Market Watch, December 2020

mwNEWS On Premise NewsIndustry Vet LaunchesRemote Cocktail Hour ConceptWilson Daniels veteran Alex Schre cengost has launched Virtual With Us a new interactive remote cocktail hour concept aimed at businesses and other large organizations The company partners with sommeliers including Jennifer Foucher formerly of Fiola Joshua Lit formerly of Gotham Bar Grill and Brian Long Marea to host happy hours for businesses employ ees many of whom continue to work remotely with wines sourced from local retailers In the future Virtual With Us plans to also launch in person events including exclusive corporate trips and pop up dining experiences among other offerings Off Premise NewsDrizly And SpecsGrow PartnershipE commerce heavyweight Drizly and Texas retailer Specs have expanded their partnership adding online order ing and delivery at 34 more Specs loca tions in the Lone Star State This expansion adds 25 stores in Houston and nine in Austin and brings the Drizly Specs partnership to 161 stores statewide According to Drizly online sales in Houston and Austin have spiked during the pandemic up 620 and 350 respectively since March This new expansion will bring roughly 570000 new potential consumers into Drizlys reach Supplier News SpiritsAmerican Spirits Face New Tariffs In European UnionThe European Union E U has expanded tariffs on American goods including several spirits categories Twenty trade associations including the Distilled Spirits Council of the United State DISCUS and Wine Spirits Wholesalers of America WSWA among others have released a statement imploring the E U to abandon the escalation While American whiskies are already under tariffs in the E U the new round of 25 levies includes rum brandy vodka and vermouth In a statement the trade groups wrote Hospitality businesses and our consumers as well as producers wholesalers and importers of distilled spirits wine and beer are being slammed from both sides of the Atlantic in an aircraft dispute wholly unrelated to the drinks business The groups added that the trade war has already stressed businesses facing existential threats from the Covid 19 pandemic and related shutdowns According to DISCUS American whiskey exports to the E U which includes the UK until it departs the E U customs union have fallen 41 costing producers more than 300 million since the E U s 25 retaliatory tariff went into effect in June 2018 Hanyu DistilleryTo Be RebuiltToa Shuzo Co Ltd owner of legend ary Japanese whisky brand Hanyu which rose to fame through the Ichi ros Malt Card Series one of the most coveted whisky collections in the world has announced plans to rebuild the distillery which closed two decades ago The company is aiming for a quick construction period and a February 2021 reopening telling Market Watch sister publication Whisky Advocate Hanyu distillery will be revived Writers TearsAnnounces Packaging RefreshIrish whiskey brand Writers Tears is getting a packaging refresh across its full line All six expressions of Writers Tears now feature a cork and foil closure The brands tall Victorian style bottle now also features an embossed teardrop above the label and debossing on the Writers Tears name on the glass base and the bottle is 2 mm wider and slight ly heavier than before The main labels have also been redesigned and feature additional writerly elements like expression specific chapter numbers denoting the order in which each release was originally created Writers Tears is produced by Carlow Ireland based Walsh Whiskey which also produces whiskey line The Irishman Writers Tears is handled by Hotaling in the U S La Crosse Partners WithBreakthru In Two StatesWisconsin based La Crosse Distilling Company has partnered with Breakthru Beverage for distribution in Colorado and Minnesota The company special izes in organic spirits and will take its Fieldnotes vodka 19 a 750 ml Field notes gin 29 High Rye Light whis key 29 and Downtown Toodeloo Rock and Rye whiskey 29 to these new markets They have plans to debut their Straight Rye whiskey and brandy in early 2021 The geothermal powered distillery recently celebrated its second anniversary and is on pace to deplete more than 5000 cases this year Blue Ridge Spirits To MarketLoch Lomond In U S Scotlands Loch Lomond Group has appointed Blue Ridge Spirits Wine Marketing as its new U S sales and marketing agency beginning January 1 The new partnership will give Blue Ridge responsibility for the Loch Lomond and Glen Scotia brands across the U S including Loch Lomond 12 year old Loch Lomond Original Loch Lomond Open Golf Champion ship Special Editions Loch Lomond 18 year old and the full Glen Scotia range from non age statement whiskies up to the brands 25 year old release Loch Lomonds whiskies join Brock mans gin Heering cherry liqueur and Chocovine among other brands in the Blue Ridge portfolio Loch Lomond previously had a U S partnership with Stoli Group DECEMBER 2020 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 83MW1220_