DrinkCurious’ Post

ICYMI: Warfield products can now be purchased at 22 locations across Arkansas with 20 more locations coming on line next week, said Dustin Curtis, vice president for Interstate Holdings. https://lnkd.in/gpimkqxC

🔔 NEW DTC BILL: Mississippi HB622 - A bill to bring wine and spirits shipping to the Magnolia State. Mississippi is one of only a few remaining states that prohibits DTC wine shipping, and has introduced HB622 to allow both wine and spirits direct shipping. While the inclusion of spirits is progressive, the bill includes several big restrictions: - A 15.5% tax rate - A 1,500 case annual limit for shippers - Licensing requirements for fulfillment houses - Prohibition on shipping any products available through the state ABC stores - Household limits of 9 nine-liter cases per year (for each category) This bill emerges after failed attempts every bill cycle, dating back to 2017! Will 2025 be the year for Mississippi? Sponsor: Representative Zuber Proposed Effective Date: July 1, 2025 Source: https://lnkd.in/eb_NsMPu #BeverageAlcohol #Mississippi #DTC #Legislation #RegulatoryReform

I've spoken about this before but as other Distilleries have recently posted about Bottles they are launching, that cost the same as a rather nice new car, you might wonder, who actually figures-out the TRUE cost of Scotch Whisky, to the UK? There are now 150+ Disilleries in Scotland and dozens and dozens of them have BETTER 'stock' than this, to compete in a '15 year old to retirement age' Market. How MUCH stock? We're 'officially' told there are 'about' 20,000,000 Casks in all of Scotland but an afternoon on Google Earth (or a wee drive around Clackmannanshire, Fife and Ayrshire) will tell you, it's very clearly, much MUCH more than this. Also, as a Cask filled in as recently as the year 2000, is now considered 'old and rare' how many bottles in total are now worth £300+, never mind £30,000+? Remember, it's a GLOBAL Market with billion+ populations, in Continents all over the world not only taking part but growing, massively. Scotch is only 2% of the ENTIRE Indian Whisky Market, the largest in the World. Just 2%. If a 24 year-old, fairly unspectacular bottle (in competition terms) of The Dalmore is £5,000, what does this value the ENTIRE Scotch Whisky Market at? This ISN'T a stock that's depleted, it's getting much bigger. Every year, it gets replenished. Why on EARTH don't we have a cohesive Scotch Whisky Tourism Strategy and Budget? One NOT linked to any one Company, who may (or may not) be performing well? #ScotchWhiskyTruths

Why two bottles of the same whisky can have very different values? Bottles of whisky, especially if rare or limited edition, are also valued based on the amount of product remaining. At the left on the attached picture, the bottle is in “high fill”, that means the level is the same of the original bottling, so the value is the maximum for that edition of whisky; at the right, we have a bottle with a “low shoulder” level: it generally means that the cork or the storage conditions could not have been be optimal. A bottle with an high level of liquid is perceived as more "intact", and therefore more valuable. #TheSpiritsClub #SpiritsInvestment #LuxurySpirits #PremiumSpirits #WhiskyInvestment #InvestmentOpportunity

Prohibition in the United States of America 1920-1933 Prohibition was certainly one of the most decisive moments in whisk(e)y history. Hard to imagine today. With the Time Machine function of the "Whisky Map App", the effects on the distillery landscape can be shown very well. A good example is Kentucky, where over 100 whiskey distilleries were closed at the same time in 1920 with the start of Prohibition.  Prohibition ended in 1933 and slowly began to recover. Today, Kentucky once again has 84 whiskey distilleries and 20 more are currently being planned or built. #alba-collection.com #https://lnkd.in/dzBS8UuY

My favorite beverage and drink company Spindrift Beverage Co, Inc. got acquired for ~$650M by Gryphon Investors For those who don’t know, they make DELICIOUS sparkling waters with real fruit. As an aspiring M&A / PE lawyer this really peaked my interest. Spindrift was started in 2010 as a craft soda business and quickly became a hit with consumers with their fresh squeezed fruit juice blended with sparkling water. It is by far the best, low calorie drink choice. Explorations of strategic options was reported in March 2024 w/ the help from advisors to solicit interest of potential buyers. At the time, Spindrift had reported annual net sales of over $300M. By December, there were advanced talks with Gryphon Investors What an incredible story and journey. This deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP & Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as legal advisors to Spindrift. Hearing and learning about the process excites me as a law student. I hope to contribute to similar deals in the future. I think Liquid Death might be next 🤔

Stoli Brand Vodka’s U.S. Arm Filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy listing more than $100 million in assets and between $50 million and $100 million in liabilities on its chapter 11 petition. https://lnkd.in/gh3jUkn4 #bankruptcy #retail #landlords #chapter11 #chapter7 #reorganization #landlords #Landlordtenants #creditorsrights #debtorcreditorsrights #ceosanddirectors #ceosandofficers #officersanddirectors

Staying in to watch the football at home? The Brits don’t really need a reason to visit the On Trade, but the Euro’s will provide a strong pull for even the lightest of drinkers to get together and experience that great pub atmosphere.  However, for those that are looking to support from home, multipacks of cider are proving to be great value for those special occasions. Consumers are finding two of Westons multipacks especially appealing… the Stowford Press 10 x 440ml can pack has grown 34.4% in the past year, against a category that’s growing 4.4%. In a similar position, in crafted cider, is the Henry Westons 500ml x 6 pack, which is growing at an impressive 41.6% year on year, and is now a top 25 cider sku. Read more about the category and the trends for the year ahead in the latest Westons Cider report today: https://lnkd.in/eE3G_zX7 Source: Circana Infoscan 52 w/e 20th April 2024

My brothers and I grew up in the beer business with the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls, WI. One of the lines that my brother, John, and I share is that there really aren't any new ideas in the beer business. I can think of a couple. Miller Lite repositioning a diet beer that they bought from Meister Brau to market it to thirsty beer guzzling men via their "Great Taste. Less Filling." campaign is one. Another is a wave of innovators like Ken Grossman, Pete Slosberg, Jim Koch, Kurt and Rob Widmer, and Paul Shipman brewing and selling "micro" beers that were different in flavor profiles from the mostly pale yellow, fizzy lagers of the 80's. Microbrewing later became today's craft beer business. One of my favorite beers in our parent company's (Miller Brewing Company) portfolio was Miller Genuine Draft. Its "Get Out of the Old, Get into the Cold" advertising campaign was iconic featuring great rock-n-roll soundtracks and scenes that showed MGD cooling down any hot situation. https://lnkd.in/d-F_g4bk This Super Bowl, Coors Light returns with its "Chill Train". I can't help but notice the similarities to MGD's campaign over 34 years ago. Perhaps there aren't any new ideas in the beer business. #superbowl #beerindustry #advertising https://lnkd.in/dVjgRpSw

At Whiskey House of Kentucky, our complete and total focus is on our customers. We aren’t distracted by building our own brands or running a public hospitality program. Whether real or perceived, a conflict of interest exists when a contract manufacturer owns its own brands. How do we know? Because we created and ran a facility that struggled with that challenge on a regular basis. This time around, we’re doing it differently. We’ve removed all friction points between us and our customers. With no brands of our own and a campus closed to the public, Whiskey House is hyper-focused on providing the highest quality custom whiskey production, innovative liquid design, exceptional customer service, and the most competitive pricing for our exclusive branded customers. The manufacturing design, capabilities, and technological infrastructure of Whiskey House is unlike anything in the American Whiskey industry. Creating a customer centric culture isn’t easy. It starts by developing the core principles of the business. It takes time, focus, and dedication. Many start-up businesses lose sight of this in an effort to simply get up and running. Luckily, we aren’t just any start-up. We know how important it is to focus on building culture from inception. At the end of the day, a distillery is nothing more than metal and fancy equipment; it’s the people who produce great whiskey and service for our partners. That’s why, as a team, we wrote our Mission, Vision, and Values together. These principles form the core of who we are and how we operate. It’s our pleasure to share them with you: Mission  Through innovation and collaboration, we create exceptional customized American whiskey that builds sustained brand recognition for our exclusive partners.   Vision  Recognized as the global leader in transforming the contract American whiskey industry.   Values  Integrity: We consistently do what’s right, even when it’s not easy. Communication: We listen and share honestly and transparently so all are informed and valued. Partner Focus: We understand the needs of our partners and ensure everything we do adds value. Innovation: We embrace curiosity and creative risk taking to continuously deliver advanced solutions. Learn more about us at: https://lnkd.in/e5k8Jq8X