Drinks Trade - WINTER 2021 | Hottest 100 Brands 2021

your news, your views Winter 2021 issue 79

What’s new in

AUSSIE WHISKY DO YOU SHOCHU?

The latest new drink Our Panel reviews

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

THE HOTTEST 100 BRANDS for 2021

Glenfiddich Grand Cru

Morris Whisky

Hellyers Road

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Editor’s note

CREDITS

PUBLISHER The Drinks Association

www.drinksassociation.com.au All enquiries to: The Drinks Association Locked Bag 4100, Chatswood NSW 2067 ABN 26 001 376 423 The views expressed in Drinks Trade are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine or The Drinks Association. Copyright is held by The Drinks Association and reproduction in whole or in part, without prior consent, is not permitted.

EDITORIAL

Winter is coming.

No, it’s well and truly here as I pen this editor’s note from cold, rainy and bleak Melbourne during the fourth lockdown in 14 months, and it’s not just in terms of season.

I am sure most Melbournians will agree when I say I feel as though I am living amongst the Wildlings on the other side of the Wall. The White Walkers are Covid-19, the state premiers are the Black Watch, and Ms Berejiklian is Jon Snow.

It’s hard not to get political when you are a Victorian right now. If one more White Walker breaks out of hotel quarantine, I don’t care if it’s Delta, Kappa, Alpha, Beta or Theta; I’m moving to Byron to be with the Baes.

The last time we reported on the annual Hottest 100 brands in Australia was the summer of 2019/2020, the last time we experienced the world as we knew it pre-pandemic.

So much has changed, including the way consumers think, purchase and prioritise.

PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini.....................ashley@hipmedia.com.au EDITOR Melissa Parker.....................................melissa@hipmedia.com.au DIGITAL EDITOR Ioni Doherty.....................................ionid@drinks.asn.au CONTRIBUTORS Ken Gargett, Dominic Roskrow, Guy Bohan, Aaron Howarth, Corey Leeson, Chris O’Brien, John Carmody, Delphine Lambert, Daniel Bone, Angus Byrne, Travis Fuller, Charlie Simpson, Louella Mathews, Jack Glover, Michael McIntosh, David Messum.

DESIGN SENIOR DESIGNER Racs Salcedo �����������������������ryan@hipmedia.com.au

ADVERTISING NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jenny Park �������� jenny@hipmedia.com.au

Produced and contract published by:

ACCOUNTS: accounts@hipmedia.com.au For new product or current releases in Drinks Trade magazine send a sample to: HIP Media, C/O Wine Ark Warehouse 3 / 190-192 Bourke Road Alexandria NSW 2015 www.hipmedia.com.au | facebook.com/drinksmedia ABN: 42 126 291 914

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If there is one thing to read this year in Drinks Trade, it’s this year’s annual Hottest 100 Brands report.

The 2021 Hottest 100 Brands takes IRI Australia’s in-depth research and combines these insights with the opinions of industry leaders in the field. The Report reveals compelling results on what consumers will seek in categories and brands over the next twelve months.

Turn to page 33 to find out if your brand made the list.

It wouldn’t be a winter edition without a look at the world’s favourite winter warmer, whisk(e)y.

The ‘elixir of life’ is gaining ground in Australia, where we are crafting wonderful local whiskies of our own. Check out our story on the local Aussie drams on page 14.

Other must-reads include our interview with the MD of Spirits Platform, Mungo Gilchrist, who made it to Australian shores from Asia as the pandemic took hold. His story on the current spirits market makes an informative Viewpoint on page 12.

Until Spring… happy reading and happy vaccinating.

Melissa melissa@hipmedia.com.au

A N E W R A N G E F R O M A U S T R A L I A’ S NUMBER 1 ORGANIC WINERY

Available at fine wine retailers and naturaliswines.com.au Please Drink responsibly.

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Section header

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Contents 08

12

14

26

NEWS

SPIRITS

43

Craft Beer

08

Top Ten in Ten

14

Whisky | Advance Australia Fair

44

Pink Wine

12

Viewpoint – Mungo Gilchrist | Spirits Platform

20

Whisky | Glenfiddich Grand Cru

47

Red Wine

24

Whisky | Hellyers Road

49

White Wine

26

Whisky | The Dram Bring It On

50

Sparkling Wine

30

Rum | Ken Gargett

53

Dark Spirits

HOTTEST 100 BRANDS

54

Light Spirits & Other

33

Hottest 100 Brands Intro

55

Cider

39

The Retailing Landscape - IRI

56

Hot Tips for 2022

WINE

41

RTD/Pre-mix

58

The Top 100 Hottest Brands List

62

42

Contemporary/Classic and Premium Beer

EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS 59

Melbourne International Beverage Awards

FEATURE 66

Shochu | The Rise of Asian Beverages

Tasting Panel | Cabernet and Blends

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News 4

T P TEN IN TEN

HERE’S A QUICK TEN-MINUTE READ OF THE TOP TEN TRENDING ONLINE DRINKS TRADE STORIES FOR THE PAST QUARTER SCAN ON THE QR CODE FOR DAILY NEWS UPDATES Words Ioni Doherty 1. DOLLAR BILLING BREWING Posted May 21 Dollar Bill Brewing was named Champion Australian Beer for their Gold Teeth 2021 Packaged at the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) hosted in Melbourne on Thursday evening. The brewing and blending company is based in Ballarat and owned by the husband and wife team, Ed and Fiona Nolle.

2. TREASURY FORECASTS RETURN TO GROWTH. Posted May 13 Treasury Wine Estates announced its expectation that earnings for the business will be between $495 million to $515 million

for the full year targeting high single-digit earnings growth with a group-wide earnings margin of 25 per cent.

3. ENDEAVOUR GROUP’S STATE OF PLAY AHEAD OF THE DEMERGER Posted March 30 Managing Director Steven Donohue announced the inaugural CFO, Shane Gannon, to join the business and shared the company’s new purpose ahead of the Group’s separation from Woolworths in June, ‘creating a more sociable future together’. While Endeavour is about to step into a new chapter, he emphasised to suppliers working with Endeavour’s

merchandise team - it will be business as usual.

4. YOUNG AUSTRALIANS DRIVING ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL SHIFTS EVER SEEN – ABA Posted May 25 Alcohol Beverages Australia (ABA) says that with the majority of young Australians drinking in moderation and within the guidelines, the latest survey from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation shows their relationship with alcohol is an increasingly sensible one and largely devoid of harms.

NOW

Y

Y

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LIGHTEN UP

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*Less when compared to the Tempus Two Varietal series. *4 standard drinks per bottle.

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26/5/21 10:39 am

News

5. COLES LIQUOR SALES UP 2.6 PER CENT Posted April 28 Consumer cycles are returning to ‘normal’ pre-COVID levels, says Coles, as it announced a fall in supermarket sales of 6.1 per cent this past quarter. However, alcohol sales have grown by 2.6 per cent compared to this time last year, with a sales revenue for the quarter of $759 million. Retail performance at Liquorland was a highlight for the Group along with eCommerce, which grew by a huge 49 per cent, supported by the opening of three “dark stores” to meet this growing demand.

6. WOOLWORTHS QUARTER RESULTS DECLINE Posted April 29 Woolworths’ March quarter results decline as trends stabilise and growth is impacted by cycling COVID. Comparable sales for the March quarter fell 2.1 per cent to $11.1 billion for the Group’s supermarkets division in a quarter described by CEO Brad Banducci as a story of two halves. “There were two very distinct trading periods in Q3: the first seven weeks before we began to cycle to COVID and the second six weeks as we cycled the peak growth of the prior year,” he said. As such, the first seven weeks show significant growth, and the second six weeks reflect a decline.

7. PETER WEST STEPS UP TO LEAD COCA-COLA EUROPACIFIC PARTNERS Posted April 21 Peter West will the lead new Australia, Pacific and Indonesia Business Unit following acquisition of Coca-Cola Amatil

by Coca-Cola European Partners. West is currently Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Australia and will become Vice President and General Manager for

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the newly created Australia, Pacific and Indonesia (API) Business Unit. He will also join the executive leadership team of CocaCola European Partners (CCEP).

8. FROM FOOTY FIELD TO DISTILLERY IS BORN A UNIQUELY AUSTRALIAN PROJECT Posted April 21 They met on the footy field, but AFL player Daniel Motlop and Mighty Craft CEO Mark Haysman have since re-invented themselves and reconnected to collaborate on a unique and ground-breaking Australian endeavour. Mighty Craft joined forces with Motlop in 2020, taking a 65 per cent stake in Motlop’s distillery business. With a robust and shared vision to build on the success of Green Ant Gin, they created Seven Seasons.

9. MCWILLIAMS & CALABRIA Posted April 6 Riverina and Barossa Valley winemaker Calabria Family Wines has acquired a piece of Australian wine history with the purchase of McWilliam’s Wines.

The Griffith-based Calabria family takes ownership of McWilliam’s brands,

intellectual property, stock holdings, and the Hanwood vineyard, winery, and cellar door in Griffith.

“It is a great honour for our family to become the proud custodians of Australian winemaking history with the purchase of McWilliam’s Wines. Despite recent challenges, we know the McWilliam’s name carries a long and prestigious reputation as one of Australia’s oldest wine producers,” General Manager Michael Calabria said.

10. ENDEAVOUR GROUP: UP TO $2BN FOR SHAREHOLDERS Posted May 10 The Woolworths Group suggests a return between $1.6 and $2 billion is possible for shareholders with the scheduled approval of the proposed $10 billion demerger between Woolworths and Endeavour group at a meeting in Sydney on June 18.

It is the third and final stage in the demerger process, initially proposed in late 2019 but put on hold due to COVID. As part of the demerger, eligible shareholders will receive one new Endeavour Group share for every Woolworths Group share held at the time of the demerger.

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Viewpoint

MUNGO GILCHRIST CEO SPIRITS PLATFORM

MUNGO GILCHRIST FIRST CAME TO THE DRINKS INDUSTRY IN 1985 WITH JARDINE MATHESON IN JAPAN. AFTER 12 YEARS WORKING AT REMY COINTREAU IN TOKYO AND SINGAPORE, GILCHRIST ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA ON A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT AHEAD OF INTERNATIONAL BORDER CLOSURES TO HEAD UP INDEPENDENT SPIRITS DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS, SPIRITS PLATFORM. HE TALKS TO ASHLEY PINI ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN SPIRIT MARKET DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC. How have you found the past 12 months in the Australian market?

The biggest lesson from Covid is how resilient this market is. The retail infrastructure is extremely well developed and strong. That has enabled the overall alcohol business to continue to perform well even though the on-trade was extremely depressed for several months.

ago, so we already had the benefits of that investment before COVID, and we evolved the drink strategy to focus more single-mindedly on the Margarita, which is currently the most googled cocktail in Australia. Due to COVID people were seeking elevated food and drink experiences at home, including making cocktails. A Margarita is one of the easiest cocktails to make. All this adds up to a successful outcome for Cointreau but I think we still have further to take it. We have done a good job at capturing people who are well-experienced at making cocktails, but there are still many consumers who are very new to the world of cocktails and making cocktails at home. Cointreau is at the heart of about 500 classic cocktails.

Have you seen the on-trade bounce back at all?

Yes, the early days of Covid in March, April and May was complete collapse and closure.

It started to pick up from June. Then Melbourne went into the second lockdown, so it was still a long way behind the previous year, although it has recovered from the national closure. From the beginning of November when Melbourne was back up and running we have seen growth every single week in the on-trade.

Is there anything that is driving that?

What we have seen is a premiumisation trend in Australia in spirits even before Covid. On the onset of Covid, I would say there has been a trading down for a short period, and then the premiumisation trend reasserted itself more strongly than before.

For example, Australia was one of the very few markets where Champagne grew in 2020, and not just Champagne but very high-end champagne did very well.

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IRI voted Cointreau as one of the hottest brands to watch and the hottest liqueur brand. Tell us about the growth of Cointreau?

Cointreau is growing more than 50 per cent at the moment. Cointreau and other core brands in our portfolio were well positioned and doing quite well before COVID. Remy Cointreau started an advertising campaign investment behind Cointreau three years

What category will see strong growth in the next 12 months?

I think premium liqueurs is a dark horse because of the ‘cocktails at home’ trend. I am not sure retailers have really woken up to this yet. Premium liqueurs are a great way to increase basket size because if consumers are making cocktails at home, then a liqueur is a complementary purchase to spirits, not a substitute. I see retailers squeezing the liqueurs category and making more space for gin and premium whiskies and tequilas, but premium liqueurs is a real trade opportunity.

How is your whisky category tracking?

Very well, we are focused at the top end of Single Malts, and we have the leadership position in Single Malt Scotch above 100 dollars with The Macallan. Last year it became number one in value, and this year it is now number one in volume. We also have a strong overall whisky portfolio with interesting offerings, including the pioneer of American Single Malt, Westland.

What is your opinion on the development of the Cognac category in Australia?

There is a natural growth in Cognac from a low base because of the significant growth in the Asian population in Australia over the past decade or so. There is a job to be done to implant Cognac successfully within the Australian population, but we are definitely making progress. Remy has been on a good growth trajectory for several years now, and Louis XIII is very solid here too.

Did you feel an effect from duty-free closures?

The international border closures contributed to acceleration in the business because before COVID, Australians travelling outside of Australia were spending about $55 billion a year while visitors coming here were spending $25 billion dollars, so there is net $30 billion more that is now being spent at home in Australia.

How do you see the future for Spirits Platform?

We are coming up to our 6th anniversary in August, so far, we have grown at an average compound growth rate of 10 per cent in volume a year and 15 per cent in value. We have been focussing on growing value more than volume. Of that growth, about 60 per cent has been organic, and 40 per cent has been new brand additions.

My primary focus is on organic growth. We want to do an outstanding job with all of our brands, and I want to make sure I have a manageable portfolio.

The market is constantly changing; however, we will consider new additions if we see strong portfolio synergy or if it adds to the dynamics of our business in a significant way.

The future is the premiumisation trend in the market, consumers becoming more experimental making cocktails at home and having a wider repertoire of drinks. All of those things play to our strengths, so I am very optimistic. I think the behaviour changes taken place during Covid are probably permanent. Once consumers have learnt to make cocktails at home, they will not unlearn it, so post-Covid is not going to be a return to pre-Covid, it is going to be a completely different reality.

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Spirits

Advance Australia Fair QUICK POLL: HOW MANY HAVE BOUGHT AUSTRALIAN WHISKY IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS? ARE YOU A REGULAR PURCHASER OR WAS THIS A ONE-OFF (A BIT OF PATRIOTISM)? WHERE DO YOU THINK AUSTRALIAN WHISKY SITS IN COMPARISON WITH THOSE FROM SCOTLAND, IRELAND OR JAPAN? DO YOU THINK THEY ARE FAIR VALUE OR OVER-PRICED (AND IF SO, ARE YOU PREPARED TO PAY THE EXTRA)? DO YOU LOOK FOR AGED BOTTLES? PERHAPS ALL OF THIS CAN BE SUMMED UP IN JUST ONE QUESTION – HAS THE AUSTRALIAN WHISKY INDUSTRY ESTABLISHED ITS OWN STYLE OF WHISKY OR IS IT STILL SIMPLY AN ECHO OF SCOTLAND (NOT THAT THERE WOULD BE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT)?

Of course, it is far too early to make any definitive statements about styles of Australian whisky. That will come in time.

Indeed, there is also the question of whether there are, or will be, significant differences between whiskies from Tasmania to those from the mainland.

Whatever your thoughts, one thing cannot be ignored. In the last decade or so, local whisky has gone from a rarely encountered curiosity to, perhaps not mainstream but certainly a level once unimaginable by most of us. Of course, if the quality was not there then curiosities they would have stayed. Instead, our whiskies have stunned the world and aficionados around the globe have been keen to sample them.

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It is not that dissimilar to what happened in Japan, a few decades earlier, when we saw Japanese whiskies start to make an impact.

They were little more than exotic oddities, but have now been elevated to near mythical status in some cases – one example from many: the Ichiro Malt Card series, a limited edition of 54 different malts (two jokers for the pack), which gathered dust on the shelves for years and are now some of the most valuable and sought after bottles on earth – a set going for a million plus!

Look to Sullivan’s Cove. They brought Australian whisky to the attention of the world, winning the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2014, and a lot more bling since then. Heather Tillott, head distiller at Sullivan’s Cove,

notes that they are selective in their choice of competitions, not least because with a production under 20,000 bottles last year, they simply don’t have the whisky to enter them all. The awards do provide validation of what they are doing, and also justification for the prices, seen by some as excessive.

David Vitale, founder of Melbourne distillery, Starward, sees awards as a way to “help us to showcase our new way of thinking and crafting and our dedication to using quality Australian ingredients, particularly Australian wine barrels, to bring to market a distinctively Australian whisky for everyone.”

It is early days for Aussie whisky, but they are fast headed to that cherished mainstream status. While there will no

doubt be plenty of NAS offerings (see box), economies of scale will mean that competing with the world’s largest whisky producers will be nearly impossible at the everyday, bargain bottle standards. If Australian whisky does not compete at the very highest levels, then curiosities or tourist souvenirs is all it will ever be (eventually, commercial reality dictates that there will have to be larger production). Heather Tillott agrees that the industry is currently “super-premiumised”, and feels that this is not balanced. Commercial necessities will require more mainstream Aussie whiskies in time, but she believes that they will retain their “identity of Australia”.

For now, special bottlings are crucial.

Jodie Dawe, distiller at Lark Distillery, notes that they “sometimes release as many as 2 or 3 special bottlings a month. Some are born of demand, some are born of collaboration, and some are born out of experimentation and our drive to share our passion and create unforgettable experiences”.

Winning awards, such as those picked up

by Sullivan’s Cove and others, have allowed the industry to set the highest standards.

This has been aided by what some may see as very lax regulations, allowing for more innovation than is encountered in most countries (it has been said that, basically, make it from grain and whack it in a barrel for two years and we have something which can be called Aussie whisky). Heather Tillott believes that there will be more boundaries and structure in the industry in time but that Australia will always allow the capability for flexibility and innovation.

Establishing a spirits industry is not easy, given the extensive time needed to mature the material – assuming one is not dabbling

with the instant ageing technology gaining some traction, or making spirits such as gin, which can be still to shelf in a month. The costs are such that enormous dedication is necessary. And the pioneers in Tasmania, beginning with Bill Lark, had exactly that.

The general consensus is that most of the whiskies around the world owe not only their origins to Scotland (and here is not the place for a debate on just where whisky did come from), but also their styles (although good luck finding anything that can match that glorious peaty note that seems unique to Islay malts). This is largely because the usual method is pot stills using malted barley and in the early days (not that long ago), Australian whiskies were no different.

Differences have emerged, though probably only really identifiable to serious aficionados – using brewers’ malt rather than the more traditional distillers’ malt (and using local malts from Australian farmers, rather than importing them from Scotland, as happens in many parts of the world). Bill Lark has been quoted as suggesting that this is leading to richer and more oily malts, quite different to those from Scotland.

The team at Sullivan’s Cove have been actively trialing unfiltered and unflocked whiskies (the process of allowing whiskies which have not been chill-filtered to settle, over a number of months at ambient temperature, in order that “the heaviest particulate can fall out of solution and be

removed with a simple paper filter”, leaving the whisky in its most natural state), which as they suggest, leaves the good stuff in. The fats and oils remaining contribute to the flavours, depth and texture. Unfiltered and/ or unflocked is not unique to Sullivan’s Cove and is used by other Tasmanian/Australian distilleries, though far less common offshore.

This contributes to the Australian style being distinct from whiskies found in other countries.

Then there is the ‘Aussie’ route. The Adelaide Hills Distillery, in their ‘Native Grain Whiskey’, for example, uses wattleseed to access the starch leading to fermentable sugars, rather than the more typical grain. They believe that this leads to more chocolate notes in the final product.

The Starward Two-Fold incorporates Australian wheat with their malted barley.

Australia is hardly alone in using barrels which formerly housed wine to age their spirits, but few places have taken to it quite so extensively – of course, having a thriving wine industry has helped this. A fine example is the Starward “Nova”, aged in barrels which were previously home to Australian Shiraz, Cabernet or Pinot Noir.

The barrels are often still wet from the wine when filled. The result is a delicious whisky with red fruit notes, florals and caramel/ oak characters. It goes further. Archie Rose incorporates the use of ex-Apera (Aussie sherry) barrels in their award-winning Single Malt Whisky.

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Spirits

Needless to say, this provides for different flavour profiles than from the ex-bourbon barrels used for Scottish malts – more fruity than their vanilla notes. In addition, climatic differences play a role, not least in the speed of maturation – more on this below.

Australia’s love of bourbon – we are one of the biggest importers of that spirit – has also seen attention given to styles with noticeable amounts of rye, wheat and corn.

Archie Rose is known for their 100% Rye, a rich, supple, powerful and complex whisky with notes of teak, cinnamon, cocoa, and spices with an utterly seductive texture. It won ‘Best Australian Whisky’ at the IWSC Awards in London 2018.

One area that Australia is addressing is the special bottlings – with such small stocks relative to many nations, this makes sense.

Will Edwards, the founder of Archie Rose (better known for their gins but give it time) notes that they “have released in the past, and will continue to release, a number of smaller, unique bottlings under our Trials & Exceptions label – a series reserved for exceptional casks we discover in our bond store and small-batch trials from our extensive R&D program.”

What of winning awards? As with the wine industry, mixed feelings (often influenced by whether you’ve won them or not). Edwards again – “There are still a small number of highly regarded global awards that we enter each year. While the degree to which winning any individual award “helps” is highly subjective, consistently winning “World’s Best”, or “Australia’s Best” over multiple years does provide validation that we are on the right track and, from a spirits quality standpoint, can absolutely stand alongside the best spirits in the world year on year.”

Lark Distilling, a pioneer of Tasmania’s whisky industry, is reaping the rewards of the efforts of founder Bill Lark. Their new Legacy series will offer some exceptional whiskies of an age very rarely seen in this country. The inaugural Legacy release will be as a pair of 19-year-old whiskies – HHF582B and HHF585A (the latter is also a single cask release). Bill Lark has said, “My first reaction to tasting this release was one of sheer joy. To think that we could lay a whisky down 19 years ago, in our infancy in

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Australia and to come out with a whisky like this that is so drinkable but yet so rich and intense in flavour is a great milestone.”

Despite a price of nearly $2000 a bottle, such has been the demand that sales will take place by ballot. Consider also the speed at which the Sullivan’s Cove releases sell out – often within the hour – and it is obvious that many have no issue with the price of the best Aussie whiskies.

David Vitale has a slightly different take on prices, seeing his whiskies as “without a doubt” providing value. His vision is “to democratise access to tasty Australian whisky”. He notes that Starward TwoFold was crafted to be “an affordable and approachable blend of two quintessential Aussie grains”.

Wherever whisky comes from around the world, there is no debate as to the importance of barrel age. Edwards makes the excellent point that it is not simply a matter of sticking the spirit into a barrel and waiting around. As he says, ageing “is often mischaracterised as simply a waiting game whereby the older the whisky, the better it is. This couldn’t be further from the truth as whisky, like wine, cannot simply remain in cask indefinitely without proper management or it will become critically over-oaked, tannic, and fundamentally flawed. We don’t aim for an age, but rather

monitor our spirit and bottle it when we feel it is at its absolute peak – in Australia, this almost always means bottling a younger spirit as the environmental impacts of the Australian climate accelerate maturation by, very approximately, 3-5 times over that experienced in most areas of the UK and Europe.”

Many consumers like to buy the oldest whiskies they can, assuming that they must be the best, but as Edwards says, “there are outstanding whiskies produced at three years of age and there are outstanding whiskies released at 30, 40 or >50 years of age. Both young and old, can be as good (or as bad) as each other. It all comes down to the skill, experience and dedication of the

distillery to manage the maturation of the whisky appropriately considering the spirit, environmental conditions, cask size, cask type, bond store location, and a number of other factors. If this is done correctly and the distiller is committed to bottling the spirit when it is at its absolute peak, rather than aiming for a predetermined “age”, the best expression of that spirit will result.”

Heather Tillott feels that their whiskies are somewhat of a hybrid in respect of ageing. Technically, their whiskies do have their age noted on the labels, but they do not seek to release pre-decided ages. She describes it as listening to each individual barrel and when it is ready, it will be bottled and released. Bottling normally starts around ten or eleven years but one cask might be ready at ten years, the one next to it may need another decade. So these are not traditional age statement whiskies.

That said, look to three recent examples of Sullivans Cove whiskies to exhibit the differences from age, but also the influence of oak – TD0352; TD0089; and HH0541.

The first from American oak, ex-Bourbon and aged 11 years; the second from American oak refills aged 14 years; and the final bottle, French oak, ex-Tawny and aged 19 years.

The first offers florals and cinnamon notes, a touch of nutmeg. Terrific

complexity with the palate moving to more caramel, chocolate and spices.

Great length. The fruit just sings and some peach notes emerge towards the finish. The second whisky seems to have more depth and concentration and yet remains elegant, a whisky of finesse. Florals, cherries and a note like freshly made pancakes dripping with maple syrup. Seamless, a never-ending finish and an ethereal richness. Finally, our last offering gives us notes of spices, orange marmalade, raspberries, apricots, hazelnuts and a very fine Cohiba cigar. The palate offers honey, caramel, the finest chocolate (if it doesn’t sound too pretentious, imagine To-ak Chocolate – okay, yes, a bit pretentious). It seems to offer a mix of invisibility and balanced intensity.

Invisibility in that this is so balanced that it offers no resistance. It seems to just melt into your tastebuds leaving a wonderful memory.

David Vitale makes the point that ageing in Australia is very different to other parts of the world (the ultimate example often used is the difference between a barrel ageing in a cold Scottish cellar and one in a Caribbean distillery). David notes that “thanks to Melbourne’s highly reactive climate”, he has some of “the hardest working barrels in the world. Our four seasons in a day weather results in the whisky liquid expanding and contracting within the barrels, this helps to extract the juicy goodness that has soaked into the barrel staves – considerably shortening the maturation time.”

As he says, “three Melbourne years is very different to three years elsewhere.”

Those of us fortunate to live in Queensland would not argue!

But we can all enjoy the efforts of not only David and his team but all these quality distillers and their brilliant range of very different whiskies.

WHY NAS WHISKY? NAS stands for ‘No Age Statement’, meaning whiskies that are bottled and labelled without any indication of their actual age. A great many bottles will list an age, however, let’s say you have a bottle which says ’12 Years’, then that bottle must have no whisky younger than 12 years maturation. It can have plenty of older whisky included but if there is a single drop of 12-year-old whisky in the blend then it must be called ‘12 Years’.

NAS whiskies give the distillery flexibility. They may feel that their whisky benefits from some younger material to freshen it – say a dollop of five-year-old material to freshen their 30-year-old whisky – but that would mean they would have to

label it a ‘Five Year’ whisky. And that would mean marketing suicide. As a NAS, it gets the benefit of the blend without restriction in labelling. There is room for both. Johnnie Walker Red and Blue are NAS whiskies whereas their Black (12 years) and Gold (18 years) are not. It has proved an essential tool in battling the issue of shortages of aged material.

Whiskies with age statements are obviously limited by what was put in barrel at the time. NAS can be blended continuously – obviously, it is important to maintain consistency as best as possible, but they can continue producing. Macallan is a famous distiller which replaced much of its aged range with NAS whiskies allowing

them to continue producing despite shortages.

Jodie Dawe of Lark notes that “despite being the oldest whisky distillery in Australia, we usually choose not to put an age statement on our product. Lark is usually released between five to seven years of age but it is not unheard of for us to leave casks for up to 10 or 11 years, if we think they will improve with more time. Because of the climate in Tasmania, the spirit under maturation can change rapidly so all casks are monitored closely to ensure that they are being picked when they’re perfectly ripe.

We’ve broken with tradition and released Legacy with an age statement.

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A Drinks Trade Promotion

CANADIAN CLUB

SMASHING THE STATUS QUO THERE IS NO DOUBTING BEER DRINKING IN OUR GREAT COUNTRY GOES TOGETHER WITH BEACHES AND BARBEQUES; HOWEVER CANADIAN CLUB HAS TAKEN A RARE PUNT WITH THE PUNTER AND HAS COME OUT ON TOP.

Beer is synonymous with Australian culture but not everyone enjoys drinking beer.

Canadian Club found many consumers in beer ruts struggling to break free. They say things like: • Why am I drinking beer? I don’t even like beer!

• Um, I drink beer because my mates do?

• What else do you drink with a pizza?

• Is there an alternative?

Yes! There is an alternative. Enter Canadian Club, smashing the status quo, squashing the establishment and through a disciplined commitment to a provocative marketing strategy, striking at the beating heart of Aussie beer-drinking culture. It’s happening in our bars and in our backyards.

Canadian Club (CC) represents the liberation of Australians sleep drinking through their life with beer. The Canadian Club story represents innovation, creativity, lead growth and penetration in the spirits

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space including the dark RTD category with spectacular results.

Through convenient choice formats of draught and stubby, CC offers a brighter and lighter alternative allowing Canadian Club to expand into a broader drinking occasion with results worth celebrating.

The visionary brand is shaking things up and smashing the market with an ongoing creative campaign targeting bored or reluctant beer drinkers with the suggestion of a refreshing CC and dry instead.

The campaign’s success has spearheaded a decade of category volume and growth, which sees CC committed to driving further growth to reach the target of #1 spirits TM in Australia.

CC is relevant and where it needs to be. It is sponsoring sporting events such as the Australian Open, getting savvy on social media and inspiring word of mouth validation through influencers that matter

engaging a wider and digitally savvy audience.

Disruptive and provocative, CC is celebrating the most successful time in its history. Sales have gone gangbusters.

The results are Canadian Club has experienced a decade of growth and in the process has liberated Australians from the shackles of brewdom and the old-fashioned cultural obligation of drinking beer. As the millennials would say, ‘beer is soooo 2020’.

It is an altogether unique and inspiring success story for any David challenging a Goliath. Few brands have taken on the massive task of rocking the Australian drinking culture to its core and succeeding like Canadian Club.

Could this be the beginning of a new cultural age? Could this be the age of Canadian Club?

Grab that wedge of fresh lime and embrace the Canadian Club way.

drinks trade 19

Spirits

GLENFIDDICH GRAND CRU 23-YEAR-OLD

WILLIAM GRANT & SONS HAVE FINALLY LAUNCHED THE MUCH AWAITED (BLAME COVID ET AL, FOR THE DELAY) GLENFIDDICH GRAND CRU 23-YEAR-OLD MALT. Glenfiddich is the most awarded single malt in the world so the possibility of a new, elite release has had whisky lovers exhilarated for ages. Exquisitely packaged, this is a 23-year-old malt from Speyside ($390), that is thrilling both in appearance and taste.

Even more exciting, this is just the first in their new “Grand” series. The idea is to offer malts which are pitched very much at the luxury end of the market, but which will still be readily available, not just curiosities of a few cases only, read about in obscure publications and auction press releases.

The origins of this superb malt go back nearly 150 years, when a Scottish bookkeeper working at the Mortlach

20 drinks trade

Distillery, named William Grant, had a dream of making the “best dram in the valley.”

Grant took careful note of all that was happening, in case he ever got his chance.

Finally, at the age of 47, Grant quit his job and paid £119,19 shillings and 10 pence for a copper pot still and associated equipment and, with the assistance of his seven sons and two daughters, set off to make that “best dram.”

Christmas Day 1887 saw the first spirit shared among the family, and his little distillery was dubbed Glenfiddich, meaning “valley of the deer.” As soon as he could, Grant purchased the nearby Robbie Dhu

Spring, an incomparable source of quality water for whisky. The nearby stream was actually called the Fiddich.

Glenfiddich remains the only Speyside distillery distilling, maturing, and bottling on site (these days, the 12-Year-Old is an exception).

Clearly, the Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23-Year-Old malt is a whisky which has excited the marketing and PR gurus as well as spirit lovers – “sets out to redefine moments of celebration,” “a new and extraordinary drinking experience,” “created for the non-conformists,” “uniquely crafted as a surprising delight,” and “for those tearing up the rule book.” As I have

said before, it is always good to see the marketing department earning its dosh.

Their Malt Master for the last decade has been Brian Kinsman. Over this time, he has earned a reputation for innovation of the highest standards. This is not always easy as, when your company sells around 14 million bottles of malt every year, your highest priority must be to keep the traditional customers happy, while walking the high-wire act of innovation. Kinsman seems to have mastered the balance.

The new Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23-Year-Old malt is matured in American and European oak casks before it is finished in “French cuvée casks” for a further six months. It is the only Glenfiddich malt to receive this treatment. The six-month period was the result of a series of experiments as to what length of time best suited the malt.

Just what are French cuvée casks?

Some have speculated that they are from Champagne, but it should be stressed that no one from Glenfiddich, or anyone associated with the company, is suggesting that is true. All we know is that they are

talking “a great sparkling wine from France.” Unfortunately, commercial agreements prevent Glenfiddich from revealing the source of its casks.

While the majority of champagne houses tend to use stainless steel rather than oak casks, we are seeing more and more producers, not least through the emergence of quality growers like Selosse and Collin among many others, who do use oak. Also, producers like Krug and Bollinger use oak, usually however these are casks that are very old as the aim is not to give cask character to the wine. How much is given to the malts is a question to be explored. Of course, there are plenty of other superb sparkling wines made around France so speculation it shall remain.

More importantly than exactly where the casks may come from is the question of why did Glenfiddich choose to use French cuvée casks? The reason, according to Kinsman, was keen to accentuate the floral notes of the whisky.

The Grand Cru is 40 percent, and the bottle is 700 ml. As mentioned, it is

exquisitely presented. The Grand Series will have further releases in the near future.

Of course, in the end, all this means nothing unless we have a cracking whisky.

Ever so slightly pale in color, it walks a fine line between the richness it offers and the elegance and floral notes. A hint of glacé fruit, brioche and apple orchards.

There is vanillin oak on the palate, with white chocolate and stone fruits, spices, and the merest hint of raspberry. The texture is cushiony soft and creamy. Excellent finish and great length. This malt is impeccably balanced and complex throughout.

Glenfiddich Grand Cru is a malt that is finely crafted and utterly superb. Whether it offers value will be up to each individual, but there is no question that it is a really lovely whisky and a wonderful addition to premium malts. We look forward to the next release in the series.

drinks trade 21

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22 drinks trade

drinks trade 23

Section header Spirits

Brand Focus:

HELLYERS ROAD ONE HELLYERS OF A GOOD WHISKY STORY

IT IS AUSTRALIA’S LITTLE KNOWN DISTILLING STORY OF INSPIRATION, DETERMINATION AND QUIET SUCCESS. TASMANIA’S THIRD WHISKY DISTILLER AFTER LARK AND SULLIVAN’S COVE IS LAUDED INTERNATIONALLY FOR ITS WHISKIES OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY. DRINKS TRADE SPOKE WITH GENERAL MANAGER ANDY BOWER ABOUT WHY IT WAS THE BRAND AUTHENTICITY THAT DREW HIM IN. Hellyers Road celebrated a big win when named the Best Australian Single Malt Whisky at the 2021 World Whisky Awards for its Henry’s Legacy Freestone Cove.

Recently appointed General Manager Andy Bower says it’s not the first time the distillery has come home with a gong after passing the taste test with the world’s best whisky palates. His challenge is getting the team at Hellyers Road excited about it because what motivates them is a pure

24 drinks trade

and unabashed passion for the product more than the international awards it accumulates.

Bower says it’s about time the awardwinning distillery was more vocal about its plethora of wins; the team should be proud that their hard work and dedication is being recognised on a global scale.

“The Best Australian Single Malt Whisky is not the first time they have won awards.

The World Whisky Awards website is full of

awards Hellyers has won, and nobody knows it; it is the best-untold whisky story in town,” says Bower.

The story of Hellyer’s Road began with an unlikely group of would-be distillers who were making a buck in the dairy business close to a town called Burnie in Tasmania’s northwest. Already accustomed to building, growing and milking things, these innovative farmers knew their environment was perfect for sourcing ingredients of purity

‘“The Best Australian Single Malt Whisky is not the first time they have won awards. The World Whisky Awards website is full of awards Hellyers has won, and nobody knows it; it is the best-untold whisky story in town,” says Bower.

and quality. In the late 1990s, they thought it might be an excellent place to build a distillery. It turns out their vision was ahead of the time, with Tasmania now boasting over 80 distilleries.

Not many Australians would know about the whisky’s namesake, Henry Hellyer, but he was an explorer and an iconic figure in the establishment of Tasmania.

Brought over by the Van Diemen’s Land Company in 1827, his job was to find land for development. He cut his way through the northwest of Tasmania and was responsible for naming more than 300 places. Bower says one of his original exploration roads winds its way straight through the Hellyer Road property in Burnie, quite literally straight through the distillery car park.

Hellyer drew Bower in through its true story of patience, tenacity, foresight and authenticity.

“Coming from American Distillery Jack Daniels and other places, I have dealt with brands that have genuine authenticity, and they are rare to find. A lot of businesses or brands create their stories. We’ve got this wonderful brand with a story to tell, and it is almost like the people involved are too modest to tell it. It has an authentic appeal and is a brand that doesn’t try to be genuine -it just is.

“The more I looked into the business, the more I discovered how much authenticity the distillery had. A group of dairy farmers built the company with enormous foresight and an awful lot of determination and fortitude. This also summarises Henry Hellyer’s attitude. He also had determination and fortitude and of course authenticity, “says Bower.

The founders built the distillery in 2001, and the company still has barrels in the warehouse from 2002, when the brand’s first whisky launched to market. Since, Hellyers has built up the cellar every year because, as Bower says, whisky is a slow burn and what you distilled in 2002 doesn’t come into focus until ten years later.

Hellyers is one of the few distilleries on the island with genuine aged stock and although they wish they had made more whisky ten years ago, Bower says it’s his job to ensure supply meets demand without compromising on quality. He says they are already supplying 20 international markets and have increased production but will not sacrifice quality for quantity, even if that means putting the breaks on emerging markets.

Besides excellent single malts, Hellyer Road also produces an outstanding whisky liqueur made with fresh cream that makes perfect sense given the founders’ experience with dairy products. The liqueur is the brand’s second-biggest seller.

“These guys use the fresh cream because they had the milk and the dairy technology to do it, and this is where the two businesses have become wedded in many ways. This technology these dairy farmers had in their dairy production has transferred over to Hellyers and that whisky cream liqueur is to die for,” says Bower.

“It’s a typical story for Hellyers - fantastic product, fantastic story, the authenticity, the people, so many stories that haven’t been told, and that’s what I am going to do is tell the story because it deserves it,” says Bower.

For more on Hellyers Road visit hellyersroaddistillery.com.au

drinks trade 25

Spirits

BRING IT ON!

IN 2020 THE CORONAVIRUS TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN AND FORCED US TO RETHINK HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES IN EVERY WAY. BUT AS WE MOVE THROUGH 2021, THE WORLD OF WHISKY ISN’T JUST OPTIMISTIC. IT’S POSITIVELY BULLISH. DOMINIC ROSKROW REPORTS

Iain Stirling

It is a vast understatement to say that rarely has a New Year been more welcome than that of 2021.

The second decade of the millennium began with a nine month long tsunami, as coronavirus wreaked havoc across the world, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, destroying entire industries, causing mass unemployment, and changing the way we live our lives forever.

The hospitality industry had a particularly hard time during 2020, with pubs, bars and restaurants across the world forced to close their doors for long periods.

Many will never reopen. International travel all but ground to halt and passenger numbers went in to freefall. That in turn ripped the floor out of the travel retail market.

For smaller distilleries relying on tourists to provide cash while they waited for their spirits to mature, the year was

26 drinks trade

particularly difficult. But no area was left unscathed, as producers struggled to get their casks out of their distilleries, and bottling plants were closed.

“It only takes one bottling hall worker to test positive for the virus and all the other 30 or so employees working there have to selfisolate for two weeks,” one distillery manager observed.

As a result there has been a backlog of companies wanting their whisky bottled, with the larger companies ensuring that they are first in line.

We’re not out of the woods yet. The virus hasn’t gone away and the fallout from it will influence events for months or even years to come. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. In mid-December the United Kingdom became the first country to authorise a vaccine and began inoculating its health service employees and care workers.

Matt McKay

It’ll take time before the virus is properly tamed. And yet overall the whisky industry is highly optimistic – bullish even – that 2021 will be a succesful year, if the first five months are anything to go off.

We took an industry snapshot in December. And this is what we were told: IAIN STIRLING ARDBIKIE DISTILLERY, ARBROATH, SCOTLAND: “We are very optimistic about 2021 as the world hospitality industry starts to recover from the pandemic and with global consumers more likely to buy sustainable and premium spirits. We are introducing our rye whisky to new markets on-going and with a number of other major distilleries due to launch their own rye whiskies soon, a new rye whisky category will be created and create an exciting event for the global whisky industry..”

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Talk to us about your fine spirits needs Daniel Szor, Photo Credit: Lorentz Gullachsen

MATT MCKAY, BIMBER DISTILLERY, LONDON “Despite the testing circumstances of 2020, Bimber has had a remarkably successful first year for bottling and distributing its London single malt. The company has seen all of its releases sell out rapidly, has expanded into a variety of new overseas markets and has launched a new membership option (Bimber Klub) which has resulted in over 1,400 members in under six months. 2021 will see Bimber consolidate and build on this strong performance. New expressions will be added to the distillery’s evolving range, whilst we continue to explore the versatility of our spirit in a broader variety of wood types.

“We hope to be able to once again welcome visitors to the distillery in 2021 and are already planning a selection of outstanding experiential events for when it is safe for us to open our doors once more.

“We are very optimistic about the outlook for next year. Whilst 2020 has disrupted the competitive landscape and market dynamics of world whisky, the traits which underpin the industry remain robust and demand – particularly for high-quality,

craft products – is still extremely buoyant.

“Over the last five years, English whisky has undergone a renaissance moving from niche product to mainstream attention. This revival has only just begun and 2021 will see several new English distilleries releasing their first ‘of-age’ products. All these things provide great reasons to be positive about the future fettle of the whisky industry.

DANIEL SZOR, OWNER, COTSWOLDS DISTILLERY, ENGLAND “We’re looking forward to another very busy year in 2021 on the whisky front, following a surprisingly strong 2020 despite all of the well-known hindrances. As was the case in 2020 the focus will be on UK off-trade and grocery, online sales (our own and others) and export. We have a number of new releases planned including the second in our annual Hearts & Crafts series and our much-awaited Bourbon Cask – 100 per cent first fill bourbon, five years old. We also expect to see a number of single cask releases, both in our own retail channel and also for a number of our overseas distributors.

Sign up for website access. www.barmania.com.au/start • Single bottle orders • Retail and on premise • Premium spirits specialist • Australia wide

Ph. 02 8338 0229

Spirits

“We feel there is good reason to be optimistic about 2021. At the end of a year like 2020 you can’t help but feel that short of an asteroid hit or a world war there’s little that can be thrown at us that we haven’t seen in 2020. Seriously though, we believe people will continue to work from, and enjoy their premium spirits moments at home for much of the year in a way that will benefit whisky in general, and in particular those brands which reward ‘flavour explorers’ with creativity and authenticity.

“As far as our company is concerned, we’ve managed to keep production – both distilling and bottling – going through the worst of the year so far, and our management team is working more effectively together than ever in the past.

Our brand continues to grow, and as the first English whisky to grace the shelves of both Waitrose and Sainsburys we are proud to be at the forefront of what is a truly exciting new category (we can call it that, with nearly 25 distilleries in or near production) – English Whisky.

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ASHOK CHOKALINGAM, AMRUT, INDIA: “Our plans for 2021 are to get back to where we were in 2019 On a scale of one to 10 and one being very optimistic, I will rate it as five at the moment. A lot depends on how different countries are planning on vaccination programmes and travel restrictions. This will have a profound effect on our business” ROBERT RANSOM, LANGATUN, SWITZERLAND: “We have basically lost a quarter this year, so expect sales to be 25 per cent down.

Compared to others, particularly our friends on the front line of hospitality, we have fared better. The small size of the business, with no employees nor office or retail rent bills to pay, has been a blessing in disguise.

Similarly with next to no travel nor events to participate in our overheads are down.

As for 2021 we have plans for new releases of Angels’ Nectar. Asia is having more success at controlling Covid-19, so

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Patrick Zuidam

I expect to see Asian markets bounce back first. Elsewhere we will get better with | living with the virus, so economically things will slowly improve. Whisky Festivals though, will be one of the last things to return, whilst at the same time I suspect consumer’s interest in on-line festivals will dwindle. Why do an on-line tasting, if your local pub has re-opened? I envisage a new whisky festival format which is 100 per cent master class with the consumer staying seated (socially distanced), whilst a series of distillers present their drams to the audience in turn.”

PATRICK ZUIDAM, ZUIDAM, THE NETHERLANDS: “The whisky industry will remain strong and hopefully the lockdowns of 2020 will be behind us. That will hopefully give our friends in the on-trade around the world some chances of recovery as they have had the worst burden to bear in 2020. We had a pretty decent 2020 given the circumstances but expect a stronger growth in 2021 as we finally have more stock of Malt and Rye Whisky that we can sell. Rye whisky is doing great and seems to finally get some traction

in the rest of the world as opposed to only in the United States.”|.

PAUL DEMPSEY, SPEY , SPEYSIDE, SCOTLAND: “I’m optimistic for the industry and ourselves next year. Independent specialist retailers in many countries (where most of our whisky is sold) have mostly managed to stay operational through Covid, and have adapted their businesses to embrace virtual tastings etc. Hopefully as physical events start to return, these can be combined with the virtual events to reach an even wider audience.”

These industry experts from around the world all seemed optimistic in December, but have their predictions come true?

Sources point to yes: with the lifting of lockdown restrictions in many countries, and the distribution of millions of vaccines in the UK, Europe, and America, travel - and tourism - is on the rise. Globally, people are scratching the itch to be active again, and what’s better then a distillery tour in doing so? While this story will continue to develop throughout the rest of 2021, we at Explore Drinks echo this message of optimism.

Talk to us about your fine spirits needs

• Premium spirits specialist • Retail and on premise • Single bottle orders • Australia wide

Sign up for website access. www.barmania.com.au/start Ph. 02 8338 0229

drinks trade 29

Spirits

From Bundy to the World WHAT’S NEW WITH RUM IN AUSTRALIA ONE BRAND DOMINATES THE AUSTRALIAN DARK RUM MARKET IN THE MANNER IN WHICH THE GREAT SIR DON BRADMAN DOMINATED CRICKET AND WALTER LINDRUM BILLIARDS. PART OF THE DIAGEO PORTFOLIO FOR AROUND TWO DECADES, ITS MARKET SHARE EXCEEDS 60 PERCENT. HARD TO THINK OF ANY OTHER DRINKS CATEGORY WHICH HAS ONE PRODUCER ESTABLISHING SUCH DOMINANCE. THEY ARE MOST CERTAINLY NOT RESTING ON THEIR LAURELS WITH CROSS-OVER PRODUCTS LIKE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH ICE BREAK (ICED COFFEE) AND FUTURE SPICED RUMS TO FOLLOW. THEY HAVE WORKED WITH FOX LEAGUE TO PROMOTE LINKS TO THE GAME (BE INTERESTING TO KNOW HOW MUCH BUNDY IS CONSUMED ON ANY STATE OF ORIGIN EVENING, ESPECIALLY ONE WHERE QUEENSLAND IS VICTORIOUS). IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT QUEENSLANDERS DO MORE THAN ANY OTHER AUSTRALIANS TO ENSURE THAT THESE FIGURES ARE SO IMPRESSIVE. WHAT’S NEW? Words Ken Gargett There is room for improvement. The market in Australia for rum is anticipated to be US$110 million for this year. We are growing now at just over 5 percent – healthy, but down from recent years where consumption was regularly increasing at 7 to 9 percent. Our average per capita consumption is a meagre 0.1 litres per head.

Dark rum is on the up. Bartenders and consumers vote with their bars and wallets, most believing it to be the spirit which is “‘premiumising most” (the rest of us believe that question to be “damaging most” to the

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English language since Shakespeare fell off his perch.)

James France from Vanguard, which represents Nicaraguan rum Flor de Cana, has noted that in recent years, “Total rum is up 5.8 percent with far, and away the largest growth coming from super-premium rums.” And why on earth would that not be the case when you see such amazing rums as their 30-Year-Old. James has also been quoted as saying that “aged rums are excellent value for money compared to other aged spirits, especially scotch and bourbon”,

and he is convinced that “aged rum’s time will come. Probably sooner than later.”

From cult Barbados distillery Foursquare, Richard Seale is leading the push for consumer recognition of premium rums because the GI Classification program, vintage rums and more, all contribute to why these rums are known as the ‘Pappy’ of the industry.

From Campari/Appleton, Andrew Shannon has identified the “huge growth momentum” of spiced rums and the domination of bourbon but sees “the growth

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• Australia wide • Single bottle orders • Retail and on premise • Premium spirits specialist

Ask us about your fine spirits needs in dark spirits towards the super-premium and premium segments”.

From a domestic perspective, it is exciting to see the craft distillers emerging. Archie Rose might be known for gin, but they are doing terrific things with dark rum (and whisky). Husk Distillers on the north coast of NSW is definitely one to watch.

Perhaps a little more sizeable than craft, Inner Circle and Beenleigh are another two producers always keen to improve their rums. The problem for quality craft distillers, when aiming for an elite rum or whisky, is time. Gin is distillery to dollars in a month or so. Rum can take years.

It is offshore where much of the top-flight dark rums hail, especially the Caribbean and neighbouring countries. Zacapa is a fine example, with their wonderful 23-YearOld and XO. These rums have become almost mainstream, a serious achievement in this Bundy dominated region. Pusser’s, El Dorado, Doorly’s, Diplomatico, and so many more are all part of the reason that dark rum is on the rise, with a bullet!

Sign up for website access. www.barmania.com.au/start Ph. 02 8338 0229

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ELTZER DS M AR

ELTZER DS M AR

S TER AS

GOLD 2021

THE H

S TER AS

THE H

2021 SUPREME BRAND CHAMPION

E

AND CHAM P BR 021 N2 IO

SUPRE M

SILVER 2021

WHITE CLAW

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We’re incredibly proud to be awarded Supreme Brand Champion at The Spirits Business Inaugural Hard Seltzer Masters 2021. Against 102 entries from 39 Hard Seltzer competitors White Claw was also recognised as the Ready To Drink (RTD) category Brand Champion, with Black Cherry and Mango awarded gold medals, and Silver Medal for Natural Lime.

Hottest100 Report 2021

VODKA CRUISER

the largest light RTD brand in Australia

SQUEALING PIG proves a clear favourite

HEINEKEN 0.0

the strongest No Alcohol Beer on the market Conscientious consumers rate

ANGOVE’S ORGANIC

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO DRINKS TRADE AND IRI HOTTEST 100 BRANDS FOR 2021 THE HOTTEST 100 BRAND REPORT IS ARGUABLY THE MOST VALUABLE REPORT PUBLISHED

BY DRINKS TRADE. IT PRESENTS THE BEST PERFORMING BRANDS FOR THE YEAR AND GIVES A VIEW OF THE BRANDS PREDICTED TO PERFORM IN THE COMING 12 MONTHS. We start with the best performing brands based on data reported by IRI Market Edge in ten categories, searching by growth (in litres), percentage against the previous years’ volume, and, when required, overlay this with value growth resulting in over 200 brands ranked by category on performance for the past 12 months.

Then comes the ‘human element’; the experts that buy (and sell) products for thousands of stores in Australia, including monitor promotions, innovations and brand launches that work and those that don’t. They are the Hottest 100 Panel, and along with the data, their collective insights deliver the complete and comprehensive Hottest 100 Brands Report.

The top 100 brands are presented in ten categories with a list of the top-performing and predicted top-performing brands in Australia. We include data, comments from the Panel and the original analysis that offer insights into the reasons behind the brand’s success.

Drinks Trade is a free service to the industry, underwritten by the Drinks Association and supported by the businesses that advertise. To ensure complete transparency and authenticity, only products nominated have the opportunity to promote or highlight their brand within this report.

We are proud of this informative initiative and are confident it will provide valuable insights for your liquor business. Feedback is always welcome as we seek to improve each year and look for ways to delve deeper into the exciting brands that drive the industry. This report represents the highest performing brands, selling significant volume, not the bespoke and small collectables or hard to find products that are also necessary to stock on your shelves or behind your bar.

If you want to know on the big sellers, they are here in the Hottest 100.

CONTENTS 34

Introduction - Drinks Trade

49

White Wine

36

Introduction - IRI

50

Sparkling Wine

39

Retailing Landscape

53

Dark Spirits

41 RTD/Pre-Mix

54

Light Spirits & Others

42

Contemporary/Classic and Premium Beer

55

Cider

43

Craft Beer

56

44

Pink Wine

58

47

Red Wine

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Hot Tips for 2022 The Top 100 Hottest Brands List

THE LEADING PROVIDER OF DATA, CONSULTING AND INSIGHT SOLUTIONS FOR FMCG RETAILERS AND MANUFACTURERS

FMCG performance data and analytics solutions to better understand your customers and the market Australia’s largest Shopper Panel – understand shopper behaviour online and in-store Collaborative online reporting platform and solutions to connect retailers and suppliers Industry leading consulting and thought leadership.

Scan here to keep up to date with free industry and insights trend reports. iriworldwide.com/en-au/insights/publications

FOLLOW US

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

INTRODUCTION A MESSAGE FROM IRI 2020 certainly was an unprecedented year, not only for the liquor industry, but for the whole world. We have been confronted with a global pandemic, which took us by surprise and forced us to change our consumption habits. The liquor on-premise sales suffered a lot during the past 12 months, as bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs closed for some time and were then avoided by most consumers.

But the liquor industry demonstrated its ability to pivot and quickly refocus efforts on channels that were open to trade, making liquor retail the most buoyant growth channel across the Australian FMCG landscape. We saw shoppers shifting their spend to the off-premise as drinkers spent more time at home and adopted a ‘just-in-case’ basket loading mindset when making liquor selections.

This is evident from more trips as well as larger baskets and pack sizes registered across the channel.

The lifestyle shifts underpinned by the pandemic have certainly impacted our 100 hottest brands selection for this year. The closure and avoidance of the on-premise has seen shoppers re-creating the ‘bar experience’ at home. This means that many homebound consumers have found (additional) time to construct cocktails within the comfort of their homes, contributing to the surge in sales of glass spirits. This has also positively impacted the sales of classic beer brands like XXXX Gold and Victoria Bitter, as well as bourbon and coke RTDs. There has also been an even more pronounced focus from shoppers on value. Many high performing liquor segments and brands are underpinned by price leadership. This doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘race-to-the-bottom’ because it can include a premium brand offering a superior relative value versus other offerings in the same segment. Some shoppers are now better off financially as they are unable to spend money on travels and other luxuries, so they will indulge more often with expensive sparkling wines and champagne or craft beers for example.

IRI is the leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights for the FMCG industry. For more information, visit www.iriworldwide.com.

PANEL

Guy Bohan

Aaron Howarth

General Manager, Liquor Stax Australia

Category Manager, Independent Liquor Group

Daniel Bone

Delphine Lambert

Insights Director, IRI

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Consultant, IRI

Corey Leeson

General Manager, Independent Liquor Retailers

John Carmody

Managing Director, Hotel & Tourism Management (Liquor Legends), and Chairman, Retail Drinks.

Chris O’Brien General Manager, Liquor Barons

Ashley Pini

Publishing Editor, Drinks Trade & Explore DRINKS

SOURCE: IRI MarketEdge, Australia Liquor Weighted, MAT to 28/02/2021

SUPERIOR VARIETALS. SUPERIOR VALUE.

L IMITED EDITION At Winesmiths, we believe that to make something great, you can’t make sacrifices. In this spirit of uncompromised vision, we’ve teamed up with Mulga to bring you a selection of bespoke Winesmiths Mulga Edition designed 2L casks.

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SAC RI FI C E N OT H I N G drinks trade 37

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Our 1889 range has a

FRESH NEW LOOK Same great taste

BROWN BROTHERS ORIGINS SERIES COMING IN AUGUST Contact your Brown Family Wine Group Area Manager for further details

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15/6/21 9:42 am

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

Spirits are up as business adjusts to Covid-normal Words Angus Byrne, IRI The liquor off-premise industry during Easter 2021 is a far different situation than it was in Easter 2020. By the 12th of April 2020, lockdowns were a common site in all Australian metropolitan areas, this led to families and friends being unable to gather for the Easter long weekend as capacities were placed on households and the onpremise channel was closed. Off-premise liquor sales of alcohol were down in Easter 2020 from Easter 2019 by -0.6 percent.

However, Easter 2021 sees a very different situation where Australians could go out and travel, were able to return to the onpremise and gather in large groups. Hence when assessing the two weeks to Easter 2021 against Easter in lockdown 2020 we see double digit growth of +10.7 percent across the liquor off-premise channel. Liquor saw the strongest dollar growth rate when compared to different FMCG channels with a growth rate of +16.9 percent for the year to 04/04/21.

When comparing the Easter periods in 2020 and 2021, we see that all liquor categories registered actual value growth, with spirits leading the charge, followed by beer/cider and then wine.

Spirits had a strong growth in Easter 2021, increasing dollar sales by +$94.5m compared to year ago. This growth in spirits was driven by RTD’s, which grew by +$56.3m and at a growth rate of +59.1 percent. Four of the five largest value growth contributing brands in sprits are RTD’s.

They include RTD Jack Daniels +$7.3m, RTD Cruisers +$6.9m, RTD Smirnoff +$6.3m, Glass Spirits Smirnoff +$6.2m and RTD Canadian Club +$5.5m. While these five brands are the actual dollar drivers of growth, they are not growing at the fastest rate, with the exception of RTD Smirnoff which grew +133.7 percent.

While Spirits overall is the highest growth driver, beer individually outperforms RTD’s as this category alone saw an actual increase of +$56.8m vs Easter 2020, growing at +21.2 percent. Meanwhile, cider only accounted for 4.0 percent of the value growth that beer did. The top four largest growth contributing brands during Easter this year were also the top growth drivers in Easter 2020. The top five beer brands in terms of volume growth include Great Northern Brewing Co +$9.7m, Carlton +$7.3m, XXXX +$4.2m, VB +$3.9m and Hahn +$3.8m. Within the cider category Mercury and Somersby are the two major brands driving growth over Easter, as together they accounted for 98.4 percent of cider growth during Easter 2021.

Wine was the liquor category that saw the least growth in the off-premise channel.

Overall, wine saw actual dollar increase of +$26.0m vs Easter 2020 (an increase of +14.1 percent), which was driven by sparkling wine (+$17.3m) and table wine (+$11.9m). However, while wine saw strong growth, both cask and fortified wine types drained the wine category, with fortified wine growth down -$0.5m and sales of cask wine dropping by -$2.9m. Mumm is the top performing brand in terms of total wine sales and is the largest growth driver of all wine brands for Easter 2021, growing by +$3.6m.

Also, Chandon sparkling and Moet & Hennessey champagne saw growth of +$1.1m each. Meanwhile, both Penfolds and Squealing Pig grew table wine. Squealing Pig saw triple digit growth of +126.9 percent (+$2.3m), whereas Penfolds grew by +35.8 percent, generating +$1.1m against last Easter.

From a territory perspective, all liquor categories registered growth across all states,

Sources: IRI MarketEdge, Australia Liquor Weighted, 2 Weeks to 04/04/21 (Easter 2021) and 2 Weeks to 12/04/20 (Easter 2020)

with the eastern states all driving similar levels of value growth for off-premise.

NSW had the highest level of total liquor sales than any other state in both Easter 2020 ($214.7m) and Easter 2021 ($258.5m) and is the largest driver of value growth with an increase of +$43.8m vs last Easter (+20.4 percent). This is followed by Victoria which saw value growth of +$43.7m and Queensland which grew by +$41.7m. Across all Australian states the growth driver is spirits, which accounts for 40 percent of total growth across all states and territories.

The off-premise liquor industry saw a very strong growth in Easter 2021 compared to last year, driven by spirits. Strong growth in all categories across all Australian states and territories led to a highly successful key selling period. What will be interesting to see now, is how the Easter 2021 strong performance will compare with next year’s holiday season.

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LIGHT AND REFRESHING TASTE

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

RTD/PRE-MIX Kentucky Bourbon was the winning segment, the largest in terms of value and second in terms of growth actual. Dark RTDs outperformed Light RTDs in terms of volume. The majority of the top growing Light RTDs are seltzers. Virtually all top growing products came in multiples or larger pack formats with 24 packs being a notable standout.

CANADIAN CLUB BEAM SUNTORY The Zero sugar range made up four out of five of the top performing products with the 365ml x 24 pack contributing to 23% of volume growth 2,423 litres growth at 10.6%

OTHER BRANDS JACK DANIELS TENNESSEE BOURBON BROWN FORMAN 4,733 litres growth at 21.2% JIM BEAM WHITE KENTUCKY BOURBON BEAM SUNTORY 3,503 litres growth at 14.7%

VODKA CRUISER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES

All of the brand’s top performing SKUs came in larger pack formats (namely 24 and 30 packs), the most prominent being the Cruiser Mix Pack 275ml x 30, which accounted for 16% of brand performance 12,554 litres growth at 87.2%

With over 300,000 new drinkers coming into the Light RTD category in the last year, Vodka Cruiser has seen enormous growth off the back of consumers seeking fun, flavour and colour.

As the largest light RTD brand in Australia, we’re proud to see not only our core flavours and mixed 10 packs grow, but also our Vodka CruiserFree (zero sugar), Vodka Cruiser Black (high ABV) and NPD in Vodka Cruiser Spritz share in the masterbrand’s momentum Michael Ritoli, General Manager, CUB Premium Beverages

JACK DANIELS DOUBLE JACK TENNESSEE BOURBON BROWN FORMAN 2,598 litres growth at 47.7% BUNDABERG RUM UP DIAGEO 2,291 litres growth at 11.7% WILD TURKEY KENTUCKY BOURBON 101 CAMPARI GROUP 2,181 litres growth at 38.8% GORDON’S GIN DIAGEO 2,139 litres growth at 81.7% SMIRNOFF VODKA SELTZER DIAGEO 1,658 litres growth at N/A%

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

CONTEMPORARY/CLASSIC AND PREMIUM BEER The Great Northern Brewing Co master-brand is the driver of the category accounting for 39% of all Contemporary, Classic and Premium Beer volume growth. Contemporary Beer is the highest growing segment in the category and accounts for 62% of all volume growth. Seven out of the top eight brands in terms of volume growth are also in the top ten largest brands (highest volume sales).

HEINEKEN 0.0 LION BEER

Heineken 0.0 is the strongest No Alcohol beer on the market, with its Stubbies (330mlx6) x4, Stubbies (330ml) and Stubbies 330mlx6 all within the top three items in terms of highest volume growth over the last three years.

2,406 litres growth at 248.1%

COOPERS XPA COOPERS BREWERY Coopers XPA Can (375mlx6) x4 had a volume growth rate of +66.8% vs YA and accounted for 90% of brand growth.

GREAT NORTHERN BREWING CO SUPER CRISP LAGER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 23,189 litres growth at 20.7%

1,604 litres growth at 68.2%

OTHER BRANDS GREAT NORTHERN BREWING CO ORIGINAL LAGER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 15,268 litres growth at 28.5% VICTORIA BITTER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 11,760 litres growth at 16.5% CARLTON DRY CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 11,531 litres growth at 16.4%

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PURE BLONDE ULTRA CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 6,577 litres growth at 36.4% COOPERS PALE ALE COOPERS BREWERY 5,294 litres growth at 12.9% ASAHI SUPER DRY CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 3,533 litres growth at 23.9%

CRAFT BEER

Case pack format is generating most of the brands’ volume growth.

Ginger beers show growth and account for three out of the top 20 growing brands. Eight out of the top ten largest volume craft beer brands are also in the top 15 growing brands.

BYRON BAY PREMIUM LAGER LION BEER

96% of growth produced by Premium Lager Stubbies (355mlx6)4. Byron Bay Premium Lager Stubbies (355mlx6)x4 is the highest growing craft beer product.

3,471 litres growth at 111.7%

JAMES SQUIRE BROKEN SHACKLES LAGER LION BEER

YOUNG HENRYS NEWTOWNER ALE YOUNG HENRY’S BREWERY

86% of James Squire Broken Shackles Larger volume growth is driven by it Stubbies (345mlx6) x4 pack (#1 growing craft beer product).

Young Henrys Newtowner Ale’s growth was caused by its can (375mlx6) x4 which drove 84% of volume growth.

2,286 litres growth at N/A%

1,131 litres growth at 104.7%

OTHER BRANDS MOUNTAIN GOAT GOAT CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 2,774 litres growth at 62.9%

GAGE ROADS SINGLE FIN SUMMER ALE GAGE ROADS BREWING 1,385 litres growth at 55.6%

STONE & WOOD PACIFIC ALE STONE & WOOD 1,907 litres growth at 32.7%

JAMES SQUIRE 150 LASHES PALE ALE LION BEER 1,246 litres growth at 7.8%

BROOKVALE UNION GINGER BEER BROOKVALE UNION 1,871 litres growth at 99.7%

BALTER BREWING XPA CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 1,144 litres growth at 71%

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

PINK WINE Pink Cask drained volume growth of the category, while Pink Bottle Rosé is the key driver of the category, driving 97% of pink wine growth. The top five items by volume growth drive 30% of all pink wine growth. Five of the top 15 growing brands are also in the top ten largest brands.

ACCOLADE HARDY’S VR ROSÉ ACCOLADE WINES All Pink Bottled Hardys VR brand’s growth was driven by its Rosé 1L bottle.

97 litres growth at 158.1% Hardy’s VR stands for uncomplicated wines displaying true varietal character, perfect for everyday enjoyment.

This is a Dry Rosé from the Varietal Range, displaying strawberry and raspberry aromas. A light bodied wine with sweet berry flavours followed by a soft palate with a clean, crisp and lingering finish - Felipe Nogueira, Hardy’s Brand Manager

OTHER BRANDS BROWN BROTHERS MOSCATO ROSA BROWN FAMILY WINEMAKERS 186 litres growth at 23.5%

ANGOVE’S ORGANIC ROSÉ ANGOVE FAMILY WINEMAKERS Organic Rosé drove 96% of volume growth for the Angove’s Organic brand.

57 litres growth at 101.5%

At Angove Family Winemakers, our dedication to responsible Certified Organic farming, coupled with excellence in winemaking, has set the benchmark for best-practice across the organic wine industry in Australia and internationally. We believe there is no way other than Certified Organic viticulture to produce the best tasting wines. It is only natural that when the vine is healthier, the fruit it produces will be healthier, and the wine more delicious as well - Richard Angove, Joint Managing Director 44 drinks trade

DE BORTOLI SACRED HILL ROSÉ DE BORTOLI WINES 150 litres growth at 171.9% SQUEALING PIG MARLBOROUGH ROSÉ TREASURY WINE ESTATES 141 litres growth at 24.2% ZILZIE BULLOAK ROSÉ ZILZIE WINES 130 litres growth at 36.8% MCGUIGAN ZERO ROSÉ AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE LIMITED 110 litres growth at 597.4% DE BORTOLI ROSÉ DE BORTOLI WINES 97 litres growth at 73.5% KYLIE MINOGUE DE BORTOLI WINES 76 litres growth at N/A%

AUSTRALIA’S

No.1

CERTIFIED

ORGANIC WINE *

angove.com.au drinks trade 45

*IRI Organic Wine Report January 2021

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

RED WINE Cask Red sees growth. However, Red Bottled is still the consumer-preferred pack format. Red Bottle Shiraz is the top varietal driving volume growth accounting for 39% of all growth. Single products are driving more volume growth than their larger pack formats (multiples).

LITTLE GIANT FOURTH WAVE WINE

Little Giant Shiraz 750ml drove 61% of brand growth and saw an increase of 282.6% vs YA. 281 litres growth to 306.3%

We certainly see Little Giant’s success as the result of a combinations of factors. It stands out on shelf, is easily recognisable and creates a small amount of theatre in what can be a very crowded category for shoppers. In addition, Little Giant is quintessentially Australian and consumers really enjoy the generous and instantly rewarding wine styles with each variety offering terrific value and drinkability.

We are very grateful for the retailer support Little Giant receives. Many of whom have repeatedly been asked about ‘’the wombat wine” with customers coming back again and again. You could not ask for more than that - Ross Marshall, Managing Director

OTHER BRANDS YELLOWTAIL CASELLA FAMILY BRANDS Yellow Tail Shiraz 750ml makes up 56% of all the brands volume growth and is the #4 highest growing red bottle item.

722 litres growth at 24.1%

DE BORTOLI PREMIUM (CASK) DE BORTOLI WINES 1,308 litres growth at 21.8%

WYNNS COONAWARRA TREASURY WINE ESTATES 547 litres growth at 52.1%

19 CRIMES TREASURY WINE ESTATES 1,159 litres growth at 58.8%

MCGUIGAN BLACK LABEL AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE LIMITED 466 litres growth at 11.7%

PEPPERJACK TREASURY WINES ESTATES 910 litres growth at 30.7%

TAYLORS ESTATE TAYLORS WINES 296 litres growth at 17.6%

SISTERS RUN NEGOCIANTS 672 litres growth at 85.4%

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. . . e s u Beca

s e o r e z g n i add ur ot yo les! a s e win

0.0

ZERO ALCOHOL

For more than two decades, McGuigan Wines has been perfecting our technique for crafting full flavour wines that are free from alcohol. No other Australian winemaker makes alcohol-free wine the way we do and, with wine lovers increasingly choosing to take a short break from alcohol, McGuigan has grown to become the number one selling alcohol-free wine in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.* To be part of this growth story, contact your Australian Vintage sales representative, email: concierge@mcguiganwines.com.au or call us on 1800 531 963 and together let’s go from zero to heroes.

FREE FROM ALCOHOL FULL IN FLAVOUR

JUST BECAUSE. *Source: Nielsen (UK), L12wks 27.03.2021; IRI-Aztec (AU), L52wks 25.04.2021

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

WHITE WINE Sauvignon Blanc was the top performing varietal in White Wine in terms of Litres (000s) growth compared to YA and 750ml bottled wine was a clear winner accounting for 74% of volume growth for the top 20 growing brands (actuals). Single pack formats, particularly in larger sizes (750ml +) continue to drive brands’ performance.

SQUEALING PIG TREASURY WINE ESTATES

The Marlborough Sauvignon product drove 67% of volume growth 219 litres growth at 12.6%

Squealing Pig has been on a wild journey since launching in 2010 with its first wine - Sauvignon Blanc.

Today the quirky label’s Sauvignon Blanc is one of Australia’s favourites. Sourced from Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, this little pig is packed with juicy pineapple, lemon and herbaceous aromas on the nose.

On the palate, tangy citrus notes lead to a long, textural, white peach finish. Best enjoyed when young and fresh.

OTHER BRANDS

YALUMBA WINESMITHS (CASK) SAMUEL SMITH AND SON 32% of volume growth came from the Sauvignon Blanc 2L product

DE BORTOLI PREMIUM (CASK) DE BORTOLI WINES 837 litres growth at 12.7%

OYSTER BAY OYSTER BAY WINES 259 litres growth at 7.2

WOLF BLASS RED LABEL TREASURY WINE ESTATES 617 litres growth at 26.7%

JACOB’S CREEK 1847 PERNOD RICARD AUSTRALIA 209 litres growth at 271.5%

19 CRIMES TREASURY WINE ESTATES 421 litres growth at 162.7%

MCGUIGAN ZERO AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE LIMITED 207 litres growth at 850%

LINDEMANS EARLY HARVEST TREASURY WINE ESTATES 286 litres growth at 29.3%

358 litres growth at 8.5%

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

SPARKLING WINE Prosecco and White Champagne varietals were key volume drivers in Sparkling Wine. Gift boxes and bundles frequently featured as a top performer for majority of the top 20 growing brands.

JANSZ SAMUEL SMITH & SON

Jansz Cuvee 750ml drove 81% of the brand’s growth 216 litres growth at 34.7%

Tasmanian sparkling is in steady growth as consumers actively trade up into premium price points. Jansz Tasmania is the #1 Tasmanian sparkling brand, accounting for more than half of the growth in Tasmanian sparkling in the past year. Its strong retail and on-trade performance is a result of continued investment in seasonal campaigns and activations, and exceptional customer satisfaction driven by Jansz Tasmania’s commitment to over-deliver on quality and presentation - Christine Phillips, Marketing Manager for Jansz Tasmania

GRANT BURGE SPARKLING ACCOLADE WINES 35% of brand volume performance comes from the Pinot Rosé 750ml 260 litres growth at 22.7%

MCGUIGAN ZERO AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE LIMITED 96% of brand volume growth came from Mcguigan Zero Sparkling 750ml 118 litres growth at 713.9% Since its launch in October 2019, McGuigan Zero has quickly become a welcome addition to Australian wine lovers’ repertoire. Key to its success has been a commitment to first make the wine using premium grapes before gently removing the alcohol, offering consumers the freedom to take a break from alcohol and choose healthier alternatives when winding down at the end of the day, without compromising on flavour. The momentum behind zero-alcohol is huge and we’re thrilled to have become Australia’s wine lovers answer to the zero-alcohol question. The next year is set to be Zero’s biggest yet, with a strong media and activation plan in place - Roger Maconachie, Senior Brand Manager – McGuigan Wines

OTHER BRANDS MOËT & CHANDON IMPERIAL MOËT HENNESSY AUSTRALIA 407 litres growth at 52.7%

DE BORTOLI DE BORTOLI WINES 397 litres growth at 72%

BRILLA NV PROSECCO COLES LIQUOR 217 litres growth at 299.2%

VEUVE CLICQUOT YELLOW LABEL MOET HENNESSY AUSTRALIA 399 litres growth at 66.9%

CHANDON MOET HENNESSY AUSTRALIA 390 litres growth at 26.6%

MUMM CORDON ROUGE NV PERNOD RICARD AUSTRALIA 173 litres growth at 17.8%

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COMING THIS SPRING...

• TEQUILA & MEZCAL • GAMAY AND PINOT • CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING • AUSTRALIAN WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS • AUSTRALIAN TOP 25 BARTENDER AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Features, tastings and market reports…

this little pig xxxxxxx is perfectly xxxxxxx balanced damn tasty

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S I NG L E M A LT SCOTCH WHISKY

ELEGANT

BY NATU R E

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GLEN GRANT OR TO ORDER, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CAMPARI REPRESENTATIVE

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OR CALL: 02 9478 2727.

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

DARK SPIRITS The Blended Scotch segment drove the most growth in Dark Glass Spirits. 1L Bottles were the top performing SKU (in terms of volume growth actual) for over half of the top 20 growing brands. The majority of the top five performing SKUs per brand featured a gift or bundle set.

JACK DANIEL’S BROWN FORMAN

Nearly 60% of volume came from the Bourbon 1L product 649 litres growth at 24.2%

It’s really been a monumental year for Jack Daniel’s. We’ve launched our global ‘Make It Count’ campaign, introduced the brand to the next generation of consumers. The new creative is about living boldly with purpose and making those moments in our life count - Dimitra Tassopolos, Senior Brand Manager, Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands

OTHER BRANDS

BEAM WHITE BEAM SUNTORY Jim Beam White Bourbon 1L drove 78% of brand 661 litres growth at 18.0%

JOHNNIE WALKER RED LABEL DIAGEO 736 litres growth at 21.4%

THE KRAKEN RUM PROXIMO SPIRITS 207 litres growth at 61.8%

BUNDABERG UP DIAGEO 627 litres growth at 18.4%

GRANTS BLENDED SCOTCH WILLIAM GRANT AND SONS 185 litres growth at17.4%

JAMESON IRISH WHISKEY DIAGEO 356 litres growth at 26%

FIREBALL CANADIAN WHISKY SOUTHTRADE 171 litres growth at 44.7%

WILD TURKEY BOURBON 86.8 CAMPARI GROUP 355 litres growth at 33.5%

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

LIGHT SPIRITS & OTHERS

Vodka and Liqueurs are the largest segments in this category; while Gin and Liqueurs drove the most growth. Several classic brands were featured as both top growing and largest brands. Flavoured light spirits are emerging with mixed flavour offerings driving most growth.

Majority of the top growing products came in a single 1L 11 out of the top 20 brands, the 1L pack format was the best performing SKU. bottle. for

WHITLEY NEILL GIN HALEWOOD WINES & SPIRITS

48% of volume growth came from the Rhuburb & Ginger 700ml product 133 litres growth at 587.2%

OTHER BRANDS SMIRNOFF VODKA RED DIAGEO 1,046 litres growth at 24.3%

KAHLUA LIQUEUR PERNOD RICARD AUSTRALIA 337 litres growth at 46.3%

GORDON’S GIN DIAGEO 976 litres growth at 53.1%

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN BACARDI MARTINI AUSTRALIA 150 litres growth at 16.8%

The Sierra Silver 700ml was the core volume driver, making up 99% of total brand performance

BAILEYS LIQUEUR DIAGEO 663 litres growth at 53.1%

VOK LIQUEUR VOK BEVERAGES 115 litres growth at 53.6%

115 litres growth at 77.4%

ABSOLUT VODKA PERNOD RICARD AUSTRALIA 399 litres growth at 26.3%

SIERRA SILVER TEQUILA SPIRITS PLATFORM

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CIDER Cider shoppers are purchasing less bottles and more cans and purchasing larger pack sizes, commonly in cases of 24 (or 6x4). However, the top performing bottle products are growing. Six out of the seven of the largest brands (by total volume) are in the top 20 growing brands.

WILLIE SMITH’S CIDER WILLIE SMITH’S

43% of Willie Smith’s Cider growth was caused by its Organic Apple Can 355mlx16 which grew 206.3% vs YA. 73 litres growth at 178%

OTHER BRANDS MERCURY HARD CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 1,448 litres growth at 27.6% LITTLE FAT LAMB DRINKS CRAFT 584 litres growth at 27% STRONGBOW LOW CARB CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 584 litres growth at 67% SOMERSBY CIDER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 478 litres growth at 2.3%

MR FINCH CIDER JAMES BUSBY FINE WINES AND SPIRITS 286 litres growth at 24.3% COLONIAL CIDER COLONIAL BREWING CO. 207 litres growth at 132% MERCURY DRY CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES 155 litres growth at 15.4%

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Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

HOT TIPS FOR 2022 The top eleven brands that are going to define 2022 in the expert opinion of the Drinks Trade Hottest 100 Brands Industry Panel.

SOMERSBY HARD SELTZER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES

MINUS 196 BEAM SUNTORY Shochu is huge overseas and we expect to see Minus 196 ride the wave here in Australia, plus it is available in the popular and convenient can format.

Seltzers continue to perform well and CUB’s Somersby brand is proving a consumer favourite. We see the combination set to gain ground in the next 12 months.

OTHER BRANDS MORRIS WHISKY VANGUARD The strength of Casella Family Brands behind this iconic brand, the distribution clout of Vanguard and the trend toward Australian-made whiskies will see this brand grow from strength to strength.

REKORDERLIG COCA-COLA AMATIL This brand continues to break new ground with its new Botanicals series that saw strong volume (000s) growth in the market with increasing +65L, 92% was Peach-Basil can 250mlx4 pack. Low sugar also grew in volume growth and its Wild Berries bottle 330mlx4 Cider, saw a volume growth of +173.8% vs YA. All landing the brand in good stead for the next 12 months.

DEADMAN’S FINGERS CORNISH SPICED RUM HALEWOOD ARTISANAL SPIRITS An well-reviewed spiced rum from Cornwall that is tapping into the trend for spiced rum at an excellent price point of under $50. This Spiced Rum 700ml product accounted for 87% of brand performance and grew 1150.2% litres (000s) growth YA with no signs of it slowing down.

FOUR PILLARS FOUR PILLARS DISTILLERY/ VANGUARD Just taken over as Australia’s highest selling premium gin and overtaken Hendrick’s in sales and is now Australia’s premium gin.

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PIZZINI SPARKLING PIZZINI WINES The release of the Prosecco Can 250mlx4 generated 85% of volume growth and we see this as a convenient and popular format for Prosecco in 2022.

ROKU GIN BEAM SUNTORY 100% of volume growth came from the Gin 700ml SKU and we can expect to see big things from this gin in 2022.

TURKEY FLAT ROSÉ TURKEY FLAT VINEYARDS 100% of Turkey Flat brands growth is caused by its Rosé 750ml. Combined with the consistent growth of pink wine as a category, this product shows positive growth signs for 2022.

BROOKVALE UNION SELTZER BROOKVALE UNION Brookvale Union Seltzer Lime & Orange Bitters Can (330mlx6) X4 drove 22% of brand volume at 458.2% litres (000s) growth YA. With the popularity of light seltzer growing and the convenient can format combined with the quirky branding, we predict this brand to fly in 2022.

TA_KU SAUVIGNON BLANC TA_KU WINES A unanimous vote from the Panel, this fresh and zesty SB from Marlborough is showing real promise for being a big selling brand in 2022 for its quality and value.

SOURCE: IRI Market Edge MAT 28/02/2021 Australia Liquor Weighted

W E N

PAN A J N I X I O1 PREM N TORY’S N U S FROM

*

*STRONG ZERO NO.1 PREMIX BRAND

IN JAPAN, 2019 SALES VOLUME, IWSR drinks trade 57

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2021

TOP 100 HOTTEST BRANDS LISTED RTD/PRE-MIX • • • • • • • • •

Vodka Cruiser Jack Daniels Jim Beam White Jack Daniels Double Jack Canadian Club Bundaberg Up Wild Turkey 101 Gordons Gin Smirnoff Seltzer

CLASSIC/CONTEMPORARY/ PREMIUM BEER • Great Northern Brewing Co Super Crisp Lager • Great Northern Brewing Co Original Lager • Victoria Bitter • Carlton Dry • Pure Blonde Ultra • Coopers Pale Ale • Asahi Super Dry • Heineken 0.0 • Coopers XPA

CRAFT BEER • • • • • • • • •

Bryon Bay Premium Lager Mountain Goat Goat James Squire Broken Shackles Lager Stone&Wood Pacific Ale Brookvale Union Ginger Beer Gage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale Balter Brewing XPA Young Henry’s Newtowner Ale

PINK WINE • • • • •

Brown Brothers De Bortoli Sacred Hill Squealing Pig Zilzie Bulloak McGuigan Zero

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• • • •

Hardys VR De Bortoli Kylie Minogue Angove’s Organic

RED WINE • • • • • • • • •

De Bortoli Premium Cask 19 Crimes Pepperjack Yellow Tail Sisters Run Wynns Coonawarra McGuigan Black Label Taylors Estate Little Giant

WHITE WINE • • • • • • • • •

De Bortoli Premium Cask Wolf Blass Red Label 19 Crimes Yalumba Winesmiths Cask Lindeman’s Early Harvest Oyster Bay Villa Maria Private Bin Squealing Pig McGuigan Zero

SPARKLING WINE • • • • • • • • •

Moët & Chandon Imperial Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label De Bortoli Chandon Grant Burge Sparkling Brilla NV Prosecco Jansz Mumm Cordon Rouge NV McGuigan Zero

DARK SPIRITS

• Johnnie Walker Red Label • Jim Beam White • Jack Daniels

• • • • • •

Bundaberg Up Jameson Irish Whiskey Wild Turkey 86.8 The Kraken Rum Grants Blended Scotch Fireball Canadian Whisky

LIGHT SPIRITS & OTHER • • • • • • • • •

Smirnoff Red Gordons Gin Baileys Absolut Kahlua Bombay Sapphire Whitley Neill Gin Vok Liqueur Sierra Silver Tequila

CIDER • • • • • • • •

Mercury Hard Little Fat Lamb Strongbow Low Carb Somersby Mr Finch Mercury Dry Willie Smith’s Colonial Cider

HOT TIPS • • • • • • • • • • •

Minus 196 Somersby Hard Seltzer Morris Whisky Four Pillars Rekorderlig Pizzini Sparkling Roku Gin Deadman’s Fingers Cornish Spiced Rum Turkey Flat Rosé Brookvale Union Seltzer Ta_Ku Sauvignon Blanc

Awards

8th Annual Melbourne International Beverage Competition — WHERE THE TRADE DECIDES THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL BEVERAGE COMPETITION SERIES ON THE WEEKEND OF 4TH JULY 2021 IS NOW VIRTUAL. As in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are rerunning a Virtual Judging Panel in 2021.

This panel is still made up entirely of genuine trade buyers, who will be judging the wine in the safety of their homes. We are undertaking extra precautions to ensure the warehouse staff, our delivery team, and our judges are kept safe and well. The samples will be carefully managed under strict security protocols and delivered to the

judges at their homes across Melbourne. All submissions will be assigned an individual numeric marker to ensure the integrity of the data and the scores.

We look forward to receiving submissions and appreciate your patience as we prepare to take the necessary steps to ensure a fair and safe judging process.

The judging will be undertaken by genuine trade buyers, assessing each wine, beer and spirit by its category and price.

Liquor buyers, importers, distributors, retailers, sommeliers and purchasing managers make up the panel. These judges purchase alcoholic beverages for a living.

Three separate competitions combine to form the Melbourne International Beverage Competition - Melbourne International Wine Competition, Melbourne International Beer Competition, and Melbourne International Spirits Competition.

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Awards

These competitions yield entries in more than 50 categories from over ten countries. In 2020, we received more han 1,000 entries across the three competitions.

This is a wonderful opportunity for a beverage manufacturer or supplier to

showcase products to the buying community in an authentic blind tasting. Ideal for newto-market, and established offerings, your product will be tasted and assessed by these trade buyers.

Results will be showcased to Liquor Trade and Consumers. Winners will be

promoted at our trade and consumer tasting events at no additional charge.

This competition is part of the International Beverage Competitions, taking place annually across four continents, with events in New York, Berlin, Asia/Hong Kong, and Melbourne.

To enter, or to find out more, head to www.melbourneinternationalbeveragecompetition.com

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Tasting Bench

CABERNET SAUVIGNON TASTED 6TH MAY AT BIBO WINE BAR, DOUBLE BAY SYDNEY

IN THIS EDITION WE TAKE A LOOK AT CABERNET SAUVIGNON, A GRAPE VARIETY LONG APPRECIATED FOR ITS AGE WORTHY, SEDUCTIVE STYLES MADE FAMOUS BY THE BORDEAUX CHATEAUX FROM WHERE IT ORIGINATES. CAB SAV IS THE MOST PLANTED GRAPE VARIETY IN THE WORLD WITH 840,000 ACRES COVERING 5% OF ALL VINEYARD AREA ON THE PLANET. WITH WINEMAKERS THE WORLD OVERLOOKING TO RECREATE, OR PAY HOMAGE TO THE CLASSIC BORDEAUX WINES, YOU THE US WITH THEIR BLOCK BUSTER PARKER FRIENDLY MONSTER WINES OF THE 1990’S, ALL EXTRACTION, NEW OAK AND ALCOHOL, TO AFFORDABLE SUPERMARKET DROPS FROM CHILE, THE COUNTRY WITH THE MOST VINEYARD AREA DEDICATED TO THE VARIETY, 20%.

HOWEVER, THIS OFTEN HAILED VARIETY HAS FALLEN OUT OF FAVOUR IN RECENT YEARS, WITH A MOVE TO MORE IMMEDIATE DRINKING STYLES AND VARIETIES HAS CAB SAV BEEN LEFT ON THE SHELF? WE TOOK A LOOK AT 130 SAMPLES FROM AROUND AUSTRALIA TO SEE HOW OUR CABS WERE FAIRING, ARE THEY SHOWING THEIR REGIONAL ORIGINS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY DO THESE WINES STILL RESONATE WITH THE CONSUMER?

PANEL TRAVIS FULLER Kilikanoon Wines GM

CHARLIE SIMPSON Virtuous Vines

LOUELLA MATHEWS Head Sommelier Bibo Wine Bar

JACK GLOVER Marketing Director ANZ Accolade Wines

MICHAEL MCINTOSH Fine Wine Brand Ambassador Accolade Wines

DAVID MESSUM Winemaker/Marketer Born & Raised

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WRAP UP

A huge array of wines on show, many showing the growing conditions of their origin. The standout wines, and many supporting silvers were all excellent. The top wines showed really world class poise and winemaking and unsurprisingly command a premium price but there was value to be found in at the other end of the price spectrum, you just needed to look a little harder. The trend to the generic dry red was disappointing, getting the balance on picking and natural acidity right would transform many of these wines without the need to pick with greenness still in the flavour profile. However, the mood was upbeat, the Australian Cabernet game is still strong.

TOP SCORING WINES Wine # 2 11 16 7 12 8

Score 97 96 95 95 95 95

OF NOTE: 14 2 8B

90 90 92

Wine Yarra Yering Dry Red 1 2019 (Blend) $120 - WINNER Vasse Felix Estate Label 2018 RR $50 Highbank Family Reserve 2014 $130 Rob Dolan ‘Signature Series’ 2017 Yarra $80 Snake & Herring The Distance 2019 RRP $90 Yarra Yering Agincourt 2019 $105

Patrick Methode Cab Nouveau $32 Vasse Felix Filius 2019 RRP $28 Chateau Tanunda Grand Barossa 2019 $25

MARGARET RIVER

The Margaret River and Coonawarra regions were, as expected, well represented as true Cab Sav producers. The general consensus was this was a more consistent bracket, showing great varietal character across the board, with good winemaking letting the natural character and acid balance show through.

VASSE FELIX ESTATE LABEL 2018 RRP $50 | 96 points Super balanced delivery, black fruits, touch of cigar, layered and harmonious. The complete package - driven line, long and textural tannins. Nicely done - JG Beautiful bouquet of floral perfume, musk, spice and dark brooding fruit.

Classic fruit profile with a savory graphite pencil lead character. Framed by oak and firm ripe tannins. Drinking great now but will also age gracefully. This would be a wine that I would struggle to cellar!

- MM SNAKE & HERRING THE DISTANCE 2019 RRP $90 | 95 points Cool fragrant current, tomato leaf and red tea. Delicate and pure with heightened red profiles. - JG

Intense. Dense. Structured. The wine is tight. Plum and cassis overlayed with graphite and oak. A little underwhelming now, but this wine is holding onto secrets that will only come with careful cellaring.

- MM HOWARD PARK ABERCROMBIE 2017 RRP $120 | 92 points Tightly stung with truss, blackcurrant patch and savoury layered oak. Ripe and plush fruit profile on the palate with a generous round finish. Gravelly tannins to finish.Plush upfront fruit. Big chocolatey and savory tobacco, alongside graphite and green leafy notes. All structure and frame. The wine just needs time. When it hits its stride, it will be first class…. 5 years+ - MM

HOWARD PARK LESTON 2017 RRP $40 | 90 points Truss, hints of red florals and classic blackcurrant depth. Structurally bold with texture and weight throughout the palate. Width of flavour on the finish.

- JG Very spicy palate. A little dominated by oak.

- MM

MR BLENDS

HAREWOOD ESTATE BLEND 2018 GREAT SOUTHERN RRP $20 | 95 points Black fruits and earthy tones. Moody. Great textural balance with palate depth and a focused line of bright acidity. Layered complexity to finish. - JG

OF NOTE:

VASSE FELIX FILIUS 2019 RRP $28 | 90 points Cool blackcurrant and olive lift, wafts of fresh oak, lithe acidity and fresh varietal drive. Length is moderate and tannins well balanced. - JG

Dark and brooding with warm spices, dried leaves and earthy mushrooms. Great length and persistence, the wine evolves effortlessly on the palate. A bolder more masculine style, but well balanced. Drinking beautifully now, but will benefit from a couple of years in the cellar.

A more forward drinking style, still plenty of varietal character, great length. A crowd pleaser with class. - DM

Bold and unashamedly so. A statement of the ability of great fruit coupled with purposeful winemaking influence. - MM

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RIVERBANK ‘ON THE RUN’ 2019 $20 | 93 points Fragrant and pure. Lovely red and floral lift. Fleshy with elegant red fruit structure.

Stylish line. - JG A touch sweet and sour notes on the palate.

Gentle and smooth on the palate, with super fine tannins. Good use of oak, will just keep getting better with age. Absolute standout.

Very complex without being overstated.

Each varietal plays its part and has it’s moment in the spotlight, whilst restrained winemaking gives the platform for to support. - MM SNAKE & HERRING CANNONBALL 2018 RRP $45 | 92 points Savoury brooding reds - cool edgy fruit.

Lacking little depth and feels clipped, needs some air - JG Softer reserved style. More red fruit spectrum. Macerated strawberries indicating a strong influence of merlot. Fine chocolatey tannic finish. - MM

CLARE

The Clare wines tended to be elegant, blue fruits but just lacked a little varietal punch.

No golds awarded but plenty of bronze and a handful of silvers PIKES DOGWALK 2018 RRP $25 | 92 points Airy blackcurrant and blue fruits. Lovely fresh scents. Tight and linear. Tannins and fresh and textural. A wine with poise. - JG REVERENCE ‘KOONOWLA’ 2019 RRP $32 | 92 points Lovely lifted red and black currents. Scented

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and elegant. Hints of cola and oak notes.

Dense and structured palate. Bold drive.

- JG GEORGES CLARE 2018 RRP $25 | 91 points Good blackcurrant focus and integrated oak nuance. Flesh and juicy firm tannins.

Moderate length. - JG Showcasing the quintessential Clare Shiraz .Medium bodied with restrained intensity.

- MM

COONAWARRA

An interesting bracket of wines from Coonawarra and its famed Terra Rossa soils. On the one hand you had standouts such as the Highbank family reserve, excellent winemaking, restrained and letting the quality fruit shine. Plus it has some age which really makes the difference in bringing out the classic Cab cassis and cedar varietal characters. On the other hand we were left disappointed with many wines falling into the generic red category, added acid showing up in a number of wines. A wine of note is the Parker Methode Cab Nouveau, yes its totally on trend with naturally leaning winemaking, flint bottle and wax cap, you could argue the carbonic winemaking could come from anywhere, but the play on its obvious eucalypt notes and sheer drinkability make it a standout.

Great to see some innovation from such a traditional region.

HIGHBANK FAMILY RESERVE 2014 RRP $130 | 95 points Black currant, anise through cherry and mulberry flavours. Rich and soft with plenty of tannin structure. A classic style.

- CS

Textbook Cab Sav, fruit starting to settle, good lick of oak, fully integrated and long.

Classy, elegant. Traditional but in all the good way. - DM PATRICK HOME BLOCK 2015 RRP $90 | 92 points Dark choc, blackberry, mid palate richness with a soft and seductive finish. - TF PATRICK METHODE CAB NOUVEAU RRP $32 | 90 points Mint, eucalypt, soft pliable tannins.

A simple, straight forward wine with glugability! - TF Juicy little number, still cabby enough, Carbonic spring in its step. Drinkability high. - DM

MCLAREN VALE

The consensus from the panel on McLaren Vale was unanimous, sadly disappointing.

Most wines lacked varietal character and were just big, ripe dry reds. Even with some well known producers in the mix nothing showed well on the day.

HICKINBOTHAM TRUEMAN 2018 RRP $75 | 88 points Big soft and oaky. More like a dry red than showing varietal character but better than the rest. - TF

VICTORIA

Some standout wines here. The panel were impressed with the freshness and natural acidity at play in the wines.

Judicious use of oak used to frame not overwhelm the fruit just added to seductive nature of these wines.

YARRA YERING DRY RED 1 2019 (BLEND) WINNER | RRP $120 | 97 points Cab Characterful, but light, fresh and long.

Juicy Blackcurrant, balanced acidity with no real CS hole. Complete. Excellent. - DM Bright, tight and long. Gorgeous structure.

Delicate yet powerful throughout. - TF ROB DOLAN ‘SIGNATURE SERIES’ 2017 YARRA RRP $80 | 95 points Blackcurrant, juicy but with hole filled.

Long. Nice acidity. Want to drink. Like if a little generic - DM Brooding black fruits and old-world complex aroma. Bright fruit with lovely acid balance and super fine tannins. Long finish with very good intensity. Very well balanced. - SMW YARRA YERING AGINCOURT 2019 RRP $105 | 95 points Candied musk lolly, red fruits. Crunchy acidity to a powerful, long finish. - TF

good wines to be found across the bracket with consistent bronze scores and the silvers below.

CHATEAU TANUNDA GRAND BAROSSA 2019 RRP $25 | 92 points Warm, but lightness of touch, cassis fruit forward. Fine grippy tannins, good length, integrated acidity. Like it. - DM CURATOR WINE CO. 2018 RRP $35 | 91 points Big boy!! Little Hot, but balanced with lipsmacking, jammy fruit and nice savory note.

Its good. If BIG - DM

OTHER

ROBERT MONDAVI BOURBON BARREL AGED 2018 RRP $25 | 90 points Old world leather and dried berries, big

flavour of fresh blackberry and cassis, very long finish - SMW Very sweet fruited. Rich, well balanced.

Looks good if overly fruity/cloying - DM HUMBLE VINE 2018 VICTORIA RRP $15 | 89 points Well made, complete, good length. Some older material. Good - DM Complex aromas, bright black fruits, big flavour intensity and soft acid - SMW

LANGHORN AND OTHER SA

TAYLORS PROMISED LAND 2019 RRP $18 | 90 points OK, Varietal, cheapy? little sweet - DM Big black fruits, long complex, fine tannin on finish - SMW

Perfumed lift, complex dark berry with bramble and mocha spice. dense fruit with bright acidity, smooth ripe tannins - SMW Balanced, clean, elegant and great length, super well-made but lacks verve. Just want a bit more - DM

BAROSSA

One thing that could be said of the Barossan’s on show were they are a product of their growing conditions. Warmth and richness abound, and whilst it was easy to dismiss some of these wines as simply too big and perhaps flabby compared to the elegance the variety is known for, there were

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Spirits

Should you shochu?

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE BURGEONING NEW CATEGORY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET, THE JAPANESE SPIRIT SHOCHU, AND SPEAK TO BEAM SUNTORY’S DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION ABOUT ITS POTENTIAL. Words Ashley Pini

It’s no secret traditional Asian drinks are on the rise, but where is this growth coming from? And what is the opportunity for you and your customers? Is the growth in these spirits linked to a changing demographic or the wider community embracing new-found taste profiles and ways to enjoy traditional Asian drinks? To understand this, we first need to analyse what the drinks are and the difference.

Here, we focus on shochu, Japan’s secondlargest alcohol category.

Shochu represents over one-quarter of alcohol consumed in Japan, having grown steadily over the last decade to now be the second only to beer. Shochu is an alcoholic drink unlike saké, wine or beer, and traditionally has 25 percent or less alcohol content. The name itself explains the category: SHO (burning) + CHU (spirits) and as such is a term that encapsulates all distilled spirits in Japan made in this traditional way – excluding Western spirits such as whisky, brandy, vodka, rum and gin.

Unlike saké which is brewed, shochu is distilled. It is not vodka because Japanese vodka differs in alcohol levels (37%abv plus, versus shochu at 25% and less) and uses substances such as activated charcoal in the filtering process.

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Shochu is different because it uses Kojikin (aspergillius oryzae), a mould to break down the starches into fermentable sugars before it is distilled into alcohol. The process results in shochu’s unique flavour profile.

There are three kinds of mould used to make shochu, kuro - black, ki - yellow and shiro -white and all contribute to different flavours and palate profiles in the final spirit.

Beam Suntory has released KOYOMI™ Shochu in Australia, so we asked the Director of Innovation, Kay Oh, to sum up the category and brand plus the upcoming launch of the Minus 196 (-196) RTD. Kay Oh, Director of Innovation, Beam Suntory “We have seen the rise of Asian spirits globally, and no surprise that shochu cocktail menus are popping up in trendsetting bars in New York and London.

We’re very excited to bring KOYOMI™ Shochu FBS to Australia, and so far, it has been very well received by on-premise venues.

“Australian consumers are truly multicultural; you just have to see all the different foods we love eating, a variety of choices with authenticity. Our passion is to bring a unique and authentic Japanese experience to Australian consumers as if

they are transported to Japan.

“Shochu is the oldest national spirit of Japan, and KOYOMI™ Shochu is specifically distilled in Japan for Australian consumers.

“We wanted KOYOMI™ to retain a light, fruity and crisp taste that many Australians would enjoy, more flavoursome than vodka but subtler than gin at 25 percent ABV. I hope KOYOMI™ Shochu will be enjoyed by many Australian people looking for a unique, sophisticated taste experience at low-calorie and zero carbs.

“We recommend enjoying it as a ChuHi, mixed with soda and citrus (Yuzu is the best if you can get your hands on it), but I will also add, KOYOMI™ Shochu on the rocks (a small cube is fine) is also a pleasurable drink even for shochu beginners.

“As with all businesses and industry sectors across the world, Beam Suntory is pivoting business to understand better consumer consumption and purchase behaviour post COVID-19 pandemic.

We’ve seen the trend for Asian beverages, particularly shochu. We are also cementing our leadership in the space with the launch of our next release, Minus 196 Double Lemon (-196), a pre-mix blend made from shochu, vodka, soda and lemon.”

EVERY MASTERPIECE NEEDS A S I G N AT U R E

Each year The Signature is named after an individual to honour their contribution to Yalumba.

Who will be the next Signatory?

And will the vintage be worthy of their name? Only time will tell.

Embrace the Magnificent Unknown

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