Market Watch, January 2020
JANUARY FEBRUARY 2020 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 43BMD currently produces around 5000 cases across its entire portfolio and growth is ongoing The distillery has moderately expanded in recent years adding two more buildings a new still and two rickhouses Weld wants to place even greater emphasis on the distillerys farming component and botanical program and is focusing on fostering stronger relationships with local cocktail bars He even invites bartenders to visit the distillery and create custom recipes using BMDs spirits and botanicals Eventually the distillery will also have a farmers market on site that will offer fresh fruits and vegetables that dont make it into spirits or cocktails In terms of product innovation a Berkshirian version of Green Chartreuse may come to shelves in the near future RTD offerings like Gin Tonic and Vodka Tonic are also forth coming Those products initially were released a few years ago but production was halted as Weld had difficulties introducing them to the market While craft distilleries continue to saturate the market Weld sees opportunity from greater competition When I first started there were two craft gins in all of Massachusetts Weld says Now there are 20 in Boston alone The good news is that people are pushing boundaries and developing great new spirits that consum ers havent really seen before We craft distillers are creative and willing to take risks and it pays off in the long run mwOmmegang Captain Lawrence and Long Trail Brewing Co Each release is aged for four years Weld notes that aside from being highly popular the craft beer collaborations have proven effective at meeting the clam or for innovation If we dont offer something new people start to ask what were doing he says We always have to come up with something fresh thats what we small guys have We can experiment with a lot of different recipes In addition to the Craft Brewers Whiskey Project last fall saw the release of BMDs first rye whiskey as well as the debut of a whiskey made from Berkshire Brewing Co s Oktoberfest offering The latter is BMDs oldest whiskey to date featuring 6 10 year old liquid within the bottle Community Comes FirstBMD now distributes to some 19 states but Weld says the local community always comes first The Berkshires cover 2100 square miles and regional pride is deeply rooted Its a tremendously supportive community and a wonderful nurs ery for burgeoning businesses he says People here focus on quality and on keeping it local He cites groups like Berkshire Grown which promotes the use of local products at community restaurants and stores and says theyve been key in raising awareness of his brands Though BMDs distribution footprint has grown to encompass 19 states the local community remains paramount Local bartenders routinely make drinks in the tasting room pictured and Weld is looking to host more community events at the distillery in the future
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