BRANDY MIGHT BE THE NEXT UP AND COMING SPIRIT WRITES THE NEW YORK TIMES

Fun Brandy not from main stream

"Brandy has become a quiet giant of the liquor industry. More than 13 million cases were sold domestically in 2016, outpacing gin, Scotch and Irish whiskey, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. And most of that — eight million cases — was American brandy", says The New York Times.

Craft Whiskey and craft beer consumers are increasingly looking up for the next best thing and brandy seems to be pointed at the horizon.

There are the 'American-cognac like' brandy maker such as Germain-Robin Brandy  and Osocalis Brandy.

And then, there are the modern brandy distilleries such as Copper & Kings in the middle of Whiskey country, Louisville Kentucky, but also Charbay in wine country of northern California.

Even "Christian Brothers, owned by Heaven Hill Distilleries, recently revamped its packaging, while this week Gallo, which owns E&J, already the best-selling brandy in the country, announced a new, premium brandy line called Argonaut, along with the reactivation of 20 traditional Cognac stills", says The New York Times.

This is good luck for Monteru Brandy which is offering copper pot still brandy form estate vineyards, and other cask experimental brandy selections.

Sources: New York Times, Osocalis Brandy, Copper & Kings Brandy, Germain Robin Brandy, Charbay

BRANDY IS GOING TO BE NEXT SAYS K & L WINES

Here are quotes from the 2015 Newsletter sent by K&L wines (www.klwines.com) at the end of 2015 to thousands of followers.

They are predicting Brandy to become the next best thing in the spirit category.

In particular, they are very enthusiastic about Copper & Kings Brandy from Kentucky.

I found K&L Wines to be a good source for trends in the US for Spirits.

K&L Wines Logo

===> David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer, said:
"Welcome to the biggest story of 2015 for the K&L spirits department—the discovery of an incredible new distillery right smack in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky.

That is Copper & Kings Brandy.
As you may or may not know, we’ve immersed ourselves in the world of French brandy over the past few years. We’ve been traveling to Cognac and Armagnac, working directly with small producers ... The reaction has been quite positive from spirits fans across the nation and it was exactly that commotion that caught Joe Heron’s attention. He’d been following our foray into grape-distillates with close attention, hoping that one retailer out there would understand the incredible value that brandy possessed. You see, Joe had started a micro-distillery in the middle of Kentucky that made brandy instead of Bourbon.
The next big thing is here, spirits fans.
It's a brandy that will change the way you think about brandy. It's a brandy that will change the way you think about spirits in general."

===> David Orthenin-Girard, Spirit Buyer, said:
"Maybe it's those big old pot stills or just the Kentucky Magic, but this is brandy that will change your mind about the whole category."

Copper & Kings Brandy, Made in USA, Kentucky

===> Ryan Woodhouse, Spirit Specialist, said:
" If this was Bourbon it would be three times the price and sold out...don't sit around waiting for shortage to end (it's gonna be a long time comin') get with the program and drink smart."

===> Heather Vander Wall, Spirit Specialist, said:
"I love it when I find an unexpected spirit that changes my conception of the category."

Source: K&L Wines

CONSUMER TRENDS CAN HELP IN DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS: HOW AND WHY?

Launching new products can be a big revenue driver, but it can also be a big cost to companies. The beverage industry is well-positioned for new products that capitalize on consumer trends, but there are several things companies should keep in mind when launching new beverage products, a panel of experts said during a recent Beverage Industry webinar.

Old metal iron with new tag

1st Key element = Value:
Consumers are willing to pay more for products they find valuable and that make their lives better.

2nd Key element = Identifying Innovators and Early Adopters:
These consumers are looking for new products and if they like them they quickly tell others.

3rd Key element = Understanding Millenials:
They look for details and unique points of differentiation.

4th Key element = Planning beyond the Launch year.
A great deal of companies fail has they plan for resources just for the first year and cannot keep the momentum year 2. Exemple, lesser media exposure, lesser cash flow to replenish the shelves, etc.

Source: SmartBlogs