TOP 6 OLDEST BARS IN SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco is really an iconic place on the west coast which greatly contrast with Los Angeles. You will not find much of anything old in Los Angeles whereas San Francisco offers an 'old world' feeling. Where to find to the oldest bars in SF I wondered?

(1) The Oldest is "The Embarcadero"
Old Ship Saloon was established in 1851
298 Pacific Ave., www.oldshipsaloon.com
The oldest bar in San Francisco (Elixir will have something to say about that), Old Ship Saloon is a bar made out of a ship hull that ran aground during a storm off of Alcatraz. It was later towed to the current location at the beach. Since renovated, the bar still preserves the memory of the ship.

(2) The second oldest is "Elixir"
Elixir was established in 1858
3200 16th St., www.elixirsf.com
Elixir has seen a lot going on since the Wild West days. In 2003, the bar was fully restored to its original glory by 'H', its new owner.

(3) The third oldest is "The Saloon"
The Saloon was established in 1861
1232 Grant St.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saloon
The oldest “saloon” in the city. Yes there are still saloons in the US.

(4) The fourth oldest is "Northstar Cafe"
Northstar Cafe was established in 1882
1560 Powell St., https://twitter.com/northstarcafesf
The oldest bar in the North Beach area with plenty of libations and free popcorns all day.

(5) The fifth oldest is "Shotwell’s"
Shotwell's was established in 1891
3349 20th St., www.shotwellsbar.com
Shotwell’s originally opened as a grocery store saloon by German immigrants with a backroom for beer drinking. Today it serves only beer, but many including craft beers from the Bay Area.

(6) The sixth oldest is Little Shamrock
Little Shamrock was established in 1896
807 Lincoln Way, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Shamrock
The oldest business in the Sunset-Little Shamrock area nearby the Golden Gate Park. The Shamrock first opened in 1896 to let people have a beer and play darts.

ARMAGNAC ENCANTADA: A New Independent Bottler in Armagnac

Armagnac L'Encantada

K&LWINES tells us all about it!

L’Encantada is a new armagnac independent bottlerwhich has been bringing out excellent Armagnacs says K&LWines.

To understand what makes this stuff special, you have to understand a little bit about Armagnac. French brandy production, especially in Armagnac, is much different than the American distilled spirits industry. There are a few large producers, but by in large, Armagnac is made by farmers and wine makers who distill some of their extra grapes in a travelling still that comes around to the farms.

Many of them just stick the casks in their barns and basements, a little bit here, a little bit there. Eventually they will bottle them, maybe for family and friends, maybe for small markets, or sell them to a larger company that bottles brandy or even makes liqueur; it's sort of a Gascon retirement fund.

L'Encantada was essentially knocking on farm doors and asking to buy these casks.  They have casks from around seven small producers, a number of which only made brandy for a limited time, and all of their brandies are bottled at cask strength without additives.

Source and Read More at: K&LWINES.com

MORE COGNAC SOLD IN USA IN 2018 THAN EVER

Cognac Economy is Up

Source: ShankenDailyNews

Cognac is enjoying a renaissance. Last year global volumes increased by a robust 5.5% to 15.4 million cases, with the U.S. at the forefront, accounting for nearly 40% of total consumption. After crossing the 6-million-case mark on 9.7% growth in 2017, Cognac has now expanded its U.S. volume by nearly 2 million cases in just the past three years. With demand skyrocketing—particularly for the VS segment—keeping adequate supply in the pipeline is now the major concern.

Hennessy continues to drive the market in the U.S., averaging an annual increase of 12.9% over the past five years. In 2017, the brand increased 7.4% to just under 4 million cases, and might have risen higher if not for its supply constraints.

Still, Hennessy is now nearly twice as large as it was in 2012, when it depleted 2.16 million cases. “Hennessy has plans for growth across all our qualities in the coming years; however, we do need to continue to manage our growth and supply carefully,” says Giles Woodyer, senior vice president for Hennessy at Moët Hennessy USA. “We’re continuously improving and building our supply development efforts including expanded relationships with growers, new plantations, and strategic investments such as our recent considerable investment in our packaging and logistics site, Pont Neuf, which opened last year.”

This new 280,000-square-foot Pont Neuf facility will allow Hennessy to produce around 10 million cases annually by 2020, up from 7 million cases currently.

Read more at ShankenDailyNews

MORE AND MORE SPIRITS DISTILLERIES IN THE USA

Craft Pot Still Distillery

The number of craft distilleries in the USA is ten times larger in 10 years. This is showing a healthy growth.

Original Title: Number of US craft distilleries rises by 26%

Source: beveragedaily.com

July 18, 2018

In 2016 there were 1,315 active distillers, which rose to 1,589 in 2017, according to figures compiled by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), Park Street Imports, and the IWSR.

A craft spirits producer is defined by the ACSA as one that has not removed from bond more than 750,000 proof gallons; markets itself as craft; is not openly controlled by a large supplier and has no proven violation of the ACSA Code of Ethics.

All about local?

The West boasts the largest number of distilleries (32.7% of total US craft distilleries), but the South - with classic spirits states like Texas, North Carolina and Kentucky - comes a close second (29.3%). The Midwest accounts for 19.1% and the Northeast 18.9%.

California is the state with the most distilleries: a total of 148, which makes up 9.3% of the nation's total. This is followed by New York, Washington, Texas and Colorado.

On average, more than half of a craft spirit producer's US sales come from within its home state (18% at the facility and 34% outside its premises).

"Nearly one-fifth of all sales take place at the production facility, underscoring the importance of tasting rooms and on-site retail to the bottom line,"? says ACSA in its 2017 annual report.

Meanwhile, employment in the craft spirits industry has grown nearly 50%: from 13,239 full time jobs in 2016 to 19,579 jobs in 2017.

The ACSA highlights 2017's 'most game-changing moment' as when Congress passed the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CMBTRA) on December 19 as part of the larger Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

"The significance of the tax vote cannot be overstated, for it is the first time in modern history that the federal government has acted to lower the Federal Excise Tax (FET) on the nation's small craft distillers," ?explains the ACSA.

"The legislative action has helped level the playing field for spirits within the broader craft beverage space, putting distillers on par with breweries and wineries. Prior to the law's enactment, a craft spirits producer had paid 5.4 times more FET than a craft brewer and 16.4 times more FET than a small winery, for equal quantities of beverage alcohol.?

"While it certainly is a time to celebrate, our work is only just beginning. ACSA's priority now is to ensure that Congress votes to make the tax relief permanent."?

The American Craft Spirits Association is a registered non-profit trade group representing the U.S. craft spirits industry.

PUFF DADDY NEW BRANDY VS: CIROC VS

CIROC BRANDY VS MADE IN THE COGNAC REGION, BUT THIS NOT A COGNAC

CIROC, the vodka made famous by the rapper Puff Daddy or Diddy, is launching a CIROC Brandy VS to answer its consumers' interest for brown spirits. Essentially, CIROC VODKA is made from local Cognac's region Mauzac Blanc and Ugni Blanc grapes. One of the earlier grape-based vodka

CIROC has often been accused of making a grappa or a brandy more than a traditional vodka.
Now it is clear with this version of CIROC BRANDY VS, it is a Brandy. Let's hope people get more into knowing what they drink than follow the trend - wishful thinking!

I have often heard people telling me that either they preferred clear spirits because they were 'clear' and therefore being clear did not give them headaches, or I have heard people prefer brown spirits because they ARE SOOO SMOOOTH!!! CIROC has both.
I am guessing soon we should see a Cognac from 50 cents!

Source: Sud Ouest

GRAND MARNIER IS GOING BACK TO ITS COGNAC ROOTS

 

Grand Marnier, Cognac, Liqueur, 1880, Quintessence

Grand Marnier is said to go back to its luxury roots and emphasize its connection with cognac. As you may know, Grand Marnier is made with cognac, and it is originally a cognac brand which became much more famous for its liqueur.

I could even venture to say that they kind of gave up on cognac a while back.

Grand Marnier was still part of the Marnier-Lapostolle family until last year in 2016 when Campari acquired it for $760 million.

Campari intends to take advantage of the current cognac boom and join in with the cognac association to Grand Marnier, and probably getting back into the cognac category.

The USA is Grand Marnier’s biggest market after France with 77% of its international sales.

Here is an excerpt from Shanken Daily News:

..."To capture some of the buzz around the Cognac category, Grand Marnier’s message will highlight that the core Cordon Rouge expression is 51% Cognac and 49% distilled bitter orange. “On-premise will continue to be a particular focus as we work to increase trial and reintroduce Grand Marnier to a new generation, many of whom don’t realize that Grand Marnier is more than half Cognac,” Batchelor explains.

While core label Cordon Rouge ($39.99) makes up the majority of the brand’s depletions, Grand Marnier’s portfolio has broadened over the years to include high-end marques that offer higher Cognac content. The brand’s Centenaire ($199.99), Cuvée 1880 ($349.99) and Quintessence ($899.99) extensions all use older eaux-de-vie and tweak the Cognac ratio, going all the way up to 91% Cognac for the Cuvée 1880. Although Cognac’s popularity has reached such a height that some brands—notably Hennessy—are seeing shortages, Grand Marnier master blender Patrick Raguenaud isn’t worried about stocks running dry, citing century-long relationships with grape growers throughout the region. “We have a collection of 450 winegrowers who supply Grand Marnier,” adds Batchelor. “Those strong and genuine relationships are at the core of Grand Marnier’s commercial activities."..."

Source: ShankenDailyNews

H.O.M.E. BY COGNAC MARTELL

 

Home by Martell

Martell introduces the world of H.O.M.E. at a private mansion party in Hollywood Hills with Grammy-nominated songstress Jhené Aiko served as the ambassador for the Los Angeles-based event, which other guests such as Quavo and Jamie Foxx.

Martell is working on the theme that everyone can enjoy nice coctails at home.

Sources: Home by Martell, Ebony

MORE AUCTIONS FOR RARE WHISKIES

 

Whisky Auctions Logo Icon

Whisky auctions are facsinating as you can see so much dynamism and enthusiasm, with growing demand for the US and Asia.

Any question as to whether the recent increases in the rare whisky market would begin to plateau can be dismissed.

The Spirits Business reports:

"...Collectors bought 21,617 bottles of Scotch malt whisky at UK auctions in April, May and June this year, compared to 12,638 in the same period in 2016 – an increase of 71%...

...In total, $8.10m was spent on rare whisky at auction compared to $3.67m in the same period in 2016 – an increase of 121%.

...The growing popularity of online auctions, combined with recent moves by traditional rare whisky retailers to set up their own auction sites, continues to drive demand. By joining the secondary market sector, these ‘bricks n mortar’ retailers have finally realised that they can’t afford to lose rare whisky customers to the auction market..."

Source: The Spirits Business

POMACE BRANDY MADE BY CRAFT WINERIES

Not too many wineries are piggybacking off the craft spirit movement using their grapes to make brandy such as the long-time pioneer, Charbay Winery & Distillery did over 30 years ago, way before craft spirits were trendy.

TastingTable.com gives an account of Brooklyn's Red Hook Winery which is using the pressed grape skins left from making its wines (the pomace) to create barrel-aged grappa. The barrel aging and the fact that it is made in small pot stills results in a heavier texture and more complex flavor than most grappas.

Red Hook Winery Still in Brooklyn, NY, USA

It is too bad that they are still calling it Grappa. That should be left to the Italians!

In Europe the category name is 'Marc'. I think they should say 'Marc of Chardonnay', and let the Grappas be for Italians' Marc.

Pomace Brandy, or Marc, Grappa if it is made in Italy in my book!

Red Hook Winery, Grappa, Pomace Brandy, Brooklyn, NY, USA

"Working out of a 19th-century shipping warehouse at the end of a pier in Brooklyn, Colin Alevras is busy tending to barrels of Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc at Red Hook Winery. 

Before greeting a midweek customer at the tasting counter, Alevras, the shop foreman, stops to check another barrel—but this one isn't filled with wine. It's filled with grappa that's been aging at the winery since 2012 ... This small-batch, Brooklyn-based grappa will challenge everything you know about the storied spirit."

Source:  TastingTable.com

+18% SALES TO DATE FOR 2016 FOR MARTELL IN THE USA

After posting a 4% sales increase to $1.8 billion in the U.S. market in its fiscal year ended in June, Pernod Ricard sees that progress continuing.

Pernod Ricard Logo

The U.S. accounts for 19% of the company’s global sales. Pernod Ricard cited the market’s overall premiumization progress.

Ultra-premium spirits ($42-$84) and the prestige segment ($85+), which have smaller shares, rose 13% and 17% respectively.

MARTELL COGNAC +18% IN THE USA for the first 52 weeks of 2016.

Sources: Shanken Daily News

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THE USA BEATS NEW SALES RECORD FOR COGNAC

Before the holidays seasons cognac sales are already showing a strong sales for 2016 in the

"Shipments of Cognac to the U.S., by far the global category’s largest market, crossed the 5-million-case mark on 13.5% growth last year, driven by the double-digit progress of Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Martell" says Shanken Daily News.

With growth continuing in 2016, U.S. depletions could hit 5 million cases and value could cross €1 billion ($1.1b) by year-end.

Impact Databank Cognac Sales in the USA, October 2016

1. Hennessy continues to dominate the category, accounting for 44% of worldwide volume and 66% of the U.S. Cognac market. With its global volume expanding by 55% since 2005, to 6 million cases, Hennessy has risen to become the world’s third most valuable spirits brand by retail sales, at $3.5 billion (trailing only Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff). “A significant portion of consumers drinking white spirits a few years ago have come over to Hennessy,” says Giles Woodyer, senior vice president, Hennessy at Moët Hennessy USA.
2. Rémy Martin remains a distant second to Hennessy in the U.S., but it too has been on an impressive run. In the 12 months through June, Rémy Martin posted a 15% increase in U.S. depletions, and in the first half of this year the brand’s VSOP jumped 20% in IRI channels.
3. Martell, which neared 100,000 cases in the U.S. last year, is getting increased focus in the market. Brand-owner Pernod Ricard is looking to leverage robust trends in both Cognac and Bourbon with a new hybrid product, Blue Swift ($50), which was finished in Kentucky Bourbon barrels.
4. Bacardi’s d’Ussé brand has also been making strides. Thus far in Bacardi’s fiscal year (beginning in April), d’Ussé’s revenues are up 20% compared with last year, led by its VSOP quality ($50). Meanwhile, senior brand manager Tyler Phillips tells SND that d’Ussé XO ($230), which continues to expand into new markets, is growing exponentially from a small base.
5. Beam Suntory’s Courvoisier brand sells about one-third of its volume in the U.S. market.

The Cognac category comprises about 4% of all spirits by dollar value in the U.S., according to Nielsen, but it’s growing at 19%, compared with total spirits category growth of 6%.

The whisky category revival has inspired greater consumer interest in brown spirits, specifically among multicultural millennial males. They are looking for premium brands that project success and sophistication, and so Cognac is well-positioned to get their attention. 

Hence, non premium cognac brands such as Salignac and Ansac are seeing negative growths in comparison.

Source: Shanken Daily News

2015 MARKS THE FIRST YEAR COGNAC SALES REACH 4.5 MILLION CASES SOLD IN THE USA

This year 2015 for the first time cognac will reach 4.5 million cases sold in the USA says Shanken News based on recent reports from the sales and depletions reports from Impact Databank, NABCA reports and Nielsen Channels.

This results is contrasting with the sales from the economic downturn of 2008-2009. Sales have gradually regained ground since 2009, but a more noticeable growth has started since 2014.

Average sales growth is estimated at 18.5% overall in the US and 71% in control states, with the majority of sales being VS category cognacs.

Hennessy is leading the category with 64% of market share. Martell is ranked 5th with an impressive 18.5% sales growth. Salignac is a sub-brand of Courvoisier and is ranked 4th with a decreasing amount of sales (-5.7%).

Bacardi with D'Usse cognac is making growing sales since its introduction with the VSOP in 2012, and now the surprisingly expensive XO ($230) in 2015.

---RANKING OF COGNAC BRAND BY SALES VOLUME IN THE USA (2015)---
1st: Hennessy (LVMH)
2nd: Remy Martin (Remy Cointreau)
3rd: Courvoisier (Beam Suntory)
4th: Salignac (Beam Suntory)
5th: Martell (Pernod-Ricard)

Source: Shanken News Daily

GIVE ME BACK MY CHATEAU AND I WILL LET YOU HAVE THE FRIES SAYS THE FRENCH

Chateau Margaux, Chateau Talbot, ... are very famous vineyards in France, specifically in Bordeaux. The use of the term 'chateau' is highly regulated in France and not everyone can use this term unlike in other countries such as the USA.  A news story about the French fighting to limit the use of this term only to French estates came to a pause on Tuesday at the European Union’s wine management committee in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Union’s wine management committee was supposed to approve an application to allow US wine exports to Europe to use the word “chateau,” in what one EU official described as a “purely technical rubber-stamping exercise.”

But this was not accounting for the passionate rivalry between France and California wine producers dating back let's say to the blind tasting competition from 1976 "the jugement de Paris" in which a californian wine won.

French legal representatives will get an extended delay to  present alternative proposals. One may wonder if  people would prefere the term 'castle' to 'chateau': 'Chateau Sainte-Michelle' would be called "Castle Sainte-Michelle" or "Chateau Diana" would become "Castle Diana".  It does not sound good to me!

Chateau Thepump Winery

Personally, I have no doubt that the use of the word 'chateau' enhances the brand as it premiumizes  it, and it makes it more sound like old/traditional/ and European style.

It is not deceiving  just good branding as it enriches the product quality perceptions. It creates positive co-branding and country-of-origin effects. 

1/3 of the wines produced and exported from the US goes into Europe. Mondialization and globalization of the wine industry may explain why the term chateau is less discriminatory to French vineyards now than before.  

However, the problem gets more complicated when letting the use to other production areas. Thus, one may expect a "Chateau Hong Kong" or a "Chateau India" to appear soon and then consumers may not know what they are really getting if the term becomes so generic. 

 I do not think we will easily agree on generic terms with a single worldwide regulation to apply.  Hence, one may rather encourage differentiation and region specificities to entertain diversity. In a way a culture is made to tell you where you are coming from and where you are going to.

Who knows what 'cognac' would mean today if someone a long time ago had not protected it?

Source: Reuters India

Bacardi is Thinking of Distributing Cognac Baron Otard in the USA

Bacardi Logo

Bacardi is a privately-owned spirit company controlled by the Bacardi family and founded in 1862. Originally from Cuba the family has moved a great deal between Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Florida as the political situations changed and they had to adjust and moved to a safer haven across the years.

This company has much merit and is responsible for a great deal of contributions in the spirit industry but to some extent also in their political influences such as over Cuba, and cultural influences such as art. In the spirit industry they great contribution was to make rum a premium spirit by (1) filtering rums in such a way to increase its purity and (2) by aging rums to mellow them. For everyone Bacardi is synonymous to rum but they carry a strong list of brands often times leader in other categories. For instance, they own Grey Goose Vodka, Dewar's Scotch, Benedictine, Bombay Sapphire, and Martini & Rossi, and many more ...

Cognac Baron Otard Logo

In fact, they own Cognac Otard, or rather Cognac Baron Otard as it was re-branded at the end of 2011, but they have not sold directly Cognac Baron Otard  in the United States. Robert Furniss-Roe, president of Bacardi North America,  said Bacardi is trying to tap more into the dark side of spirits, launching its first cognac in the United States early this summer 2012. There is the possibility that they use a different brand even for the USA.

Source: Martinne Geller, March 14 2012 (Reuters)

www.bacardi.com

www.baronotard.com