News Briefs for April 14, 2021
April 14, 2021•Cazadores, part of the Bacardi portfolio, is rolling out a new line of Tequila-based canned cocktails. Initially including Margarita, Spicy Margarita, and Paloma offerings, the range is made with Cazadores Blanco Tequila, with each 12-ounce can at 5.9% abv. Cazadores’ new cocktails are debuting nationwide next month, retailing at $15 a 4-pack. Cazadores jumped 14% to 561,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.
•Champagne Collet will introduce a special anniversary bottling in the U.S. this fall. Collet’s Cuvee 21 is a blend of 21 vintage Champagnes dating from 1961-2012, with the final blend aged in oak barrels. It will retail at $180 a bottle. Collet was founded in 1921 by a group of growers led by Raoul Collet, and today remains a cooperative owned by 850 growers spread across 160 different crus. In the U.S., the brand is handled by Old Bridge Cellars.
•Single malt Scotch whisky maker Ardnamurchan Distillery will launch its first whiskies into the U.S. market this June, with California-based ImpEx Beverages as the exclusive importer. Ardnamurchan is a small distillery on the remote western Highlands peninsula of the same name, and is owned by Scottish independent bottler Adelphi. Its first single malt was released last September in the U.K., and the portfolio has since added a single cask expression. For the U.S. launch, Ardamurcan will ship 5,000 bottles of the single malt, along with just 269 bottles of the single cask. The core single malt will have an ABV of 48.6% and a retail price of $65, while the single cask will be at 59.4% and priced at $110, provided the tariffs don’t return. The distillery produces two signature whisky styles, one peated and one unpeated. The single malt comprises a 50-50 split of peated and unpeated, matured in a 65%-35% mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. Ardnamurchan will be sold in 700-ml. bottles—a size now permitted in the U.S. following the TTB rule changes announced late last year.
•Napa Valley-based Grounded Wine Co. has appointed Sheldon Alexander as vice president of national sales. A three-decade industry veteran, Alexander most recently served as vice president of chains at Epic Wine and Spirits. Prior to that, he held a series of executive roles at Young’s Market Co. In his new post, Alexander will look to drive growth for the Grounded portfolio, which in addition to its namesake brand includes the Collusion, Landform, Public Radio, Space Age, and Steady State labels.
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