The Spirits Business – November 2014

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THE SPIRITS

BUSINESS ISSUE 57 • NOVEMBER 2014

ISSUE 57 • NOVEMBER 2014

THE SWEET STUFF Bars to Watch 2015

SUGAR DADDIES The Liqueur Masters 2014

TROUBLE UP NORTH Scotch takes a tumble

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EDITORIAL COMMENT It’s a global state of mind that keeps our bar industry at its most creative

“WHAT DO you admire most about bartenders?” is a question we often ask brand owners and distillers, who invariably create products designed specifically for the on-trade. There are no prizes here for guessing their most common response; it’s an easy one – creativity and ingenuity.

Look anywhere in the world, from cocktail powerhouses like New York, LA, London and Paris, to the depths of South America or South East Asia, bartenders have these vital qualities in common. Their drive to innovate, create and learn is not only admirable, it’s the stuff that’s ultimately thrusting cocktail creation to new heights. Combine this passion with a global state of mind and freedom to work in a variety of countries and you have a recipe for an exciting, multicultural and ever-evolving industry that, let’s face it, is never dull.

With this in mind, we were hard pressed this year to choose our Bars to Watch for 2015. Every year we ask local bar experts from around the world to help us decide which bars will be the hot establishments everyone will be hanging out in for the next 12 months, from the wellestablished to new and yet-to-open joints. There is a longer list of exceptional bars to choose from, which grows with every passing year.

Of course behind every great bar and bartender are a selection of

quality spirits, which were identified this month in the Speciality Spirits and Liqueur Masters (pages 37-44). What became obvious from both these blind tasting competitions is that bartenders really value authenticity, tradition and natural flavours – all elements reflected in the drinks menus at all of our Bars to Watch. And with bottled cocktails quickly becoming a major trend, our RTD Masters (page 46) showed that those behind the stick are just as good as the major producers at bottling and selling their own product.

One category currently struggling with sales however is Scotch whisky, with producers seeing demand fall off dramatically around the world as political tensions and currency weakness affect consumer spend. The future doesn’t look quite so bleak though, as we discover on page 32. It’s as Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State told delegates at the opening of TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this October, “there are seven billion people in the world, and you can’t let these issues dominate your business”.

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• Managing Editor Becky Paskin

• Art Director Alan MacKenzie-Morris

• News and Web Editor Amy Hopkins

• Director of Sales Bert Grant

• Staff Writer Melita Kiely

• Marketing Director David Hennelly

• Sub-Editor Neal Baker

• Advertising Manager Marcus Clark

• Contributors Tom Bruce-Gardyne, Tom Aske, BarChick

• Sales Executive Charissa Shearer

• Chairman & Publisher Anthony Hawser

• Research & Events Sheila Crisp

• Deputy Chairman David Rose

• Subscriptions Sales Manager Lewis O’Sullivan

• Associate Publisher & Events Director Daisy Jones

• Production Manager Mile Budimir

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w w w. t h e s pi r i t s b u s i n e s s . c o m

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CONTENTS

November 2014

Issue 57 21

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6 The Big Story As Chip Tate well knows, choosing the right investors is imperative for a start-up distillery.

08 Business News Diageo freezes its Scotch investment while Irish whiskey sales take a dive.

12 Marketing Matters Beckham appears in first Haig Club ad, while Sailor Jerry helps us dress like Iggy Pop.

14 Big Interview Beam and Suntory’s portfolios are now full integrated, but the new group is not taking its eye off Bourbon, its CMO reveals.

18 Confessions of a Retailer Rüdiger Stelkens, LTC purchaser at Heinemann and the inaugural winner of our Travel Retail Buyer Award talks innovation and margins.

21 The Bars to Watch 2015 Some are new and some are established, but all are predicted to be the bars on everyone’s lips throughout next year.

32 Scotch Troubled waters lay ahead for Scotch whisky as political tensions, currency weakness and the threat of American whiskey take their toll.

37 The Liqueur Masters Traditional production methods and authenticity were the name of the game at our annual liqueurs blind tasting.

43 The Speciality Spirit Masters They may be small and local brands, but these speciality spirits certainly pack a punch in the flavour department.

46 The Premixed Masters Bartenders are getting in on the retail act with their own bottled cocktails set to rival commercial ready-to-drink and serve brands.

48 Brand Biography After almost 250 years in production, Gordon’s Gin has definitely stood the test of time.

50 Brands Bulletin Pimm’s No.6 makes a comeback while Blackdown gets into the Christmas spirit.

52 Travel Retail Bulletin Casa Cuervo introduces its new travel retail arm, and Louis XIII Black Pearl returns.

56 India Consumers continue to trade up to premium spirits, but will India’s government relent on that astronomical excise tax?

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CONTENTS THE BACK

BAR

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56 62 Members’ Club Updates from the IBA 68 Cocktail Bulletin CJameson unveils its barrel-aged cocktail programme; Health-conscious consumers drive low-calorie RTD demand; and UK cocktail sales boom.

70 In at the deep end Taking the leap from bartender to bar-owner is a life-changing move, but not as scary as you might think, so long as you consider your finances carefully.

72 Debate Does sending a bartender home early during a quiet shift make good business sense?

76 The Swizzle Masters Round nine: The Semi-Final

81 BarChick Uncovers… São Paulo, Brazil 84 A Drink With… Joel Masoliver, Beveland

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Trouble in Waco Chip Tate of Balcones

As the internal war at iconic Bourbon distillery Balcones wages on, its founder Chip Tate warns of the craft industry’s dependence on venture capitalists. But, as Amy Hopkins asks, what other choice do they have?

THE TEXAN city of Waco has found itself at the centre of spirits industry gossip in recent months as a feud between the founder and board of its iconic craft Bourbon distillery Balcones simmers on. While some commentators have attributed the dispute to personality clashes and professional differences, others have said it acts as a cautionary tale about the inherent risks independent distilleries face when enlisting the support of venture capitalists.

Chip Tate is founder and master distiller of Balcones, which he personally built in 2008, and it, like many other successful craft distilleries, has sought to increase capacity in the face of soaring global demand. As such, he and second round investor Michael Rockafellow brought investor Greg Allen on board through his Oklahoma-based equity firm PE Investors in February 2013. Tate’s stake in the company reduced, Allen

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became chairman of the board, and PE was declared majority shareholder.

While Tate initially said he had “taken time to find a group we’re proud to call partners”, relationships soon deteriorated, with extraordinary accusations being flung from either side. The board accused Tate of trying to derail Balcones’ expansion through his “unconscionable and reprehensible” behaviour, even threatening the life of Allen. Tate, meanwhile, strongly denies all allegations and claims PE Investments attempted to make his work “extremely difficult” in a bid to acquire “supreme control” over the distillery.

In August this year, investors took out a temporary restraining order against Tate to enforce his suspension, preventing him from entering the distillery or speaking with other employees and the media. Since the gagging order was lifted last month, the

distiller said his financial predictions for the company’s on-going expansion and personal clashes with investors led to the board offering to buy his remaining stake in the firm, which he steadfastly refused. A stalemate was declared, the boardroom feud moved to the courtroom and, according to Tate, there is now no other option but for one party to leave.

“My hope is the same as it has always been over the past few months which is that one of us must leave,” he said.

“This isn’t a great marriage anymore and we need to decide who gets to keep the house. If they are hell-bent on keeping Balcones then they need to pay me my part and give me my freedom.”

Tate added that while PE Investors is Balcones’ majority shareholder, his agreement with the firm meant he retained certain presidential privileges, preventing

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THE BIG STORY

the board from dismissing him outright.

Despite the ongoing saga, Balcones recently revealed its expansion was proceeding and that it was continuing to operate at full capacity. When contacted by The Spirits Business, Balcones said that it would not be “appropriate or fair” to discuss the case but that its agreement to pursue mediation with Tate represented an “attempt to move forward”.

A statement from Michael Rockafellow read: “As the largest owner, an early investor, and the sole lender to Balcones until 16 months ago, it’s immensely satisfying for me to watch Balcones’ success exceed our original aspirations.”

Despite the distillery’s seemingly unhindered expansion, Tate has warned of the risks craft distilleries face when enlisting the support of venture capitalist firms, such as PE. “Venture capitalists are highly problematic and of course I wouldn’t have gone into business with them had I known what it would be like,” he said. “This isn’t true across the whole industry, but there are definitely risks involved.

“It’s the challenge we face growing a business like this because we have to convince people of our vision, which is hard as a lot of people think they know better.

But investors have to trust the distillers.”

As the craft distilling movement continues to boom and soaring demand strains precious stocks of cult brands, increasingly more independent distilleries are seeking investment from such firms. However, other commentators have echoed Tate’s warning, arguing that investors from outside of the distilling industry who are unfamiliar with its lengthy, cash-heavy processes may not always be the most suitable financiers.

But, then again, what other choice do small distilleries have? As Tate states: “Craft distilling is extremely cash dependent, so companies will lose a lot by not getting investors on board.” Pessimists could argue that for craft brands looking for rapid expansion, the situation is near hopeless. If founders enlist venture capitalists they must watch their own stake become heavily diluted and risk having their vision skewed.

If they do not, production will sit stagnant and cash flow may by blocked.

Last year, somewhat surprisingly, Diageo claimed to have remedied the dilemma with

Distill Ventures was helped by a unique Diageo investment scheme

its new scheme Distill Ventures, launched in collaboration with London-based ‘innovation specialist’ Independents United.

Under the scheme, start-up spirits groups receive funding and mentoring from Diageo and a global network of experts. Its inaugural year was declared so successful in

‘Venture capitalists are highly problematic and of course I wouldn’t have gone into business with them had I known what it would be like’ August that Distill Ventures revealed it would be doubling the number of places available in its 2015 programme, offering up to £10m.

“The point of difference between Distill Ventures and other venture capitalists is that we offer expertise and mentoring,” said Dan

Gasper, chief operating officer and programme director at the company.

“A lot of similar businesses have a group of investors who sit on the board, but we wanted the investors to mentor and work with entrepreneurs on a one-to-one basis.

We offer cash, expertise and mentoring but the entrepreneurs are left in full control.”

Gasper adds that Diageo typically acquires 20% of any company it invests in through Distill Ventures, and those wishing to enter the scheme must have an exit strategy with a view of eventually selling their brand to the drinks colossus. “We are looking for brands which want to accelerate and go international, not brands which want to be multi-generational,” added Gasper.

“Whether these companies sell to Diageo in five or 10 years’ time depends on how quickly they grow.”

While Distill Ventures clearly offers an attractive opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to, as Tate puts its, “flip their business” and sell to a larger firm, those wishing to create a long-term family business are still stuck for options. For now, venture capitalists offer an lifeline for independent distilleries targeting growth, but the troubles of Balcones serve as a cautionary tale to other budding craft brands in the spirits industry. sb

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BUSINESS NEWS

Maxxium venture dissolved EDRINGTON AND Beam Suntory have terminated their joint venture travel retail business Maxxium Travel Retail, which will cease operating from 1 April 2015.

The decision came as both companies reveal they are aiming to “better integrate” their European operations into their global businesses.

Beam Suntory has been gradually moving its distribution in-house since its creation earlier this year when Japanese drinks group Suntory acquired Courvoisier producer Beam Inc for US£16 billion. The group recently formed a global travel retail division.

Meanwhile, Edrington, producer of The Macallan, also set up its own global travel retail unit based in Singapore in July.

“We would like to thank Maxxium Travel Retail for the outstanding results our brands have achieved under their stewardship,” said Scott McCroskie, group commercial director for Edrington.

“With passenger numbers and spending forecast to increase by double digits, the travel retail sector presents an outstanding opportunity to grow our premium brands and we look forward to increasing the focus on our premium portfolio in this important channel.”

Maxxium Travel Retail, which was formed five years ago, is the third largest spirits supplier in European travel retail. The organisation has said that it is too early to confirm how many job losses are likely as a result of its termination.

Beam Suntory revealed that its Morrison Bowmore Scotch whisky arm, along with a number of other brands, would join Maxxium’s portfolio in Spain, Russia and the UK. In addition, Edrington will distribute the Morrison Bowmore single malt whiskies and Japanese whiskies in the Nordics.

“The newly expanded Beam Suntory premium ranges creates the right moment to focus on our own portfolio in the travel retail channel,” said Albert Baladi, EMEA president for Beam Suntory.

“We look forward to driving outperformance in this channel and across Maxxium’s joint

Taxes see Irish shun whiskey SALES OF Irish whiskey have plummeted in its domestic market by almost 20% over the past year despite huge investment.

According to the Irish Spirits Association (ISA), the decline is a result of soaring excise taxes in the country. In Ireland, the second largest market for Irish whiskey, taxation on spirits has risen by 42% over the past two years, with tax now accounting for €17 of the price of a standard bottle of spirits.

The significant drop in Irish whiskey sales has prompted the ISA to call on the government to lower the level of duty paid on spirits. “Revenue clearance figures show that high excise rates have hit our home-grown spirits significantly,” said Peter Morehead, chair of the ISA. Such tax increases have been implemented at a time of huge investment in Irish whisky, with over 20 new distilleries planned to open and €1bn investment earmarked for the industry. “These new entrants rely on a strong home market to launch their brands and showcase Ireland to tourists as the home of Irish whiskey,” continued Morehead. “Unfortunately, high excise rates mean that Ireland is simply too expensive for many of these companies to sell into.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF PERNOD RICARD revealed it had finally started to see a return to growth in its first quarter, with a 2% sales increase in sales to €2,037 million as the Chinese market slowly began to improve.

STOLICHNAYA VODKA-OWNER SPI Group has created Amber Beverage Group – a holding company to manage its “ambitious development plans” in the Baltics, bottling, marketing, distributing, exporting and retailing around 500 spirits and wines.

BRITISH SUPERMARKET chain Tesco has suspended Dan Jago, its beer, wine and spirits director, along with two other executives, as part of an inquiry into a £250 million profit black hole. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is now set to carry out a criminal investigation into its finances.

THE UK’S Gin Guild welcomed 24 additional members from across the industry last month, bringing its total number of members to over 100.

BOTH DIAGEO and Rémy Cointreau reported rocky starts to the year in their first quarter and half year results respectively. Diageo saw a 1.5% net sales decline, but reasserted confidence in its full-year results.

Meanwhile, Rémy saw a steep sales decline of 15.5% to €471.8 due to continued destocking in China.

PRODUCTION OF Ukrainian vodka fell 17% in August this year, compared to 2013, to 14.7 million litres. The drop is reportedly as a direct result of Russian trade sanctions against the country in the same month.

THE GLENLIVET is celebrating a major milestone in its goal to over-take Glenfiddich as the world’s largest single malt Scotch whisky. Now selling one million cases annually, it’s thought the Chivas Brothers brand is not too far behind the category leader, and could even overtake William Grant’s flagship brand next year.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Kentucky distillers booming THE NUMBER of distilleries in the state of Kentucky has tripled in the past two years as demand for American whiskey continues to grow.

According to new figures, 21 new distilleries have been created since 2012, bring the total number operating in Kentucky to 31 – the most seen in the state since the repeal of Prohibition.

Kentucky governor Steve Beshear outlined the growth in a six-month study released by the University of Louisville’s Urban Studies Institute in conjunction with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board.

“We all knew the Bourbon renaissance was taking this iconic industry to new levels, but this data is absolutely phenomenal,” said Beshear.

“The amount of progress is unrivalled and unparalleled. This proves the Bourbon boom is real and producing results for all Kentuckians.”

The study shows that Kentucky now has the eighth largest distilling industry in terms of the number of operating distilleries, ranking behind Washington, New York, Colorado, Oregon and Texas.

It contributes US$3bn to Kentucky’s economy every year, up two-thirds in just two years, and employs over 15.400 people.

However, Beshear added that Kentucky is losing ground on attracting new companies as other states “modernise their alcohol and tourism laws to make it more appealing to locate there”.

David Adkisson, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, said Kentucky’s title as the US’s largest Bourbon producing state could easily topple.

“We are fortunate to have a thriving Bourbon industry today, but what happens if our historic monopoly starts to slip away?” he said. “Suddenly, we only produce 80 or 85% of the world’s Bourbon. We can’t afford to let that happen.”

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Top 5 most read: 1. Robot bartenders to become reality http://ow.ly/DzDmu 2. Stick to age whisky in 24 hours http://ow.ly/DzDBJ 3. George Clooney unveils new Tequila http://ow.ly/DzDN3 4. 100-year booze ban not legal http://ow.ly/DzE4f 5. Rum: age does not matter http://ow.ly/DzEfU

Most collectable Scotch Investing in historical and vintage Scotch whiskies can reap huge rewards when sold years, or sometimes months, later on the second-hand market, but choosing the right bottle is vital if you want to make a profit. http://ow.ly/Co9x7

Diageo cools off Scotch DIAGEO HAS put plans to increase its Scotch whisky production capacity on ice as demand for the spirit falters.

The British drinks group has been embarking on a £1 billion project to increase its Scotch whisky production capacity to meet soaring demand from across the world.

However, latest figures from the Scotch Whisky Association show global exports have fallen by 30%, driven by plummeting sales in key markets such as Singapore, Germany, Mexico and the US. The delay is expected to affect the £18 million expansion of Mortlach distillery, despite Diageo’s launch of Mortlach as a single malt whisky earlier this year.

In a statement, Diageo said: “The weaker

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global economic environment has impacted the growth of Scotch in certain markets and therefore Diageo will continue to review and adjust the timing of the next phase of our investment programme to manage our Scotch whisky inventory and to retain the alignment between growth in production volumes and growth in demand.”

It’s understood Diageo has halted construction of a £50 million malt whisky distillery at Teaninich in the Highlands, a £30m expansion of Clynelish distillery, as well as construction of a bio-energy plant at Glendullan.

Diageo said the delay of the builds is to “ensure the right balance between supply and demand”, but added that it continues to see “long-term potential” in Scotch.

UK’s newest distilleries Investors are falling over themselves to open new distilleries in the UK as the spirits renaissance continues to flourish. But only the strongest will inevitably survive. This is our pick of the top 10 to open in 2014. http://ow.ly/Co9Wx

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MARKETING MATTERS

Jack Rocks set to roll out FOLLOWING A successful launch in London’s East End, Jack Daniel’s is embarking on a global rollout of its music campaign, Jack Rocks.

Continuing its partnership with “Jack Rockts The Macbeth”, the Tennessee Whiskey brand will host venue takeovers at city-based festivals Dim Swn and Liverpool Music Week.

In addition, monthly Jack Rocks events will be hosted with the nationwide indie night, This Feeling which will travel to some of the UK’s best known venues including Sheffield’s Leadmill, Glasgow’s King Tut’s and Southampton’s Joiners.

“It’s really exciting to see the Jack Rocks campaign spreading nationwide,” said Jack Daniel’s senior brand manger, Michael Boaler.

Hendrick’s green fingers HENDRICK’S GIN has launched a new gift pack to promote sales of its miniatures in the British grocery channel.

Hendrick’s Cucumber Hothouse contains cucumber seeds, a growing pot and cucumber bailer so consumers can grow and prepare their own garnish, plus two Hendrick’s & Tonics with two 50ml bottles of Hendrick’s Gin. In addition, the gift pack provides a cocktail book filled with simple recipes created by Hendrick’s ambassador to Britain, Duncan McRae. The Hendrick’s Cucumber Hothouse is available in selected supermarkets at an RRP of £15.

Martini releases new film MARTINI HAS partnered with an acclaimed filmmaker for its new global campaign, Begin Desire, in a bid to target a younger generation of consumers.

Shot by Jake Scott of RSA Films, the film – also called Begin Desire – depicts the story of an Italian waitress who gets swept through the streets of Rome with a crowd of people when invitations to ‘Begin Desire’ start to capture her attention.

First aired in Italy in October, the film is due to be rolled out throughout the rest of Europe this month, accompanied by various advertisements through outdoor, social media, digital, television and PR to communicate Martini’s Italian roots and its core values of true artisanship, unstudied sophistication and authenticity.

“We live in an age where aperitivo is king and style and authenticity are at the centre of our consumers’ world,” said Sandy Mayo, senior global category director for Martini. “This campaign sees Martini going back to its roots and celebrating

Fireball shots launch in on-trade AS PART of as half-a-million pound marketing initiative, cinnamon spirit Fireball is rolling out a new shot-sized serve in the UK on-trade.

The exclusive Fireball Frat Cups have been launched in bars currently stocking the cinnamon liqueur and comes in light of increased investment in the brand by US owner Sazerac in partnership with UK distributor Hi-Spirits.

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The cups are 50ml versions of the red cup that has become an “iconic’ accessory at US college parties.

Dan Bolton, managing director of HiSpirits, said: “With a £0.5 million marketing budget specifically to support fireball in the Uk on-trade this year, the Fireball Frat Cups and our other exclusive POS will increase visibility and build salse in bars.”

Guy films Becks ad DIAGEO EMPLOYED the talents of Guy Ritchie to direct the first TV advert for single grain Scotch whisky Haig Club, starring David Beckham.

The commercial, called Welcome, was broadcast for the first time in the UK last month coinciding with the launch of an extended 90 second directors cut on YouTube. The advert unfolds the story of a group of friends travelling through the Highlands to share a weekend in Glen

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MARKETING MATTERS

Sailor Jerry recruits Iggy’s talents FOLLOWING THE popularity of previous collaborations with Paul Simonon of the Clash and Gorillaz last year, Sailor Jerry has partnered with ‘70s icon Iggy Pop with a unique clothing range inspired by Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins’ tattoos.

The Flash Collection by Iggy Pop was announced earlier this year and features a blue-black 1950s-stle sleeveless denim jacket embroidered with a Sailor Jerry anchor and the words “Death Shall

Glenmorangie ‘Spirit of the Open’ SCOTCH WHISKY brand Glenmorangie has agreed a three-year continuation of its partnership with golf’s Open Championship.

Glenmorangie will return in 2015 as the ‘Spirit of the Open’ when the world’s oldest and “most prestigious” Major Championship heads to St Andrews, the home of golf, and to Royal Troon and royal Birkdale respectively the following

two years.

“The Open and Glenmorangie have a natural affinity and we are proud to continue our partnership with The R& A as ‘Spirit of the Open’,” commented Marc Hoellinger, president and CEO of The Glenmorangie Company.

“Glenmorangie’s pursuit of perfection mirrors the mindset required from the world’s top golfers as they seek to lift the

Tia Maria straightens out campaign TIA MARIA has unveiled a partnership with health and beauty brand Babyliss as part of its multi-million pound marketing investment.

As part of the In Tia We Trust campaign, consumers will receive a free pair of Babyliss hair straighteners when they buy a 700ml or 1L bottle of Tia Maria and enter a unique code into the bespoke website.

In Tia We Trust is aimed at female consumers aged 21-35 and is being promoted on billboards throughout the UK, as well as through Tia Maria Dark Room parties being hosted in various UK cities by TV and radio personality, Gemma Cairney.

The Babyliss promotion is now active in stores throughout the UK, including leading supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Triumph” as the centrepiece.

Just 50 jackets have been made and each comes with six flash design patches inspired by the tradition of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

A total of 100 leather belts with a buckle designed in the shape of a shark rising from the sea are also included in the collection, which will be available through www.sailorjerryclothing.com and various retailers around the world.

Bell rings for Irish Whiskey Academy FOR THE first time ever, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard is making its Irish Whiskey Academy available to the general public.

Whisky fans who attend the academy will have the opportunity to improve understanding about the quality and provenance of Irish whisky, covering the production process, the varying flavour profiles of different whisky styles within the category and its history.

The first “Enthusiasts” course is scheduled to take place from 1-2 December, taught by David McCabe, Irish Distillers international whiskey ambassador and first academy tutor.

The two-day course costs €1,199, which encompasses five star accommodation, a visit to one of the area’s top restaurants and a personalised bottle of Irish whiskey upon completion of the course. Four-hour afternoon courses will be also be available from November 2014, and from next year one-day “Discoverer”

Halloween food pairing for Cachaça 51 CIA MULLER de Bebidas partnered with mixologist Daniel Bull to create an original cocktail and accompanying meal using Cachaça 51 for Halloween.

The cocktail, Witchstrick, was inspired by the story that years ago, Celts believed spirits would rise from the dead on the night of 31 October and would go out

dressed as zombies to scare them away.

“We can dare to compare the Brazilian Carnival with Halloween,” said Darleize Barbosa, exports manager at Cia Muller de Bebidas. “Each one has its origin and particularities, but both of them are all about wearing amazing costumes and having fun.”

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Bringing home the Bourbon Following the multi-billion-dollar merger of the Beam and Suntory brands earlier this year, Becky Paskin speaks to the ever-confident CMO Kevin George on what the company has in store to cement its position as a global spirits giant 14

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BIG INTERVIEW

“CLEARLY THE integration of the two portfolios has gone extremely well; we’ve become the third largest spirits company in the world,” explains Kevin George plainly.

Given the opportunity to speak with the newly-formed Beam Suntory chief marketing officer just weeks after the two drinks groups’ portfolios merged, my first question inevitably was about the slickness of the integration.

“We already had a very large portfolio that has been strengthened now with the integration of Suntory’s brands,” he adds.

“If you look at the expansion and the combined brands we now have, we’ve become a powerhouse in whisky.”

Beam Suntory certainly now has the most diverse whisky portfolio on the planet, being the only company with Irish, American, Scotch, Canadian and Japanese whisky on its books. “We feel really good about the position we’re in with the whisky portfolio, and our job now is to integrate and manage all these pieces together because consumers do actually work their way through a lot of these brands,” he says.

Suntory completed its acquisition of Illinois-based Beam back in May this year, for a cool US$16 billion (£10bn). While the merger of the two drinks giants’ brands has had a synergistic effect on the two portfolios, inevitably some staff changes were needed. Even before the sale had completed, Beam lost its North America president Bill Newlands, chief financial officer Robert Prost and corporate controller Leo Mierzwicki. The latter two left to pursue other opportunities “in view of the impact on their roles due to the impending acquisition of the company by Suntory Holdings”. A few months later, Mike Keiller, CEO of Morrison Bowmore, Suntory’s Scotch whisky subsidiary, stepped down, as did non-executive director John McLaren.

Despite the losses, George defends: “The personnel changes have largely been additive; we’ve welcomed 1,000 new people into the Beam Suntory family with the integration, so we are literally now taking talent from both organisations and make sure we are learning.”

Taking over from Keiller at Morrison Bowmore is Mick Ord, who previously headed Beam’s Scotch and Irish whisky

operation prior to the acquisition, while Tim Hasset from the Campbell Soup Company joins as North America president.

‘My focus continues to be on growing the business we have as a company’

SABMiller’s Mauricio Restrepo has stepped in as CFO and former Morrison Bowmore director David Wilson has stepped up to lead Beam’s new and improved global travel retail division.

Although there have been plenty of personnel changes across the company, George insists his role as CMO, a position he has held since 2009, hasn’t changed.

“Certainly as CMO my focus continues to be on growing the business we have as a company and making sure we are maintaining the growth trajectory we already have,” he says. “Largely the integration from a marketing perspective is

an opportunity for us to learn from the success they’ve had in Japan, and how we integrate the new brands we now have and take them even further.”

One of the first steps the newly aligned group has taken is to cut ties with Maxxium Travel Retail, a joint venture with Edrington, and build its own presence in the channel.

“If you look at the premium ranges we now have in the portfolio, from Japanese and Irish whisky to Bourbon, we think it’s actually the right moment to focus our own portfolio in the travel retail channel, which is really important for us,” George explains.

Until now the bulk of Beam Suntory’s work in duty free and travel retail has been around its flagship Jim Beam Bourbon brand, which has seen countless activations based on its Make History campaign with actress Mila Kunis pop-up in key airports in the past few months. Bourbon will continue to be a key focus for the group in travel retail, particularly in the US with the launch of the small batch Bourbon Legends activation [see page x], but with the portfolio now fully integrated, the group is keeping an eye on other growth drivers and has lined up its peated whiskies under the umbrella Peated Malts of Distinction.

According to IWSR figures quoted by Maxxium Travel Retail, peated malts gained 6.7% CAGR between 2010-2013 in EMEA. Compare that to just 2.3% for malts and 0.8% for blends and it’s easy to see why the Peated Malts range is an immediate focus

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BIG INTERVIEW

PEATED MALTS OF DISTINCTION for the group. George claims the gathering of the peated brands under one umbrella [see box] enables Beam Suntory to present consumers with a palate for smokier flavours with a ladder of products at the same time. “We are talking about whisky in the way consumers like to think about brands, so people who are into peat get a great transition through the portfolio,” George explains. “Then at the same time we may talk about all of our Bourbon whiskeys to consumers at once.”

Despite such an unrivalled portfolio, George is adamant Beam Suntory has, and will always be, “first and foremost a Bourbon company”, particularly in the US where American whiskey demand is at its highest since the 1970s. “Our focus will continue to be on Bourbon, which we are the world leader’s of, not only in the US but in export markets as well. Japanese whisky

‘We are talking about whisky in the way consumers like to think about brands’

is now next on that list because of the size and importance of the Japan market to the business. The top places we are investing in are malt whisky, Scotch, Japanese and premium Bourbon for sure.”

As far as George is concerned with his marketing hat on, the new Suntory brands most exciting him are Hibiki, which he calls “a beautiful brand that conveys the art of Japanese whisky nicely”, and Auchentoshan single malt Scotch, which “has been marketed really well by the team at Morrison Bowmore”. With George at the

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helm, expect to see increased communication from these two brands in the near future.

Also expect to find a lot more innovation coming from the Beam Suntory whisky portfolio over the next 12 months, as George, who also heads the group’s research and development department, plays with the assets presented by Suntory’s portfolio. Already in the pipeline is Jim Beam Apple, due for launch in July next year, and a unique travel retail exclusive in the form of Kentucky Dram, a blend of Jim Beam and Scotch whisky. Meanwhile the group is busy rolling out cinnamon flavoured whiskey Kentucky Fire into a category that’s, well, on fire right now. “This is the right time for cinnamon,” he enthuses. “It’s a flavour that certainly in the US has been popular in a number of products, not just in spirits but in syrups and other fragranced products as well.”

But George doesn’t see innovation in whisky as being solely limited to adding honey, apple or cinnamon flavours – or even a different type of whisky. “When we talk about flavour we aren’t always talking about infusing something with honey or black cherry, we are looking at using different barrel techniques.” He highlight’s Jim Beam Devil’s Cut as an example of innovation in post-maturation, where the used barrel is “agitated” with water to draw out any remaining whiskey left in the wood. “You will continue to see premium products coming out with wood and barrel finishes as they continue to be interesting for consumers. That’s where the NPD in whisky will come from.”

In that sense, Beam Suntory should be positioned at the forefront of whisky innovation, considering the diversity of its entire spirits portfolio. The merger has opened a world of maturation and finishing options – Sherry oak-finished Hornitos Tequila; rum barrel-finished Japanese whisky; or mizunara matured Laphroaig are just some of the wild yet achievable possibilities now afforded to the group.

George explains: “Since the acquisition, the opportunity to create and put different flavours into our liquid is limitless.” sb

Peated malt whisky accounts for 17% of total malt sales in EMEA, with the majority of demand coming from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Their appetite for peated whisky in particular, along with the integration of Beam and Suntory’s portfolios, prompted the group to launch the Peated Malts of Distinction range.

Comprised of four no-agestatement expressions – three Scotch and one Irish whiskey, the range is being rolled out across global onand off-trade through Christmas 2014.

THE ARDMORE LEGACY A new lightly peated Highland whisky expression from Ardmore embodying the brand’s new identity and positioning. It replaces the Ardmore Traditional Cask as the distillery’s core expression.

LAPHROAIG SELECT A blend of several styles of Laphroaig whiskies, including Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood and 10 Year Old. CONNEMARA ORIGINAL The only Irish peated malt whiskey from Cooley Distillery has notes of malt, heather honey and smoky peat.

BOWMORE SMALL BATCH Matured in first and second-fill Bourbon casks, Bowmore Small Batch delivers the distillery’s trademark fruity, sweet character along with a gentle smokiness.

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CONFESSIONS OF A RETAILER middle of Europe, and need to have the Italian, French and Spanish brands that may not be as important in other parts of the world.  When it comes to spirits I’m a little concerned that we have too many SKUs, especially in gin and vodka. We don’t want to avoid new brands though.  Spirits producers are the most innovative in travel retail.

Brands in other categories are all more or less the same. I’m always asking the other categories like perfume and cosmetics to take a look at the spirits industry and be as innovative.  The most innovative installations are coming from Hendrick’s.

They are so innovative that we had a problem with the health organisation in Germany over its chair, which they worried would affect travellers’ health. The Hendrick’s marketing team are doing a great job.  Companies in domestic retail are catching up with what’s happening in travel retail. Even though we have a small percentage of the business worldwide, the whole industry is looking at what we are doing.

Rüdiger Stelkens The liquor purchase director at Gebr.

Heinemann and winner of the inaugural Travel Retail Buyer of the Year award discusses innovative gin, and why Scotch is unhappy with American whiskey  I am very excited to have won The Spirits Business Travel Retail Buyer of the Year Award. This is an honour to receive.

For us as a family company to have such good contacts with the spirits business and all the suppliers, and to have a good reputation in the industry is just great.  I worked in London for four years with Harrods as sales manager for the Food Halls. Like Harrods and other department stores, travel retail features a premium assortment of products but you need to differentiate and that’s our strategy.

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 Gin is the fastest growing category of the year; it’s up 20% in Germany. Hendrick’s is the biggest growth driver for us, and also we are for Hendrick’s.  American whiskey is also a big category for us. This year Jack Daniel’s is losing more than Beam because we sold a lot of Jack in Russia and Turkey and those markets are suffering a bit, while Beam is very big in Germany. But Jack is still leading by far.

‘The Russian rouble has declined by 40% over the last 12 months; that is crazy. But that doesn’t mean we stop investing

 You can’t stop American whiskey.

That’s the reason why Scotch producers are so unhappy.  Three years ago consumers were more swayed by age claim, but nowadays more brands are taking the age claim off – apparently people are not that interested in it anymore. We see, especially in travel retail, that it is more about having something special.

 What concerns me most is that people have less money due to currency fluctuation. The Russian rouble has declined by 40% over the last 12 months; that is crazy. But that doesn’t mean we stop investing in these countries, definitely not. sb

in these countries’

 Our shops in German airports must have the widest range of spirits of any in the world. That’s because in Germany we are in the

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 We appreciate travel retail exclusives where we can be more flexible on price. I ask suppliers to give me 1-2% more margin though as we need to earn a bit more money than premium products. Price is not a big issue for consumers; of course you can’t fool them though, it needs to be reasonable.

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BUSINESS

H 2 0

THE SPIRITS

NC

TS MA I R

RS L

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S P I

THE SPIRITS MASTERS 2014 AWARDS LUNCH

Sponsored by

Thursday 4 December 2014, 12pm to 4pm The Roof Gardens, 99 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA The Spirits Business team invites you to join us to celebrate this year’s winners of the 2014 Spirit Masters series. The festivities, at award-winning venue The Roof Gardens, will kick off with cocktails and canapés, followed by lunch during which the awards will be announced.

Apart from enjoying the finest roof top gardens in London and collecting your awards, there will also be the opportunity to sample some of the best spirits in the world, mingle with industry friends, and to meet the Masters’ judges.

Wines supplied by

During the event will be the presentation of this year’s Spirit Masters’ winners certificates; the Grand Spirit Masters from each category; the Alan Lodge Young Spirits Writer of the Year Award 2014; and this year’s overall Grand Spirit Master 2014.

Tickets cost £175 + VAT.

For details and tickets please contact Daisy Jones, associate publisher: t: + 44 (0)20 7803 2452 e: daisy.jones@thespiritsbusiness.com

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BARS TO WATCH 2015

Bar hopper AS WITH all things in life, the bar industry is constantly evolving, and it doesn’t matter where in the world you pull up a barstool, there is always change afoot, a new local haunt or destination bar springing up to delight the senses. But with so much change taking place, how do you sift through all the openings to find the true gems?

Every year, here at The Spirits Business, we shy away from simply listing the world’s greatest places to grab a drink. That list, after all, would simply be a roll call of the same names year after year. And while providing a snapshot of the industry at any given moment in time, it sheds no light on where it is headed in the future. And isn’t evolution the name of the game, after all?

With that in mind, we’ve enlisted the insight and local smarts of cocktail writers from all over the globe to help us compile a rundown of those places worth keeping an eye on in the year ahead. These recommendations aren’t just the cool new joints, but also include those longestablished bars returning for another bite of the big time.

THE BARS TO WATCH IN 2015 (see following pages) UK

EUROPE

NORTH AMERICA

ASIA

AUSTRALASIA

WHITE LYAN, LONDON Wait, no ice? No citrus?

No perishables at all?

What kind of bar is this? The brainchild of Ryan Chetiyawardana that is turning the notion of the cocktail on its head, that’s what. A simple set menu prevails here, as does sheer gumption.

EXPERIMENTAL BEACH CLUB, IBIZA Not any ordinary beach bar, this one is run by the guys behind the Experimental Cocktail Clubs in London, Paris and New York, as well as Paris’ Beef Club & Ballroom, which graced our 2013 list. Expect ECC signature drinks with a summer twist. Conch shell punch anyone?

MULTNOMAH WHISKEY LIBRARY, PORTLAND As the name suggests, Multnomah boasts a significant selection of whisky so vast its bartenders need built-in roller ladders to reach the top shelves. Add to that the tableside cart service and you’re looking at one of the US’ hottest joints.

KU DÉ TA, BANGKOK Thailand’s capital is set to experience a “lifestyle revolution” in the form of this pan-Asian venue from the group behind Ku dé Ta in Bali and Singapore. Creativity and cocktail-food pairing are at the centre of this offer, so desperately welcome in the City of Angles.

Best of the rest…

Best of the rest…

PAPA JACKS, BRISBANE October 2013 marked the launch of this Creole-inspired joint that has already got the Sunshine State of Queensland all excited.

Live jazz, Hurricanes and Po Boys abound at Canvas co-founder Marco Nunes’ tribute to the US deep south.

What’s not to love?

Paper Plane, Atlanta The Wayland, New York Holy Water, San Francisco El Camino, Louisville Marvel Bar, Minneapolis Honeycut, Los Angeles Grape & Grain, Jacksonville

Ham & Sherry, Hong Kong Griffin Bar, Seoul, Korea Soefar & Co, Yangon, Myanmar New bars of Tras Street, Singapore Cirque Le Soir, Shanghai

Best of the rest…

Satan’s Whiskers, London The Blind Pig, London Berners Tavern, London NOLA, London Milk Thistle, Bristol Airmail, London Foxlow, London

Best of the rest…

Little Red Door, Paris Sherry Butt, Paris Cellar @ Cocktails at Nine, Antwerp The Parlour, Frankfurt Hidden Bar, Ibiza

Best of the rest…

Neighbourhood, Sydney Reserve Wine Bar, Newcastle Boney, Melbourne The Laneway Lounge, Perth Orleans, Auckland

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UK

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By Melita Kiely

THE BRITISH bars regaling the list of those to watch in 2013 comprised of hot dogs, ping pong and a bucket-load of fun, but this year things are getting more serious, with the 2014 pick taking much of their inspiration from around the world.

Dan Priseman, an industry stalwart known most recently for his work as Four Roses Bourbon’s UK band ambassador, is a selfconfessed regressive, returning to his roots as a bartender with the blindingly popular NOLA in London’s equally trendy Shoreditch. Taking its cues from New Orleans, the bar is packed with plenty of soul and has even attracted the likes of Ghostbuster-turned-vodka owner Dan Aykroyd, who has been known to bust out a choon or two.

Continuing the globetrotting trend is a suitably named concept from the famous Tony Conigliaro, which although at the time of writing was still site-less, is expected to be nothing short of extraordinary once open.

Airmail, as with NOLA, will take inspiration from overseas, drawing on a number of cities and cultures from around the world.

Readers will notice a significant lack of bars from outside London in our pick of the bars to watch for 2014. This is not a reflection on the quality of establishments elsewhere in the country, more that so many fascinating concepts are taking off in the nation’s capital it would be imprudent not to include them.

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PortSide Parlour Shoreditch, London From humble beginnings as a pop-up rum bar, PortSide Parlour can now be found permanently, nestled in the hipster heart of London, Shoreditch.

Designed to emulate a “nautical antiquities shop” with its solid oak and copper bar, here you’ll find more than 80 varieties of rum on offer to whet your whistle. The cocktail menu will change from season-to-season, but for now guests can expect signature serves such as the Smoked Apple Wood Old Fashioned and Squid Ink Martini.

And for when you’re feeling a little peckish, there’s also bar’s Southern European Seafood tapas menu, including octopus terrine and manchego stuffed zucchini flowers.

Crazy Pedro’s Part-Time Pizza Parlour Manchester You may not have expected Manchester’s first mezcaleria to take shape in the form of a pizza parlour, but that is exactly what Crazy Pedro’s Part-Time Pizza Parlour is all about.

Launched in October this year by the head of The Liars Club, Lyndon Higginson and business partners Ross Mackenzie and Jobe Ferguson of Cane and Grain, Crazy Pedro’s serves New

York-style pizzas whole or by the slice until 4am. But the drinks here are just as important as the food, and guests can also enjoy Tequila and mescal hard shakes and frozen cocktails.

Dandelyan London If you hail from the Big Smoke and you haven’t yet heard of Mr Lyan’s latest venture Dandelyan, then where have you been?

Located in Bankside’s Mondrian hotel, seasonal experimentation is the name of the game with botany-inspired cocktails that range from the boozy heights of the Concrete Sazerac to the surprisingly light and creamy Koji Hardshake.

The interior is clad in chrome tables and dusty pink leather sofas with views overlooking the River Thames and St Paul’s Cathedral, offering sophistication in a relaxed atmosphere. Dandelyan has already received a rapturous applause from industry insiders and is a sure to be a success in 2015.

NOLA Shoreditch, London The first venue from industry stalwarts James Triffo and Dan Priseman, this mildly hidden bar-within-a-bar has brought the world-renowned drinking dens of New Orleans to East London.

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BARS TO WATCH 2015

The extensive drinks list features a fabulous range of Bourbon, rye and American whiskey, as well as an impressive selection of exceptionallyexecuted NOLA classics, side-by-side with house creations, like the range of Hurricanes, as well as an impressive American whiskey range, all offered in a wood ‘n’ leather, cosy creole-vibed bar.

The smoking terrace is also authentically “Nawlins” with wicker chairs and a tinroof to complete the setting.

Milk Thistle Bristol From the Attic to the Vault, whether you like the taxidermy or come for the Gin Club, this sister bar to Hyde & Co appears to have something for everyone. Sprawled eclectically over four floors, the over-the-top country house/ hunting lodge theme is solid throughout, as are the drinks which include Fixes, Slings, Daisies, not to mention a pea and anise-infused vodka drink.

Airmail TBC, London This is the newest project for industry maestro Tony Conigliaro which sees him putting together a concept-based bar with Nico de Soto (previously bar manager for the ECC group) and Coco Prochorowski, also formerly at ECC London and New York.

Conigliaro – who opened both 69 Colebrook Row and the Zetter Townhouse to much acclaim – and his team will be looking to do something entirely different, using a collection of cities from around the world as inspiration to create a unique environment. To be revealed in 2014 at an undisclosed location in London, the bar promises to be a totally immersive experience.

UK BAR TO WATCH: HIGH WATER, LONDON DURHAM ATKINSON, Bobby Hiddleston, Maria Johansson and Barbaros Inan first met behind the bar at Milk & Honey London several years ago. After forging a strong friendship the team split, with Hiddleston and Johansson travelling to New York to open the Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog while Inan manned the bar at Hawksmoor Spitalfields and Atkinson opened London craft beer pub The Hops & Glory.

In April this year the four bartenders united once again to open neighbourhood bar High Water in London’s trendy Dalston, serving classic cocktails alongside modern, seasonal interpretations. Each name brings his or her own talent to the bar, with Johnsson specialising in wine, Inan and Atkinson craft beer devotees, and Scottish Hiddleston a natural whisky buff. The craft beer and wine list is kept fresh while a “chunky backbar” rich in Scotch whisky is constantly

expanding. For all their knowledge and firstclass experience, the High Water guys aren’t taking the game too seriously, and aim to offer something for everyone, from a fresh cold local lager to a rare brandy or bespoke Martini.

Relaxed, approachable and with a regularly evolving menu, High Water is setting the bar for cool neighbourhood joints in London.

Foxlow London Liam Davy, former star of Match and Quo Vadis, heads up the bar in this new venture from the Hawksmoor team. Aiming to create the perfect neighbourhood restaurant, the bar will be an integral part of the experience. A 12-strong cocktail list features 100% original drinks, including a delicious smoked Bloody Mary, a twist on the Miami Vice, and a Pickle Buck – a long version of the Pickle Back. The menu will

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EUROPE

By Tyler Wetherall

WITH A spate of notable new openings at the end of 2014 alone, Paris continues to lead the cocktail culture of mainland Europe. A second generation of bartenders, who earned their stripes at the likes of ECC and Candaleria, are going for gold and opening their own venues such as the brilliant Pasdeloup with Amanda Boucher and the Landais brothers; or Le Syndicat headed up by Doh Sullivan of Sherry Butt.

Equally, the bigger groups are moving onto grander ventures with ECC’s first of three hotels due to open in Paris in 2015, and Little Red Door expanding to a second venue, Lulu White.

Other cities to look to in 2015 include Moscow, with bars like Delicatessen and Chainaya making waves across the continent. Pop up art space/restaurant/club Door 19 at Arthouse has saw a number of

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high profile bartenders fly in to mix drinks, and more may come of the project. Milan is also staking a claim as one of the year’s destination cities. As the location of Expo 2015, the focus on food with the “Feeding the Planet” theme is bound to have a knock-on effect on the bar scene, and the Campari Academy has been attracting many top bartenders. Finally, a few brilliantly fanatical individuals in Athens continue to push the scene forward, with a café-to-cocktail-style bar culture and a focus on botanicals and heritage ingredients.

Mabel, Paris At the time of writing, Mabel had yet to open its Montorgueil doors after a series of delays, but the name has already been on bartenders’ lips for some time throughout Paris. With master shaker Joseph Akhavan,

formerly of La Conserverie, behind the project the cocktails are bound to be worthy.

The focus will be predominately on rum in all its guises, including stocking some lesserknown bottles with flights and tastings. With a friendly, low-key atmosphere, there will also be nibbles from lunch until late.

DOMO Lounge & Terrace by Cabrera, Madrid Since leaving Le Cabrera, Argentinean Diego Cabrera has been unstoppable.

Multi-level gourmet market and entertainment complex Platea opened late summer 2014 with Cabrera and Luca Anastasio’s El Palco on the second floor serving innovative twists on classics. He’s also been advising on a 10-bar chain with NH Hotels of which the NH Collection Eurobuilding in Madrid has caused the most excitement in the hospitality world. A multi-

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BARS TO WATCH 2014

EUROPE BAR TO WATCH: COPPERBAY, PARIS THERE ARE many elements that make this Paris opening stand out as one to watch next year among a host of other brilliant new cocktail bars in the city.

Firstly, take the trio of partners, the so-called Mermaids of their “Mermaids and Magic Potions” tagline: Julien Lopez, who was trained by Julien Escot at Papa Doble in Montpellier and has an eye for top class talent; Aurélie Panhelleux who made waves at the city’s W Hotel; and Elfi Fabritius, formerly of HBC. Each take on a different role in the bar so everything from hosting to prep is meticulously covered. The short list of cocktails features unusual garnishes – a dried apricot stuffed with ground green almonds, for example, a playful use of scent, and interesting use of salt and vermouth. But what this bar signifies for Paris is a move away from the domination of the dark secrecy of the speakeasy towards wide open, bright and breezy bar spaces, something we’ll see Europewide in 2015.

With a wall of windows, high ceilings and a natural colour palette, CopperBay is light and airy. The kitchen island bar in the middle of the room acts as a gathering space for drinkers who watch the team at work. It’s a neighbourhood joint that wants cocktail culture to be accessible to anyone who walks past and cares to pop in, which in itself feels pretty new.

million euro, high-tech affair, it’s seriously star-spangled in the culinary department.

David Munoz’s three Michelin-starred DiverXO has relocated here, and Cabrera is working with two Michelin-starred Paco Roncero on DOMO by Roncero and Cabrera, as well as his own DOMO Lounge and Terrace alongside his original awardwinning team. The bar and restaurant will collaborate, feeding off each other so to speak, with consistently strong cocktails and food expected. Rumour has it that Cabrera will be opening up two of his own venues in Ibiza and London later in 2015. Watch this space.

Bijou, Balls & Booze, Antwerp Ben Belmans, the godfather of the evergrowing Belgian cocktail scene, will open this new spot in December. With its purposefully playful name – the Bijou refers to the 19th century cocktail and the bar will use only ice balls, he’s looking to counter the snobbery sometimes associated with cocktail bars, and make a cocktail bar with a convivial pub atmosphere. The glasses used will be about 60 percent smaller than usual, keeping prices lower and allowing

drinkers to have a tapas style cocktail experience, trying several drinks in one sitting. There will be some rare spirits not usually available in Belgium, as well as Champagne. With an excellent team behind him, you may find Belmans behind the stick himself at least once a week.

Since leaving Le Cabrera, Argentinean Diego Cabrera has been unstoppable. Multi-level gourmet market Tales & Spirits, Amsterdam Amsterdam’s Tales & Spirits may be a veritable museum of old-world bar paraphernalia (check out the display cabinets), but co owners Lydia Soedadi and Boudewijn Mesritz are definitely forging

ahead when it comes to the cocktail programme. Open for two years already, the drinks are devised in line with the food menu, cocktail pairing being a fastspreading trend, as well as often inspired by the history-rich environs of the Red Light District. This is one of the bars that has started to redeem the neighbourhood’s reputation as a cesspit of seedy stag parties to somewhere with real dining and drinking options.

Soho House, Istanbul The arrival of a Soho House outlet is often an indicator that a city has achieved cult hip status, and this is in no doubt when it comes to the design hub of Istanbul. Opening early 2015 in the Beyo lu district, the members’ club and hotel will occupy the grand Palazzo Corpi, the group’s biggest property to date.

As with all the houses, it will attract the local creative, media and fashion scene to dine in the Cecconi’s restaurant, drink cocktails by the two rooftop pools or visit the in-house club. Thanks to creative bar director Chris Ojeda, we can expect the same consistency in the drinks programme that all of the Houses have come to be known for.

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Photo Courtesy: Julie Soefer Photography

Boilermaker - NYC

NORTH AMERICA

What’s old is new again and in the bar world this thought process brought us Boilermaker. The team behind the East Village, Industrial Revolution-style bar includes Erick Castro (Polite Provisions) and Greg Boehm (Cocktail Kingdom), and the menu is focused around the drinking custom of its namesake – a simple beer and shot combo. However, this place adds a dash of panache to the simple serve by selecting craft brews and craft spirits. The All American option, for instance, features Narragansett lager and a shot of Ancient Age Bourbon. Cocktails also get equal billing, with four on tap and two Punches by the pitcher.

ABV – San Francisco

By Jenny Adams

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AMERICAN BARS for 2015 are all about returning to the simpler things in life and this year will see a lot of movement, especially in terms of bartenders swapping states. Erick Castro of San Diego’s Polite Provisions packed up his bartools for a move to Manhattan and is now one of the key players in Boilermaker, an East Village bar focused around simple-but-interesting beer and shot pairings.

Meanwhile New York legends Christy Pope and Chad Solomon have opened a spot in Dallas, Texas, and they aren’t the only ones making waves in that southern state.

There’s a charity collective running a philanthropic saloon in Houston, and one Washington D.C. bartender’s trip to Spain resulted in a stateside Sherry bar that has definitely raised the global standard in terms of wine in cocktails.

The ideas and flavours in North America are as fresh as ever, but if you had to categorise this year’s approach to serving guests, it would be smarter, less flashy designs, the trimming of cocktail menus, opting for three or four-ingredient drinks, and, of course, Sherry.

The result? America’s bar scene is strutting out in 2015 with the look of a finely tailored, timeless suit.

While you’ll find trendy ingredients like Cappelletti bitters, Oloroso Sherry, and house-made grapefruit Shrub in the drinks, alongside rare kegs from Santa Rosa’s Moonlight Brewing, the space is far more neighborhood hangout than craft cocktail bar. It’s fun, and the only thing that’s incredibly serious about ABV is the lack of pretention and the knowledge of the staff.

They only hired serious bartenders and everyone works every type of shift. That means your server knows the nuances of the esoteric Tequilas they carry and your barback makes a killer Last Word. What it really means is a cohesive team; they create the appealing atmosphere as much as the drinks or the fun finger foods do.

Okra Charity Saloon – Houston, TX You could love this darling place on name alone, and while it’s not new – 2015 will mark its third year – its aim and outreach continues to grow.

Okra is actually a 501c(6) – a business league in other words – comprised of about 20 Houston restaurant, bar and coffee shop owners who focus on giving small food and beverage businesses a strong voice within the Houston community. Each month four charities are selected by Okra’s members and put into a voting process. At the end of the month, the winner receives the proceeds from the following month. So far, they’ve raised over US$400,000 serving up classics like delicious Blackstrap Rum Daiquiris, interesting Punches on the weekends and a

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BARS TO WATCH 2015

NORTH AMERICA BAR TO WATCH: TRICKDOG, SAN FRANCISCO THE PEOPLE of Portland cannot stop talking about Multnomah. You enter a space dominated floor to ceiling by bottles that exist as a true library for thousands of spirit labels, carefully curated and acquired to be part of the whole, definitive Multnomah experience. While whisky takes centre stage, all manner of spirits are represented. “We have expanded across all spirit categories to find the best representations of spirits to include on our back bar,” explains head barman Tommy Klus. “In addition, we have curated a wine program complete with Sherry, madeira and vintage port as well as old world, old vintage wines.”

One of the most talked about aspects, beyond the 1500-strong booze menu, is Multnomah’s tableside cart service. Both neat pours and stirred drinks are made inches beyond your elbow thanks to rolling wooden carts that propel the bar around the tables. The sense of fun and whimsy continues with recycled TV trays

mainly local beer list. It washes down a perfect side basket of fried okra, naturally.

Death & Co. – NYC No party was more packed in Manhattan this fall than the Death & Co. cocktail book release bash. Easily one of the most famous bars in the world, for both its sexy design and an equally sultry and smart cocktail list, this place made headlines yet again with the book which featured more than 500 recipes for both modern and classic tipples.

There were also chapters on theory and the philosophy of drink creation and hundreds of gorgeous images that will make everyone want to revisit a bar that helped birth the modern cocktail movement.

Midnight Rambler – Dallas, TX New York cocktail talents Chad Solomon and Christy Pop brought some glam to Dallas in the fall of 2014 in the basement of the Joule Hotel. The feeling is glam-meets1970s Kansas City and the list is split into creative categories: Aromatic, Sours, Shots, Punches and House-made Sodas. It’s invitingly inventive from looks to sips, and

Multnomah Whiskey Library Photo by Dina Avila

given a new lease of life as rental lockers in case you don’t finish that esoteric bottle of Scotch.

“The single-most outstanding thing about our cocktail offerings is the fact that we have such a vast and diverse backbar,”

the drinks are unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere. Their Pho King Champ shot combines wheat vodka, oloroso Sherry, aromatised beef stock and cilantro leaf.

Mockingbird Hill – Washington, D.C. Opened just over a year, the staff describe their joint as a “punk rock Sherry bar”. It’s actually named for a Clash song, and inside you’ll find a whimsical mix of stiff drinks, nods to southern Spain and a vibe that’s equally as American as rock ‘n’ roll.

“The decor is inspired by the bars we visited in southern Spain, especially La Venencia and Taberna Casa Manteca,” explains Owner Derek Brown, who previously brought the nation’s capital renowned bar, The Passenger. “But we steer away from the Disney-fied Spanish bar look with flamenco and bulls.”

Guests will notice the cured hams hanging from the ceiling and would be remiss not to try the food here.

This place is exciting to venture in any time of day, given their penchant for coffee is as strong as their love of cocktails. The

admits Klus. “This enables us to get really creative and unique with our ingredients. Our approach stems from a place of classic, intentional simplicity and never strays too far from the base ingredient or spirit. We believe the process

coffee program falls under the eye of 2012 World Cup Tasters Champion Cory Andreen, and features a dozen or more seasonal pour-overs from different roasters, including some roasters not otherwise found in D.C. “You can try flights of coffee or just enjoy our daily brew,” continues Brown. “We also serve iced coffee and mixed coffee drinks such as our Kenya Cola, featured in the The New York Times as one of the six most innovative iced coffees in the US.” Its extensive Sherry program is the domain of Chantal Tseng, named one of America’s 25 Best by Daily Meal this year. Guests love both the educational Sherry flights and the fortified wine’s presence in libations like the Adonis, with Amontillado, sweet vermouth and bitters. “Our vibe is one of discovery,” concludes Brown. “We want the adventure seekers, the curious ones. We know sherry isn’t for everyone and has so many misconceptions. Our bartenders study hard to know the over 100 Sherries on our list, and we’re very proud of them. We think that sherry deserves a home where people can come and discover something new, taste something different and share it with their

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ASIA

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By Francesca Martin

THREE CITIES in particular are leading Asia’s current bar charge. Hong Kong has always been at the forefront of Asia’s bar scene but this year has seen stiff competition coming thick and fast, both from Shanghai to the north and Singapore to the south. A recent spate of new bars in Shanghai, particularly bartender owneroperated, has reignited the scene, moving away from the Japanese whisky bar influence and onto something much fresher and more unique. Meanwhile in Singapore, one bar is taking barrel-aged cocktails to new extremes, another attempting to bring about an identity and style of bartending unique to this city immersed in cocktail culture. In the middle of the two, Hong Kong is proving ever the artist, with attempts to elevate cocktails to culinary art, and the use of avant-garde techniques and specially designed glassware to create ever more beautiful drinks.

Hopscotch, Singapore Recently opened, Hopscotch is the latest concept by event bartending company Mixes from Mars. A pop-up craft cocktail

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bar tucked away in the courtyard of former traffic police headquarters, Red Dot Traffic, Hopscotch brings something uniquely Singaporean to this city’s rampant bar and cocktail scene. Blending the passion for perfection in the craft of cocktails inspired

by Japanese bartenders, with the remarkable hospitality of western bartenders, and the uniqueness of Asian ingredients and flavours, Hopscotch is creating its own truly Singaporean bar and bartender identity. Kino Soh, rated in Singapore’s top 25 bartenders, and Joel (Jo) Ne Win take care of the drinks which are striking a cord with locals who are taken on a nostalgic journey of flavours experienced in their childhood and everyday life in Singapore.

Arab Street, for example, with its pomegranate syrup and saffron rose water, transports you to Singapore’s eponymous street, filled with its Middle Eastern flavours and the familiar aroma of shisha, which is smoked over the drink.

Starling, Shanghai The brainchild of three operating partners,

Brian Tan, Adam Devermann, and Theo Watt, Starling brings something a little different to Shanghai’s more traditional bar scene. In contrast to the dark, masculine, serious whisky bars that Shanghai is famous for, Starling is light, fresh, colourful and fun with a much more feminine touch. The team decided to take a South East Asian colonial approach centring on rum, still a relatively unknown category for Shanghai.

Think a modern refit of The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The drinks, which come in an array of different styles, from light to heavy, sour to fresh, are supposed to be accessible and much less pretentious than many out there. Although focusing on tiki-esque cocktails, Starling is equally the place for a great classic; their Daiquiri is tipped to be the best in town.

Creating a sense of community in the wider Asian bar scene is also going to be a focus, with top bartenders from around Asia coming to share their expertise.

Union Trading Company, Shanghai Creating a wider sense of community within the Shanghai bar scene is also a key focus of Lu Yao’s latest opening Union Trading Company. “Union” refers to what he hopes the bar will become – a social centre

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BARS TO WATCH 2015

ASIA BAR TO WATCH: MANHATTAN, SINGAPORE IF YOU thought barrel-aged cocktails were a fleeting, pass-by fad, think again. Inspired by the 19th century’s Golden Age of cocktails, Manhattan at Regent Singapore is reviving the grand hotel bar to new levels. Boasting the first walk-in hotel rickhouse with a solera system of 105 imported American oak barrels from a small cooperage in Minnesota, designed for the fractional blending of the finest aged cocktails, this bar is rivaling the best of them, locally and internationally.

Ricky Paiva, formerly of San Francisco’s celebrated Rickhouse, heads up proceedings working with a list of 25 Manhattanthemed seasonal cocktails, masterfully blended using the myriad of herbs, fruits, sugars, salts and spices stocked in the walk-in ingredients room. Rarities such as wildcherry bark, marshmallow root and shisandra berries are just three of a whole host of unique ingredients that Ricky has at his fingertips to create exceptional drinks.

Attention to detail is what makes Manhattan a cut above the rest. Glassware, for example, has been specially handcrafted by one of the oldest and highly renowned glass factories in the Czech Republic, a country famous for its glass production. “I place great emphasis on every detail”, says Ricky, “from quality ingredients to the prefect garnish on the ideal glass.” Their signature Manhattans are artfully prepared on a custom-made cocktail trolley, blending rare and house-finished spirits, artisanal vermouths and a unique collection of bitters to each guest’s tastes. The solera-aged Negroni comes with a block of hand-cut

bringing together all sorts of different people from different walks of life. Located in the French Concession, UTC is not a speakeasy, not a whisky bar, not a cigar bar, but a simple American-style cocktail bar with great food designed by partner-in-crime Austin Hu, owner of Madison and former chef at Gramacy Tavern in NYC. The menu is big with around 120 cocktails, all painstakingly dug out from old cocktail books in an attempt to educate guests on cocktail culture. All the cocktails are sourced on the menu as a salute to the forefathers of the cocktail trade by whom Yao has been inspired. Around 80% of the classics on the list you can’t find anywhere else in Shanghai. The overall desired result?

That every guest leaves happier than when they arrived.

The Envoy Partnering with fellow mixologist Amanda Wan, Hong Kong bar legend Antonio Lai has designed his latest opening as a

ice branded with the Manhattan logo. “It’s the little details that count,” Ricky believes.

If cocktails aren’t your thing, Kickerbocker, a lager made exclusively for Manhattan by an award-winning local microbrewery, is on tap, paying homage to the fact that all fine whiskies start their lives from a high quality grain mash. To accompany the drinks, Chef Nicholas Trosien serves up gourmet bar bites that reflect New York’s melting pot of cultures. If you’re lucky and hit Violet Hour, Mon-Fri between 5-7pm, you’ll get a complimentary taster of these served with a mini cocktail, another finer detail which sets Manhattan a cut above the rest.

wonderful mix of colonial East meets West.

The pair have created a menu of stunning cocktails, many of which feature tea as a main ingredient, a nod to the first British Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Pottinger, who helped establish the city as a major trading port. Antonio’s multisensory influences coupled with drinks served in highly unusual, custom made vessels, has meant this 22-seat bar located in the new boutique Pottinger Hotel has rapidly become one of the most popular in town.

Dinosaur is proving a favourite – vodka, Godiva chocolate liqueur, fresh milk, Milo ice ball, Milo power – served in a large Dinosaur egg-shaped cup. As is True Blood 2 inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Bols Genever, homemade ginseng liqueur, with juiced orange, lemon, cranberry and beetroot – served on ice in a miniature first aid kit.

The Woods Taking cocktails to a new level of culinary

experience is at the heart of the Chow sisters’ first opening on Hollywood Road in Central. The concept is to raise cocktails to a similar level as you would expect from fine dining. There are two bars, one serving classic cocktails with The Woods’ twist of house-infused spirits, homemade syrups and freshly squeezed juices, as well as a seasonal menu showcasing market-fresh ingredients. The second is a reservationonly, eight-seater bar where you are offered a four-course seasonal “prix-fixe” cocktail menu comprising of an appetizer, main course, dessert and a digestif, all matched alongside a small food pairing. The current menu includes the Gin Basil Smash complete with wooden hammer needed to smash your way into the drink, followed by the Bacon Bourbon Luge, which is served alongside roasted bone marrow. The bone, once you’ve hollowed it out, can be used to create a luge to funnel the rest of cocktail, and the rich bone marrow residue, into your mouth.

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Le Bon Ton

AUSTRALASIA

by Paul Wootton

DESPITE THE size of its population, its isolation and its traditional mainstream beer-drinking culture, Australia continues to confound and surprise when it comes to its premium bar scene. Aussie drinkers have never had it so good.

The strong Aussie dollar, combined with an increasingly adventurous consumer, have encouraged distributors to import increasing numbers of spirits from far-flung places, allowing bars to more easily impress with their ranges and pushed bartenders to experiment and learn.

As a result, there are more bars that specialise: gin and tonic bars; rum bars; tequila and mezcal bars. It’s a fun, theatrical, exuberant scene – suggested in the names of venues like Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern and Enrique’s School For To Bullfighting (the ‘mistake’ is deliberate).

The country has gone craft beer crazy –

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brew pubs are popping up everywhere and local boutique beers are becoming de rigueur, even in redneck country pubs.

Drinking habits are changing. Australian liquor consumption is declining but people are trading up.

Craft beer continues to thrive in New Zealand, too, where the hospitality sector is booming, thanks to a buoyant economy.

Auckland in particular is a hot-bed of activity.

Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall Brisbane Looking like a movie set version of a Louisiana saloon, with scarlet drapes, chandeliers and black leather banquettes, Lefty’s offers a wonderfully theatrical journey into the Deep South. The venue leans heavily on those twin pillars of American culture, country music and Bourbon, while tipping a sexy wink to the

site’s previous incarnation, The Velvet Cigar gentlemen’s club. Jason Scott, of Shady Pines and Swillhouse Group fame, is a partner in this venture and you can see his influence in the design – taxidermy, candlelight, the drama of the room – and in a large dose of humour. A sign outside proclaims: “Soup of the Day… Whiskey”.

Enough said.

Le Bon Ton Melbourne Featuring a smokehouse, absinthe salon, cocktail bar, oyster room and beer garden, Le Bon Ton elegantly succeeds in disproving the notion that you can’t be all things to all people. It excels at everything.

The American food, created by two chefs from Texas, is authentic in flavour, portion size and heart-stopping cholesterol content.

There are homemade pies, pit-smoked meats and sandwiches complete with what

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BARS TO WATCH 2015

AUSTRALASIA BAR TO WATCH: ENRIQUE’S SCHOOL FOR TO BULLFIGHTING, PERTH FIFTEEN GINS, five tonics and 15 garnishes are the foundations on which Enrique’s is built. Paying homage to the gin and tonic bars of Spain (and to awful Spanglish translations – that “for to” in the bar’s name is a deliberate mistake), Enrique’s was originally conceived as a pop-up extension to the Beaufort Street Merchant next door. But selecting a gin, a tonic and a garnish and creating your own G&T has proved so popular this venue may end up lasting longer than a Spanish dictatorship.

If G&Ts aren’t your thing, there’s Estrella on draught, a range of Sherries and some awesome cocktails, courtesy of bar manager James Connolly. Think Burnt Butter Old Fashioneds, Cold Drip Negronis and Chargrilled Pineapple

the menu describes as “damn good BBQ sauce”. Just as well because you don’t want your BBQ sauce any other way.

The décor is designed to wow the senses: exposed brickwork, a stunning bar and fairy lights strung above a courtyard. Drinks have a New Orleans stamp all over them, with Sazeracs, Hurricanes, and Vieux Carrés, crafted by the expert hands of ex-Black Pearl star Evan Stanley.

Angel’s Cut by The Trustee Perth From the same stable as Enrique’s comes Angel’s Cut, a revamp of the Trustee Bar & Bistro on St George’s Terrace. A modern xxxx

Daiquiries. House sangria costs just AU$5 every Sunday afternoon.

A short but well-constructed menu offers delights such as Tempranillo Braised Pork Cheeks, Squid Sliders and “Pig & Parmesan” – a jamon tuille topped with organic parmesan ice cream that tastes as good as it sounds.

The décor is rustic and quirky, with naked filament light bulbs, hanging buckets and huge paella pans on the wall.

It gets busy too, cramped and a bit chaotic inside – but always friendly, always fun. Perth residents are hoping this popup stays permanent.

Picture courtesy: Jampal Williamson

rum bar has replaced the old Trustee’s wine vault, aiming to tap into a growing understanding among Aussies that there’s more to rum than just Bundaberg. The back bar groans under the weight of more than 100 rums, drawn from all around the world – and the selection is growing. Cocktails have been created by the talented James Connolly and there are eye-catching promotions to drive business on Mondays, when punters can enjoy a plate of salt ’n’ pepper squid and a Dark ’n’ Stormy for just AU$10.

Small cocktail bars and craft beer venues are enjoying huge success and the big Aussie pubs want a piece of it. Uncle Hops is a new bar inside the Bank Hotel in Newtown. With 12 craft beers on tap, one hand-pump, beer-based cocktails and Boilermakers, the venue epitomises the craft beer craze sweeping the nation. There are local brews from the likes of Young Henrys, Willie the Boatman and the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel and styles span the spectrum from lagers and pale ales to IPAs and stouts.

Uncle Hops

Gin & Raspberry

Sydney

Wanaka, New Zealand Perched on the edge of Lake Wanaka in New Zealand’s South Island, Gin & Raspberry Boutique Bar in Wanaka offers stunning views of the resort town’s surrounds. You can soak up the sun on the balcony or get cosy inside by the fire. It’s a large 200-capacity venue and yet it oozes charm, thanks to that central fireplace, a baby grand piano and partitioned booths.

The venue is owned by restaurateur Francesca Voza, who also runs Francesca’s Pizzeria next door, and the bar menu incorporates wood-fired pizzas, plates of antipasto and a choice of six popcorns, from your regular salted variety to the more exotic plum and dark chocolate.

Angel’s Cut

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Weathering the storm With shipments down for the first time in a decade, Scotch whisky is facing strong headwinds, yet confidence remains high, as Tom Bruce-Gardyne discovers THIS MONTH the world’s most famous footballer will be raising a toast to the Chinese. Images of David Beckham armed with a dram of Haig Club – Diageo’s single grain whisky in its blue, aftershave-like bottle – will be splashed across billboards, print and online to launch the new brand in

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China. It comes at a difficult time for Scotch with Chinese imports down 35% in value in the first half of this year according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). More significant has been the 46% collapse in shipments to Singapore – the spirit’s third most valuable foreign market and a key

export hub for China.

Euromonitor analyst, Spiros Malandrakis, talks of a perfect storm featuring China’s economic slowdown, the government purge on conspicuous consumption and moves to break alleged links between the on-trade and prostitution. “In my view we’re not

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SCOTCH

TOP 10 SCOTCH WHISKY EXPORT MARKETS BY VALUE

looking at a very short-lived blip, but more of a prolonged slowdown,” he explains.

While he believes growth will return to China, he says: “The slowdown will definitely endure longer than Diageo and Pernod have been saying.”

The contraction in China is mirrored by falls in the US, Germany, Mexico and Brazil, and offset by gains in Taiwan, India and the Gulf. Overall, the total value of Scotch exports fell 11% in the first half of the year, and while it’s the worst drop since 1999, the SWA’s CEO, David Frost, shows no sign of panic. “The last time exports fell was 10 years ago. Since then they’ve doubled, so that’s the context we’re working in. The mood in the industry is still pretty buoyant to be honest, and our growth has tracked emerging market growth pretty constantly.

As long as those markets continue to grow, we feel things are going to be good for us.”

As for China, he believes: “The austerity campaign perhaps lasted longer than many people thought. What we saw in the last year or two was a bit of a bubble based on very strong levels of gifting.” Instead of Royal Salute or deluxe expressions of Johnnie Walker, today’s politically correct gift is a caddy of vintage Chinese tea. So rather than chase what Malandrakis calls “Beijing’s burgeoning billionaires”, Scotch is having to become more mainstream, which is where Beckham comes in.

“Our goal with Haig Club is to build it into the at-home and in-meal occasion, and in parts of Southern China we’ll be going together with Shui Jing Fang on the distribution front,” said Ivan Menezes, Diageo’s CEO, while announcing the firm’s preliminary results in July – Shui Jing Fang being the troubled Baijiu brand it acquired during 2012. The country’s dominant spirit has been decimated by a price war and the austerity campaign at the top end, but Diageo believes it could be the key to unlocking the off-trade for Scotch whisky as consumers switch to international brands that have similar price points. Any volumes gained won’t compensate for the value lost through the anti-extravagance drive, at least in the short-term, but it may give Scotch a more solid base for the future.

YEAR TO DATE TO END OF JUNE 2014 VALUE (£ M) JAN-JUN 2014 USA £327.7m France £210.7m Singapore £94m Taiwan £91m Spain £78.5m Germany £65.2m South Africa £58.7m UAE £54m South Korea £52.5m Brazil £40.1m

Over in Taiwan, while volumes remained unchanged at 9m cases, value soared by 39% as consumers continue to trade up. As Chivas Bothers’ then commercial director, Paul Scanlon, told SB in May: “Blends have definitely slowed down significantly, with deluxe blends now in decline, however malts have grown exponentially in the last five to eight years.” Edrington has been a major benefactor through The Macallan – the country’s leading single malt by value.

Gerry O’Donnell, the group’s corporate affairs director, calls Taiwan “a bright spot in Asia, where our brands are doing very well and prices are holding up.” Although he admits that The Macallan has suffered in China, it’s “not to the same magnitude as some of our competitors”. The most

‘The last time exports fell was 10 years ago.

Since then they’ve doubled, so that’s the context we’re working in’ exposed is Pernod Ricard, whose Chinese sales have accounted for as much as 15% of the company’s profits.

Of course shipments and depletions are never quite the same, especially in markets with long distribution chains. The Singapore-based wholesalers who play a major role in distributing Scotch across

JAN-JUN 2013 £391m £198.8m £173.8m £65.4m £81.8m £83.4m £65m £42.8m £59.6m £49.4m

% change -16% 6% -46% 39% -4% -22% -10% 26% -12% -19%

China and South East Asia are notoriously sensitive to any bad news stories on the economy. Diageo has suffered significant de-stocking in the region which is one reason its sales to emerging markets dropped 2% in the year to June. The following month Menezes told investment analysts of his desire to create “a sell-out culture, particularly in the emerging markets.” As a result, monthly performance goals for those on the frontline will be based around depletions Overall it’s a mixed picture in Asia with encouraging growth in Japan and news from the SWA that trade barriers may soon ease in Vietnam, offset by a volatile situation in Thailand. The great unknown remains in India, where shipments are growing despite punitive import tariffs of 150%. “We haven’t even scratched the surface of India, and there’s a temptation to say the same about Africa,” says Billy Walker, the former boss of Burn Stewart who now runs the Benriach distillery company.

The self-styled “ultimate optimist”, says: “Some of the markets we’re now engaging with we could never have imagined 12 years ago. It’s almost that the only market that has a total barrier to entry is North Korea.”

That said, Scotch whisky is taxed beyond the reach of most Indian consumers thanks to their government’s protectionism. Efforts to level the playing field have currently stalled as part of wider negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement, but the SWA remain hopeful. “The domestic politics appear to be changing a bit with domestic producers now openly lobbying to cut the tariffs,” says Frost, who accepts there is a risk of local state taxes simply rising to plug any drop in the national levy. If the barriers do come

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SCOTCH

Diageo’s Haig Club, fronted by David Beckham, is gearing up to take on the Chinese market this month

down, then all bets are off for Scotland’s distilleries whose entire inventory could be drained in one giant Indian gulp. Still, it’s unlikely to happen overnight.

“If you look at penetration in some of the big emerging markets, in India it’s 1% of the market, Brazil around 2-3%, and Russia 5%, so there’s a long way to go,” says Frost.

“People come into the middle classes and often use Scotch whisky as a kind of status symbol. When people have a bit more money they tend to reach for foreign brands, and Scotch whisky tends to be the best-known foreign spirit.” While that may be true in broad terms, there is talk of some ambivalence towards Western brands in parts of Latin America. Yet Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, insists otherwise. “In those economies where there is a significant rise in GDP in the emerging middle class, Scotch whisky is something that people do look to as an aspirational sign that they’ve arrived at a different stage of their lives.”

Moving to the States – the category’s most valuable market by some distance, shipments fell 12% in volume and 16% in value in the first six months of 2014. “To be

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‘Sometimes people get frightened by a wild statistic but I suspect that’s all it is’ honest we’re not totally sure why,” says Frost. “And to be equally honest we’re not really worried because the fundamental drivers seem so strong.

“The attractiveness of the category in recent years, the strong interest in malts, the premiumisation in the US – none of that seems to have changed.” No doubt Diageo would agree with a reported 14% rise in its US Scotch whisky business.

While mainstream blends face ever fiercer competition from Irish and American whiskeys, Morgan believes there is still plenty of space for growth. “Penetration of spirits in the US is still relatively low against

the adult drinking population,” he says, adding that the likes of Jameson’s and Jack Daniel’s may be aimed at a different demographic. “You could say that they’re recruiting people to a whiskey category who, as they mature, are likely to come to Scotch whisky.”

Time will tell, but Spiros Malandrakis believes the Irish and Americans have the upper hand right now, and that Bourbon distillers have shown themselves to be much more inventive and experimental. “They have embraced the trend around craft distilling, expanded with flavours and tapped into the whole AmericanaProhibition thing, and they’ve also massively premiumised the category,” he says. “When Red Stag and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey came along, Scotch whisky was looking in awe and fear from the corner of the bar.” As well it might if John Hayes, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller, is proved correct.

Last month he told The Spirits Business: “By the end of this year, the flavoured American whiskey category will be bigger than Scotch in the USA.” Morgan sounds unconvinced. “I think the jury’s out on how robust and enduring the flavoured whisky market will be,” he retorts.

That said, Diageo is now playing across all three strains of the new category – American, Irish and Scotch, having launched J&B Urban Honey in Spain this spring. Presumably it will soon be appearing in America to join Dewar’s Highlander Honey which pioneered the flavoured “Scotch” category last year. The appearance of such lines suggests the industry accepts, at least privately, that its previous innovations have not been enough to satisfy the craving for novelty among some US consumers.

Back to those SWA stats and Billy Walker feels the declines are a temporary blip.

“Sometimes people get frightened by a wild statistic but I suspect that’s all it is.” His confidence is shared by his fellow passengers on the good ship Scotch where it’s full speed ahead on production. Diageo alone is set to hit an estimated 100m lpa in malt whisky capacity, having been at 73m just five years ago. With investment in increasing capacity in the billions, let’s hope there are no icebergs ahead. sb

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THE LIQUEUR MASTERS 2014

OFFICIAL WATERS OF

Finding the flavour Judging liqueurs boils down to one thing: finding a fullness of flavour that, beyond marketing and sleek packaging, speaks for itself, writes Becky Paskin BARTENDERS ARE continually recognising the qualities certain liqueurs lend to drinks, whether they be herbal, fruit or creambased, but it’s those products that demonstrate unique flavours, full palates that mirror what’s written on the label, and an authentic heritage that take centre stage on drinks menus.

Heritage aside – after all, this was a blind tasting – this trend was clearly mirrored in The Liqueur Masters 2014, which uncovered vast quality across a whole spectrum of flavours, but most notably from those with robust profiles that obviously used traditional production methods to dial up taste rather than artificial flavours and colours. With both bartenders and consumers demanding more authenticity, this point marked a clear division between those with medals, and those without.

The blind tasting was conducted this year at the Red Lemon in London’s Notting Hill, with myself as chair. Joining me on the panel were Matt Armitage, co-founder of Craft Cocktail Co.; Harry Bellenberg, head bartender at The Cadogan Arms; and Pritesh Mody, founder of World of Zing.

‘The most important aspect of liqueurs is flavour, and that really came through in most of them’

We began the tasting with Traditional liqueurs; flavours that have stood the test of time that perhaps don’t belong in the Fruit category, which we got to later on. Despite a few examples of producers perhaps overdoing the sugar content, the judges were suitably impressed by the category, particularly with Giffard’s Menthe Pastille, a mint liqueur that, with a nose of crushed Polos and a palate of After Eight centres, scored the only Master of the round.

Coming up close behind was Joseph Cartron’s Abricot Brandy, securing a Gold.

Armitage noted: “Used as additives in cocktails to give them an extra dimension, some of these entries were pretty decent.

The most important aspect of liqueurs is flavour, and that really came through in most of them.”

Moving into Fruit liqueurs, the largest

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THE LIQUEUR MASTERS 2014

THE LIQUEUR MASTERS 2014 Category/ Company Traditional Giffard De Truchis Aldi

Product name

Award

Giffard Menthe Pastille Joseph Cartron Abricot Brandy Cocobay White Rum & Coconut

Master Gold Silver

Fruit De Truchis Distillerie Bepi Tosolini Wenneker Distilleries ??????????????

Aldi Aldi

Joseph Cartron Cherry Brandy Fragola Pezieria Wenneker Triple Sec Krupnik Cherry Specially Selected Crème de Peche Specially Selected Crème de Cassis

Master Master Gold Gold Silver Silver

Elderflower De Truchis

Joseph Cartron Elderflower

Silver

Cassis De Truchis

Joseph Cartron Crème de Cassis

Master

Amaretto Fruko Schulz Distillerie Bepi Tosolini Aldi

Fruko Schulz Amaretto Amaretto Saliza Amaretto Belluci

Master Gold Silver

Sambuca Antiche Distillerie Riunite Antiche Distillerie Riunite

Antica Sambuca Classic Antica Sambuca Liquorice

Gold Gold

Herbal Liqueurs and Bitters Distillerie Bepi Tosolini Amaro Tosolini Nonino Distillatori SPA Amaro Nonino Quintessentia De Truchis Joseph Cartron T Noir Fume Aldi Jagdbitter Herbal Liqueur

Master Master Silver Silver

Cream Aldi Mozart Distillerie Mozart Distillerie Aldi

Master Master Silver Silver

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Ballycastle Irish Cream Liqueur Mozart Chocolate Mozart White Specially Selected Irish Cream

round of the competition, judges continued to express their delight at some of the more authentic flavours to be found. The standout of the round was undoubtedly Joseph Cartron’s Cherry Brandy, which delivered a mouthful of ripe fruit macerated along with its stones, skins and branches. The expression was unsurprisingly awarded a Master, as was Distillerie Bepi Tosolini’s Fragola Pezieria (wild strawberry).

“There were some really complex flavours in this round, especially in the cherry ones,” noted Armitage. “There was also a nice balance of alcohol in the triple sec and I’d happily drink them after dinner.”

In the similar Cassis round, Joseph Carton once again stole the show with yet another Master. A fantastic example of a cassis – rich, viscous and mouth-watering – the judges agreed it would be fabulous mixed with Prosecco in a Kir Royale. The producer didn’t stop at that for the day, but went on to secure yet another medal, this time a Silver, in the Elderflower category.

The next round was something of a crowd pleaser, and despite all entries providing vastly different palates, the judges were both intrigued and impressed by their flavours. Three medals were awarded to the Amarettos – a Master, Silver and Gold, with the top accolade going to Fruko Shulz.

“This set was really interesting as there was such a disparity between all three,” said Armitage. “It’s an interesting category with a lot of different expressions.”

That traditional Italian liqueur that’s become a stalwart of student hangouts across the world came next. For Sambuca, the sky seemed to be the limit for flavours

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THE LIQUEUR MASTERS 2014

and colours, with every possibility under the sun now available. The ones that stood out for our judges in this round however were the more traditional, obviously lovinglymade classic and liquorice expressions, both from Antica. Both won Golds for their “rounded palate” and “simplicity”, which all agreed was key in this category to allow the spirits’ inherent anise notes to shine.

The penultimate round showcased a collection of Herb and Bitter liqueurs across an impressively wide selection of styles. The most impressive came from the amaros, a category witnessing increased interest from the bartending community at present.

‘I was particularly

in a glass.

“I was particularly impressed by the chocolate cream liqueur for its rich, chocolatey feel and multi-layered flavours,“ explained Mody. “I also enjoyed the classic Irish cream which had a good balance of flavour and richness with no cloying mouthfeel, which can often be very typical of this category.”

The Liqueur Masters is by nature always one of the most varied competitions in the Spirits Masters series, with producers from across the globe presenting a considerable assortment of their own local, traditional liqueurs as well as a handful of more modern expressions. But as our judges found on the day, the one quality inherent to every award-winner in this competition is that essential authentic flavour. sb

impressed by the chocolate cream liqueur for its rich, chocolatey feel and

THE JUDGES

multi-layered flavours’ Products from Distillerie Bepi Tosolini and Nonino Distillatori both won Masters and were described as “stand out products” by the panel.

Rounding off the day was a set of cream liqueurs, which from past experience can be very hit or miss. However, all those entered were suitably remarkable with two walking away with a Master. Budget UK supermarket Aldi secured a top award for its Ballycastle Irish Cream, which was described as “everything you’d expect from a cream liqueur – thick, creamy and luscious”, while Mozart Chocolate once again took home the grand prize for its iconic product that closely represents dripping molten chocolate

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From left to right: Harry Bellenberg, Becky Paskin, Pritesh Mody

43_sb_Nov_Adverts_Layout 1 30/10/2014 15:47 Page 1

42 Happenstance AdvertorialApproved_Layout 1 30/10/2014 16:02 Page 42

SPONSORED PROFILE

Christmas creations from The Happenstance The central London venue is gearing up for the festive season with a range of cocktails, classes and Christmas party spaces sure to make people merry DRAKE & MORGAN’S pioneering bar and restaurant, The Happenstance, will be welcoming city-dwellers during the festive period with a selection of innovative Christmas cocktails and mixology classes, alongside plenty of spaces for private hire and creative drink packages.

Playful cocktails have been created to kindle high spirits this Christmas. Sip on the ‘Rudolf’s Revenge’, featuring a unique blend of homemade venison stock, mandarin vodka and juniper berries, whilst the ‘Sugar & Spice’ blends a heady and warming mix of Chairman’s Spiced Rum, sweet vermouth, pomegranate and bitters, topped with Prosecco and garnished with a Christmas sugar rim and orange twist.

Festive cocktails will be served alongside their innovative, seasonal collection and signature skinny cocktails.

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Groups of friends or colleagues can also enjoy bespoke, festive-inspired mixology classes with The Happenstance’s expert bartenders. Session-goers will learn how to muddle and mix festive concoctions at home whilst getting merry along the way.

Classes can be booked for five to ten people and are priced at £25 per person.

Drink packages will keep parties topped up with perfect tipples for every palette. Party in style with the ‘Surprise & Delight Christmas Celebration Package’, which lets guests indulge in two bottles of Champagne, 20 beers, four bottles of wine and 10 soft drinks, priced at £250 when ordered alongside a beautiful buffet or with Christmas canapés.

A private dining room, The Curious Treasury, is a glamorous space to wow your guests. Accommodating up to 60 standing

or 32 seated, it comes complete with a 1950s kitchen which doubles as a private bar, and with its festive, golden mosaic tiled vaults and flowing drinks, is ideal to kick start the festive celebrations.

The Happenstance 1 Ludgate Hill London EC4M 7AA http://www.thehappenstancebar.co.uk/ @happenstancebar www.facebook.com/thehappenstancebar

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THE SPECIALITY MASTERS 2014

OFFICIAL WATERS OF

Calling for special measures The labels categorised under Speciality Spirits for this, the latest addition to the Spirits Masters series, are essential to serious bartenders, writes Becky Paskin THE WORLD is full of headline global spirits brands and mass consumer favourites, but in among the Johnnie Walkers and Grey Gooses are a collection of niche spirits offering some much needed diversity.

To the majority of consumers and bartenders, these speciality spirits are exotic and exciting, despite some of them being wildly popular in certain local markets. And while some come packaged with that allimportant tradition and heritage, modern brands are innovating and providing variety within their category, lending creativity to cocktails and long drinks.

This category is probably the most diverse of the Spirits Masters Series, so to assist me in blind tasting this smorgasbord of international spirits we enlisted the palates and open minds of a group of experts.

Joining me at the Red Lemon in London’s

Notting Hill were Pritesh Mody, founder of World of Zing, and Harry Bellenberg, head bartender at The Cadogan Arms.

The competition, a new addition to the series this year, began with rested grape spirit grappa, which, being a small round, drew a Gold medal for Giusti Reserva. Mody said: “It’s a good example of a grappa –

‘This is clearly a category where there’s lots of interesting new expressions emerging and plenty of quality’

nice, spirituous and approachable. There’s a good amount of fire to it with plenty of earthy notes and good length of flavour.”

Moving on to a relatively unchartered category for all of our judges, we sampled an amarone, an X spirit from X. Just one medal was awarded once again to Most Amarone Barrique, a sweet, fiery spirit with some rich sultana and dried fruit flavours right the way through.

The tasting then moved on into more familiar territory with a round of vermouths, which delivered a vast spectrum of flavours and styles. “This is clearly a category where there’s lots of interesting new expressions emerging and plenty of quality,” said Mody.

Surprisingly, among a sea of new and niche brands, consumer favourite Cinzano scored a Master medal, with judges describing its flavour as “vibrant, fresh, fruity

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THE SPECIALITY MASTERS 2014

THE SPECIALITY MASTERS 2014 Category/ Company Grappa Soc Ag. Giusti

Product name

Award

Giusti Reserva

Gold

Amarone Distillerie Bepi Tosolini

Most Amarone Barrique

Silver

Vermouth Gruppo Campari Giuseppe Contratto The Regal Rogue Group The Regal Rogue Group

Cinzano 1757 Contratto Vermouth Bianco Regal Rogue Bianco Regal Rogue Rosso

Master Gold Gold Silver

Amaro Montenegro Becherovka Original

Gold Silver

Bitters Montenegro Srl Jan Becher Karlovarska Becherovka

and balanced”. Medals were also awarded to Contratto Vermouth Bianco, and Australia’s Regal Rogue Bianco and Rosso, the latter two of which feature domestic botanicals only.

Finally, the competition ended with a short round of bitters, which saw Amaro

Montenegro score a Gold medal for its “well-balanced, herbal yet pleasantly sweet” flavour, reminiscent of cola cubes, the sweetshop classic. Becherovka Original meanwhile, which was described by judges as XXX, secured a Silver medal.

While additional categories in the

Speciality Spirits Masters were entered and judged, the above were the only ones to attract medals. “Producers who really know their category well did fantastically with their product in this competition, although some others didn’t quite hit the mark,” said Bellenberg. “It’s a niche category people have gone into, but there were some really interesting vermouths and bitters.”

Probably the biggest positive to take away from the blind tasting is the emergence of quality and diversity in vermouths and bitters, categories that are clearly of increasing interest in the cocktail world.

With any luck, further diversity within the category will draw more attention to the niche spirits, both traditional and modern, now available. sb

THE JUDGES

From left to right: Harry Bellenberg, Becky Paskin, Pritesh Mody

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UEUR MA ST LIQ S ER

TH E

47_sb_Nov_Amaro Montenegro_Layout 1 30/10/2014 15:13 Page 1

GOLD

Distributed in the UK by Zonin UK Ltd www.zonin.co.uk Tel: 020 89404943

www.montenegro.it

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OFFICIAL WATERS OF

Ready To Decide The inaugural Pre-Mixed Masters has shown that the growing category has reflected growing quality on offer to consumers, writes Melita Kiely COCKTAIL CULTURE is continuing to flourish all over the world and with that has come an interest from consumers to recreate the experience with ease in the comfort of their own homes.

As such, the industry has experienced a sudden surge in popularity for ready-to-drink (RTD) offerings, with the trend proving fiercely popular in countries such as Australia and the US. In response, The Spirits Business launched the inaugural PreMixed Masters blind tasting competition.

Joining me on the judging panel at Drake and Morgan’s Refinery was Guillaume Le Dorner, bar manager of 69 Colebrooke Row; Charlie McCarthy, drinks consultant; and Becky Paskin, editor of The Spirits

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Business and chairperson for the afternoon’s tastings. The first category to be presented before the panel was Classic Cocktails, which saw Tails Dutch Bramble win the

‘I would be very happy to be served this in a bar’

highest accolade of a Master medal due to its tart, fruity flavour.

“The stand out was the Dutch Bramble for me,” said McCarthy. “It was refreshing and original, managing to retain a citrus edge, which is very difficult to do in an RTD.” A second Gold medal was also awarded to Tails Ginger Old Fashioned, which delighted the panel with its fresh ginger aroma.

“Considering these are cocktails you would buy to drink at home or on the move, they were surprisingly fresh and vibrant,” noted Paskin. “I would be very happy to be served this in a bar.”

Next to pass the judges’ lips were the Contemporary Cocktails, which sadly got off to a shaky start. As the drinks were rolled out the first few disappointed in their lack of complexity and balance. Throughout the day, we endeavoured to follow the serving instructions as closely as possible, but with so many variables such as ice, citrus and serving temperatures affecting the end product it became evident that producers had a problem on their hands.

“The average consumer doesn’t know what the serving suggestions should be,” expressed McCarthy. “The quality of ice in people’s homes is going to be completely

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THE RTD MASTERS 2014

THE PRE-MIXED MASTERS 2014 Category/ Company Classic Cocktail Tails Ltd. Tails Ltd. Contemporary Cocktail Aske Stephenson Aske Stephenson Aske Stephenson World of Zing

Product name

Award

Tails Dutch Bramble Tails Ginger Old Fashioned

Master Gold

The Reverie Peanut Butter and Jam Old Fashioned Leather & Walnut Old Fashioned Bordeaux Barrel-Aged Negroni

Master Gold Gold Gold

different to what you’d find in a bar, which is going to affect the drink. So perhaps it would be better to have a bottled Old Fashioned for instance that doesn’t need ice; you just grab it out the freezer and it’s good to go.”

Nevertheless, as the round progressed, a smattering of entries stood out from their competitors. One Master was awarded to Aske Stephenson’s “utterly delicious” The Reverie. A further three Golds were also dished out to World of Zing’s Bordeaux Barrel-Aged Negroni, and Aske

Stephenson’s Peanut Butter and Jam Old Fashioned along with the Leather and Walnut Old Fashioned.

“The Negroni was one of my absolute favourites of the day,” commented Le Dorner. “The highest scores were given to the ones that had no citrus or juices. It seemed they were easier to bottle than citrus – as soon as you add fruit it’s just not as good.”

However, reflecting on the day’s events drew the panel back to the problem of serving suggestions and alleviating the

number of variables dependent on a consumer’s cocktail knowledge, which was especially apparent in the Contemporary Cocktails category. As McCarthy mentioned: “The standard in Contemporary was quite high but the impression I was left with was that, in terms of quality control, to make it easier for a consumer it would be better to have a bottle they simply put in the freezer and then pour into a glass.

“Don’t put the onus on someone who is not a bartender to make something you’ve put as much love into to make something as good as you can.”

It seems the key to the future success of the pre-batched cocktail category will come down to the mere matter of simplicity. sb

THE JUDGES

From left to right: Melita Kiely, staff writer at The Spirits Business; Guillaume Le Dorner, bar manager at 69 Colebrooke Row; Becky Paskin, editor of The Spirits Business; and Charlie McCarthy, drinks consultant

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Got to be Gordon’s As the world’s top international gin brand, Gordon’s may be a sleeping giant, but with its 250th anniversary approaching it has stood the test of time, Tom BruceGardyne reports LONDON WAS recovering from its worst ever hangover when Alexander Gordon opened his gin distillery there in 1769. It was only 18 years since Hogarth had published his famous Gin Lane print depicting the city as a gin-sodden den of depravity. It was the spirit of the gutter that offered its drinkers a fast-track to oblivion. It was said that sex and drink were the only enjoyments available for the poor, and of these, drunkenness was the most popular.

“Alexander Gordon really was one of the first gin distillers to set up a reputable gin company in London,” says Diageo senior archivist, Joanne McKerchar. As evidence of his commitment to quality, she points to how he made his son, Charles, do a full seven-year apprenticeship before taking over the reigns in 1823. Back then “they

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would have been producing a sweetened Old Tom style of gin, until continuous distillation kicked in the 1830s,” she says.

The resulting high strength neutral spirit allowed the London dry style to develop, though the term did not appear on Gordon’s distinctive green bottles until the early 1900s. By then the business had passed from the Gordon family and merged into Tanqueray Gordon & Co – the world’s largest gin house. Exports were growing and “wherever the expat community went, Gordon’s seemed to go too,” says McKerchar. Gin brought a taste of home to the far-flung tea estates and rubber plantations, and helped the tonic water slip down with its bitter, anti-malarial quinine.

When the tea planters returned home they brought back the G&T, which still accounts

for the lion’s share of Gordon’s drunk in Britain – the brand’s biggest market with sales of 1.25 million cases last year (IWSR).

Back in the early 20th century, London dry gin was just one of the spirits flowing from the firm’s Goswell Road distillery near the Barbican. “Gordon’s were incredible with what they experimented with,” says Mackerchar, who lists a string of flavoured gins and liqueurs including peppermint, cloves, lovage and orange bitters.

To this, she adds the Gordon’s shaker cocktail range, launched in 1924 by the firm’s new owners – DCL (now Diageo) as one of the first RTDs and an example of how innovative the brand was. “People

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BRAND BIOGRAPHY TIMELINE 1769 – Alexander Gordon opens his gin distillery in London

1906 – Gordon’s Sloe Gin launched

1898 – Gordon’s merges to form Tanqueray Gordon & Co.

1934 – Gordon’s US distillery opens in New Jersey

1924 – Gordon’s ready-toserve Shaker Cocktails launched

wanted to throw the perfect cocktail party, and Gordon’s realised they didn’t quite understand how to do it.” Yet by the 1960s flavoured gins were fading out and gin itself was in serious trouble. Its image was dusty, middle-aged and suburban compared to a thoroughly urban spirit called vodka.

In America, where Gordon’s had a distillery in New Jersey since the end of Prohibition, the rival white spirit appeared unstoppable. No-one made Martinis with gin anymore, and in a slightly desperate move DCL launched Gordon’s vodka in the late 1960s. Today the focus is firmly back to gin in what is the brand’s second biggest market. Yet life is not easy in the States, where sales slipped 7% last year to 645,000 cases (IWSR) and Charlie Downing, Gordon’s global marketing manager, accepts there may be a slight taste barrier with London dry gin. That sharp juniper hit can be a little too close to pine needles for the American palate.

“Gordon’s is the gin-iest of gins. It’s very juniper-forward and unapologetically so,” says Downing, who suggests the growing US trend for gin and juice makes that less of an issue. Possibly more problematic is the quality of American tonic water which tends to be sweetened with fructose or corn syrup and less bitter. Mixed with a bone dry British gin the result can be disappointing.

Gordon’s is married to its mixer of choice more than most spirits and clearly uses a fair amount of tonic for its canned G&Ts. It engaged in joint marketing with Schweppes until the 1990s, yet seems never to have considered launching its own tonic water.

Maybe that’s a missed opportunity?

Of its 4.4m total sales (IWSR 2013), Downing says up to 70% are in Western Europe, supplied by Diageo’s giant spirits factory in Fife. Gordon’s moved to Scotland in 1998 having diluted its UK strength to 37.5% abv six years earlier. This was not to stretch supply like a certain American whiskey brand, but simply to shave a few

2002 – Gordon’s repackaged as part of a £15m re-launch

1998 – Gordon’s gin production for Western Europe moves to Scotland

2013 – Gordon’s Crisp Cumber launched, followed by Elderflower

pence off its tax bill to compete with vodka and the surge in supermarket own-label gin.

Behind the scenes they worked hard to ensure Gordon’s quality wasn’t compromised, but the act of dilution gave its rivals a stick with which to beat it. It is telling that when the supermarket Waitrose launched its own gin, it went for 40% abv.

In 2002, after a decade of declining share in the UK, Gordon’s underwent a £15m relaunch including a smart, new bottle. By then Hendricks was on the scene as the brand credited with leading the whole premium gin renaissance and inspiring countless others to follow in its wake. “I really admire the way in which Hendrick’s has re-energised the category and helped people see gin in a different light,” says

‘Gordon’s brand values are quintessentially British, quirky and a little disruptive’ Downing. “As we see the explosion in new gins, frankly I hope they continue to flourish because it’s creating excitement, broadening the category and bringing people into gin.”

Leaving aside the Philippine’s Ginebra San Miguel which may well sell more bottles, Gordon’s is the category leader among international gins, though it hasn’t been leading from the front lately. In 2013 it flattered Hendrick’s with its Crisp Cucumber variant, followed by the slightly more innovative Gordon’s Elderflower this year.

But with 245 years of distilling history there’s no shortage of archive material to inspire future innovation.

For Downing, Gordon’s brand values are “quintessentially British, quirky and a little

disruptive”, and these have been wellcommunicated in recent adverts featuring the Life on Mars actor Philip Glenister. If Downing’s wish comes true and gin drinkers swing back to “the original”, this sleeping giant may start to wake. As he says: “It is a brand of substance that has stood the test of time.” sb

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BRANDS BULLETIN

Xmas pud pour SUSSEX’S BLACKDOWN Spirits is really getting into the festive spirit with the creation of a Christmas puddingflavoured vodka.

Distilled from 100% British wheat, the vodka is charcoal filtered seven times before being steeped in cinnamon, nutmeg, fruits and molasses for a spicy Christmas flavour.

The distillery, nestled near the Sussex South Downs, is described as having “the taste of Christmas in a bottle”, and is recommended served with ice and tonic with a cinnamon stick and orange slice.

It will be rolled out across the UK from November at an RRP of £44.99.

Grouse groomed EDRINGTON HAS given its blended Scotch whisky The Famous Grouse a thorough makeover to transform it into a “modern and global” brand.

The Scottish drinks group has developed a unique new bottle shape with curved shoulders designed “to mirror the grouse’s eyebrow”, as well as given the brand a new purple look.

Edrington will also bring the brand’s wider portfolio of expressions, such as The Black Grouse and Snow Grouse, under the same name rather than as separate “grouse” editions.

The Famous Grouse will also move its brand communication away from the iconic

Hendrick’s shows off its green fingers HENDRICK’S GIN is releasing a new gift pack to promote sales of its miniatures in domestic retail.

The Hendrick’s Cucumber Hothouse pack includes two 50ml bottles of Hendrick’s Gin as well as a packet of cucumber seeds, a growing pit and cucumber baller.

The brand, which features cucumber as

one of its botanicals, hopes sales of the pack will increase trialling.

James O’Connor, Senior brand manager for Hendrick’s at William Grant & Sons UK, said: “Most people still prefer to try before they buy, which makes innovative gift packs and fractional variants increasingly important in the off-trade.

Drambuie to get fresh start WILLIAM GRANT & Sons is planning to completely rejuvenate Scotch whisky liqueur Drambuie to “re-engage” consumers after its purchase of the brand earlier this year.

Despite the success of Drambuie’s A Taste of the Extraordinary marketing campaign, which drove a sales increase of 17% in the UK in 2013, William Grant intends on “killing” the quirky communication in favour of a fresh start on the brand.

The strategy means Drambuie’s newly-released “zig-zag” travel retail packaging will eventually be discontinued.

“With Drambuie we have a brilliant brand name and heritage but we just need to re-engage drinkers,” Ian Taylor, global travel retail director for William Grant said.

Taylor added that as part of the brand’s repositioning the UK-based

Disaronno to launch high-end amaretto Scotch whiskey offering TRADITIONAL AMARETTO liqueur Disaronno is launching its first ultrapremium brand extension, a Scotch-based product with a €300 price tag.

Disaronno Riserva is a 40% abv liqueur with a young blended malt Scotch whisky

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base from the Highlands and Speyside, and amaretto flavours.

The liqueur has been further rested to marry in Sicily in Florio marsala wine casks for six months.

Brand owner Ilva Saronno designed the

expression to give Disaronno a “a more premium image”.

It will be released in select domestic markets with prestige retailers, as well as in global duty free.

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BRANDS BULLETIN

Teeling wine cask pentagonal pour Fruko’s party bar THE TEELING Whiskey Company has achieved a first in Irish whiskey by maturing a single malt in five different wine casks.

Teeling Single Malt joins the company’s core line-up of premium whiskeys and furthers Teeling’s goal to increase choice and diversity within the category.

The new addition contains a unique combination of Irish whiskey aged up to 23 years in five different wine casks – Sherry, Port, Madeira, white Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The group claims the combination of casks creates a “vibrant and balanced” flavour of dried fruit, citrus, vanilla, spice and cloves.

Teeling Single Malt carries an RRP of €55/£50/$60 and is being rolled out this side of Christmas to Ireland, the UK, Benelux and France with the rest of the

Midleton’s Very Rare celebration IRISH DISTILLERS has created a €6,000 bottle of single pot still whiskey to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Midleton Very Rare.

Former master distiller Barry Crockett came out of retirement to finish the whiskey that he first laid down in cask in the 1980s.

The Midleton Very Rare Pearl Edition is the result of a collaboration between current master distiller Brian Nation and Crockett, who together selected a 1984 single pot still Irish whiskey to blend with a 1981 grain whiskey, which

LIQUEUR PRODUCER Fruko-Schulz has opened a dedicated bar in Prague, Czech Republic, themed around a Venetian carnival.

The Fruko Bar, which is being run as a permanent business, gives visitors an opportunity to takes the Fruko liqueur range, which now includes up to 36 flavours following the introduction of seven new expressions in Russia this summer.

The group claims its liqueur range is becoming “more and more complex and unusual” to meet the global demands of consumers and bartenders.

Elements of the bar itself were built from a giant barrel used to store Tuzemak rum for over 30 years. The group said that the

use of the barrel gave the bar a “light enchanting alcohol aroma”.

Fruko Schulz exported 137,000 cases in the first nine months of 2014 to more

Pimm’s gives in to cries for vodka DIAGEO IS to return Pimm’s No.6 Vodka Cup to UK shelves next summer following a “flood” of consumer requests.

Originally launched in 1964, the expression was the sixth in the Pimm’s series to be released, following similar expressions based on gin (No.1 Cup), Scotch (No.2), brandy (No.3), rum (No.4) and rye (No.5).

Diageo decided to delist the expression in recent months, but a band of consumers petitioned for its return.

From summer 2015, Pimm’s No.6 Cup will be available across the UK through selectretailers.

Its release follows last year’s summer limited edition, Blackberry and Elderflower.

Rose’s takes fresh approach to cordial HANS JUST, the Danish producer of Rose’s Lime Cordial Mixers, is to increase the content of fresh lime juice in its flagship product by 40%.

The recipe change will be brought in from 1 December to make the brand even more attractive to bartenders.

The increase of Dominican Republic lime juice in the product, from 27% to 38%, will make

Rose’s Lime the cordial with the highest concentration of lime juice available.

Jakob Vallentin, European export manager of Rose’s Cordial Mixers, said: “Rose’s Lime has always been a premium quality mixer, but with the strengthening of Rose’s Lime we have set the bar even higher, making it extra appealing for even the most critical professional

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TRAVEL RETAIL BULLETIN

Premium Metaxa revealed in Cannes RÉMY COINTREAU GTR offered a sneak preview of its super-premium Metaxa Angel’s Treasure at TFWA Cannes last month, ahead of a travel retail roll out next year.

The blend of aged Muscat wines from the Aegean islands and aged wine distillates has been left to mature in French limousin casks for “decades”.

The result is a slightly higher abv expression of the original Metaxa 5 Star brand at 41% abv, rather than 38%.

It is described as “more concentrated and more intense in aromas and flavours than others in its class”.

Priced at €130, it will be rolled out exclusively into global travel retail from March 2015 before a wider release in April.

Beam strengthens retail team BEAM SUNTORY has bolstered its travel retail team with the appointment of a former Morrison Bowmore director as MD of GTR. David Wilson previously worked for five years under Suntory’s Morrison Bowmore arm as sales and marketing director, which is now part of the Beam Suntory family.

His appointment follows a “strategic review” by the company of its global travel retail business, which “has resulted in a sharpened focus on developing growth”.

Wilson took up his new role on 1 October,

reporting directly into Baladi.

“I am delighted to be joining the Beam Suntory team at this time, to lead the next chapter for our GTR business,” Wilson said.

“I have spent a significant part of my career building and growing premium brands and I very much

Grant’s Glenfiddich to be simplified WILLIAM GRANT is to “completely review” its travel retail exclusive offer and reconsider the size of its Glenfiddich portfolio in the channel.

The UK-based drinks group intends to reduce the number of SKUs within its Glenfiddich portfolio to “reduce confusion” among consumers and

“simplify the range”.

Currently its travel retail offering includes the Glenfiddich Cask Collection, Age of Discovery, Glenfiddich 25 Year Old, Glenfiddich Small Batch 18 Year Old and Glenfiddich Nordic Oak. Meanwhile, it will introduce a trio of exclusives under the Tullamore DEW

Dubai leads Duty Free DUBAI DUTY Free has regained its position as the single largest travel retail operator in the world, having generated sales of US$1.8 billion in 2013.

According to figures from Generation Research, the achievement marks the fourth time the travel retail operator has topped the leaderboard, following successes in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Dubai Duty Free accounts for 5.19% of global airport duty free business, and 45.73% of airport sales in the Middle East.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman of Dubai Duty Free, said: “We are obviously delighted to regain the number one spot for the fourth time and to note that our business, along with the duty free business across the Middle East, continues to grow significantly.”

Russia’s exile strikes on travel retail as passengers drop TOURISM FROM Russia to the majority of European countries has slowed since the annexation of Crimea in March, from an expected 10% increase in 2014 to an anticipated 3%.

The weak Russian rouble coupled with

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sanctions against government personnel travel has impacted the number of affluent Russians travelling to parts of Europe.

According to a report from the European Travel Commission (ETC),

Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain have all seen visitor numbers drop the most significantly, while Cyrpus, Greece and Turkey, which offer value-for-money and are established Russian tourist destinations, have all experienced an

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TRAVEL RETAIL BULLETIN

New tricentenary tipple for Martell PERNOD RICARD is celebrating the House of Martell Cognac’s 300th anniversary with the release of a limited edition €10,000 blend.

Martell Premier Voyage is a blend of 18 eaux-de-vie sourced from winegrowing families whose ancestors supplied Martell in 1735-1742.

Cellar master Benoît Fil further matured the blend in barrels crafted from a 300-year-old tree. Just 300 Sèvres crystal decanters have been produced of Martell Premier Voyage, each accompanied by a minimalist steel artwork by French artist Bernar Venet. Only 30 pieces will be available in travel retail.

Each bottle will be individually numbered and signed, and will be initially launched exclusively in DFS in Singapore for the Masters of Wines and Spirits exhibition in November, before a roll out to major travel retailers across the globe in 2015.

Black Pearl shipping out RÉMY MARTIN is releasing 775 decanters of Louis XIII Black Pearl, one of its most exclusive and expensive expressions, as an anniversary edition.

The decanters will be distributed exclusively to Louis XIII’s partner outlets worldwide, as well as a limited number of high profile airports in Europe and the Middle East.

Each decanter, which has been created to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Louis XIII brand, carries an RRP of €10,000 (US$13,000).

The Cognac house has once again used 1,200 eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne for the Black Pearl Anniversary Edition, all of which are aged between 40-100-years-old.

The decanters have been drawn from the C-100-93 tierçon, which

Mass release set for Beam portfolio BEAM SUNTORY is to bring its entire Bourbon and American whiskey portfolio into the travel retail channel next year following its official departure from Maxxium Travel Retail.

As a follow-up to the Jim Beam Make History campaign launched earlier this year, Beam Suntory will introduce the Bourbon Legends umbrella, which will include Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, Baker’s and Booker’s small batch

whiskeys.

To coincide with the launch of Bourbon Legends in April 2015, the group will introduce a series of activations including the Bourbon Legend House, where travellers can discover more about the brands through trialling.

The Bourbon Legends portfolio will be introduced in Germany come April, followed by key airports in Eastern Europe.

Ageless Dalmore release WHYTE & Mackay is to release a no-age-statement travel retail exclusive range of The Dalmore single malt Scotch whiskies, named The Fortuna Merita Collection.

Meaning Fortune Favours the Brave, the collection will feature three expressions ages using Sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass, each of which is created to reflect the heritage of The Dalmore.

The Dalmore Regalis, the entry-point of the range, has been matured in American oak casks and finished in oloroso Sherry butts. It carries an RRP of €75.

The Dalmore Luceohas been matured exclusively in oloroso Sherry butts for a more intense, chocolate and marzipan flavour, and retails for €85.

Casa Cuervo bound for travel retail with new division CASA CUERVO, owner of Jose Cuervo Tequila and Proximo Spirits, is launching a travel retail division that will integrate operations in EMEA, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Jose Cuervo Global Travel Retail will be

headed by David Phelan, who has experience working in the drinks industry with C&C International and Diageo USA. The new division will combine the Jose Cuervo and Proximo Spirits operations, which also includes the Three Olives

vodka, Boodles Gin and Tincup whiskey brands, under one umbrella.

Juan Domingo Beckmann, CEO of Casa Cuervo, said: “As the world’s number one Tequila, Jose Cuervo has always held a strong position in travel retail and enjoyed

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VENUE PROFILE

Secret Bar on Sloane Avenue Barts harks back to a time of speakeasies and gangsters, making it one of London’s most loved underground bars BARTS IS a quirky speakeasy-style bar on prestigious Sloane Avenue that has rapidly become a Chelsea institution since it opened five years ago. It is owned and operated by The Inception Group, whose venues are well loved for their unusual themes – with their 1980s club Maggie’s in Chelsea; Bunga Bunga, an Englishman’s Italian bar, pizzeria and karaoke in Battersea; Victorian-themed bar, Mr Fogg’s in Mayfair, based on Jules Verne’s novel Around The World in 80 Days; and, DISCO, in Soho, based on 1970s Manhattan and Studio 54. This summer they launched

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Cocobananas, which takes its inspiration from a Brazilian Beach party The group’s founders, Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling, were inspired by many of the venues they had visited around the world, from New York to Tokyo and Barts was one of the first British establishments to adopt the American speakeasy theme, setting a trend that shortly afterwards took London by storm. As Gilkes says, “part of New York’s excitement is that it’s full of surprises, and some of the best bars and restaurants are where you’d least expect them.”

The story behind Barts is based on the

actual hidden bars of the Prohibition era and the fact that many gangsters operated secret stills out of actual apartments.

Bootleggers have created an eclectic “fake” home belonging to the fictitious character, Uncle Barts, a quintessentially British gent who provides the perfect alibi for all the comings and goings to the address.

To find this secret bar you have to walk through a large 1930s apartment building until you come to an imposing black door with a lantern and small inconspicuous sign.

Guests are asked to ring a bell beneath a purposefully misleading, neon B&B sign, to

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VENUE PROFILE

Barts is well-known for its savoury cocktails as well as its quirky artwork

alert a member of staff, who will peer through the door’s grate and determine whether there is space to accommodate.

Regulars and loyal supporters are rewarded with key cards so they can swipe a reader to gain access, and also with their own pewter tankards which hang above the bar.

This year, for Barts’ 5th birthday, Charlie and Duncan celebrated with a grand refurbishment. The venue was closed while Uncle Barts and his team of merry men worked away in secret and then unveiled the new look to members and regulars alike at the party. Inception Group is well known for its creativity and surpassed itself once again with the redesign of Barts.

On entering the bar, guests found themselves cocooned in Uncle Barts’ elegant saloon, complete with chintz wallpaper, antique mirrors, taxidermy galore, leather banquettes and eccentric teapot lights.

Known for his love of fancy dress, Uncle Barts also had his vintage trunk replenished, that is now bursting to the brim with a vast array of

wigs, costumes and hats for his visitors to amuse themselves with. Finally, there has even been the addition of a portrait of the handsome chap himself, that takes pride of place in the seating area to the left of the bar.

Though, fear not, the original portrait the bar is famed for – the graffitied Mona Lisa – is still in it’s rightful place for all to admire.

Behind the respectable façade of Uncle Barts’ apartment, there are signs of moonshiner’s illicit activities with a coppertopped bar laden with medicine bottles and signature Barts Tea served in vintage teapots and teacups, as well as its sharing cocktails which come served in Laurel and Hardy and Top Hat-shaped vessels. The venue is brought to life through an eclectic mix of Prohibition era music played with regular live performances every week. There is also a stylish Cuban-themed garden area at the back of the bar, which is especially popular throughout the summer months.

Barts serves an extensive range of Champagne, cocktails and wine and is

famous for its signature Barts Tea served in vintage teapots and teacups. Most recently, talented bar manager Vincenzo Sibilia and his team have earned critical acclaim for their tobacco and herb-infused ranges of cocktails, with refreshing drinks such as the Basil Fawlty being created from herbs homegrown in the Barts garden, as well as their new vinegar-based drinks made with home-fermented fruits. Guests at Barts can also enjoy a delicious sushi menu that is hand delivered to Barts door by their Japanese neighbour Sushi des Artistes.

Barts: London’s Worst Kept Secret.

Barts T: +44 (0)20 7581 3355 E: info@barts-london.com W: www.barts-london.com F: Barts T&IG: @BartsLondon Opening Hours: Sunday-Tuesday, 6pm12am , Wednesday-Saturday: 6pm-1am.

Advertisement Promotion

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Indian

aspiration With new government recently voted into power, what does the future hold for the Indian spirits market? Melita Kiely reports

INDIA DISPLAYED the world’s largest exercise in democracy earlier this year when 537 million voters took to polling stations and elected the Hindu nationalist group the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into government.

After the party’s landslide victory, leader Narendra Modi took to Twitter promising, “good days are coming” for the people of India. Whether this hopeful promise extends as far as the spirits industry, however, will only be revealed in time.

India’s prosperous potential continues to be hindered by the eye-watering 150% tariff on imported spirits, plus further arduous state tariffs and taxes. While others may be

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filled with joy at the overturning of the former Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and look to the future with fresh optimism, it seems as though there will be little relief for the spirits segment.

“We have absolutely no idea whether the new government has any plans to reduce import tax or keep it the same,” says Rick Jagdale, advocate director of Amrut Distilleries. “A lot of pressure is being put on the government to reduce tax on alcohol, but I think it will be quite some time before anything changes – if it changes at all.”

It is a frustrating concern that has burdened spirits producers for years and one whose ripple effect is felt around the

world. EU-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations began back in 2007, but as of yet, to no avail.

And while the emerging market experienced an explosive surge in growth back in 2008, the initial increase is now slowing down and looks set to “normalise” according to Spiros Malandrakis, senior alcoholic drinks analyst for Euromonitor, part of which he attributes to a decline in dark rum – India’s third biggest spirit after whisky and brandy.

“Overall, there has been a massive slow down in the overall growth of spirits in India,” he explains. “The first stages of growth tend to be quite dramatic but after a

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INDIA

SPIRIT VOLUMES IN INDIA GROWTH (%) while they calm down. Consumers seem to be shifting away from cheap dark rum and seeking more aspirational brands.”

Whisky still remains the country’s biggest selling spirit with 175.7m nine-litre cases sold in2013, according to figures from the IWSR. And despite troublesome taxes, Scotch whisky exports to India reached £36m in the first half of 2014 according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), up a staggering 31% from £27.6m over the same period in 2013. It means India is now the 13th biggest market by value for Scotch, which rose 33% in the first six months of this year to 32.6m bottles from 24.5m in the first half of last year.

“India is becoming an increasingly valuable market for Scotch Whisky,” says Rosemary Gallagher, SWA communications manager. “It has reached current levels despite a 150% tariff on imported spirits. We see great potential.”

It’s a perhaps a sign of how times are changing. For decades, India has been

Consumers are opting to shun lower-end cheap dark spirits

notorious for its love affair with cheap, lowend whisky, but it seems aspirational consumers are seeing the light and venturing towards better quality products.

According to Paul John, of John Distilleries, as disposable incomes increase, consumers are opting to shun lower-end cheap dark spirits in favour of premium alternatives.

“There is still a way for Indian consumers to go,” says John. “Most of the population in India is still very young – 55% are below 35years-old. As they grow older, they will move towards premium spirits.”

Beam Suntory recently launched Bottled in India Jim Beam on tap to tap into the younger demographic seeking a “trendy

Category 2008/09 2009/10 Brandy and Cognac 16.2 12.3 Liqueurs 0.9 5.2 Rum 9.3 8.8 Whiskies 13.3 12.9 White Spirits 14.2 11.9 Total Spirits 13.0 11.9

2010/11 18.1 6.1 5.5 10.8 12.0 11.2

2011/12 12.7 6.9 -3.2 8.7 -4.0 6.7

2012/13 7.2 7.7 -2.8 4.4 -3.2 3.4

* Source: Euromonitor

UNITED SPIRITS LIMITED TO SAY 2014 has been a tempestuous year for United Spirits Limited (USL) could be conceived as an understatement. Diageo officially confirmed its £1.1 billion offer to acquire a 55% majority shareholding in the company back in July, thus making India one of the group’s “largest markets”. At the time, Euromonitor analysts said the acquisition would give Diageo an “unassailable” position as the world’s largest spirits producer by volume. It meant that combined, USL and Diageo command more than 30% of total global whisky volumes, approximately 17% for rum, nearly 10% for vodka and 15% for gin.

“India has now become one of Diageo’s largest markets and will be a major contributor to our growth ambitions,” declared Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo, at the time. “We can now combine that [USL’s] strong platform with Diageo’s strengths to create a compelling future in India for Diageo, USL and the Indian spirits industry.”

But by August, USL had again delayed publishing its full-year sales results for 2013/14 in order to seek “certain clarifications and information on the draft financial results and related issues”. When results finally came out in September, a net loss of some £445m came out of the woodworks, which USL attributed to the large writedown on the sale of its Whyte & Mackay Scotch whisky business, purchased by Philippines-based spirits producer Emperador for £430m.

Further question marks loomed over loans equating around £140m issued to its previous parent company UB Holdings, owned by USL chairman Vijay Mallya, resulting in Diageo launching an enquiry into loans paid out by the Indian company.

And if that wasn’t enough turmoil, Mallya faced expulsion as chairman of USL in September after the United Bank of India declared him a “wilful defaulter”. However, in spite of prior recommendations of shareholder advisory firms Mallya was re-elected as chairman at the beginning of October.

and cool” whisky that can be enjoyed neat or mixed. Teachers continues to be the leading brand in India for the drinks firm within the combined standard and premium sector, surpassing Scotch giants such as Johnnie Walker, 100 Pipers and Black Dog, according to data by Nielsen. “The Bourbon category in India is in its nascent yet fastgrowing stage,” comments Vidyut Arte, managing director for Beam Suntory India.

“The super-premium and premium brands are growing much faster than the rest of the market. Demand for high-end brands such

as Laphroaig, Bowmore, Teachers Origin etc. has been huge.”

At the other end of the spectrum, white spirits account for a much smaller portion of the Indian spirits market. For a while, vodka was growing year-on-year, but demand has decreased and volumes have declined.

Consumers have no interest in standard brands, but within the premium sector, Diageo’s Smirnoff Vodka continues to dominate. Just last month, the company launched two ready-to-drink (RTD) expressions, Smirnoff Ice and Smirnoff

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INDIA

Black in India. For the past 5 years, RTDs have been growing at around 9% year-onyear according to Malandrakis, who explains: “Historically, RTDs have been used as a stepping-stone to increase growth in markets and create an emotional connection with the younger demographic.

RTDs right now are booming and in India they are the stepping-stone to higher end spirits for consumers who are less familiar with the more sophisticated makes of alcoholic drinks. They offer things that are much more flexible with sweeter flavours that appeal to the younger, aspirational generation.”

The movement towards premium and super-premium brands in India is most definitely in full swing, and while some

Copper stills at Amrut Distilleries

‘India is capable of producing some very good single malts’

Amrut Distilleries plans to launch a superpremium single malt

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producers such suggest consumers are “not quite there yet” when it comes to appreciating single malt whiskies they have certainly managed to whet their appetites for the category. Outside of India preconceptions of the nation’s ability to provide spirits of a high-standard have markedly improved. One need only look at Allied Blender’s & Distillers’ Officer’s Choice, which stole the crown from Johnnie Walker this year to become the world’s biggest selling whisky.

John Distilleries launched two new single malts in the UK market last year, which have both received “good reviews” according to John. “Consumers are pleasantly surprised that India is able to produce such high quality spirits,” he says.

“The response we have had is very encouraging. The international population of single malt consumers is coming to

accept that India is capable of producing some very good single malts.”

However, while many producers such as John Distilleries and Amrut Distilleries are leading the way for high-end products, the SWA is “still concerned” about the quantity of cheap Indian whisky flooding the European market, which in fact are not whiskies as defined by the EU. “The difficulty is that the products are not whisky as defined by the EU,” explains Gallagher.

“In Europe and many other countries around the world, the definition of whisky is based on long-standing traditional methods of production. The vast majority of spirit produced and sold in India as ‘whisky’ does not comply with this definition for a variety of reasons, such as not being distilled from cereals or containing flavourings.

“The sale of such products as ‘whisky’, or as a constituent in a ‘whisky’, is illegal and damages the reputation of the whole whisky category in the EU.” But with no regulations of whisky production in India, control over production methods is pretty impossible. It is something producers in India would also like to see implemented, who feel the full force of its negative effect. “I would like the government to come out with some standards in products in alcohol, not only in terms of whisky, but brandy and rum as well,” John says. “Something has to be done; it will really boost the reputation of Indian spirits.”

Looking forwards, while Euromonitor’s trajectories forecast further slow-downs in spirits growth across the board for India, distillers themselves are more optimistic about the future. Amrut Distilleries claims sales have grown 15% over the past two years and is confident it can sustain doubledigit growth in the coming years of between 12-15%. Jagdale revealed plans to launch super-premium Amrut Single Malt, which he believes with the right methods of consumer education, will fill a space in the market.

“We are confident in our company as an artisanal business,” Jagdale adds.

“Currently we sell in about 40 different countries and we would like to increase our footprint over the next couple of years. For a lot of people still, Indian whisky is something new and different. We just want to show them that it can be really good.” sb

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Edgerton Pink Gin, in association with The Spirits Business, is proud to announce The Edgerton Pink Gin Masters 2015.

UK-based bartenders are invited to submit a recipe for the cocktail competition using Edgerton Pink Gin for a chance to win your name immortalised on your own limited edition batch of Pink Gin and full-page Bartender Profile in The Spirits Business.

Recipes must be submitted by 3rd of February 2015, with 10 finalists chosen to compete at the grand final held in London on Tuesday 17th February. Each of the 10 finalists will be sent a bottle of Pink Gin to help perfect their recipe before the grand final.

Full terms and conditions, along with details on how to enter, can be found at www.thespiritsbusiness.com/awards/Edgerton

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THE BACK

BAR

INTO THE WILD Foraging for cocktail innovation

STICK OR TWIST Is menu deviation acceptable?

LONDON CALLING The city beckons young blood

Exclusive Media Partner

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Members’ Club THE INTERNATIONAL BARTENDERS ASSOCIATION

Home-turf success for Czechs THE CZECH Republic secured a double win following the Rudolf Jelinek Cup in September, which incidentally took place on home soil.

Held at the R. Jelinek headquarters in Vizovice, the cocktail competition challenged more than 20 bartenders from across Europe to mix cocktails in both classic and flair categories.

Participants in the classic category were required to create two cocktails for the competition, a fancy drink and a long drink.

But despite strong performances from Slovakia and Poland, Czech bartender Zuzana Pavlí ková secured the title in the classic round with her Jelinek Bohemia Honey and Pear Vodka-based fancy cocktail, Honey Autumn, and her long

drink, Orange Honey.

The victor of the flair round was Martin Vogeltanz, also of the Czech Republic, whose flair skills and cocktail Honey Heaven were deemed the winners.

The two winners both received a financial award, as well as marketing support for the remainder of 2014.

IBA Guild Focus:

Czech Bartenders’ Association IN 1921 the first organisation of bartenders on Czech soil was founded – the International Union of Bartenders in the Republic of Czechoslovakia. It was to exist as an independent structure for three years, before it merged with Genevoise, the organisation of hotel, restaurant and coffee house workers, with its base in Geneva.

The first notable appearance of a Czech bartender on the international scene had been in 1951, when Rudolf Slavik (head bartender at George V in Paris, who originally hailed from the small Czech town of Kláster) was elected IBA vice president upon the foundation of the IBA. The political development in what was then still Czechoslovakia after 1989 was a dramatic game changer in terms of the possibilities for likeminded professionals to associate. In 1990, the Ministry of the Interior approved the charter of the Association of Czechoslovak Beverages – Shaker Club – the very association that was admitted as a member to the IBA during that year’s IBA Conference in Mexico City.

In 1993 Czechoslovakia was divided to form two independent countries, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. In connection with this “divorce of states”, the Czechoslovak Bartenders’ Association

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ceased to exist. Its successor in the Czech Republic was the Czech Bartenders’ Association (CBA).

Since then, the CBA has played a major role within the IBA on numerous occasions, starting in 1996. The second Czech bartender to achieve international acclaim was Jaroslav Krátky, who stole the show at the International Cocktail Competition held the same year in Tokyo, with his cocktail Lady Scarlett.

In 1997 the CBA hosted the IBA meeting at the Grand Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, while last year, in 2013, the CBA was again a magnificent host of the 62nd IBA Congress, held in Prague.

The activities of the CBA have had an increasing impact on the Czech bar scene and on the development of the cocktail culture in the Czech Republic.

Ales Svojanovsky (pictured) is currently the president of the CBA.

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MEMBERS’ CLUB

IBA Partners’ Interview:

Stéphanie Charvoz, brand manager, 1883 How long involved with the IBA? More than 10 years but we are now beginning to invest a lot in the association because we are trying to make a real statement with our brand. This year is very important for us because we have rebranded 1883 and presented our newlook bottle, logo and label design it to the community for the first time at the World Cocktail Championships in Cape Town.

How many countries is 1883 available in?

It is in eight countries, the priority ones being the US and Asia. We work with importers in all our markets and are present in both the cocktail business and also the coffee business.

Do the two sectors need a different approach when it comes to marketing?

Baristas and bartenders have the same needs for quality products, and they are both very creative, so we have the same approach for both. The only exception to the rule is our website, which has two

different entry points for bartenders and baristas.

What is it about the IBA that attracted you as a partner?

It’s a great way to meet our target market, to meet the bartenders and bar managers, to talk with them about what they need, discover their expectations and to pick out new trends. It also gives us the opportunity to just be aware of the market, because it’s moving very fast and it’s important for us as a brand to be able to keep up.

How are bartenders using syrups in cocktails right now, and does it change around the world?

They all tend to use syrups in the same way, but the flavours change. Our most popular flavours are vanilla, hazelnut, apple, rose and caramel, but last year we launched cucumber and caramelised peanut, especially for coffee. It’s important for us in the context of the launch to create trends and not to be a follower. We want to help

barmen discover new products and skills.

What is it about bartenders that impresses you the most?

Their patience. Bartenders are prepared to go far and wide to find the perfect product for their drink because they want a certain flavour. They have a lot of products to choose from but when they want a certain

Classic Cocktail: Rosalind Russell ROSALIND RUSSELL (1907-1976) was an American actress who earned four Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and received a special Academy Award in 1972. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Russell was one of the leading ladies of stage and screen. Both in her personal life and film career, she was known as a sophisticated woman, and although she generally played classy and glamorous roles, she was never a sex symbol.

Rosalind Russell’s career lasted from humble beginnings as a fashion model in the 1930s right through to the 1970s when she progressed to star in many Broadway shows. One of her favourite drinking spots in New York was The Stork Club, where her Danish father-in-law, actor Carl Brisson, introduced her to an aquavit-based tipple made with vermouth.

Once tasted, Russell continued to order it frequently, and it soon became her signature drink. It is said that her favourite vermouth at The Stork Club was Dubonnet Blonde.

When creating new varieties of this splendid aquavit cocktail, bartenders often introduce additional flavours using bitters, usually Angostura, and lemon zest. Red vermouth also appears from time to time. However, all of these are deviations from the original.

Rosalind Russell’s eponymous cocktail appears in The Stork Club Bar Book of 1946, and is currently one of the best-known aquavit cocktails. Well-mixed and shaken over ice, it delivers a crisp, clean flavour with a well-balanced and strong bite of caraway.

ROSALIND RUSSELL Ingredients: 60ml Aquavit (chilled) 30ml Dubonnet Blonde Method: Shake aquavit and vermouth with ice

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MEMBERS’ CLUB

Take five with…

Maciej Urbanski, Harvey Nichols Champagne Bar MACIEJ URBANSKI began life behind the bar in a local joint in X, Poland in 2002. An evening job to supplement his university studies, Urbanski never considered bartending a serious career.

After his studies came to an end however, he continued mixing drinks, and moved to Krakow to work in a string of five-star hotels. After a brief stint in Spain, Urbanski took his career to London, where after just three days in the capital, secured a role behind the bar at Fifth Floor Harvey Nichols. Now situated behind the establishment’s Champagne Bar, his signature drink, Gold Autumn Woods, was recently selected to represent the UK at the IBA World Cocktail Championships in Sofia, Bulgaris in 2015.

Why are you a bartender?

Because I love it when my office is full of happy people around having good time. If I weren’t a bartender, my second dream job is to be a pilot. Maybe one day I will take my license for micro flights.

What’s been your career highlight?

Representing the United Kingdom at the International Cocktail Competition in Sofia next year is the most amazing highlight of my career. There are many responsibilities now but I love challenges and will do my best to win it. London has been my work place for more than four

years now, and I have been a member of the UKBG Guild for the last two years.

Last year I decided to start competing in cocktail competitions and I am proud to say I now hold this trophy. This is a message to all bartenders to not hesitate to get involved in cocktail competitions.

You have a great time with fantastic people where you can only improve and develop your skills.

What is your ultimate career goal?

My ultimate goal for every bartender is to achieve high standards, quality, elegance and, most importantly, satisfaction of your guests who visit your bar and enjoy spending that time with you.

What is the key to delivering superb service?

Passion, quality, skills, organisation and prioritisation because you need to decide which of those points goes on top and when is a time for it.

What is a difference between Bartender and mixologist?

A bartender takes care of his guests; a mixologist takes care of his drinks. So I am a “mix-artender”, because I do both.

Signature cocktail: Gold Autumn Woods URBANSKI CREATED his award-winning drink after being inspired by nature and the four seasons, particularly autumn. Designed around the time people return from their warm summer holidays to cooler climates, Gold Autumn Woods is a mix of Wood’s Old Navy Rum, sponsor of the UKBG competition, Briottet’s Crème de Chataigne and Prucia Plum liqueur for a deep, rich taste. Urbanski claims the drink was created to reflect elegance and the classic style of cocktail making in London.

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GOLD AUTUMN WOODS Ingredients: 35 ml Wood’s Old Navy Rum 20 ml Briottet’s Crème de Chataigne 15 ml Prucia Plum liqueur 2 dash of Bitter Truth Orange Bitters Method: Stir over ice and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a plum fan and orange twist.

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VENUE PROFILE

Introducing Notting Hill’s Latest Local – The Red Lemon London’s Notting Hill has a new squeeze – The Red Lemon pub, perched at the quiet end of All Saints Road, close to Portobello Road Market OWNED AND run by Alli Kyle with head chef David Green in the kitchen – the pair met when working at Portobello Road’s Electric Diner. Guests can expect proper British pub dining and drinking seven days a week with a focus on well-sourced ingredients and a vast selection of premium spirits, real ales and craft beers.

Head chef David Green’s CV takes in many of London’s coolest kitchens including Dean Street Townhouse, Hoxton Grill and Harvey Nichols’ 5th Floor Restaurant.

Take your pick from an ever-evolving range of real ales including Portobello Pale and

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Portobello Star from the nearby brewery of the same name along with monthly changing guests ales. Meanwhile, Red Lemon’s carefully selected wine list spans New and Old World bins with something for all palates.

West London luvvies looking for a place to host an event, need look no further as Upstairs, the Blue Room is the ideal spot for private birthdays, special occasions or even wedding receptions. The space comes complete with its own bar, a palette of soft grey and green furniture and optional long banquet table for fabulous feasts. Bespoke

canapé and reception menus can be arranged for receptions of up to 60.

The Red Lemon – A proper local in the heart of Notting Hill.

The Red Lemon 45 All Saints Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 1HE www.theredlemon.co.uk T: +44 (0)20 7229 5963 @theredlemonpub

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VENUE PROFILE

The Red Lemon Burger

Alli Kyle

Chef David Green

The pub’s private hire room

The Avocado with Poached Egg

The Red Lemon restaurant

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COCKTAIL BULLETIN

Jameson backs barrel-aged

BARREL-AGED cocktails have become increasingly popular in recent months, and now Jameson Irish Whiskey has launched a barrel-aged cocktail programme for bartenders keen to expand their knowledge of cocktails and Irish whiskey.

Designed to “inspire and encourage” up-and-coming bartenders, the Jameson Barrel Aged Cocktails programme was developed in association with bartender Myles Davies of Hixter Bankside, London and will offer two training slots under Davies’ guidance.

To coincide with the launch, the brand has also created a bespoke barrel-aged Jameson cocktail for Hixter, called Autumn Leaves. The tipple is a blend of Jameson Irish Whiskey, sweet vermouth and an apple aperitif from Somerset that has been aged in a 15-litre barrel made from a 200-litre Jameson seasoned barrel by 5th generation master cooper, Jer Buckley.

“There has been a resurgence of barrel-aged cocktails in the last eight to 10 years,” said Davies. “Consumers are no longer simply drinking for the hell of it; they want a sensory experience and something they can sip and enjoy.

“Working with Jameson on the Barrel Aged Cocktail programme has provided me with first-class tools to explore Irish whiskey and experiment

with ageing cocktails. My journey with Jameson has given me the knowledge and confidence to mix Irish whiskey with a passion and I look forward to mentoring two of my peers in the art of barrel-ageing in the coming months.”

Commenting on the scheme, Brendan Buckley, global innovation director at Irish Distillers, said he hoped it would “inspire and empower” bartenders.

“Much of the success of Jameson around the world has been down to unstinting bartender loyalty and advocacy, so we are constantly looking for new ways to inspire and empower the creativity of leading mixologists,” he added.

“The Jameson Barrel Aged Cocktails programme invites bartenders to develop new taste sensations for consumers, who are increasingly thirsty for innovation, variety and authenticity, while showcasing the crafted quality at the heart of Jameson.” Anyone interested in applying for the programme should contact their local Pernod Ricard representative.

Low-cal cocktails HEALTH CONSCIOUS consumers searching for healthy alcoholic alternatives are driving up sales of lowcalorie ready-to-drink (RTD) products.

According to the IWSR Global Trends Report 2014, the trend of low-calorie RTDs stems from the success of low-calorie brands such as Skinnygirl and Voli Lite vodka in the US, in addition to various low-calorie spirits, pre-mixed drinks and wines having been launched around the world.

Female consumers are a key target point for producers of low-calorie drinks such as Malibu Island Spiced, one of the first lowcalorie rum-based drinks in the US. In addition, Slim Lizzy cocktail kegs have become available to the US on-trade providing lowcalorie margarita and cosmopolitan cocktails on tap.

The UK market is also latching on, with Diageo launching low-calorie vodka spritz Nola and Smirnoff Sorbet Light pouches.

Cocktail competitions AND THE WINNER IS...

MAKER’S MARK BARTENDER TROVE: Edinburgh’s Tim Pryde, bartender at The Voodoo Rooms has won Maxxium UK’s Maker’s Mark Bartender Trove competition.

As his prize, Pryde will be flown out on an allexpenses paid trip to Loretto, Kentucky, the home of Maker’s Mark Bourbon. Tasked with creating a maker’s Mark cocktail from £80 worth of ingredients sourced from Soho in London, Pryde impressed judges with his Hanakotoba Punch cocktail, which included hibiscus blossom cordial.

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MARTIN MILLER’S GIN WE ARE THE TASTEMAKERS: Bartender Megs DeMeleunaere from The Pond, in Dalston, has been named winner of the UK heat of Martin Miller’s Gin’s mixology competition, We Are The Tastemakers. DeMeleunaere fought off stiff competition from 12 other bartenders over the course of three rounds which took place during London Cocktail Week 2014. As the winner, DeMeleunaere has secured herself a spot as one of five global finalists who will travel with the brand to Iceland.

BEEFEATER MIXLDN: American bartender Brandon Phillips was selected as the Stateside winner of the Beefeater MIXLDN cocktail competition, which took place at the end of last month. Each entrant was challenged to create a cocktail based on the theme “London Inspires You. You Inspire London.” Phillips claimed the crown with his drink titled, Hackney Handshake and will now compete in the grand final scheduled to take place in January in London for the chance to take part in the Beefeater Gin ambassador programme.

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COCKTAIL BULLETIN IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Stirring success in UK

EXPERIENCE THE WORLD’S MOST AWARDED VODKA • Pure • Velvety • Balanced • Gluten Free • Authentically Russian • 5 Times Distilled • 300 Year Old Recipe

NEVER DRINK ALONE COCKTAIL CULTURE is booming and sales in the UK have risen by more than 10% over the last two years.

According to the CGA Strategy’s The Mixed Drinks Report 2014 more than one in five of the UK’s on-trade venues now serve cocktails, with the Mojito reigning supreme as the country’s most loved mixed drink.

Furthermore, the report also highlighted that after the Mojito, sales of the Pina Colada, Woo Woo and Sex on the Beach have also increased as a growing number of mainstream venue venture into cocktails.

“Cocktails and he bars and pubs that serve them have been surging in popularity over the last few years and our latest

research emphasises just how integrated they’ve become to mainstream drinking,” said Tom Lynch, commercial director at CGA Strategy.

“They present a terrific opportunity for bars and pubs to drive footfall and increase spend – but only if they can fully understand what customers want from a cocktail menu and give them a consistent experience every time.”

Women account for 54% of the cocktail consumer demographic compared to 46% of men, with the main age group ranging from 18 to 35-year-olds “in all on-trade occasions”, including throughout the night as opposed to just the beginning.

Over the last 12 months, The Mixed Drinks Report revealed the number of consumers below the age of 35 who admitted they had bought a cocktail in the last week jumped from 36% to 43%.

In addition, while premium spirits and serves become increasingly popular throughout the drinks industry, bombs and pitchers are still popular, with three quarters (74%) of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they have bought a bomb drink, and nine in 10 (88%) among the same age category admitting they drink pitchers.

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The business of pleasure It just so happens that the hottest cities in the world in terms of cocktail culture happen to be some of the most expensive to set up a bar. But, as Tom Aske writes, there are savvy ways in which some entrepreneurs are getting around this

THE HOSPITALITY industry is as strong as ever, with attention to detail, innovation and high quality produce being the focal point for new bar operators. The cocktail bar scene is no different, with an evolution over the past five years that is now leading to some industry experts predicting that bartenders will gain the fame that chefs have enjoyed over the last 20 years. It is no surprise then that some of the industry’s brightest stars are now progressing from bartender to bar owner – a trend that can only strengthen an already thriving industry.

There is however something innately terrifying about taking a leap of faith into self-employment; the unpredictability and unsettled nature of realising that success or failure is entirely dependent on one person.

Not only is one’s financial and personal security in the balance but one also has a

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team of people to whom they depend. Ryan Chetiyawardana, owner of award-winning bar White Lyan, agrees: “At the beginning, and on-going, the hardest thing is the idea that you are responsible for people’s livelihoods.” This business is tough. The real question is what lies ahead and just how tough can it really be?

The first hurdle that must be jumped is finding premises – something that has become increasingly difficult in recent years.

The licensed trade has evolved immeasurably over the past decade. In London particularly, the premiums placed on leases has quadrupled. In 2010, at the height of the recession, it was far easier to find an ailing business with the owner willing to throw you the keys at the first opportunity.

Fast-forward four years and as the economy strengthens, property prices are

soaring and businesses that are still hemorrhaging money are now commanding lease premiums in excess of £80,000.

Assuming that a potential buyer can afford this extortionate rate, they will then often need to find three months’ rent deposit that is unlikely to fall short of £25,000. So, we are over £100,000 before we have even considered screwing in a light bulb or painting the walls. Then comes the rewiring, music system, plumbing, bar stations and cash-flow. Even then there are likely to be many unforeseen costs that can potentially slow or even stop the build process.

Chetiyawardana states: “Every site has its ghosts (sometimes literally) and lots of things will come out of the woodwork which inevitably have extra costs involved”.

Christian Tirel, of Boilermaker in Nottingham, has a fine example: “The floor

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COCKTAIL FEATURE

in our courtyard ended up costing a deceptively large amount totalling nearly 15% of our overall cost. It’s these outlays that make the difference between the premium furniture and the sexy shakers or the items at the bottom of the bargain bin.”

These high costs are not isolated to London, as Antonio Lai of Hong Kong’s Quinary finds. “The rent is really too high in Hong Kong and the setup even more expensive,” he notes. The rising cost of opening a bar along with the instability and risk has seen a few bartenders opting for a residency over ownership, much in the same way as renowned chefs. This will naturally alleviate most of the initial outgoings but it will also omit any potential goodwill value that may be attached to a resale.

There are of course ways to generate funds and set the ball rolling. Investors often crop up in conversation but they will require a solid trading history from an established company before taking a risk themselves.

Similarly, the banks may well match the amount the owner is willing to put in but this can still leave a huge deficit. Even in this scenario the purchaser may still need to

‘At the beginning, and on-going, the hardest thing is the idea that you are responsible for people’s livelihoods’

find around £70,000 and a watertight business plan to satisfy their criteria.

A route that is often taken for the fortunate few is that of using family finance, something that is risky both to the individual and their families. Almost all leases and loans will require a personal guarantee, meaning that in the instance that the premise fails, the purchaser or guarantor has to find the rent out of their own pocket until the premise is sold.

An alternative way to generate funds would be to use the skills acquired as a top bartender, by offering out their creativity as

TOP 5 TIPS ON OPENING A BAR It really is all about location, location, location. Ensure that the area you are considering has the clientele and footfall to sustain a business through the entire week, not just the weekends. The weekends can pay the bills, its during the week that a bar will generate profit.

Consider building a concept around the already existing building. This will maximise the features you would normally have to pay a lot for. Those dusty bricks and concrete floors could be the perfect setting for a speakeasy or blues bar.

Ensure that budgets are stuck to rigidly.

The cashflow is the most important consideration for a new business, try not to get carried away with luxury accessories before you can pay the staff’s first wages.

Lower the wage percentage and increase profits by working all the hours you possibly can. In the first six months, spending as many hours behind the bar will enable you to understand all areas of the business and minimise expenditure.

Be prepared to adapt, listen to your customers and be sure that the experience is for them rather than a personal gratification exercise.

a consultant. Consultancy requires very few overheads, the main requirements being knowledge, time and a good reputation.

Fluid Movement, operator of Worship Street Whistling Shop, decided to reinvest consultancy profits into a bar enabling the company to grow, firstly as a showcase for what they could offer the consultancy clients, and secondly, and more importantly, as a way of generating a steady revenue stream. This in turn created a showcase that drives more consultancy and so the cycle continues.

In embarking on this uncertain path, one must first make sure it is what one wants.

Chetiyawardana adds: “Lots of people say they want their own bar, but it’s certainly not for everyone. The stability of a job is a great thing and shouldn’t be overlooked”.

Once a bar is established and begins to make a profit, the hard work really sets in.

New bars open every day and each one aims to take away business from its competitors. It is at this time that constant day-to-day management of all variable costs is essential. There are a variety of key areas to any successful bar, something that Antonio Lai confirms: “Make sure you find the right staff, location and idea. It is easy to open a bar but never easy to keep a bar up and running”.

Business development is key and there is no such thing as a day off. However, the feeling of pride seeing a dream come to fruition is worth every second of that hard work. sb

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DEBATE

Calling time Nothing thrills the best bartenders more than the sight of a busy bar, but what about when things go quiet? We ask: should sending staff home early be allowed?

ADAM DAY,

BAR MANAGER, THE VIOLET HOUR, MANCHESTER, UK

RUSSEL DOWNIE, BARTENDER, TONIC, EDINBURGH, UK

‘It’s something that happens in lots of bars more frequently than you might think’

‘If each person has a role, I see no reason for them to not be there for their whole shift’

IT’S A regrettable situation to be in, but sometimes there just isn’t enough work to go around and someone has to cut their shift short. I have found myself in that situation before when the venue just isn’t as busy as it should be.

It’s something that happens in lots of bars more frequently than you might think. By and large, though, I would say the decision depends upon the type of person in question. If someone hasn’t really got that up-and-go drive when they come into work, I might send them home even if it wasn’t completely quiet. Each individual has to pull their weight and if they’re not, then there’s no room for them.

However, if the venue quietens down but staff members make themselves indispensable and find things to do then I would never dream of sending them home early.

Each member of the team needs to be able to hold their own and rally together to generate more business during quiet periods. We find our own ways of promoting the bar, from thinking up special events to draw customers in or having bartenders venture outside encouraging passers by to come and see what we’re about.

It can be tough; finding the right balance between having enough staff members to cater for busy spells but not so many that you have employees with nothing do when the bar dies down is a really tricky balance to achieve. Over a period of time you get to know how your bar runs and what times are busiest – but you can never predict what’s going to happen.

September and October are quite quiet months for us, but we are still less than a year old so getting staffing levels correct and estimating how busy we will be is still challenging.

I don’t think adopting a policy of ‘x’ number of staff per ‘x’ number of customers is ever going to work. Every bar team is different; it’s about utilising the talents you have when things get hectic and making a judgement call about how to manage staffing levels should business be slow.

I DON’T agree with people being sent home when the bar gets quiet; I think it’s avoidable.

If you have the right team behind the bar, you can keep staffing numbers low. It also means you can avoid finding yourself in a situation with too many bartenders, not enough customers and contemplating cutting someone’s shift short. That isn’t really fair.

Bartenders come into this industry knowing the hours are long and the work is hard, but with that comes the added bonus of knowing that the longer you work, the more money you earn.

Nobody wants to sign up to work 40 hours a week and end up working 30 because someone hasn’t got the numbers right – it’s disheartening. Personally, I would much rather be doing 50 or 60-hour weeks compared to missing out on those 10.

That being said though, I can appreciate the difficulty that comes with finding the right balance between bartenders and customers. A bar I used to work in really struggled to get the number of bartenders right. For six months, the venue would be wildly overstaffed, but once they realised, it went in the complete polar opposite direction and became hugely understaffed.

That’s why I find it’s best to have enough staff to keep things ticking over – enough hands on deck to keep up with a busy night, but not so many that people start twiddling their thumbs when the madness subsides. It means nobody is disappointed when they’re asked to go home, and what’s more, it creates consistency. It creates consistency with the atmosphere of the bar and the quality of drinks being produced. Customers might come one night, enjoy the bar and decide to come back again.

Though, the chances are that if you have a large roster of bar staff, it will be someone completely different behind the bar the second time round.

Bar managers need to learn about their venue, learn about their clientele and learn the strengths and weaknesses of each member of their team. If each person has a role, I see no reason for them to not be there for their whole shift.

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SPONSORED PROFILE

Live for the night

MICS 2013 IN FIGURES 10,873 Visitors 116 Brands 31 Nationalities 1,008 Hosted Buyer Meetings 300 Journalists 6 Conferences

From lighting to music and drinks, the Monaco International Clubbing Show offers everything the nightlife professional could need THE ENTIRE nightlife industry gathers together in one venue every year for the Monaco International Clubbing Show (MICS).

Over 10,000 visitors from across 35 international countries converge on the Grimaldi Forum in the municipality of Monaco from 12-14 November 2014 to discover the latest innovations in nightlife entertainment. From new, exciting drinks brands to the latest technologies in sound and lighting, the annual show offers the industry a chance to do business by day, and party by night.

The exhibition itself takes place in a 10,000sqm space divided between the Great Hall and Hall Ravel, with the former dedicated to the MICS LAB, a fullyequipped series of booths dedicated to emerging brands and service providers.

Meanwhile, a diverse programme of conferences taking place throughout the show offers key business advice to attendees, covering subjects such as business optimisation, tourism policy, the secrets of successful communication and the evolution of drinks consumption and the nightlife industry itself.

In addition, a vodka masterclass dedicated to bartenders will be hosted by Grey Goose on the Village Premium central stage on 13 November at 6pm. Spaces are limited, but offer the opportunity to participate in the workshop led by Remy Savage, winner of the 2014 Bombay Sapphire World’s Most Imaginative Bartender competition.

“We are forever striving to be closer to your needs by listening and observing, but also by constantly analysing the market in order to make this event a dynamic

laboratory in which to share and discover,” says Jean-Albert Vergnaud, MICS cofounder and deputy CEO. This year the show will welcome over 100 brand exhibitors, of which 40% are from the drinks industry. Ambassadors will be on-hand to offer tastings, masterclasses and meetings with visitors hailing from across the nightclub, bar, restaurant, theatre, design, music and drinks categories.

“The MICS is the showroom of preference for nightlife professionals,” says Laurent Lutse, president of the cafés, bars and night establishments at the Hospitality Jobs and Industries Union (UMIH). “It is the prime occasion to meet and exchange with other players from around the globe. It represents the opportunity to discover emerging trends and to anticipate forthcoming changes.”

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VENUE PROFILE

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A taste for Tequila Situated above London eatery La Perla, enter El Nivel and be transported to a Mexican haven filled with Tequila, tapas and an abundance of agave-flavoured delights

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VENUE PROFILE

THROUGH THE cobbled streets of London’s Covent Garden can be found El Nivel – the city’s very first Agaveria.

Founded by two of the UK’s most revered cocktail experts, Tomas Estes and his son, Jesse Estes – co-founders of Ocho Tequila – El Nivel first opened its doors in May 2014.

Designed to offer the “most exalted place in London to drink agave spirits”, at the company’s core is a passion to educate and enthuse consumers who remain uncertain, yet curious, about agave spirits past the point of shots and Margaritas.

A homage to the first licensed cantina in Mexico that opened back in 1855, El Nivel’s setting and style emulates a distinctively retro Latin-America feel, with its wood panelled bar and original pieces of Mexican art adorning the walls.

Hidden upstairs, the intimate bar space has room to accommodate approximately 30 people.

The back bar boasts a vast array of rare and unusual Tequilas and mezcals used to create a variety of delicious cocktails certain to satisfy Tequila and mezcal fans. Each listing has been carefully crafted by Jesse Estes catering for flavour preferences ranging from delicate and earthy, to light and heady, using innovative combinations to produce a uniquely diverse selection.

Prices start at £9 a glass and include La Porderosa (£12) made from Vida Mezcal, agave nectar, lime juice, cardamom and

lavender bitters, topped up with fizz, as well as the Diplomat’s Downfall (£11) blended from Tapatio 100o, fresh lemon and orange juices, lemon thyme and pineapple syrups, pimento dram, churned over crushed ice with a port float.

The restaurant itself offers an assortment of authentic Mexican Tapas dishes tweaked with inspiration from Asia, Europe and Latin

At the company’s core is a passion to educate and enthuse consumers

America. Each plate has been designed with Tequila in mind using the finest fresh ingredients to complement the subtle agave flavours of El Nivel’s drinks.

Those looking for something lighter to eat might enjoy the Guacamole “Yim Fun Ho” (£9), comprising avocado relish with fresh strawberries, mango, jicama, toped with pomegranate sees, served on an edible Shiso leaf and accompanied by Chinese

pancakes. For a more indulgent alternative, try the Chuletas de Cordero (£12) made from lamb cutlets with Chimichurri salsa, or the Pork Belly Chicharones (£11) of pork with crackling and a teriyaki, sambal and sesame seed sauce.

Open every Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 12am, El Nivel also offers bespoke packages to suit any event, including business meetings, cocktail tastings or birthday parties.

EL NIVEL First floor 28 Maiden Lane London WC2E 7 JS www.elnivel.co.uk info@elnivel.co.uk +44 (0)207 240 7400

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THE WENNEKER SWIZZLE MASTERS

Cocktail countdown With the semi-finals complete and the last five cocktails chosen to move on to the final tasting, our remaining swizzlers are in sight of victory, writes Melita Kiely AFTER NINE months of intense preliminary heats spanning spirits categories from vodka and gin to Tequila and Cognac, some semifinalists soared while others unfortunately fell flat.

Each month, bartenders have been busy inventing bespoke cocktail recipes to be tried and tested before a panel of expert judges, each vying for a place in the semi-final of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2014. The stakes were high with just five spaces up for grabs in the grand final, scheduled to take place next month, when the overall winner will be claim the coveted title of Swizzle Master 2014 and receive a £1,000 prize.

Comprising the nine semi-finalists were Green Hat by Sid Chen; Barcelona 1992 by Adriana Soley; The Prospector No.2 by Mihai Fetcu; Girl’s Sin by Joao Gloria; Gin is King by Robb Collins; El Castillo by Ivica Mišic ; Silk and Sand by Robb Collins; Fin de Siècle

by Mihai Fetcu; and The Mehico by Robb Collins.

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“I always look forward to the semi-finals when the crème de le crème of the year come together,” commented Daisy Jones, associate publisher and events director of The Spirits Business, and one fifth of the afternoon’s judging panel. Joining Jones were Mike Sweetman, UKBG London chairman; Bill Oddy, managing director of The Drinks Company; Eduardo Gomez, director of Tequila Fest UK; and Sandro Lhys, assistant bar manager at Harvey Nichols OXO Tower.

Making light work of recreating the final nine recipes was Vincenzo Sibilia, assistant general manager and head mixologist for London speakeasy Barts, which hosted the competition.

Unlike other rounds, the semi-final dictated no singular base spirit, instead showcasing the diversity of spirits and themes utilised from throughout the year. The diversity on offer made comparisons complicated at times. While some cocktails opted for simple

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concoctions, others were much more elaborate with their choice of ingredients and garnishes.

First to be presented before the judges was February’s Savoury Gin winner, Sid Chen with his creation, Green Hat. While the judges enjoyed Chen’s simplistic approach to presentation and the “wellbalanced, fresh” flavours of his drink, it was not enough to see him through the final.

Next in the hot seat was Adriana Soley’s Fruity Scotch entry, Barcelona 1992 – a “simple but stylish fresh and fruity” cocktail, which secured a spot in the final round.

Following suit was the first of three entries from Robb Collins, Gin is King, a Martini Reinvented that wowed the panel of judges as a “great classic cocktail that delivered”. Needless to say, the recipe also received a place in the competition final.

Despite having two entries through to the semi-final, Mihai Fetcu just fell short of the mark with his vodka-based drink The Prospector No. 2 and absinthe creation Fin de Siècle, as did Joao Gloria’s Girl’s Cognac creation, Girls’ Sin. Next to pass the judges’ lips was El Castillo by Ivica Mišic, which claimed the third opening in the final. Lhys particularly delighted in the summer flavours of the rum recipe, which reminded him of a “boozy iced tea” which was “very balanced and very tasty”.

The last two recipes of the day were the final winning cocktails crafted by Collins, both of which sailed through to the next round.

The Irish Whiskey Americana serve, Silk and Sand once again impressed with its “clever use” of lager, while Tequila-based The Mehico was praised for being “good, clean and fresh with hints of citrus”.

“As the drinks all came from different categories it did make it quite tricky to judge,” noted Lhys. “Some of the ingredients used though were fantastic – it was great to see such a variety from cocktail to cocktail, and to see them used so well, too.”

Reflecting on the day’s events, Sweetman noted: “The selection of drinks was to a high standard; it was just some were better than others, which is to be expected in a semi-final. There were definitely some interesting flavours used, which is always great to see.” sb

THE JUDGES

Left to right: Bill Oddy from The Drinks Company, Mike Sweetman from UKBG, Daisy Jones from The Spirits Business, Eduardo Gomez from Tequila Fest UK and Sandro Lhys, assistant bar manager at Harvey Nichols OXO Tower

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THE WENNEKER SWIZZLE MASTERS

THE WENNEKER SWIZZLE MASTERS 2014 FINALISTS IRISH WHISKEY AMERICANA ROUND SILK AND SAND BY ROBB COLLINS 50ml Jameson Irish Whiskey, 2.5ml Wenneker Crème de Cacao, 40ml Brooklyn Lager, 20ml simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters, grated nutmeg and 1 whole egg Method: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with cubed ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with some grated nutmeg.

MARTINI REINVENTED ROUND GIN IS KING BY ROBB COLLINS 45ml Caorunn Gin, 10ml Wenneker Passion Fruit, 10ml Monin Passionfruit Syrup, 20ml fresh lemon juice, 20ml Red Lady apple juice, 10ml simple syrup, 3 dashes Pernod Absinthe and 1 egg white Method: Add all ingredients except absinthe into a shaker, add cubed ice and shake hard for eight seconds. Rinse a chilled coupette with the absinthe then double strain drink into glass.

Silk and Sand

Gin is King

The Mehico

El Castillo

TEQUILA SALT OF THE EARTH ROUND THE MEHICO BY ROBB COLLINS 50ml Sierra Milinario Reposado Tequila, 5ml Wenneker Butterscotch, 5ml Monin Gingerbread Syrup, 25ml fresh lemon juice, 1 heaped barspoon Rowse Acacia Honey and 4 dashes Angostura Bitters Method: Dissolve the honey in the lemon juice. Add remaining ingredients, fill boston tin with cubed ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into pre-chilled Martini glass.

RUM SUMMER PUNCH ROUND

EL CASTILLO BY IVICA MIŠIĆ 40ml Botran Reserva 15 Rum, 40ml Wenneker Cherry Brandy, 30ml Wenneker Crème de Bananes, 2 splashes Grenadine syrup, 20ml fresh lime juice and 100ml tropical fruit juice Method: Add all ingredients except the tropical fruit juice into a shaker with ice. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and add the tropical fruit juice. Garnish with a slice of melon, a cocktail cherry and fresh mint.

FRUITY SCOTCH ROUND BARCELONA 1992 BY ADRIANA SOLEY 50ml Glenfiddich 15 Year Old, 7.5ml Wenneker Strawberry, 7.5ml Wenneker Cranberry, 40ml honey sour, 4 large basil leaves and 4 raspberries Method: Muddle the raspberries and basil, add remaining ingredients and shake well. Double strain into a rocks glass with crushed ice. Garnish with basil.

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Barcelona 1992

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LIQUEUR HE M A -T

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THE SPIRITUAL 2014 AWARD

TO COMMEMORATE the debut of Spiritual Bar at Vinexpo, The Spirits Business is pleased to announce the introduction of the new Spiritual Award celebrating the Most Innovative Spirits Launch of the Year With imagination in the industry knowing no bounds, this new award recognises products released in the 2014 calendar year that demonstrate supreme creativity and innovation in their category.

Introduced as part of The Spirits Masters, the prestigious blind spirits tasting competition run by The Spirits Business, the winner of the Most Innovative Launch of the Year will be determined by taste, packaging, originality and creativity.

It will be judged by Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise, The Spirits Business and a select team of industry experts.

The inaugural winner will be announced at The Spirits Masters Awards Lunch in London on 4 December.

Cost to enter ÂŁ195 for the first entry and then ÂŁ150 for any others.

Deadline for entries: 5 November 2014 To enter the Spiritual Most Innovative Spirit Launch of the Year award, visit: www.thespiritsbusiness.com/spiritsmasters or contact Daisy Jones at daisy@thespiritsbusiness.com

OFFICIAL WATERS OF

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BARCHICK UNCOVERS… SÃO PAULO

Colour in the concrete jungle This month, BarChick takes a look through the grey facade of São Paulo to find cocktail delights in a city growing evermore proud of its pours SÃO PAULO is a sprawling megalopolis of infinite grey and endless concrete. What Brazil’s first city lacks in looks, however, it more than makes up for in food, drinks and good times. The young, cool, cosmopolitan crowd likes to work hard and play hard, and it’s this well-travelled set, with money in their pockets, who are pushing the city’s bars to innovate and think creatively. The way to do that, it seems, has been to make use of the best products the country has to offer, right on their doorstep.

Like many experiences in Brazil, traditionally São Paulo’s bar culture has been a choice of extremes. Drinking can either be done in neighbourhood botecos, where patrons spill out onto the streets drinking ice-cold chopp (draft beer) and Caipirinhas, or at chi-chi hotel-style bars, where the vibe is formal, the drinks over-thetop and the bill beyond belief. Over the last 10 years the only real middle ground was a handful of surreptitious speakeasies. Full of character and with a focus on cocktails, they rewarded those who took the time to look for them.

Now, however, the city’s latest crop of bars is emerging from the underground and are setting up shop at street level. On the menu at these places is good quality, locally

sourced ingredients. Typical Brazilian flavours, from fruits and roots and spices through to artisanal batches of the country’s homespun sugarcane spirit, cachaça, are on offer. They are being used to invigorate old favourites, like the

‘I’m seeing people have more pride in being Brazilian and using Brazilian ingredients’ Caipirinha, and to create tasty new cocktails too. Brazil has not escaped the economic strife which has blighted much of the world, and in times of uncertainty people return to their roots. São Paulo, with pride in its talent and resources, is no exception.

Take Yaguara cachaça, for example.

Relatively new on the market, it is a smallbatch, blended, organic, white cachaça that is produced by the fifth generation of a family of cachaça-makers. By mixing a

white cachaça with a six-year-old expression it has a smoothness that makes it a suitable base for more traditional cocktails, as well as to drink on its own. The brand runs cocktail bars at events like São Paulo Fashion Week and the White Cube Brazil to introduce committed vodka or Champagne drinkers to the possibilities of cachaça.

“There has been a slight prejudice against cachaça,” says co-owner, Thyrso Camargo.

“People are very familiar with it but they don’t necessarily know about the actual process and how good the spirit can be.”

Now, it seems, that is changing.

“I’m seeing people have more pride in being Brazilian and using Brazilian ingredients,” Camargo explains. “And cachaça fits into that perfectly.”

A turn towards the artisanal is being reflected elsewhere in São Paulo. Bars are shunning the manufactured and massproduced and are instead putting love and attention into making their own ingredients.

Places such as BOS BBQ and La Maison Est Tombée serve their own bitters and infusions in their top-notch cocktails. Think horseradish-infused vodka, blackberry brandy or grapefruit and orange bitters. At BOS even the ginger ale is homemade. “I think the ordinary can be fantastic,” explains Gustavo Bottino, co-owner and self-confessed cocktail geek. “That means we create something that’s of higher quality or better produced – and people are prepared to pay a premium for it.”

Even on the streets, Paulistas are finding inspiration nearby. The city centre was once a no-go area at night. Now Centro is a hotbed of arty, innovative bars. Bleak industrial buildings are lending themselves nicely to spacious watering holes, some with views out over São Paulo’s jagged skyline.

And now a once fashionable hotspot from the 70s, Riviera, has recently reopened with a top-class chef and a killer cocktail list to boot. If you look beyond the endless sprawl of São Paulo, you will find an invigorated city, proud of all it has to offer – well, behind the bar at least. sb

In association with

www.barchick.com www.thespiritsbusiness.com

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BARCHICK UNCOVERS… SÃO PAULO

SÃO PAULO’S SLICKEST VENUES BOS BBQ

BARCHICK MEETS… LAÉRCIO ZULU

Expertly cooked, juicy, dripping, finger-licking barbecue staples are on offer here. Wash down your ribs with something sophisticated from the bar. A Corzo Holly, perhaps, made with El Jimador, strawberry, Tahiti lime, basil and balsamic. Or take on your hangover with a BOS Bloody Mary.

Rua Pedroso Alvarenga, 559, Itaim Bibi; www.bos-bbq.com

LA MAISON EST TOMBÉE The name is a play on words – “the house has fallen”. It hasn’t, but you might if you stay too long at this joint. As an unpretentious hybrid of French and Brazilian, wholesome fare is served alongside knockout cocktails. Head mixologist Laércio Zulu, his inventions and his tantalising array of bitters will keep you satisfied, surprised and satiated long into the night.

Rua Jerônimo da Veiga, 358, Itaim; www.maisontombe.com.br

SUB ASTOR A São Paulo speakeasy stalwart, Sub Astor is small, discrete and hard to get into. Once down the stairs though, low seats and high-class cocktails await. Using science to play to your senses, expect aromas, foams, spices, and even temperature to feature.

Rua Delfina, 163, Vila Madalena; www.subastor.com.br

RIVIERA Once a refuge for São Paulo’s bohemians and intelligentsia during the country’s military dictatorship, Riviera is once again open for business. Martinis, Manhattans and Cosmopolitans are all on the menu here but opt instead for the likes of the city’s namesake, the Terra da Garoa (Land of Drizzle), with aged rum, orange, ginger, mint, lemongrass and sugarcane vinegar.

Av. Paulista, 2584, Consolação; rivierabar.com.br

RAMONA Slick and spacious on the inside, Ramona is a haven in the urban centre. With salads, fresh pasta and burgers on the menu, a decent wine list comes with symbols of small animals to help you make the right choice. Don’t overlook the cocktails though – a refined list focuses on fresh, fruity flavours. There’s a piano too, should you want to have a tinkle of the ivories.

Av. São Luís, 282, Republic; casaramona.com.br

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LAÉRCIO ZULU trained in Brazil and as well as in London, Ireland and Buenos Aires, and is now the head mixologist at La Maison est Tombée. Famous for having his own eponymous bitters, Zulu is known among friends of the profession as bringing the Bahian way of life into cocktails.

What’s the most popular drink in your bar?

The most popular is the classic Caipirinha, followed by its variations. Also the Spritz has become very popular, along with gin and tonics.

Who are the bartenders to watch in São Paulo?

Currently in São Paulo mixologists are doing great work, I have some colleagues reflecting this like Spencer who works in the restaurant Isola, Fabio La Pietra working in SubAstor and Marcelo Serrano who works at Brasserie des Arts and Satay.

What’s your after work bar?

SubAstor to be dazzled by performances of the bartenders’ great work; it’s a brilliant cocktail bar and it closes late.

What would your desert island bottle be?

Marquise is perfect for a desert island – a white rum with a fresh aroma and hints of late coconut and citrus notes reminiscent of lemon peel.

What do you think is the next big thing in São Paulo’s bar scene?

Accompanying the growth of Brazilian mixology, I’ve noticed an influx of professional bartenders. I believe that artisanal ingredients will be a trend in the coming months over here too.

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E MASTER TH S

2015

E MASTER S TH

GOLD 2015

E MASTER S TH

SILVER 2015

THE TEQUILA MASTERS 2015

RECOGNISING THE MASTERS IN THEIR FIELDS In December 2014 The Spirits Business will stage The Tequila Masters competition in a drive to find and reward the finest tequila brands.

Chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists, the entries will be judged in a blind tasting to discover the Tequila Masters of 2015. Excellence will be recognised by category, as well as design and packaging.

Deadline for entries is 4 December 2014 For more information on The Tequila Masters 2015 please contact Daisy Jones, associate publisher, on: t: +44 (0)20 7803 2452 e: daisy@thespiritsbusiness.com

OFFICIAL WATERS OF

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A DRINK WITH...

Joel Masoliver

Spain’s Beveland has a spirits portfolio bursting with over 200 products. As it celebrates its 20th birthday this year, its general manager tells Becky Paskin what’s on the cards for the group as it enters its third decade

This year is the company’s 20th anniversary – how much have you grown in that time?

Since we started in Spain in 1994 we are now present in 64 countries around the world with about 200 products. Exports account for around 80% of our business and while most of that is within Europe, we also distribute to Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and South America. We like to be everywhere.

And how are you planning on marking the occasion?

We are now working to knit closer ties with our US importer, Top Shelf International, to expand into 10 more states next year. We are already in New York and northern California, but we’d like to get into Texas and Florida as well, where there is a large Spanish population who may know our products already.

A portfolio of 200 products is impressive.

Which are your strategic brands?

We do have a lot of brands, including rum, Polish vodka and Scotch, but our key brands are Tres Sombreros Tequila and our range of BVLand Liqueurs. We have 26 flavours and tend to introduce two new expressions every year. Now we are working on a similar range but without alcohol which will launch next year.

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How much demand have you seen for alcohol-free liqueurs and syrups?

Our target audience for the liqueurs are bartenders, and there are certainly some looking for products without alcohol.

Demand for lower alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks is rising, and we are

‘There are 250 gins in Spain, but bartenders aren’t open to all of them anymore’

preparing for that with this new range.

People still want to be able to have a quality drink when they go out, regardless if it has alcohol in it.

Your focus may be on export markets, but how are you finding your home country performing? Has the downturn in Spain improved at all?

The spirits category decreased by 7% last year, and it will decrease by 6% this year.

The market is a tough one, so to combat it we are doing a bit of marketing to stay competitive and working in strategic categories like Tequila and gin, which are still seeing growth.

Is Spain still over-saturated with gin?

There are around 250 gins nowadays, but bartenders aren’t open to all of them anymore. In the past they were desperate to get their hands on every new gin that launched because that’s what their customers were asking for, but now they are more fastidious. The gin category will continue growing for a couple of years yet.

There has been some talk that vodka and tonic will take over, but we haven’t seen that happen yet and are confident about our brands, in particular Jodhpur premium gin.

We just have to be more aggressive in the local market.

Is Beveland on the acquisition trail at all?

No, we are a family company and don’t tend to buy new brands. However we have entered a long-term distribution agreement with the Majorca producer of Suau Brandy.

Unlike our existing portfolio, it has a rich heritage dating back to 1854, which helps when you go into markets like Asia where history means a lot to consumers. We will release Suau this year in Taiwan and Germany. sb

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