Market Watch November 2021

After last year’s cancellation, we thankfully were able to toast this year’s LEADERS honorees at our annual LEADERS Awards Dinner on September 30. We also finally got the chance to acknowledge members of the class of 2020, who could be part of the festivities this time around and were rightfully applauded by the industry. Held at The Pierre hotel in New York City, the event had all the glitz and glamor of LEADERS dinners past. Our Retailer of the Year honor this year went to Bob Selby, CEO of Massachusetts-based Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits. Kappy’s is a retail institution in Massachusetts, family-founded in 1940 and family-run ever since. As licensing laws gradually became liberalized in the Bay State over the past decade and the big chains started gaining a foothold,…

Uber Completes Drizly Acquisition….Uber has completed its acquisition of Drizly for $1.1 billion, originally announced in February. Drizly is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber. Drizly’s marketplace will be featured within the Uber Eats app, while also maintaining a separate Drizly app and website, the company notes. “Alcohol remains a key driver of demand from consumers,” says Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “On the Uber Eats app searches for alcohol items have spiked by 200% in the last year. We can accelerate our shared trajectory by introducing Drizly to Uber consumers and expanding its geographic presence.” Sycamore Finishes Ste. Michelle Purchase….New York-based Sycamore Partners has completed its acquisition of Washington-based Ste. Michelle Wine Estates from Altria for $1.2 billion. Announced in July, the deal sees Sycamore gain the largest wine business…

Philadelphia: Opulence Meets Organic At Herbal Cocktail Lounge European culture inspired by Indian ayurvedic health and wellness takes center stage at Ancient Spirits & Grille, a mammoth 7,000-square-foot, tri-level space that opened in September in Center City Philadelphia. Friends Syam Namballa and Mahi Reddy created the concept, focusing on herbal cocktails and health-minded drinks and food. Ancient Spirits & Grille’s signature drinks include the Ayur Dhatu, comprising Patrón Silver Tequila, house-made falernum and citrus shrub, oat milk, and papaya purée, and the Masala rye, mixed with Rittenhouse rye, Angostura Aromatic bitters, house-made cardamom bitters, and chai syrup (cocktails are $13-$15). The venue also highlights organic and biodynamic wines, listing more than 50 labels from Europe and the U.S. ($8.50-$13 a glass; $44-$100 a 750-ml.), and offers craft beers from both local…

The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 8 William Grant & Sons has launched The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 8, the final release in the Tun 1509 series. The 52.3% abv whisky ($410 a 750-ml.) was blended from 18 rare casks selected by malt master David Stewart and rested together for three months in the collection’s namesake Tun, or large oak vessel for marrying whiskies. Batch 8 is rolling out now in limited quantities across the U.S. For more information, visit Thebalvenie.com. The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao Edrington’s The Macallan has kicked off a new series of limited edition whiskies with The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao. The collection will trace the brand’s trek toward sustainable packaging while showing off select whiskies from The Macallan’s library. This release ($160 a 750-ml.) was selected, as…

Not many bartenders have the opportunity to create cocktails with spirits that they themselves created, but that’s exactly what Robert Longhurst gets to do on a regular basis. In 2016, when he was managing at a neighborhood bar in Nashville, Longhurst began experimenting with creating his own coffee-infused rye whiskey. As luck would have it, Bob Angus, CEO of the beverage company Four Blue Palms, was a frequent guest of this bar and took an interest in Longhurst’s whiskey creation. The two hit it off and quickly jumped into business together. Longhurst joined the Four Blue Palms team as creative director, helping launch Standard Proof Whiskey Co. in 2017, with the coffee-infused Red Eye Rye as its first product. Since then, Standard Proof Whiskey Co. has released eight additional expressions of…

Smoked Old Fashioned INGREDIENTS: 2 ounces Standard Proof straight rye whiskey;¼ ounce simple syrup;4-5 dashes Angostura bitters;1 untreated plank of cherry wood;Orange peel. RECIPE: Start by scorching the cherry plank and then place a rocks glass upside down over the burned wood to allow the glass to fill with smoke. While the glass seasons, stir the rye, syrup, and bitters with ice in a mixing glass. Strain the chilled ingredients into the smoked glass and add one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel. Wildflower Lemonade INGREDIENTS: 2 ounces Standard Proof wildflower rye whiskey;1 ounce lemon juice;1 ounce simple syrup;2 ounces sparkling water. RECIPE: In an ice-filled Collins glass combine rye, juice, and syrup. Top with sparkling water.…