Stateways

StateWays - March/April 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 | March/April 2017 19 REMY MARTIN'S COMEBACK LEADS TO HALL OF FAME WIN Remy Martin won its 15th Growth Brands Award this year as a Comeback brand, selling 825,000 nine-liter cases in 2016. Cognac is benefi ting from the growth in brown spirits, as consumers seek spirits with depth and character. The ultra-premium segment is showing sustained growth across categories, with Millennial drinkers developing a greater appreciation for quality, authenticity and heritage. Remy Martin, a family-owned brand since 1724, is known for its history, love of terroir and respect for time. Part of the renewed interest in the brand is also due to bartenders and consumers rediscovering cocktails that were originally made with Cognac before Prohibition. The brand reports it's seeing a growing interest in Cognac cocktails made with Remy Martin. 2017 GROWTH BRANDS HALL OF FAME WINNERS '15-'16 Brand Supplier 2016p % Change Bombay Sapphire Bacardi USA 987 12.2% Hennessy Moet Hennessy 3,465 15.1% Patron The Patron Spirits Co. 2,474 13.2% Remy Martin Remy Cointreau USA 825 10.0% Sauza Beam Suntory 2,247 7.2% Svedka Constellation Brands 4,335 3.2% Source: The Beverage Information & Insights Group (p) Preliminary. Fast Track Brand Tito's is consistently one of the fastest-growing brands on this list year after year, growing 37.4% in 2016 to 3.8 million cases sold. On-premise, Tito's has focused on core cocktails, promoting the Tito's American Mule and alternatives to classic cocktails like the Tito Rita. Off-premise, the brand has focused on pro- grams like its Vodka for Dog People, which promoted fundraising efforts for animal wel- fare organizations. The VFDP activation led to a $150,000 donation to the ASPCA and was strongly supported by retailers nationwide. Rising Star Devotion Vodka sold 23,000 cases in 2016, a 27.8% increase over the prior year. "The trend most impacting our sales right now has been a move toward healthier ingre- dients," says chief operating offi cer Michael Calleja. "We've always been ahead of the curve with our high-quality ingredients, and we're going the extra mile to make sure we meet the highest standards." OTHER NOTABLE WINNERS Three wine suppliers saw their spirits brands make our Growth Brands list this year, showcasing the diversity of their portfolios. Rising Star Serpent's Bite grew 40% last year, selling 35,000 cases and adding to the win total for Wine Supplier of the Year, Constellation Brands. The brand capitalized on the fl avored whiskey trend, promoting its use on-premise as a shot and creating POS for retail that helped group it with other shot brands. Fellow Rising Star Brinley Gold Shipwreck, a rum from Opici Wines' Market St. Spirits division, grew 20% last year to 24,000 cases. The brand was developed by a father-and-son team and has used a grass- roots tasting program off-premise to gain market share. Brinley Shipwreck will launch a new White Reserve expression in 2017. Its award refl ects the response to the Brinley story and quality, says vice president of marketing Mike Wolff. Rising Star Ron Barcelo is another rum from a well-known wine supplier, Shaw Ross International Importers. The brand grew 5.2% last year to 61,000 cases after expanding its on-premise distribution and visibility in 2016. "We ex- ecuted a number of local cocktail programs focused on classics such as the Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Rum Sour and Manhattan," says vice president of marketing Rod Simmons. "We'll continue that sampling activity in 2017 to increase consumer aware- ness and build on the popularity of mixology and craft cocktails, which has led to the growth of premium brown goods." 2017 GROWTH BRANDS SPIRITS 2017 GROWTH BRANDS SPIRITS

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