20070731

Liquor/cabinets keep Fortune Brands riding high

It's rarely a good idea to mix hard liquor and home renovation work. For Fortune Brands Inc., however, consumer demand for one helped overcome declining sales for the other.

Fortune Brands makes bathroom fixtures and Jim Beam bourbon, among other spirits. One guess which product continued posting robust sales over the past year.

The company announced that second-quarter profit fell less than analysts estimated after demand for its bourbon offset a slump in home renovation.

Profit fell 6.4 % to $232 million, or $1.48 a share, from $247.8 million, or $1.63, a year earlier. Sales rose 4.3%, more than analysts projected, to $2.35 billion.

CEO Norm Wesley had expanded Fortune's wine and liquor unit to reduce dependence on the U.S. housing market. Revenue at the home and hardware division increased less than 1% during the biggest U.S. housing slump in 16 years, while spirit and wine sales climbed 6.3%, led by Sauza tequila.

The company, based in Deerfield, IL, produces Moen, Aristokraft, Therma-Tru hardware, doors and cabinet brands.

In the past two years it has added such spirits brands as Sauza and Maker's Mark bourbon to take advantage of the growing market of consumers willing to spend higher prices for quality level liquor. The liquor unit accounts for just 29% of sales, but provided 44% of operating income in the quarter.

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20070726

'Energized' cocktail mixers for the Jetset

Cocktail mixers -- whether ready to drink or part of a process -- are on the rise.

As always, when any product niche tries to curry favor with consumers its manufacturers look for a new angle. A San Francisco company called Jetset Beverages Inc. has come up with a line of "energized" cocktail mixers: Energy Club Soda, Energy Tonic Water, Energy Ginger Ale and Original Energy Flavor.

“We like to think that Jetset lifts consumers’ spirits by giving them the opportunity to enjoy their favorite cocktail with an energy kick,” said Jeff Silver, Jetset president and CEO. “We offer a premium product designed to mix with your favorite spirit or enjoy on its own as a great tasting and energizing drink.”

Jetset Energy Mixers are enhanced with a blend of guarana, ginseng, taurine and caffeine. The company also plans to introduce a line of diet options.

As Silver notes, "The multi-billion dollar energy drink market has experienced explosive growth over the last several years, growing in excess of 47% in 2006. In contrast, the mixers market has been characterized by slower growth and relatively little innovation. Jetset Energy Mixers combines the best of both of categories to create an exciting new energy mixer market."

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20070723

Best whiskies selected

The overall winners in this year's World Whiskies Awards, as announced by Whisky magazine:

Single Malt Whisky: Talisker 18 Year Old

Blended Malt Whisky: Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Year Old

Blended Whisky: Suntory Whisky Hibiki 30 Year Old

American Whiskey: Baker's 7 Year Old

New Release: The Balvenie Vintage 1972

Whisky Liqueur: Arran Gold

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X marks spot for Campari expansion

Gruppo Campari is adding X-Rated, a U.S. spirits company, to its corporate portfolio at a price of $40 million.

The Milan, Italy, company is acquiring X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Jean-Marc XO luxury vodka and X-Rated ultra premium vodka, formerly owned by Jean-Marc Daucourt and Todd Martin. Martin is a former president of Allied Domecq North America.

The deal is expected to close next month and be paid in cash.

Campari already owns such brands as Campari, Cinzano, Skyy Vodka, Old Smuggler, Gran Cinzano, Cinzano Asti and Glen Grant. And, it recently bought an 80% stake in Sammy Hager's Cabo Wabo Tequila, a deal expected to close in January.

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Absolut offers taste of Big Easy, plus money

What does New Orleans taste like?

The folks at Absolut hope you think their new flavored vodka, called Absolut New Orleans, will hit the spot. It was introduced in the Big Easy at the Tales of the Cocktail, the annual culinary and cocktail festival.

Absolut accompanied the launch with a pledge of a minimum charitable donation of $2 million to organizations benefiting New Orleans and cities along the Gulf Coast still struggling in the aftermath of hurricane and flood damage.

The new vodka flavor offers a taste of mango and black pepper, and is made from all natural ingredients with no added sugar or sweetener. It will go on sale nationwide on Aug. 1.

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20070718

Oh Captain, my captain

If you're traveling in the United Kingdom and have a thirst for a little Captain Morgan spiced rum, don't think they're trying to put one over on you by pouring from a bottle without the iconic 17th-century Caribbean privateer from Wales on the label.

Diageo has updated the look of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum with a shapely bottle and a label emphasizing the words "Morgan Spiced" for products it distributes in the UK.

Stateside, Diageo has relabeled the Puerto Rican rum -- infused with vanilla and cassia -- by embossing the glass front and back, and changed the label to portray the captain against a watermarked ocean scene.

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Jack Daniel's denies any water woes

The story has been making the rounds for more than a month: Jack Daniel's water supply is endangered because of an ongoing drought, so whiskey production may be adversely affected.

Not so, says Phil Lynch, director of corporate communications for parent Brown-Forman, headquartered in Louisville, KY.

"We've been trying to get the correct information out ever since that story popped up," Lynch told me today.

He said a Nashville television station, seeking to report on the impact on businesses of an ongoing drought, visited B-F's Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, TN, to check out Cave Spring (seen here).

"Our people there explained that Cave Spring, which is our water source, was running as strong as ever and that we really weren't being affected by the drought," Lynch said. "The TV reporter then asked what would happen if the spring ran dry.

"Our man there made the mistake of answering a 'What if' question. He answered the hypothetical by saying that if Cave Spring ever did run dry, we'd probably not make any whiskey. He should have simply explained that we've never had a problem with the spring, that geologists will tell you the water has been running beautifully for thousands of years, and that we foresaw no problems."

Lynch said the Jack Daniel's facility often uses Cave Spring water in winter and spring for everything, including cleaning rather than buying water from the city of Lynchburg. However, he said, the company does buy city water for non-whiskey purposes in autumn and summer.

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20070717

When is a tequila no longer a tequila?

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD

OK, let's get right down to it. At what point does lengthy aging in used barrels turn tequila into something that, while perhaps still an excellent product, no longer is tequila?

I've been posing that question to various people in the tequila field for the past year as more and more tequila makers introduce aged spirits that have been matured in anything from used bourbon barrels to cognac casks to wine barrels. The latest discussion was with Carlos Camarena (above), third-generation head of Tequila Tapatia which manufactures the El Tesoro line.

So far, the preponderance of opinion has been that we're seeing something that, while called tequila, really isn't since tequila is almost by definition a young spirit with the nose and palate punch of youth. When you see people sampling a tequila in a brandy snifter instead of a traditional 2-ounce caballito (left), you know they aren't regarding it as run-of-the-mill tequila, be it 100% blue agave or mixto.

Even Riedel, the iconic Austrian glassware manufacturer, has come up with a tasting glass (right) designed especially for añejo tequilas. Or, as is becoming a more common niche title, extra añejos.

The Riedel design comes in sets of four for a $35-$45 suggested retail price. In a real marketing coup, Riedel had its glass designated by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Regulating Council of the Tequila), the industry sanctioning body, as the first official tequila tasting glass ever made.

I asked Camarena if he agreed with the idea that extra-aged añejos are becoming a new spirit until themselves.

"To some extent, yes," he said during a celebratory dinner at his Arandas, Jalisco, facility marking its 70th anniversary. "It certainly has changed the way you have to create and market your line since everyone is coming up with barrel-aged versions of their drinks. Now, we're paying a lot of attention to color and nose, things that didn't matter quite as much with blanco or reposada tequilas."

Is there, then, a specific point at which you should question whether the spirit still is tequila?

"If it has too much oak in it," Camarena quickly decreed.

Camarena and his staff came up with an añejo called Aniversario to mark its 70th birthday. It's a seven-year-old copper-colored tequila that was aged in charred American oak barrels, and the final product is a blend of the best of the small batch.

"This is a one-shot. After this, there is no more," Camarena said.

Does that mean we'll see no more new additions to the El Tesoro line once the Aniversario is gone?

"Not at all," Camarena said. "We have some ideas we're working on, and we'll continue to come up with new limited edition aged tequilas as long as we can find a market for them."

Given that El Tesoro is part of the Beam Global Spirits & Wine organization, it's a safe bet finding markets to serve will continue. In addition to its public relations and marketing efforts, Beam's influence is seen in something as basic as the design of the Aniversario bottle.

Asked if the design was created by a local artist, Camarena said he didn't even know who did it except that it was a project handled at the corporate level. (Click here for my tasting notes on the El Tesoro line and a closeup look of the Aniversario bottle.)

In a visit to Tequila town several months earlier I spoke with Javier Orendain Lopez about the aging trend. The brand manager of Tequila Orendain de Jalisco told me, "It's a topic that is being discussed and debated more all the time.

"As distillers try to separate themselves from the competition they want to keep turning out new and different tequilas. So, many of them age them in different wooden barrels for different amounts of time. A lot of people are saying the taste is so different after long aging that even though the results can be wonderful they may not truly be tequila anymore."

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Gently passing from garden to glass

From our Spirits Notebook archives:

As I aimed the spray of water at the sprawling herb garden, just emerging from a prolonged period of heavy rain but already threatening to wilt under the hot early summer sun, I mentally ticked off everything I was going to do when the crop reached its peak.

Creating herb blends to perfume the smoke of the barbecue grill. Brightening the routine tossed salads in need of some new tastes. Finding just the right chopped leaves to blend into artisanal chevre cheeses from the local farm stands.

And, of course, infusing vodka.

Not that there is any shortage of flavored vodkas on the market. Infusions are arguably the biggest thing in the world of alcoholic beverages these days. The major money is found in handling infusions at the mass-production level in factories or distilleries, not at the local bar no matter how much of a signature gimmick is created. Virtually every commercial brand of vodka, for example, offers versions infused with various fruit flavorings. Likewise with some gins, rums and even whiskies.

It is just that I prefer my own infusions, free of chemicals and trickery. Buying such concoctions may be fine for ease of use but, just as a home cooked meal can be more enjoyable than a takeout spread, doing your own infusing is a lot more fun. It certainly can lead to a more enjoyable cocktail party conversation than simply opening a bottle.

For example, a friend insists the only way to drink sambuca is with three -- not two, not four, but three -- coffee beans submerged in the glass. That is known as serving the anise-flavored Italian liqueur con mosche, literally "with flies." I have always been tempted to slip a few
brown-coated M&Ms into his drink to see if he really knows the difference.

Of course, I could simply buy a bottle of negra sambuca, already infused with coffee essence. But that would kill the conversation.

Infusions have been around for nearly as long as alcohol has been part of the human experience. Liqueurs concocted on farms, in monasteries and in laboratories give testament to the boundless imagination of amateur and professional chemists. Mead makers of the Middle Ages infused their honey liquor with herbs and spices. And, the strength of alcohol was long believed to counteract the toxic parts of certain substances favored as medicines throughout the centuries.

Alcohol can be infused with botanicals, marinated with macerated fruits, or stirred together with other potions. It can be dotted with flecks of pure gold, cloves, grains of pepper, sprinklings of cinnamon. The mixtures can be festive, imaginative, wonderful introductions to grown-up spirits. They can be used as dessert toppings, as baking ingredients or -- as many tavern owners and restaurants know -- excellent appetite-boosters and after-meal relaxers.

They can be flavored with nuts, fruits, exotic plant extracts. They can be orange, blue, black, white, red, pink, yellow, green or any other color.

Benedictine is generally regarded as our oldest multi-infusion alcohol, invented in A.D. 1510 at the Benedictine Abbey in the Caux district of Normandy, France. The sweet, aromatic liqueur is flavored with more than 20 plants and herbs from a closely-guarded secret recipe. (A popular modern variant is B&B, a combination of Benedictine and brandy.)

If you're interested in doing some of your own infusing, the best strategy is to begin with the simplest recipes.

Get a trio of small (half-pint or so) sealable jars and run them through the dishwasher to sterilize them. Pour each about two-thirds full of a decent grade of vodka and begin the infusing process.

Use small amounts of liquid to get a better handle on the proportions of infusing material that suit your taste.

Like a particular chili pepper, such as those hot little Asian numbers? Bruise one ever-so-slightly to allow some of the oil to seep out and let it steep in a sealed jar of vodka for about 10 days. Shake it occasionally during that time, but don't unseal the jar.

Want to try a citrus style? Juices of lemons, oranges and limes are the most acidic and share their essence very well. Feel free to mix them if you're a "limon" sort of person.

If you want to try a complicated cocktail in a bottle, raise the number of ingredients to four or five, such as I do when I create my Summer Salad Vodka

Begin with cubes of peeled, seeded fresh cucumber, add a quarter teaspoon of dried dill or a sprig of fresh thyme, a grind of fresh cracked black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to create a
refreshing infusion reminiscent of a summer salad. (For an extra kick, add two drops of Tabasco hot sauce or Tabasco green pepper sauce when you serve the drink.)

If your tastes run toward the sweeter side of the scale, your vodka can be infused with virtually any fruit. Simply bruise the fruit so its sugars and acids will leach out during the incubation period. You can speed the process by pouring the liquor over fresh-cut strawberries, kiwis, mixed fruit salad or melons.

Remember to run your infused liquors through a small-screen sieve before serving. Many a nice drink has been spoiled by the residue left from stems, seeds, leaves and skins.

One last tip: The infusing materials don't always have to be tossed away. Think of how nice some of those pieces of fruit will taste after sitting in a vodka or gin bath for a few weeks.

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20070710

Letters: Let's talk about 10 Cane

Dear Mr. Dowd

I recently purchase a bottle of 10 Cane rum from the distinguished Moet Hennessey distillers. Its pedigree is impressive, its distillation method and ingredients are as well.

Why would they put such a well-made product out on the market with such a short age time? I read somewhere it was only aged for about six months. Judging from its color I'd say that was close to accurate. Do you suppose the gentlemen at Hennessey are preparing us for an exorbitantly priced rum after it has a few years in some wood?

I like the rum. It has a bright, clean taste that doesn't cloy that would certainly benefit from from some aging. At around $40 a bottle now (here) I'm wondering what it would go for after aging and if the market would support such a price point.

Personally I like 8-year-old Rhum Barbancourt. The gentlemen here say it holds up better with their cigars (yes, they do sometimes drink something other than bourbon with their smokes!).

Any thoughts?

-- Carla Griffin, Louisville, KY

Dear Carla:

I love it when consumers don't take everything at face value. (Speaking of which, 10 Cane retails for about $35 in most markets, so put the whammy on your local guys to get in line with the market.)

As to the aging aspect, since 10 Cane is made from first-press Trinidad sugar cane rather than from molasses, which is a processed byprodut. Thus, it wouldn't benefit as much from a bit of aging: i.e., you often have to age rum longer if it's made from sugar, so a few months or even a year more wouldn't make a huge difference.

Plus, the current market demand is for light-colord, light-bodied rums, and 10 Cane was created for that growing niche. It is made in small-batch French pot stills and aged a bit in French oak.

To each his/her own, of course -- thus, your preference for the Haitian sugar cane rum Babancourt. While Moet Hennessey very well might extend its 10 Cane line with a more aged product in the future, its current offering is so popular I don't see it disappearing.

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20070705

What will they think of next? (July edition)

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD

On a recent trip to Windsor, Ontario, to visit the Canadian Club whisky facilities, I toured a local LCBO store -- Liquor Control Board of Ontario. It was an eye-opening experience even though I've lived in or visited U.S. states that have "state stores," as they call their heavily regulated wine and spirits shops.

In Ontario, the provincial government rules the roost, not only deciding how many LCBO stores are allowed, but what they can stock (there are several grades of stores, based on local population, sales volume, etc.), how many products each company can have displayed, which shelves they go on, and so forth.

That, combined with Canada's extremely high taxes on alcoholic beverages, might make one think Canada is trying to regulate the industry out of business. But, on the contrary, it's more about restraint -- of trade, in the minds of some, but in consumption in the minds of others.

Along with plenty of print information on alcoholism treatment and warning messages, the LCBO actually encourages intelligent use of alcoholic beverages. Its current glossy publication, "Hot City Cocktails," is available at no charge from LCBO stores. It contains information on how to make cocktails, what tools to have, and some very nice recipes collected from around the world. The latter prompted me to use them for this month's "What Will They ... " feature. Each recipe is for one drink. If you want to find entertaining-size batch recipes, check the LCBO Web site.



Apple Crush, Cruise Bar, Sydney, Australia:

1 1/2 ounces Bacardi Big Apple Rum
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
4 ounces fresh apple juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
apple slice

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients except the apple slice. Shake and strain into a goblet filled with ice. Garnish with the apple slice.


Pear & Cardamom, K Bar, Copenhagen, Denmark:

1 1/2 ounces Grant's Finest Scotch Whisky
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
4 ounces pear juice
3 cardamom seeds
lemon twist

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients except the twist. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with the twist.


The Madonna, Ravintola Teatteri, Helsinki, Finland:

1 ounce Beefeater London Dry Gin
4 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce Soho Lychee Liqueur
1/3 ounce lime cordial
fresh lychee

To a highball glass, add all ingredients and stir to mix. Serve garnished with a fresh lychee.


Pomnediere, NoMi Restaurant, Chicago:

1 ounce Iceberg Vodka
1 ounce Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce mandarin orange or tangerine juice

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake and strain into a martini glass.


White Russian, Organza Bar, Warsaw, Poland:

1 ounce Polar Ice Vodka
1/2 ounce Kahlua
1 ounce whole milk or cream
maraschino cherry

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add all ingredients and serve garnished with the cherry.

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What's in a new label? Read on

I was perusing a heavily-advertised superstore in upstate New York the other day, a wine and spirits emporium near fabled Saratoga Springs -- a great business location when the historic thoroughbred horse racing season runs in August through Labor Day and lots of money comes to town.

The establishment's ads trumpet the claim that it has the best selection, the best prices and the newest offerings. In my experience, none of the three claims can be verified. Particularly the latter.

When the only stock on the shelves for certain brands is at least a year out of date, all other claims are suspect. One that particularly struck me was Plymouth gin, the iconic English distillation that some months ago came out with a sleek, modern gorgeous bottle to replace its stodgy old one. The stodgies were the only thing representing the brand at this superstore.

That's why I like to call to your attention to any significant changes in various liquors' labels, bottles or branding efforts.

One of the most recent is the change by Whaler's Rum. Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc., the Bardstown, KY, company that produces the line of Whaler's Hawaiian-style Rums, wanted to differentiate its flavored rums from its classics. Thus, the new labels use higher-impact graphics for Vanille (seen above), Killer Coconut, Pineapple Paradise and Big Island Banana, but a more traditional style is used for the Spiced, Original Dark, Great White and Rare Reserve Dark rums.

The latter rums' packaging features the ships of the Hawaiian seafarers for which the rum is named. The new labels for the four flavored rums utilize colorful label designs to more effectively communicate the names and flavors while maintaining the package equity of the previous version. The Flavored Rums are among the most popular rums within the Whaler's franchise.

Reid M. Hafer, brand manager, said, "The legendary Hawaiian recipe of Whaler's was discovered when seafarers rattled vanilla beans in empty rum bottles at sunset as a way to entice migrating whales to their ships. The friendly whales guided them to the tropical haven known as Hawaii. There the sailors discovered the old rum makers of Maui and were so impressed by the exotic taste of their rum that they called it Whaler's."

Heaven Hill, founded in 1934, also includes among its holdings The Christian Brothers Brandies, Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, HPNOTIQ Liqueur, Burnett's Gin and Vodka, Dubonnet Aperitif, PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, Água Luca Brazilian Rum Cachaça, and various Scotch and Canadian whiskies.

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Smirnoff debuts ready-to-drink cocktails

If you're not particularly adept at mixing cocktails, especially for company, Smirnoff is looking for you.

The company has introduced the Smirnoff Cocktails ready-to-drink collection -- well, two of them anyway. That's a rather small collection, but it's a start and it also is a fairly good bet the line will be extended.

The starters are the Grand Cosmopolitan and Vodka Mojito. The first blends vodka, Grand Marnier liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice. The second is made with Smirnoff No. 21 vodka, lime and mint flavors for a takeoff on the traditional rum mojito.

The Smirnoff Grand Cosmopolitan is being made available nationally in liquor retail outlets. Smirnoff Vodka Mojito is available only in the Northeast but will be available nationally in the fall. Both products will be available in 750mL and 1.75L bottles, with suggested retail prices of $12.99 and $19.99.

Smirnoff made a big push in a Manhattan tasting session last week, with TV chef Tyler Florence -- who of late has been pushing a rather simplistic set of recipes for Applebee's on the small screen -- as the "celebrity" draw for its new ready-mades.

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20070703

Heaven Hill creating new collection

If the name Parker's Heritage Collection doesn't ring any bells for you, wait until September.

That's when Heaven Hill Distilleries will introduce a limited-edition, 12-year-old bourbon as the first product in a series named for co-master distiller Parker Beam, right.

The special whiskey was aged in barrels given an extra-heavy char, which brings out greater hints of caramel and vanilla flavors.

HH spokesman Larry Kass, who said the series is aimed at whiskey connoisseurs, noted, "It is an opportunity for us to regularly release limited quantities of extra special, unique styles of American whiskeys that people are very excited about right now."

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Woodford tempering bourbon in wine barrels

William M. Dowd photo

It's not uncommon for winemakers to season their products in used whiskey barrels, but Woodford Reserve has put a twist -- for American distillers -- on that practice with its new Sonoma-Cutrer Finish.

The experiment, which will go for $90 a bottle when released later this month, involves tempering the equivalent of 900 cases of Woodford Reserve bourbon for several months with used California chardonnay barrels from Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards in Sonoma County, CA. Both the distiller and the winemaker are owned by Brown-Forman Corp. of Louisville, KY.

The new product is the second in Woodford Reserve's new Master's Collection which began with its Four Grain Bourbon, a 92.4 proof product retailing for about $80. It incorporated wheat into its rye/barley/corn mash bill for that undertaking.

The Master's Collection line will be augmented from time to time, always with triple distillation in copper pot stills at the Woodford Reserve Distillery, a National Historic Landmark in Woodford County, KY. Even the whiskies’ bottle will mimic the shape of a copper pot still.

"The Master's Collection honors the pioneering work of our forefathers by applying their handcrafted methods to unique grain recipes, maturation techniques and distillation styles,” said master distiller Chris Morris (above).

Some Scotch and Canadian whisky distillers regularly employ used wine barrels for some of their products.

Morris said he settled on a five-year-old bourbon for the new product, rather than the usual seven-plus which her termed "too robust to get the nuances of the contribution of the Sonoma-Cutrer to shine through."

Brown-Forman says the new Sonoma-Cutrer Finish will be sold in New York, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

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