Cheers Fall 2023 | Page 26

be aged in new charred oak barrels , has a real big presence in the drink ,” he says .

At Chicago ’ s Bar Pendry , lead mixologist Erica Dimmig likes to work with smaller American whiskey brands that have authentic stories behind them . “ A lot of the smaller distilleries are producing some really incredible products ,” she says , citing Uncle Nearest , FEW out of Evanston , IL , and local Chicago producer CH Distillery ’ s Jeppson ’ s Bourbon .

The latter , Dimmig says , has a “ bit of a bite to it , a bit of a kick and is absolutely delicious to use in classic bourbon cocktails , your Manhattan , your Old Fashioned . They even have a rye that ’ s really great in a Sazerac .”

At Philadelphia ’ s recently opened Post Haste , owner and beverage director Fred Beebe likes to take advantage of all the new American whiskeys from east of the Mississippi in keeping with his establishment ’ s farm-to-glass ethos . One of the more interesting sources , he says , is right in his own state , Liberty Pole , out of Washington , PA , and its bourbon smoked with peat imported from Scotland . “ It ’ s very interesting to have an American alternative for a smoky whiskey ,” he says .

He uses that whiskey for innovative cocktails including a variation of a Penicillin called a Pearnicillin , with smoked pear , ginger and honey syrup , yuzu along with the smoked bourbon ; and a Blood & Sand variation made with the smoked bourbon , cherry-infused Laird ’ s Jersey Lightning apple brandy made in the neighboring state , smoked cherry syrup , IPA syrup and compote superjuice .

Ben Brown , beverage director at Porchlight in New York , says one of its top-selling cocktails is the Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned featuring Remy Martin 1738 , Rittenhouse Rye , Maraschino , citrus , Cherry Heering , orange and Angostura . Another is the Menta Sazerac , consisting of Rittenhouse Rye , Branca Menta , absinthe , Demerara , grapefruit oil and Peychaud ’ s ; bother drinks are priced at $ 17 . Boilermakers are also popular , he says .

NEARING A PRICE CEILING ? All this enthusiasm and seeking out the next big thing in American whiskey continues to drive category sales — and prices . According to Canepa in Ohio , “ the category continues to experience robust growth , with revenue increasing at a faster rate than volume . This growth can be attributed to the ongoing premiumization trends .”

Adds Agnes , “ People are looking for the quality , and so far they don ’ t seem to be worried about spending the money to get it . If they know what they want , and they ’ re educated about it , they ’ ll spend the money to get it .”

Minnesota ’ s stores are harnessing the enthusiasm around those hard-to-get bottles by holding online lotteries .

This also has the benefit of adding social media followers , which can drive more shoppers into its stores . “ What we ’ ve found is we ’ re drawing in customers from other areas that might not come to our store ,” Agnes says .

But recent months have also seen some evidence that the wild , heady days for the category may be reaching a peak . “ Consumers are becoming slightly more price sensitive when considering new whiskey purchases ,” says Canepa in Ohio .

“ As prices approach the $ 80 mark , it appears that consumers may tend to hesitate , and they are less likely to make impulsive purchases of more expensive brands without a recommendation from a trusted source ,” he notes .“ This emphasizes the significance of building trust and establishing brand credibility among consumers .”

In fact , Maloney says he has been advising suppliers to try to target the $ 50 mark with their bottles , as customers are being a little bit more discerning . “ I think you ’ re seeing fewer people saying , ‘ I gotta have that in my collection .’ There ’ s got to be a real reason for it now ,” he says .

MORE ROOM FOR GROWTH What will the next year bring for American whiskey ? Some predict coming months could see more use of the newly legalized 700-ml . bottle domestically . It ’ s a size that ’ s already popular overseas .

And the category continues to attract investments from players big and small . For example , Pernod Ricard USA this past March bought a majority stake in popular peanut -butter-flavored Skrewball . Pernod also recently formed The American Whiskey Collective , a unit dedicated to “ capitalizing on the strong growth — and growth potential — of its American whiskey portfolio ,” such as Jefferson ’ s , TX Whiskeys , Smooth Ambler and Rabbit Hole . It will invest about $ 250 million over five years to build a state-of-the-art , carbon neutral distillery , with related aging warehouses in Marion County , KY , for the Jefferson ’ s brand .

“ We think we ’ re at a time and place where we need to create more capacity for our biggest bourbon brand Jefferson ’ s ,” says Craig Johnson , head of the Collective . “ And we want to make sure that these brands have the ability to grow worldwide .”

Pernod ’ s move aligns with the direction that Katz of Southern Glazer ’ s sees the American whiskey category heading . “ I think we ’ re still in the first third of a long arc ,” he says . “ And it goes in multiple directions .”

It ’ s almost as if the American whiskey range is a six-lane superhighway , he says . “ On the right , it ’ s small craft distillers . On the left are the big brands that we all know . But each of their influences go both ways .”

– Tom Agnes , liquor operations manager for retailer Brooklyn Center Liquor

26 • Fall 2023 www . cheersonline . com