery, owned by Stephen and Denise Adams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the arrangement should be a seamless transition for the Tensleys, who currently rent winemaking space in Roblar’s Santa Ynez winery for both Lea and their Tensley label. Joey and Jennifer will continue to oversee the winemaking of Lea wines and also plan to make a few small-lot wines from Rhône grape varieties for Roblar. Wine Spectator has the full story.
•Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Western Spirits Beverage Company has extended its Bird Dog Whiskey range with the launch of Jalapeño Honey and Spiced entries ($19.99 a 750-ml.). The pair are available nationwide this month, joining Bird Dog’s existing Apple, Chocolate, Hot Cinnamon, Maple Peach and Blackberry flavored whiskies. Concurrently, Western Spirits has added a new Peach flavor ($29.99) to its Twenty Grand Vodka, as well as fresh packaging across Twenty Grand’s full portfolio, which also includes Cognac-infused Gold and Black expressions and a straight vodka. Both Impact “Hot Prospects,” Bird Dog was up 85% last year to 115,000 cases, while Twenty Grand rose 39% to 75,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.
•Diageo has renewed its partnership with distributor Wirtz Beverage in the Illinois market with a new long-term deal. Under the agreement, Wirtz will continue to handle Diageo’s spirits and wine brands in Illinois, where the two companies have been aligned since 2002. Diageo and Wirtz are also partnered in Wisconsin, Nevada and Canada.
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