by admin | May 1, 2023 | IN THE NEWS
RTD Lifestyle Company Significantly Increases U.S. Retail Footprint
Miami Beach, FL (May 2, 2023) – Cool Cat, a refreshing line of low-calorie sparkling cocktails seeking to make wine more approachable and inclusive for the next generation of wine drinkers, has significantly increased its distribution footprint across the U.S. After only three years in business, Cool Cat is making its mark as a leading RTD in the Wine Category with leading national accounts including Total Wine & More, Kroger, Harris Teeter, GoPuff and BevMo! to name a few, in 1,000+ stores across 24 states.
Although total U.S. wine sales increased in 2022, a recent study[1] suggests the wine industry should focus on being more innovative and recruiting new, multi-cultural wine consumers. Currently, only 25% of 20–29-year-olds (Gen Z and younger Millennials) drink wine, 70% of which are White-non-Hispanic vs. Hispanic (13%), Black (12%), and Asian (4%). The Cool Cat team has been pleased to see many retailers increasingly emphasizing minority-founded companies.
“We work closely with accounts to ensure Cool Cat is highlighted as a minority founded company, when possible,” said Cool Cat co-founder and CEO Rocco Venneri. “We have been fortunate to find supportive partners who stand behind us and allocate resources to help minority brands like ours succeed. We will always be guided with diversity and inclusivity in-mind and hope this helps to inspire other minority founded and owned companies.”
The good news is that the wine cocktail category – which includes wine spritzers – is exploding (especially RTD single serving sizes that offer convenience, new flavors, and styles), up +48.5% in value and +35.5% in volume in 2021, a trend which was expected to continue in 2022[2].
A Gold Medal winner at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Cool Cat naturally flavored sparkling cocktails – available in Original (Elderflower Mint Lime) Citrus, Berry, and Grapefruit flavors – feature a base of California white wine, cane sugar, and are naturally gluten free. At 6.9% ABV they are a better alternative to many other alcoholic beverages, containing just 140 calories and two grams of sugar per 12-ounce can.
Cool Cat tastes great out of the can, poured over ice or used as a mixer in cocktails. It’s portable, recyclable and park, beach, and festival friendly. At $15.99 per 4-pack of 12oz cans (355ml), the brand provides more bang for the buck than a traditional bottle of wine.
All four sparkling cocktails are available for purchase online at drinkcoolcat.com, Drizly, Gopuff, and in select on-and off-premise locations in 24 U.S. states. To find a store near you, visit All Store Locator.
For more information, follow the brand @drinkcoolcat on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Spotify, or visit www.drinkcoolcat.com.
About Cool Cat
Cool Cat is a minority founded, owned, and operated beverage lifestyle company established in 2018 in Chelsea, NYC. Launched in April 2020, Cool Cat Sparkling Cocktails are currently distributed online and select retailers in 24 U.S. states. Discover the brand online at drinkcoolcat.com or on Instagram and Facebook @drinkcoolcat.
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[1] Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates 2022 report
[2] NielsenIQ
by admin | Apr 27, 2023 | IN THE NEWS
Stellum Fibonacci Rye is Named a Finalist for “Best in Class” Plus Three BCS Expressions Strike Double Gold for a Second Time
Louisville, KY (April 27, 2023) – Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS) and Stellum™ Spirits were awarded four Double Gold and seven Gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), the largest international spirits competition in the United States. With two decades of experience, the SFWSC has become one of the most respected competitions in the world. Judging is blind and done by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized distilled spirits judges, each selected for their distinct and trusted palate.
As the original independent blender of unique aged cask strength whiskey since 2013, BCS was very happy with this year’s results, which recognizes products from various parts of its portfolio. The team was especially pleased to learn that one of its expressions – Stellum Fibonacci Rye #1 – is a finalist for “Best in Class” and that three of its expressions have now twice received Double Gold medals – Barrell Seagrass (2021), Stellum Rye (2021) and Barrell Dovetail (2022) in recent years.
“Winning 11 Double Gold and Gold medals from this internationally-acclaimed competition further validates our blending expertise and quest to become the most creative and progressive blenders in the nation,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “It’s incredibly satisfying to have our full portfolio of Barrell Craft Spirits and Stellum Spirits products recognized, from our batches and limited-releases to ongoing and private releases.”
The full list of BCS and Stellum Spirits awards includes:
- Double Gold Medal Winners
- Barrell Seagrass, a blend of American and Canadian rye whiskeys, meticulously sourced and finished separately in Martinique Rhum Agricole casks, apricot brandy casks, and Madeira barrels. (60.19% ABV) $90.
- Barrell Dovetail, whiskey finished in rum, port, and Dunn vineyards cabernet barrels. (62.71% ABV) $90.
- Stellum Rye, a whiskey rooted in a 95% Rye Indiana mash bill which incorporates small amounts more barley-forward rye and choice barrels from KY and TN. (58.12% ABV) $55.
- Stellum Fibonacci Rye #1, featuring six separate rye blends which were combined in accordance with the sequence. (57.56% ABV) $100.
- Gold Medal Winners
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 034, a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys ranging from six- to 15-year-old American White Oak barrels distilled and aged in TN, KY, and IN. (57.31% ABV) $90.
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 035 (not yet released) started with a multi-mashbill blend of spicy and earthy, high-rye, high-proof, oak forward barrels and a blend of softer, lower-proof barrels with concentrated notes of dark cherry and butterscotch. (58.75% ABV)
- Barrell Private Release Whiskey QJC1, finished in a Cognac Park XO Cask. (60.95% ABV) $110.
- Barrell Bourbon Private Release Bourbon GXA1, features 5, 7, 9, and 14-year bourbons and shows a pronounced sweet and earthy Kentucky Bourbon influence (59.97% ABV) $110.
- Barrell Whiskey Private Release Whiskey DJA2 finished in a St. Agrestis Brooklyn Amaro Cask, (61.61% ABV) $110.
- Stellum Bourbon, highlights three Indiana Bourbon mash bills, (two of which are high rye, with the third being almost exclusively corn) along with older barrels from KY and TN. (57.49% ABV) $55.
- Stellum The Lone Cypress Rye, a savory and delicate rye blend defined by notes of dried herbs and pine (57.67% ABV) $100.
Collectively, BCS has won 25 Double Gold and 20 Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, while Stellum Spirits has won two Double Gold and four Gold medals. In 2021, the team took home eight Double Gold and six Gold medals including “Best Small Batch Bourbon Up to Five Years” and “Best Over-Proof Rum.” In previous years, BCS captured the 2020 awards for Best Bourbon and Best Small Batch Bourbon – both overall and within the 6–10-year category (Barrell Bourbon Batch 021) and the 2017 awards for Best Bourbon and Best Small Batch Bourbon, (Barrell Bourbon Batch 011) and Best Over Proof Rum (Barrell Rum Batch 001).
For more information, follow Barrell Craft Spirits® on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram or visit barrellbourbon.com.
Barrell Craft Spirits®
Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits® is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for our blending expertise since 2013, we skillfully design, produce, and launch leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike.
Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
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by admin | Apr 20, 2023 | IN THE NEWS
New Series of Releases Features a Blend of Rye Whiskey Designed for its Unique Finishing Cask
Louisville, KY (April 20, 2023) – Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS), the original independent blender of unique aged, cask strength whiskey since 2013, will add Rye to its already expansive Private Release offerings, as it continues to lead the industry in micro-blending unique expressions for whiskey enthusiasts. For this special series, BCS selected Rye whiskeys from Indiana and Canada and then blended them into unique recipes with variations on a theme. Beginning this month with 10 initial selections, each release will feature a blend of Rye whiskey designed for its unique finishing cask.
The BCS Private Release Rye Series includes:
- Rye Whiskey finished in an Armagnac Cask
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Bourbon Whiskey Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in an XO Cognac Cask
- Rye Whiskey finished in an Oloroso Sherry Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Madeira Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Ruby Port Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Barbados Rum Cask
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Sauternes Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Tokaji Barrel
- Rye Whiskey finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Barrel
Known best for blending award-winning, unique aged spirits at cask strength, BCS’ Private Release Series showcases the team’s blending expertise while maintaining a single barrel-like scale controlled entirely by hand and by palate. Private Release barrels also offer retailers, bourbon clubs and whiskey aficionados something truly unique.
“We’ve expanded our successful Private Release program to include rye whiskeys featuring unique finishing barrels and casks from around America and the world,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “For more than 10 years, we’ve led the industry in micro-blending and have proudly pioneered many of these finishes being utilized by other producers today.”
Each offering in the Private Release Series is produced as a limited release, has a distinct flavor profile, and contains between 150-180 total 750ml bottles, with an SRP of $109.99.
Click the link below for more information: https://www.barrellbourbon.com/privaterelease
For more information, follow Barrell Craft Spirits® on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram or visit barrellbourbon.com.
Barrell Craft Spirits®
Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits® is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for our blending expertise since 2013, we skillfully design, produce, and launch leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike.
Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
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by admin | Apr 17, 2023 | IN THE NEWS
Distilled Spirits Veteran Sets His Sights on the Company’s Next Phase of Growth
Los Angeles, CA (April 17, 2022) – Infuse Spirits Group, a portfolio of award-winning spirits brands, today appointed Simon Burch as its new Chief Executive Officer. In this role, Burch will oversee day-to-day operations for Infuse Spirits Group, parent company of Broken Barrel Whiskey Company, as well as develop commercial strategies, achieve revenue goals, and manage the organizational structure.
An industry veteran with 20 years of experience in distilled spirits, Burch most recently served as CEO of Green River Distilling in Charleston, South Carolina, where he led a dramatic expansion agenda for the organization, culminating in a sale to Bardstown Bourbon Company last year. He also held multiple executive leadership positions at Pernod Ricard, Diageo, and Moët Hennessy. While at Diageo, Simon led the USA Tequila, Rum, and Vodka brand portfolios before transitioning to Global Head of Smirnoff Vodka, the world’s largest Spirits brand. Subsequently, he joined Moet Hennessy as CMO of Belvedere Vodka.
As part of the agreement, Burch will become a major shareholder in the company and join the current Executive Board of Directors, alongside former Founder & CEO Seth Benhaim, who will assume the new title of Founder & Chief Creative Officer.
“What began as a typical customer-supplier relationship has grown into a natural partnership between Seth and I,” said Burch. “This new role allows him to be laser-focused on what he does best – enhancing and transforming spirits through his own innovative ideas and process. His concepts are perhaps the most exciting I’ve come across in my career. The company’s brands are in great shape with Broken Barrel recently being awarded ‘World’s Best Tasting Finished Kentucky Bourbon,’ and I look forward to accelerating the growth of these award winning, world-class brands.”
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Simon join our team,” said Benhaim. “He is a proven leader with a successful track record of building and selling iconic spirits brands. With an incredibly unique proposition and a fierce passion for these brands, this was the perfect time and a necessary transition to take us to the next level.”
Simon earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Durham University. A UK citizen with USA permanent residence, he currently lives in New York State.
About Infuse Spirits
Seth Benhaim started Infuse Spirits Group in his grandmother’s garage in 2012. The brand, which was named “Best Flavored Vodka” at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, is the world’s only single-bottle infusion, made with real fruit in the bottle, and no added sugar, color, or artificial flavoring. To date, the brand has earned more than 75 industry awards and is currently sold in 35 U.S. states.
About Broken Barrel Whiskey Co.
Founded in 2017, Broken Barrel Whiskey is a portfolio of premium whiskeys sourced from Green River Distilling in Owensboro, Kentucky. The core expressions feature exclusively Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey, which are further aged and finished using various types and combinations of barrel staves. For more information, please visit www.brokenbarrelwhiskey.com
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by admin | Mar 28, 2023 | IN THE NEWS
New Flagship Expression Aged for Eight Years Meets Increased Consumer Demand for Double Oak Whiskey
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (March 27, 2023) – Chicken Cock Whiskey – one of America’s oldest whiskey brands – has released a Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey, which was aged for eight years. This special release was created in response to the increased consumer demand for Double Oak whiskey which, according to Nielsen[1], is growing +18% compared to the overall whiskey category growth of 1% year over year. Double Oak was bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style at 92 proof (46% ABV).
“You can’t have great whiskey without great wood and this expression is the perfect marriage of age and wood,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, which owns Chicken Cock Whiskey. “That’s why we aged our eight-year-old whiskey in American oak barrels twice. This process allows us to extract all the great flavor within the oak to create a robust and intriguing sipper that’s likely to not last long on the shelves.”
The history behind Double Oak goes back to the 2014 barrel shortage when cooperages couldn’t make barrels due to unusually heavy precipitation that impacted logging. Distilleries continued to make whiskey, but they were forced to put their whiskey in used barrels. Because one of the key requirements to being labeled a Kentucky Straight Bourbon is that the liquid must be aged in new white American oak barrels, Chicken Cock Whiskey Double Oak is the combination of two distinct barrel finishings – seven-year-old Kentucky Whiskey which was aged in used barrels and then transferred into new white American oak barrels, which were placed on the top floor of the rickhouse at Bardstown Bourbon Company during one of the hottest Kentucky summers on record, which is perfect for aging whiskey. After about 18 months in the new American oak barrels, the team bottled Chicken Cock Double Oak making it an eight-year-old Kentucky Whiskey.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: chestnut brown
- Aroma: dark chocolate covered berries, toasted coconut shavings and caramel coffee
- Flavor: vanilla bean, waffle cone, steeped berries, and warm baking spices
- Finish: round and balanced with creamy undertones and hints of crème brulée and cinnamon flan
Chicken Cock Double Oak is available nationally at retail and online at www.chickencockwhiskey.com, Caskers and ReserveBar for the suggested retail price of $99.99 per 750ml bottle.
When Chicken Cock Whiskey Founder James A. Miller started making whiskey in Bourbon Co., Kentucky in the 1830s, bourbon wasn’t even bourbon yet. Seeing the increasing value of his liquid creation, Miller formally established Chicken Cock Whiskey (thought to be named after the rooster feathers he used to stir his drinks with) in 1856. Chicken Cock hit peak prestige when it was served as the house whiskey at the Cotton Club in Harlem, one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies. In 2012, Matti Anttila rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory. Today, Chicken Cock Whiskey’s Master Distiller Gregg Snyder oversees all parts of the whiskey-making process from bark to barrel, bourbon to bottle, and the whiskey is distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Distilling Program facility. The brand currently has two flagship products, Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Kentucky Straight Rye, as well as a number of creative limited edition releases, like the recently launched Double Oak Whiskey and Chanticleer.
About Grain & Barrel Spirits
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Grain & Barrel Spirits is an innovative-driven global spirits portfolio that develops and scales authentic brands – connecting the best artisans with markets and consumers around the world. The company’s core brands include: Chicken Cock Whiskey, a historically significant whiskey brand established in Paris, Kentucky, in 1856; Tequila Eterno Verano, a range of ultra-premium tequilas made for adventurous souls; Dixie Vodka, the leading premium homegrown vodka produced in the Southeast, having won the prestigious 2019 and 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” Growth Brands Awards from Beverage Dynamics magazine; High Goal Luxury Gin, a small batch, ultra-premium gin produced in Charleston; Elvis Whiskey, Elvis Presley-inspired whiskeys; and Virgil Kaine Lowcountry Whiskey. Grain & Barrel Spirits has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row.
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[1] Nielsen Latest 52 Weeks 10/29/22 Total US Liquor
