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Inventory for January 18th, 2015

In this week’s inventory Lucas Bols goes public, the champagne tower makes a comeback, we investigate the founding father’s relationship to alcohol, Poland announces plans to build a vodka museum, and Geoff Kleinman gets into a dispute with Discus.

Welcome! We hope you enjoyed some pulled pork and Bloody Marys at the Breakfast Market today. The next week will see Berlin go up in a flurry of fashion, but don’t despair: clothes are not the only thing being celebrated, there will be copious amounts of booze. For the next five nights you will have the pick of the crop, as there are incredibly amount of events popping up left and right. Tomorrow, for example, Firmament is hosting a Fashion Week Kick-Off party with promises of food by Hotzpenplotz Food Truck and good music – you’ll definitely find us there.

1) Lucas Bols goes Public

Last week Lucas Bols Holding B.V., the Netherlands-based global spirits player, announced its intention to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on Euronext Amsterdam. The Offering will primarily comprise the sale of new ordinary shares and will be available to institutional and retail investors in the Netherlands and to certain institutional investors in other jurisdictions.

Gross proceeds of the sale of new ordinary shares by the Company are expected to be around € 125 million. The company’s portfolio includes the likes of Bols Liqueurs and Bols Genever, Pisang Ambon and Bokma.

2) The Champagne Tower of the 21st Century

We like to think that during the roaring twenties no party was complete without a champagne tower centrepiece. Set to make a comeback, the UK-based firm Coupe Stack launched its product at Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason last year. For £70.00 you receive a package which consists of six unique glasses, designed to stack into each other to create a perfectly even champagne tower, which fits exactly one bottle of bubbly. Yes please, sign us up.

3) Founding Fathers and their Relationship to Alcohol

Shea Huffman just wrote an article which details the intimate relationship the American founding fathers had with alcohol. Not quite as puritan as people might believe, George Washington was a wine connoisseur and also kept a journal filled with detailed instructions on home brewing small batches of beer.

Who knew? G. Washington was way ahead of his time. Also a fan of the grape Thomas Jefferson went to great lengths to tour France’s vineyards on diplomatic visits and imported over 20,000 bottles of wine for his personal collection during his presidency.

And finally, Benjamin Franklin loved beer and was once quoted as saying “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy.” He also published The Drinker’s Dictionary. If that’s not dedication, then we don’t know what is.

4) Poland to Establish Vodka Museum

The city of Warsaw is planning on opening The Museum of Polish Vodka in 2017. Located in the city’s historic district Praga visitors will be able to learn what agricultural products are needed to produce vodka, as well as find out about Polish distilling techniques. Times Live reports that the museum is set to open two doors down from the former Koneser Distillery.

5)  German Launch of Girvan Patent Still Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Just in time for the new year whisky pioneers William Grant & Sons released their single grain scotch to the German market. Girvan’s master distiller John Ross on the scotch: “The use of only fine grains for the Girvan Patent style allows for a lighter aroma and character than most malt whiskies.

The scotch ripens in first fill, American white oak barrels for several years where it develops its taste, character, colour, and complexity. You’ll find notes of vanilla, toffee, honey, and caramelised fruit that reflect the legacy of William Grant & Sons. Both the Girvan Patent Still Single Grain No. 4 Apps and the Girvan Patent Still Single 25 Years Old Scotch Whisky are now available.

6) Geoff Kleinman vs. Discus

Last week Geoff Kleinman published a pretty scathing takedown of the state of the American alcohol industry’s self-regulation process, or more, lack thereof. It became really interesting when Frank Coleman, Senior Vice President of the Distilled Spirits Council, joined the conversation as he decided to publish a direct response in the comments section of Drinks Spirits.

In a bit of a back-and-forth Kleinman argues that Discus has done a supremely poor job at monitoring the industry market, protecting the consumer, and educating them on legal alcohol marketing while Coleman defends the DISCUS’ code review process, maintaining that only 14 claims have been filed in the last few years precisely because their strategy works so well.

This is not the first time Discus has published a reply to Drinks Spirits, last year Vice President of Public Affairs Lisa Hawkins let her disappointment with Drinks Spirits’ characterization of Discus be known in a reply to an article which criticized UV’s Sugar Crush Vodka marketing themselves to children.

Credits

Foto: Man with Microphone via Shutterstock

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