![]() “We haven’t changed the liquid,” says Campari America senior brand manager for fine whiskies Robin Coupar, noting that Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon ($24.99) remains the brand’s flagship. As part of the revamp, Campari America rebranded Wild Turkey 81 as Wild Turkey Bourbon ($20.99 a 750-ml. No.-6 brand Wild Turkey-which gobbled up a 3.4-percent gain to 610,000 cases last year-also got a make over in late 2015. This summer, Beam Suntory unveiled the first major packaging redesign for Jim Beam in decades. The largest players are launching major initiatives to capture more of the category’s growth. Diageo’s Bulleit shot forward by 17.5 percent, reaching 705,000 cases. Meanwhile, Heaven Hill Brands’ Evan Williams label grew by 15 percent to 2.1 million cases, and Beam Suntory’s Maker’s Mark advanced by 7.1 percent to 1.4 million cases. “Jim Beam Apple is the most successful innovation in the brand’s history,” DaDan notes. The flavor lineup alone grew 35 percent over the last year, led by Apple and Honey. “In the 52 weeks ended June 18 th, 2016, our portfolio is up 8 percent by volume, outpacing the Bourbon category overall,” says Jim Beam senior marketing director Gigi DaDan. However, the brand’s flavor extensions have pushed it into growth territory. ![]() Excluding flavors, No.-2 player Jim Beam dropped 2.1 percent to 3.4 million cases. Jack Daniel’s topped the Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey category with 3.4-percent growth and depletions of over 5 million cases, according to Impact Databank. Most leading brands posted significant gains last year off of already sizeable volumes. bottle) and Basil Hayden’s ($48.99) have gained traction. Initially, the trend grew among millennials, but now it’s crossed over to the Gen Xers and baby boomers as well.” Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s lead sales at Applejack, but Shpall notes that formerly low-profile brands like Booker’s ($65.99 a 750-ml. The Bourbon boom is coming on the heels of an upsurge of people who want cocktails instead of wine. “ This is an entirely different phenomenon than the vodka craze, which occurred alongside the growth in wine. “Bourbon is the hottest thing I’ve seen in a very long time,” says Jim Shpall, CEO of Wheat Ridge, Colorado’s Applejack Wine & Spirits. The boom in Bourbon, rye whiskey and Tennessee whiskey is particularly notable because it’s so broad-based. People are willing to spend a little extra money if they think a product has a real story. “You’re going to see many, many more years of this growth,” he adds. “It took a long time for Bourbon to decline, and it will take a long time to come back.” Griffin notes that even after years of high growth, Bourbon isn’t much more than half the size it was in 1970, when the category stood at 36 million cases. “Almost all the significant trends in distilled spirits have had long life cycles,” says Gus Griffin, president and CEO of MGP Ingredients, which owns the former Seagram distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and is now a major contract distiller. As supply issues slowly fade, Bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey are positioned for a long, steady growth run. Stocks of aging Bourbon reached 6.67 million barrels-the highest number since 1973. According to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, Kentucky Bourbon production hit a 48-year peak of 1.9 million barrels in 2015, up 315 percent since 1999. But now the worst of the scarcity has eased. A resulting shortage of aged Bourbons and rye whiskies drove up prices, put many mainstream brands on allocation and limited the category’s full potential. Up 22 percent since 2010, the category is the heart of the whisk(e)y renaissance-a trend that initially caught many suppliers flatfooted. In 2015, its volumes advanced 4.5 percent to 18.9 million cases, excluding flavors, according to Impact Databank. Production of Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is at a nearly 50-year high (Jack Daniel’s barrelhouse pictured).ī ourbon has become the brightest star in the brown spirits universe. With allocations for big brands easing, Bourbon builds for the long term.
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