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

TALKING ABOUT SPIRITS CNN REPORTS ON SPIRIT AIRLINES

This blog is about spirits and in particular cognac, but I could not help but to want to share with you this news about a different type of spirit this time.

CNN in a recent articles report that "When it comes to customer satisfaction among airline passengers, Spirit Airlines ranks dead last."

I wonder why?

My suggestion is do not try to find out why. Just Google them and/or read this article from CNN. I think Spirits Airlines qualify for the 'not to do list' for pretty much everything when it comes to customer services. There is just none and whatever services they have, it seems they try harder to make it to a point that you promise yourself not to use them again.

It is too bad, it does not have to be this way.

Virgin America was great but it is almost gone when I write this blog, Delta Airlines is OK, and I would agree that Jet Blue is often good or more. It can be done. Just try harder and use the airlines as a 'Mystery Shopper' regularly so you can identify changes. From good to bad there are often times very small details to cover.

Source: CNN

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COGNAC MIGHT BE LOOSING 60% OF ITS HARVEST DUE TO BAD WEATHER

Cognac vineyard, landscape

A little bit of rain on Wednesday 26th April yesterday and -5 degrees celsius this morning at 5am caused an estimated 60% loss of  potential harvest. Today, the authorities are meeting to review the situation.

Early in the morning, producers were setting camp fires in every corners of their vinyards. Some went all the way to hire the service of helicopters to fly over the vineyards to mix the air in hope of rising the temperatures.

This is not good!

EXPERIENCING LUXURY WITH PORSCHE EXPERIENCE CENTER

Experiencing and consumer experiential marketing are becoming the big words in business these days.

I ran into the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles (USA), which just opened in February 2017. What an experience! If you are into cars, sportscars and more so into Porsche, you need to check this place.

Porsche Experience Center

There is another Porsche Experience Center in Atanta (Georgia-USA), which is older.

Porsche Experience Center

The Porsche Experience Center offers driving lessons in the current Porsche for sale in their catalog, so you get to really test drive the car before you buy it. There is also sort of a museum of older race cars which you can see and touch, versus some behind a glass window being worked on as you would buy. There is also a boutique with Porsche accessories such as neat watch, clothing, books, etc. and 2 restaurants: one for a quick bit and a gourmet seat down style.

Porsche Experience Center

I cannot wait for them to open their doors for people to come with their Porsche to drive on the track!

Source: Porsche

NICE VIDEO AD FOR COGNAC CHATEAU DE MONTIFAUD

Cognac Chateau Montifaud XO Silver

Owned by the family Vallet for six generations, Chateau de Montifaud Cognac includes 120 hectares of vineyards that are located in both the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne growing regions. Single Estate Cognac Grower.

Château de Montifaud is located in Jarnac-Champagne in the Petite Champange sub-region of Cognac, as are the majority of its vineyards (110/120). The family farms 10 hectares of grapes, from its nearby Grande Champagne vineyard.

[vimeo 49838895 w=640 h=360]

TV Ad (China) : Cognac Montifaud from Boucard Bruno on Vimeo.

QUEEN'S NEW SPARKLING WINES MADE IN HER CASTLE

Great Windsor Park Sparking Wines from Queen Elizabeth Windsor Castle

The British royal family has agreed to allow in 2011 one of the largest British wine retailers (Laithwaites) to plant French grape wine varietals (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and inot Meunier) on one of their property, in fact a few minutes away from Queen's Elizabeth II residence near Windsor Castle. This grape varietal set is the exact varietal set one would use to make sparkling wines.

Great Windsor Park Vineyard, Aerial View

"Tony Laithwaite grew up in Windsor. He loved Windsor Great Park as a boy and relished the opportunity to make wine here when, in 2011, Laithwaite's was permitted by The Crown Estate and the Royal Farms to revive an ancient vineyard tradition ... planting the classic Champagne grapes - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier." Laithwaites.co.uk

Well guess what? Now the British royal family has its own line of sparkling wines, from grapes grown in Windsor Great Park. The first batch of Windsor Vineyard English Quality Sparkling Wine was harvested in 2013, and let to rest to produce only 3,000 bottles of sparkling wines and sold out quickly for $44 in the UK.

The second delivery will be available in fall 2017 at British retailer Laithwaite's, and it is believed to be sold quickly.

Watch this superb video, history in the making!

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

The production is expected to be about 20,000 bottles in 6 years, which will make a new competitor for champagnes.

Sources: Refinery29, Laithwaites

HOW MUCH IS A SPIRIT START-UP WORTH? ANSWER FROM CAMPARI BUYING BULLDOG GIN

Bulldog Gin Sold to Gruppo Campari February 2017

It is not often that one gets to see the insider of a transaction and get to read the details.

Shanken Daily News offers this info:

"Italy’s Gruppo Campari has acquired Bulldog Gin for roughly $58 million.

Launched in the U.S. in 2007 by entrepreneur and investment banker Anshuman Vohra, Bulldog (roughly $26 a 750-ml.) is currently available in nearly 100 markets around the globe, with a strong concentration in Europe.

. Bulldog sold around 150,000 cases in total in 2016.
. The brand’s net sales were around $12 million (+22% sales previous year).

The deal values the independently-owned Bulldog at approximately 13.6 times the expected CAAP (contribution after advertising and promotion) of about €4 million ($4.3m) in 2017."

The ratios are starting to look like those App start-ups and Dot-Com Companies.

There is a spirit valley after all!

Sources: Bulldog, ShankenDailyNews