Stateways

StateWays - May/June 2017

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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StateWays | www.stateways.com | May/June 2017 32 in years past. Our expert partners tell us to expect prices to level off over the next two years or so." In order to keep up, producers have boosted their agave crop accordingly, and many of the large manufacturers have turned to more effi cient, if less tra- ditional, methods of extracting sugars from agave piñas during production. But however they manage it, supply today is more important than ever. "Volatility of the agave market is nothing new and we've known this since Campari decided to become a player in the tequila market," says Christine Moll, Campari's category director for tequila. "Our master distiller has more than 50 years in the tequila business and knows how the supplier and farmer marketplace works, and he's been thinking short- and long-term in order to get the right amount of supply. We monitor the market very closely to ensure we can provide great quality liquid at an accessible price point." HIGHLIGHTING HERITAGE Marketers are well aware that for many spirit consumers - espe- cially the oft-discussed Millennials - the connection made with tradition and heritage makes a difference. "There is a rich history, culture and authenticity of spirit that comes from hundreds of years of Mexican distilling tradition," Hurtuk says. "Today's consumer craves a real story behind the products they embrace, and as we are exposed to more of the premium and artisanal spirits out of Mexico, consumers are fi nding that and demanding more." Story aside, though, Hurtuk says tequila brands must stand on their own quality, value or other selling points. "We strive to bring some combination of these unique attributes to our consumers in this high-energy and growing category." "Unique attribute" certainly describes the annual release of Corazon iterations called Expresiones del Corazón, a lim- ited release concept that is the type of development to lend a halo effect to the base brand. The expressions - Buffalo Trace reposado, Old Rip Van Winkle Añejo, Sazerac Rye Añejo, George T. Stagg Añejo and handy Sazerac Añejo - take the tradition of aging tequila primarily in used whiskey barrels to the next step, by tying the wood used in each expression to the specifi c spirits and brands it previously held. While tequila's heritage is much discussed by brand man- agers, much of the category is still young. Tequila Herradura is credited with the introduction of the world's fi rst reposado and extra-añejo tequilas in 1974 and 1995, respectively. Other brands, especially those fairly new to the market, have sim- ilarly looked at traditional tequila production methods and sought improvements that allow their wares to break out of a crowded fi eld. For Blue Nectar, for example, that means the reposado "Extra Blend" mixes spirit aged in whiskey barrels for six to eight months with some three- year-old extra añejo; for the añejo "Founder's Blend," standard añejo is blended with fi ve-year extra añejo; and for the reposado "Special Craft," stan- dard reposado is spiked "with essential oils and a hint of agave nectar." The latter represents a practice - certain additives at certain percentages are allowed to be added to tequila by the Mexican agency that controls produc- tion - that is frequently used by numer- ous distillers. Few have come right out and said so the way Blue Nectar has, says co-founder and COO Nikhil Bahadur. TEQUILA | CATEGORY UPDATE "We strive to bring some combination of these unique attributes to our consumers in this high-energy and growing category." —MEGAN HURTUK, TEQUILA MARKETING MANAGER AT SAZERAC

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