Stateways Fall 2023 | Page 27

Floyds Distilling in Indiana and its 2 year Divine Rite malt whiskey . “ It kind of blew my socks off when they brought it in ,” he says .

Seven Grand in San Diego sticks close to tradition when it comes to whiskey cocktails , Judd says , with their best sellers being Old Fashioneds and Whiskey Sours . “ However , one of the things that I ’ ve really started to enjoy , and I think guests have as well , are Highballs ,” he says . “ People are looking for lighter , more crisp , refreshing spirits .”

He also offers Mile High Club , which he describes as a “ juicy , classic cocktail turned upside down ,” made with bourbon , Campari , apricot liqueur , lemon juice and bitters . “ It ’ s bright and refreshing , but bourbon , because it has to 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 real 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 also local Chicago producer CH Distillery ’ s Jeppson ’ s Bourbon . The latter , she 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 .”

In Philadelphia , at the 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 NYC , says one of its top-selling cocktails is their Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned featuring Remy Martin 1738 , Rittenhouse Rye , Maraschino , citrus , Cherry Heering , orange and Angostura for $ 17 . Another is their Menta Sazerac consisting of Rittenhouse Rye , Branca Menta , absinthe , Demerara , grapefruit oil and Peychaud ' s , also for $ 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 “ 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 . 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 approximately $ 250 million over five years to build a stateof-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 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 . 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

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