SCALE-ABILITY OF CRAFT SPIRIT BRANDS IS WEAK

"What is a craft spirit company ... the term needs to be defined" says Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard one of the world's leading wine & spirits company in a recent article in the Spirits Business Magazine.

A craft spirit company is centered around the product, the people, the small scale, and the personal touch of hand work.

In contrast, spirit companies which are not craft are focused on shareholders, marketing, packaging, advertising and promotions, sales, campaigns, market research, and ROI.

Craft Scalability

Consumers are looking for more authentic flavors based on the growing interest in learning of the traditional production methods. Gen-Xers and Millennials are also prioritizing the concept of local and artisan made products. The concept of farm-to-bottle is very enticing to these people.

“We're monitoring craft very closely. To really enter the craft segment in the US, you need to have a long-term view: Is there a real distillery that is craft? What is its scale-ability?” says Alexandre Ricard in Just-Drinks.com.

But there are many risks to invest in Craft spirits where scaling up becomes a problem, i.e., Tito's Handmade Vodka being recently under scrutiny when producing over 2 million cases of vodka.

My guess is that Pernod Ricard will get a Bourbon Craft brand very soon.

Source: Just-Drinks.com

SINGLE VARIETAL BRANDY MADE IN AUSTRALIA CALLED OCHRE - IS IT A COGNAC?

The Australian Cognac says Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in its recent article introducing Ochre Brandy.

Ochre Brandy, Aged Grape Spirits

Further, Ochre Brandy website ochrespirit.com.au says: "...Ochre is a handcrafted Cognac-style spirit..."

Sorry but Cognac is brandy but not all brandies are cognac. To be called 'cognac' a brandy requires a huge list of characteristics, too many to summarize in a short blog. But essentially, this brandy need to be made in the cognac region which is in the South West of France, from grape harvested in the same region, double distilled in small copper pot stills, and aged in French oak casks.

As I said this is only a summary, learn more from cognac.fr for the different details which makes cognac such a unique and the finest brown spirits.

I am very intrigued by this chardonnay brandy as Ochre is just launching its first batch. The article says:

"This rare 1st vintage spirit is double distilled in an Alembic still on the Mornington Peninsula from Chardonnay grapes. The resulting deep golden colour of the spirit reflects the rich red soil that is prevalent in the Red Hill wine growing region."

Something is wrong here ... Distilling is extracting the vapor of alcohol first, and vapors are always clear like water, at least if distilling correctly the heart of the distillation. Hence, the 'deep golden color' does not come from the chardonnay but from the aging in wood barrels.

See more Single Grape distillations from Monteru Single Grape Brandy.

Clearly Ochre seems like a fine brandy which is very much inspired by cognac. Germain Robin Brandy in the USA for instance as successfully with time established a good reputation for a super premium brandy so it is possible that Ochre becomes the brandy from the Southern Hemisphere.

BARDOT BRASSERIE AT THE ARIA RESORT AND CASINO IN LAS VEGAS OFFERS A GREAT SELECTION OF COGNAC

Las Vegas is increasingly becoming a market where restaurants and bars are daring to offer more cognac selections.

Last Winter 2014, James Beard award-winning chef Michael Mina unveiled BARDOT Brasserie at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

ARIA Resort & Casino is a stunning AAA Five Diamond resort on The Strip featuring an unprecedented combination of striking architecture, sustainable design, spectacular amenities, high-end service and premium meeting and convention space.

BARDOT Brasserie is a tribute to the Parisian nightlife, and is quickly becoming a place to start the evening with cocktails, and celebration with friends.

Leading the brasserie’s expert team is Chef Joshua Smith

The Brasserie offers lunch and dinner, but one might be impressed with its its cocktail program. In particular it provides a large selection of cognacs with Comandon Cognac as a main feature.

Spirits Menu Bardot Brasserie Las Vegas, Aria Resort & Casino

But the menu also includes Guillon-Painturaud, Hardy, Hine, Leopold Gourmel, Navarre, Paul Beau, Tesseron, and etc.

BARDOT Brasserie was designed by Bishop Pass to convey the mood of early French film noirs where low lighting and dramatic shadows set the stage for an alluring and mysterious experience.

BARDOT Brasserie is located on the second floor of ARIA.

The restaurant’s hours of operation are:
. Dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
. Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
. Nightly happy hour from 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the bar and in the lounge

Source: ARIA Resort & Casino

MIXOLOGISTS ARE REGAINING INTERESTS IN COGNACS

CognacParadis.com talks about how mixologists are regaining interests for cognac because of its old world appeal and historical significance in the bar tending industry. It was once upon a time a key ingredient used by bartenders.

Mixology and Bottle of Cognac

This trend is wide spreading within the brandy category which includes other products such as Armagnac or Calvados, etc.

Although cognacs are less affordable, they are still favored by high-end bars in large metropolitan areas.

Source: CognacParadis.com

MARNIER-LAPOSTOLLE IS SAID TO BE FOR SALE

Grand Marnier Group is considering a variety of business options, including a sale, with the help of Rothschild, according to sources.

Grand Marnier is famous for its orange liquor which is a key ingredients in many cocktails.

Marnier, Grand Marnier and Cognac Marnier

The news sent shares of the French cognac producer soaring by 8.5% to $5,094, placing the company at a value of nearly $433 million.

Grand Marnier was founded in 1827 by Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle, who started a distillery producing fruit liquors. Now, it produces liquors (Grand Marnier), cognac (Marnier), armagnac (Lapostolle), pineau (Marnier) and wines (Lapostolle).

Grand Marnier is famous for its orange liquor which is a key ingredients in many cocktails.

Source: BusinessWeek.com

GETTING GOLD FROM YOUTUBE VIDEOS' GOING VIRAL

How could a small business go viral?

There are 1000s of businesses which everyday are spending time to communicate and to create campaigns in hope that they go viral some day. Getting the buzz is the dream of so many entrepreneurs like.

You hear about it all the time, however, it is like the lottery we know there are winners but it does not seem to happen so often. The reality of viral marketing is that it does not happen often at all, but it happens!

Stephen Cronk, owner of Mirabeau in Provence, France was able after more than 200 videos to catch the eyes of more than 8 million viewers with a short little video on how to open a bottle of wine with nothing else than the bottle and 1 shoe. Always keep it short 50 seconds.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1wROm-OF9w&w=560&h=315]

Stephen says his videos are not serious but they are engaging and talk about practical things whereas its competitors' videos are over prepared and dull. It takes his wine seriously but more importantly he nurtures his communication with his consumers in hope that his story captivates people enough that they try to share it with other people.

Differentiate by being authentic and consequently engaging. His story is simple but many people can relate to it: being an English man in south of France with his wife and three children. Not so unique after all! Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, etc. that is more or less how it started centuries ago.

Source: BeverageDaily.com

COGNAC REMY MARTIN CELEBRATES 140th ANNIVERSARY WITH 3RD LOUIS XIII LIMITED SERIES BLACK PEARL EDITION

Rémy Martin has unveiled a limited edition Louis XIII Cognac in celebration of the brand’s 140th anniversary, Louis XIII Black Pearl Anniversary Edition. The blend of more than 1,200 eaux-de-vie ranging from 40 to 100 years in age is from a single 560 liter tiercon (tierçon in French exactly) taken from the Heriard Dubreuil family’s private cellars, the third of its kind released by the family in the past century.

This special limited edition Black Pearl cognac made its U.S. debut on October 30 at Alicia Keys' annual Black Ball gala, the centerpiece of an exclusive auction prize that generated $30,000 for the singer's Keep a Child Alive charity.

Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl 140th Anniversary

Rémy Martin does not release the number of Louis XIII bottles produced a year and keeps this information as a company secret. The Louis XIII Limited Series Black Pearl Anniversary Edition is packaged in a metallic decanter from the House of Baccarat, with 775 decanters released worldwide at a suggested retail priced of $16,000 each.