CAMPARI ACQUIRES BULLDOG GINS

Bulldog Gin Sold to Gruppo Campari February 2017

It is not often that one gets to see the insider of a transaction and get to read the details.

Shanken Daily News offers this info:

"Italy’s Gruppo Campari has acquired Bulldog Gin for roughly $58 million.

Launched in the U.S. in 2007 by entrepreneur and investment banker Anshuman Vohra, Bulldog (roughly $26 a 750-ml.) is currently available in nearly 100 markets around the globe, with a strong concentration in Europe.

. Bulldog sold around 150,000 cases in total in 2016.
. The brand’s net sales were around $12 million (+22% sales previous year).

The deal values the independently-owned Bulldog at approximately 13.6 times the expected CAAP (contribution after advertising and promotion) of about €4 million ($4.3m) in 2017."

The ratios are starting to look like those App start-ups and Dot-Com Companies.

There is a spirit valley after all!

Sources: Bulldog, ShankenDailyNews

UK IS LAUNCHING THE SCOTLAND GIN TRAIL

If anyone is to grow and compete against Scotch, Irish and Bourbon whiskys, a huge education job lies ahead. Education is key to consumer support.

“That’s why we started our academy down at Midleton,” says Anna Malmhake, CEO of Irish Distillers. “We run courses for the trade from all over the world on Irish whiskey history, its production, what makes it unique and so on. In a year at least 1,000 people have gone through it, and of course these are people who go back home and write about it and talk about it.” (The Spirit Business).

For the longest time, I have said that we need a 'Cognac Trail' like the so famous and successful "Scotch Whisky Trail'.

I guess the Scots are beating us to it again with the first 'Scotland Gin Trail' just launched this month by The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

UK, Scotland, London Gin Trail, i.e., The UK Gin Trail

This launch follows the earlier launch of the London Gin Trail.

“From premium brands, such as Hendricks, to craft distillers such as Crossbill, this new trail captures the variety and diversity of UK gin making, ... There has never been a more exciting time for the industry with the UK being the biggest exporter of gin in the world ... I want to harness the ambition of our Scottish gin-trepreneurs, helping them to grow the UK’s reputation for quality gin both here and abroad. I want to see it up there with Scotch whisky in terms of global sales" says Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss.

This is real support from the government and strong organizational skills.

“The flourishing UK gin industry is being driven by the hard work and ingenuity of distillers and we're proud to be working with WSTA to promote Scottish gin throughout the UK and abroad... Our distillers are creating some really unique gins through experimenting with techniques from the whisky industry and using new blends of local botanicals – it’s exciting to see such innovation within the great British tradition of gin distilling" says David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland.

I wonder what they are going to do next? Succeed?

Source: WSTA

French 75. Should You be Using Gin or Cognac?

David Wondrich in a recent article from Liquor.com reflects on the origins of the celebrated cocktail French 75. Apparently it is hard to provide precise origins for this drink.

French 75, is-it mixed with gin or cognac? In fact, one can find both variations to be used with lemon, sugar, ice and Champagne.  This is a perfect summer cocktail that everyone can do and every bartenders must know. Who said cognac is only for winter?

In the USA, The French 75 was known during the Prohibition as the bootlegger easy mix. A great deal of gins was produced during that period in bath tub I was told and they were not the best boutique kind so mixing it was a must.

David Wondrich mentions that "from there, it got picked up by the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, and once it was in there, it was everywhere. The elixir has the distinction of being the only classic born in America during the dry period. Indeed, the combination of gin and Champagne was a popular one with gents of a certain class. According to their contemporaries, it was a favorite of Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince of Wales, and also Kalakaua, the sporty type who was king of Hawaii. The combination of cognac and Champagne was just as well-known, if not more so; as the “King’s Peg,” it was a standard served in the eastern parts of the British Empire."

I believe it is acceptable to sacrifice a cognac VS  with some 'real' bubbly champagne to trade up the gins.

Source: liquor.com