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The Winebow Group Acquires Noble Wines

By
The Staff
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The Winebow Group, a national importer and distributor of fine wine and craft spirits, announced yesterday its acquisition of Noble Wines of Seattle, Washington.

The companies will combine their efforts in Washington and Idaho, and operate as Noble Wines, a member of The Winebow Group.

With the addition of Washington and Idaho, The Winebow Group has increased its distribution network to 19 states. This number includes Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Noble Wines to our family,” said David Townsend, President and CEO of The Winebow Group, in a press release. “Chuck Marush and Greg Nelson, who founded Noble in 1988, have been our partners for over 25 years. They have created an excellent organization that fosters the fine wine culture and dedication to customer service that are at the core of our business.”

“We are thrilled to expand our distribution network to the Northwestern United States and look forward to working with the talented team at Noble to further grow their operations in the Washington and Idaho markets,” Townsend added.

“Joining The Winebow Group family through this acquisition represents a terrific opportunity for our employees,” said Marush. “Noble and the entire team will benefit from an expanded offering of exceptional wines and spirits, increased levels of service and coverage, and improvements to systems and infrastructure. This partnership will allow us to honor our obligations to both suppliers and staff at the quality level that they have known throughout our history.”

“As privatization has resulted in profound changes to our industry here in Washington, our alliance with The Winebow Group will give us the platform and flexibility to actively manage these changes and successfully grow,” said Nelson.

Marush and Nelson will stay on with the company, managing day-to-day operations.

Glassblowing in Brooklyn for the #ArtofAuchentoshan

By
Kyle Swartz
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I sipped some whisky and I blew some glass (though not in that order).

Guests at yesterday’s Art of Auchentoshan event at Urban Glass in Brooklyn had opportunity to blow their own whisky glasses. Naturally, this activity took place before we the beverage media were let loose on some cocktails and bottle samplings.

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Shaping the glass with a wooden block.

Art of Auchentoshan is a social media campaign that encourages bartenders to share their original art online using the hashtag #ArtofAuchentoshan. Submissions can be in any form of art, including spoken word.

“We believe that if you are creative in one outlet of your life, you will be creative in others as well,” said Auchentoshan National Brand Ambassador Robin Nance.

To that point, the night’s bartender boasted a serious art background. The aptly named Ivy Mix made us her Ya Falta Menos cocktail (recipe below), while also displaying her photography, which focused on her twin sister to explore the nature of “self.”

“I left the upper echelon of the New York art world because I wasn’t making art,” Mix explained. “Now I make art for a different sensory palate.”

Her Ya Falta Menos cocktail painted a picture of fall season. Fresh apple and maple flavors combined wonderfully on the nose and palate. The drink featured Auchentoshan American Oak, a scotch aged in first-fill American Oak bourbon casks.

“If you’re coming in from the bourbon world, this is a good entry scotch for you,” Nance said. “It shares so many of the same flavors.”

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Auchentoshan American Oak.

The American Oak was used in the night’s other cocktail, Nance’s Auchentoshan Jul(e)p. We enjoyed both drinks in the Urban Glass lobby after our time upstairs making whisky glasses.

The 17,000-square-foot studio is an open access facility where 200 artists create. We paired off into teams and took seats at one of the many furnace stations. Each duo got an artisan helper. Ours, Steph, guided us safely through the many steps necessary to make just one whisky glass.

Steph fetched a clump of molten glass at the end of a metal rod. We had to roll it, reheat it, and blow into the glass from a mouthpiece at the rod’s other end. A wooden block with a cupped end was used to shape the glass. Metal pincers inserted into the glass expanded it. These steps were repeated. The partner not shaping was either blowing or shielding the shaper’s arm from the heat of the glass using a handheld wooden plank. At one point we swung the rod with the red-hot glass pendulum-like from a standing position, turning it as we did.

It was quite a lot of fun, and not nearly as dangerous as the waivers we signed seemed to imply. Much like in sports, obeying the fundamentals — which were well taught by Steph — led to a favorable outcome.

Our glasses are now cooling off. They’ll be imprinted with an “A” for Auchentoshan and then mailed our ways. Who knows: maybe mine will come out looking good enough to pour in some quality scotch, snap a photopraph, and then upload my masterpiece with the appropriate hashtag.

Cocktail Recipes

Auchentoshan Jul(e)p

(Serves 1)

2 oz. Tea-infused Auchentoshan American Oak whisky
½ oz. Cocktail & Sons Oleo Saccharum syrup
Q Club soda

Dry shake the Auchentoshan and Oleo syrup. Pour over crushed or cube ice and top with Q Club soda. Garnish with lemon thyme.

*Infuse Auchentoshan American Oak with David’s Tea — The Buzz Tea for approximately 12 hours. Strain and use. One ounce of the The Buzz Tea used per 750-ml. bottle of Auchentoshan.

Recipe created by Robin Nance, Auchentoshan National Brand Ambassador

Ya Falta Menos

(Serves 10)

7 oz. Auchentoshan American Oak whisky
4 oz. Lustau Amontillado sherry
1 oz. Yellow chartreuse
¾ Creme de Peche liqueur
8 oz. Apple cider
1½ oz. Maple syrup
3 oz. Fresh lemon juice
5 dash Dale DeGroff’s pimento aromatic bitters

Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl. Serve over ice.

Recipe created by Ivy Mix of Leyenda, Clover Club

What’s Behind the Absinthe Revival?

By
Kyle Swartz
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When was your first experience with absinthe? Perhaps, as with me, it was in college, with a bottle avoy

muggled in from Europe. Your expectations to hallucinate were not met. Rather, you thought, “This is just another alcohol.”

Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 8.42.31 AM
Ted Breaux

And it was not a particularly good alcohol. Due to production bans, most Americans have not tasted quality absinthe. Nor have they enjoyed craft cocktails containing the sweet, dry, strong spirit made from botanicals and herbs.

Absinthe production was barred in America and Europe from the early 1900s. Thankfully, these bans were lifted about a decade ago, allowing the spirit to gradually appear again in quality form within cocktail menus and connoisseur’s collections.

Last week I sampled absinthe with one of its saviors — Ted Breaux. He studied its origins, and then successfully fought governments for legalization. Today, he produces the Lucid and Jade absinthe brands using recipes that helped establish the spirit more than a century ago.

BD: Why was absinthe widely banned?

TB: Just how the gin craze of the 1700s led to the making of bad, adulterated gin, so too did the same thing happen to absinthe during its rise in France in the 1800s. The production of absinthe requires a lot of stills and labor. People were making cheap absinthe with copper sulfate to turn the spirit green.

Meanwhile, the wine industry was decimated by blight in the 1880s. This allowed absinthe to replace wine as the common drink in France. Some consumers were drinking the cheap, adulterated stuff, and it landed some of them in the hospital. (Which is where the stigma comes from.) The wine industry, not wanting to lose too much ground — and ironically working with the Temperance League — used this against the absinthe industry.

Jade_Esprit Edouard_750ml
Jade Esprit Edouard

At that time, more than 95% of the world’s absinthe came from one rural area on the France/Switzerland border. The wine industry was able to get absinthe banned in Switzerland in 1910 and France in 1914. That essentially removed it from the global marketplace. (America banned it in 1912.)

BD: How did you become involved in the absinthe revival?

TB: My background is as a research scientist. I came to acquire two full bottles of pre-ban absinthe, Pernod Fils and Edouard Pernod. I sampled these using a hypodermic needle that penetrated through the corks. I tasted those in ’96, when few people alive had tasted vintage absinthe. I found that you could put those bottles on the shelf and sell them today. With this knowledge, I could either write a good book — or keep the details to myself and try to recreate the spirits.

I discovered Combier Distillery in Saumur, France, a functional distillery that had made absinthe pre-ban. I struck a deal with the distillery and started producing absinthe. But I couldn’t even sell it in our own country!

Around that time, I met some entrepreneurs in New York. They had the idea to try to get the absinthe ban overturned in America. We put together a scientific argument that the government could not refute. And we stressed that we wanted to establish a quality of standard, to do away with the stigma of poor quality and the spirit causing hallucinations. The national government agreed. On March 7, 2007, absinthe was again allowed in the U.S.

Technically, it was still illegal in France. I went to the French Ministry of Health and asked them, ‘What’s the scientific basis of the law?’ They struck the ban in 2011.

We still have a lot of work to do overcoming the stigma. We have to educate people. Since 2007, my job has been 15% distillation and 85% education.

Dogfish Head Higher Math, Pennsylvania Tuxedo

By
The Staff
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To celebrate its 20th birthday this year, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery will release six limited edition beers for during the holiday season.

DFH_HigherMath_BottleShotKicking off the lineup of releases is Dogfish’s birthday beer, Higher Math, which will be available to the public on Friday, November 6th. Higher Math is a tribute to the auspicious first beer that founder and president Sam Calagione created in his New York City apartment back in the early 1990s.

Coming home from a homebrew store, Calagione picked up a bag of cherries at a local bodega, the company says, thinking the cherries would make his beer more flavorful. Clocking in at 17% ABV, Higher Math is a golden strong ale fermented with sour cherry juice and cocoa nibs. It has forward notes of cherries and fruit, the company says, with late notes of cocoa, and a lingering sweetness and warmth from the alcohol.

Also releasing on Friday, November 6th is the Pennsylvania Tuxedo. Brewed in collaboration with the outdoor outfitter Woolrich, Pennsylvania Tuxedo is a spruce-infused pale ale that pays homage to the flannel-suited hunters and gatherers who dwell deep in the backcountry of Pennsylvania, the company says.

Following Dogfish’s “off-centered” philosophy of using unusual ingredients, this ale is dosed with tons of fresh spruce tips that were hand-harvested from forests near the Woolrich mill in central Pennsylvania. The result is an 8.5% ABV ale with a grassy citrus kick and resinous conifer notes, the company says, balanced by dry-yet-doughy malt backbone.

Rounding out the winter releases are four returning beers: 75 Minute IPA (11/6), Fort (11/16), Piercing Pils (11/30) and Bitches Brew (12/7).

Higher Math’s suggested retail price is $36 for a 4-pack and $216 per case. Pennsylvania Tuxedo’s suggested retail price is $9.25 for a 4-pack and $53.00 per case.

Dogfish’s current distribution territories includes: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI.

Bota Box Nighthawk Black

By
The Staff
-

Bota Box has unveiled Nighthawk Black.

A full-bodied California dark red blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah, Nighthawk Black is available nationally in the 3-liter Bota Box format as an ongoing year-round item, the company says, as well as in the Bota Mini 500ml Tetra Pak format as a seasonal item.

Featuring the same eco-friendly packaging as the 12 varietals in the Bota Box Premium 3-Liter suite, Nighthawk Black is made from unbleached, post-consumer fiber and is 100 percent recyclable. The carton is printed with VOC-free inks, the company says, and is constructed with corn starch over synthetic glues.

Consumers can drink wine from Nighthawk Black for up to four weeks after opening.

The equivalent of four 750ml glass bottles, Bota Box Nighthawk Black is now available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $22.99, and Bota Mini 500ml Tetra Paks are shipping now and available at a suggested retail price of $5.99, while supplies last.

Bota Box takes its name from the traditional Spanish wine skin known as a bota used to carry wine for centuries. Bota bags became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with hikers, skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts who were looking to take wine along on the outdoor adventure without the weight and hassle of glass bottles.

Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish

By
The Staff
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The Glenlivet has revealed its first peated flavor in over one hundred years: The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish.

In the early 1800s, The Glenlivet distillers used peat smoke to dry the malted barley and The Glenlivet whisky would have had a rich, smoky flavor, the company says. Reinterpreting this historic tradition,  this new expression is matured in American oak casks which have previously held heavily peated scotch to bring forth a subtle, aromatic smoky flavor.

Each bottle of The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish is bottled and released in small batches, the company says, with no chill-filtration.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish has an aromatic smokiness, according to the company, complemented by spicy fruits. The smokiness is juxtaposed with the smooth, fruity house style of The Glenlivet Single Malt.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish will be available in CA, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, NY, TX, WA markets at a suggested retail price of $84.99.

CEO of Stoli’s New Luxury Wine Division Talks Strategy, Arinzano Estate

By
Kyle Swartz
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The Stoli Group continues to diversify beyond vodka with the recent launch of a luxury wine division.

Longtime winemaker Manuel Louzada has been appointed CEO of this new portfolio. He’ll oversee brands including the newly acquired Arinzano Estate of northeastern Spain (pictured above), Argentina’s Achaval-Ferrer, and the Italian estates of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Castelgiocondo and Luce della Vite.

This past week I sat down with Louzada in the Stoli headquarters in New York. We discussed his vision for the portfolio, and sampled the first three Arinzano bottles that Stoli plans to import into major U.S. markets by early 2016.

“We’re focused on finding hidden jewels, places that have the potential to be developed,” Louzada said. “We will focus on growth of quality, and not the growth of volume.”

To that end, Louzada plans to focus on observation and technique.

“You don’t want to be where you are just making the same type of wine no matter where in the world you are,” he said. “You have to use the most appropriate techniques to make wines that best reflect their terroir. You have to be sensitive to techniques that are appropriate for the terroir.”

Unique Classification

Perhaps still a “hidden jewel” to American drinkers, Arinzano has a long history in Spain.

Arinzano is located in the municipality Aberin, near the midpoint between Rioja and Bordeaux. The estate’s vines were originally planted in the 11th century. But over time, the vineyard fell out of use. In the 1980s, Arinzano’s 128 hectares changed hands and were replanted. Stoli acquired the estate earlier this year.

In 2007, Arinzano became the first estate in northern Spain to receive a designation of Vino de Pago (or D.O. Pago). This is a classification given to individual estates indicating the highest quality of Spanish wine. Qualification requires both growing all grapes and aging all wines onsite, plus a track record of consistent quality.

Since its first use in 2003, Vino de Pago has been granted to only 17 estates, with only four in northern Spain.

“I think it was a real eye-opener to other properties around Arinzano,” Louzada says. “You’re going to see more of it out of Spain. Today’s consumers are looking for something different. And they recognize that there are many improved vineyards outside of the major wine regions.”

AB Inbev Posts Mixed Financial Results in Advance of SabMiller Merger

By
Kyle Swartz
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AB InBev logo

Global beer giant AB Inbev reported a Q3 revenue decline as it closes in on acquiring rival SabMiller.

However, the results are positive if viewed without currency-based contributing factors.

Revenue in Q3 2015 was $11.38 billion, down from $12.24 billion this time last year, according to a press release.

The company pointed to unfavorable currency translation as the fundamental reason for the results. Organic growth, which does not take into account currency volatility, actually showed a 7.9% revenue increase.

AB Inbev attributed the organic gains to volume growth in America, Mexico and Latin America North. And global brands had  strong showings, increasing 11.5% in volume and 15.9% in revenue.

“Stella Artois volumes grew by 12.9%, driven by good performances in the UK, the US, Canada and Argentina,” the company said in a press release. “Budweiser volumes grew by 11.5%, with particularly strong growth in China, Russia, the US and the UK, while Corona volumes grew by 11.1%, driven by growth in Mexico and most of our export markets.”

After these results, AB Inbev readjusted its previous year-long outlook — of organic revenue growing in line with inflation — to organic revenue outpacing inflation. This is primarily due to “higher than expected premium brand volumes.”

AB Inbev and SabMiller were granted additional time this past week to finalize details of their proposed mega-merger. They have until Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Drizly and Food & Wine Magazine Partner on ‘Content-and-Commerce’ Platform

By
The Staff
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Drizly logo

The digital world of alcohol continues to connect with the physical.

Digital delivery service Drizly has partnered with Food & Wine Magazine to “combine on-demand e-commerce and authoritative content in the world of beer, wine and spirits,” according to a press release.

Beginning today, Food & Wine will curate cocktail recipes, wine recommendations and pairings through its own Drizly Premium Brand Hub, a content-and-commerce platform for consumers.

Every ingredient and recommendation on the Food & Wine Brand Hub is shippable. This allows consumers to purchase items online for on-demand or future scheduled delivery.

The Food & Wine Brand Hub will be regularly refreshed by the magazine, the company says, to reflect timely features as well as industry trends.

“Drizly’s e-commerce solutions are not only powering unprecedented choice and convenience among drinkers, they also have strategic value to publishers and beverage alcohol brands,” said Michael DiLorenzo, senior vice president of marketing for Drizly.

In addition to its curated content on Drizly, Food & Wine will also create opportunities for its beer, wine and spirits advertising partners to participate in Drizly’s e-commerce capabilities.

 

AB Inbev and SABMiller Seek Deadline Extension to Complete Deal

By
The Staff
-

The merge between the world’s two largest beer companies will have to wait at least another week.

AB Inbev and SABMiller announced yesterday that they have sought an extension until Wednesday, Nov. 4, to finish the $104.2 billion deal between the two corporations. This request requires government approval, which is expected to be granted sometime today.

The extension is not seen as a sign of problems surfacing within the deal. Rather, it is believed that the request stems from the sheer amount of work involved in piecing together such a large business merger.

An AB Inbev press release states that the additional week is “in order to allow SABMiller and AB InBev to continue their discussions with respect to other aspects of the transaction.”

SABMiller agreed two weeks ago to the purchase offer presented by AB Inbev, after turning down several previous offers.

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