Inventory for March 6th, 2015
It’s been a slow week in news, but that’s just how these things go sometimes. Over the past few days the Southern Comfort sale has been finalized,and Jim Beam released its first ever unified, global packaging.
You might have heard about this tiny little restaurant called Noma? In case you have, and you’re interested in what they do, why not join the Contemporary Food Lab and Dr. Johnny Drain in Berlin on March, Saturday the 12th for a workshop on butter and cream? Sign up for CFL’s Academy here http://contemporaryfoodlab.com (which is free by the way) and learn how to churn butter, use the byproduct buttermilk to make dressings, and prepare lacto-fermented pickles. No better way to spend a day!
1) Southern Comfort and Tuaca Sold to Sazerac for $542.4 million
Sazerac sealed the deal and bought both Southern Comfort and Tuaca from Brown-Forman. Over the next few months it plans on putting together a “comprehensive global strategy for Southern Comfort”. The Spirits Business notes that both the existing portfolio and packaging will be evaluated. Senior marketing director Kevin Richards is quoted “We’re very excited about Southern Comfort’s rich history and the incredible role it has played in American society for over a century. It’s one of the great American classics and will be exciting to nurture moving forward”. During the fiscal year 2014/15 Southern Comfort experienced a 5% decline in sales, both inside and out of the US. From April 1st onwards the distribution for Germany will no longer be handled by Brown Forman Germany, but Diversa Spezialtitäten GmbH, a Joint Venture by Underberg and Remy Cointreau.
2) Jim Beam First Global Packaging
In the spirit of “continuing to make history”, Jim Beach just launched a new, unified, premium packaging which “reflects the quality and heritage that goes into every bottle”. For the first time in over a decade, the brand has made significant changes to its packaging design, thus unifying it globally. Expect to see the new design hit shelves mid-2016, besides the States, Germany and Great Britain will be the first to introduce the new bottles. The redesign follows the first global Make History® marketing campaign that was unveiled two years ago. The design’s “premium optic” is meant to further service the label’s modern approach while simultaneously emphasizing the longstanding history. Both bottle and etiquette will undergo a redesign. The rebranding will roll out over the year, accompanied by Make History® tv, online, and print ads that include Mila Kunis.
3) Havana Club Launches Ultra Premium Series: Havana Club Tributo Collection 2016
Havana’s Ultra Premium Series is led by rums which are aged in 80-year-old casks and then blended with other rums to give a “aromatic and intense” taste. The Spirits Business quotes Asbel Morales, maestro ronero for Havana Club: “By blending rums using very old and rare casks, we have been able to create an expression for 2016 with a luxurious amber glow, full-bodied fruit flavours and a long finish”. The packaging for this series was designed by the London-based agency Nude Brand Creation. Havana Club Tributo Collection 2016 is bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in ten markets, including Cuba, UK and China, from March 2016 at a suggested retail price of $350 USD.
