Beverage Dynamics July-August 2019 | Page 23

Imported Whisky sumers — while also taking into account shortages in aging stock at many distilleries — we are seeing more brands launch premium-level , non-age-statement blends .

“ In general , the Scotch industry is moving to innovate beyond the aged single malt , and distilleries are embracing this by creating outstanding ‘ No Age Statement ’ whiskies — or , flavor-led , as we like to refer to them — with unique barrelings that yield interesting and distinctive flavor profiles ,” says Ivan Hidalgo , managing director Scotch and Irish whiskey at Beam Suntory .

“ In turn , this innovation should continue to drive growth in the category and increase U . S . market share over the next several years , as consumers gain awareness and appreciation for Scotch via increased opportunities for exposure and trial , especially with a younger demographic ,” Hidalgo adds .

It might just be that Scotch has found a new generation .

CANADIAN DIVERSIFIES Canadian is by far the largest category of imported whisky in America . It nearly doubles Scotch , and quadruples Irish . Canadian grew only 0.1 % last year to 16.87 million 9-liter cases , following gains of 2 % and 2.8 % in 2017 and 2016 , respectively .

Crown Royal dominates . The Diageo brand was up 4.5 % in 2018 for a total of 6.34 million cases , more than triple the next biggest brand , the U . S . -bottled Black Velvet of Constellation Brands , which was down 2.6 % to 1.9 million cases .

Crown Royal has captured the attention of modern consumers with a reliable core product , buoyed by a bevy of flavored , limited-edition and small-batch releases . These are “ answering consumers ’ desires for quality and experimentation , and are trending within the category ,” explains Kelly of Diageo . “ In fact , last year the flavored whisky category posted a growth of about 8 %.”

To that end , she reports double-digit growth , year over year , for Crown Royal Regal Apple , while Crown Royal Vanilla was the “ highest-scoring new product Diageo has ever put into taste testing .”

Satisfying the connoisseurship component of whisky culture , Crown Royal continues to expand its Noble Collection of high-end offerings , most recently with its French Oak Cask Finished .

As much as U . S . consumers today care about craft and quality , so too do they support brands that they can feel good about . Positive cultural impact , as stated earlier , remains important .

“ With initiatives such as The Crown Royal Purple Bag Project , which aims to send one million care packages to troops serving overseas by 2020 , as well as The Crown Royal Water Break , a movement that encourages responsible game-day consumption within the professional football space , Crown Royal is committed to bringing new and generous experiences to consumers in ways that may not traditionally be associated with the whisky category ,” says Kelly .

As the craft movement spreads worldwide , Canadian whisky has become increasingly diverse . Behind these category innovations are the country ’ s liberal rules for distillation and production .

“ All we must be is made of grain , fermented , distilled and aged in Canada , and aged in a wooden barrel of less than 700-L . for a minimum of three years , and be more than 40 % ABV ,” explains Dr . Don Livermore , master blender at Hiram Walker & Sons Limited . “ We are not told we have to use a mash bill – like bourbon . We

LEADING BRANDS OF CANADIAN WHISKY , 2017-2018

Source : The Beverage and Information Insights Group

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