Archives for June 2020

Square One Organic Spirits Launches Organic Ready-to-Drink Cocktails

June 8, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — The makers of Square One Organic Spirits – who pioneered the concept of organic vodka and botanical spirits more than 15 years ago – has continued that drive for innovation with the release of a collection of handcrafted certified organic ready-to-drink cocktails.

“Consumers – particularly Millennials and Gen Z – are increasingly conscious about what they are drinking, and they are attracted to the certified organic ingredients and lack of artificial flavorings that are core to the DNA of all Square One products,” said Allison Evanow, Founder and CEO, Square One Organic Spirits. “With the addition of these delicious sparkling ready-to-drink cocktails, Square One now has a variety of options for discerning cocktail sippers – whether they prefer the base spirit, organic cocktail mixer or the convenience of a can. No other ultra-premium vodka brand has this breadth of offering.”

Apart from being one of the originators of the organic spirits movement, Evanow is also one of the first women in the industry to found, fund, and manage her own spirit brand.

Like the line of spirits and cocktail mixers that precede them, Square One Organic Cocktails have been carefully crafted from the purest ingredients. Square One Organic Cocktails use all organic ingredients: vodka, real juice, botanical extracts, and no artificial preservatives, creating a much better cocktail experience than other canned cocktails that use a simple, and often artificial, flavoring.

“Our consumer wants a light but complex tasting cocktail, not a hard seltzer with one flavor, and certainly not a flimsy diet version of an original,” said Evanow. “Our unique cocktails feature beautiful packaging and clever names – a craft cocktail experience with less alcohol but more flavor. Convenience doesn’t have to be boring.”

Square One Sparkling Cocktails will initially be available in California and then expand across the country during the rest of the summer. The Square One Organic Cocktail RTD portfolio includes:

Pear of Roses: Organic vodka, pear, rose, lavender, rosemary, lemon

Basil Berry Fizz: Organic vodka, basil, strawberry, lemon

Mediterranean Pearl: Organic vodka, bergamot, orange, pomegranate, coriander, star anise, lime

Cucumber Therapy: Organic Vodka, cucumber, rose, ginger, lime

Square One Organic Cocktails are USDA Certified Organic and heat pasteurized. They are lightly carbonated, ABV of 7.5% and are available in a pack of 4-12-ounce cans with a suggested retail price of $19.99.

About Square One Organic Spirits
Square One Organic Spirits, a pioneer in organic spirits, is a female-owned and WBENC-certified boutique spirits company founded with the sole mission of creating innovative organic spirits and cocktail products with an eco-conscious mindset. Featuring a USDA certified-organic portfolio of spirits, cocktail mixers, and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, Square One is the only ultra-premium vodka brand with this breadth of offering. Square One’s business philosophy includes seeking out eco-friendly choices in all parts of the business, including using soy inks, FSC certified and carbon neutral face labels, wind-power at the distillery, and designing bottles that are stylish enough to be reused.

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Uncle Nearest And Jack Daniel’s Join Forces To Launch The Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative To Increase Diversity In American Whiskey Industry

June 8, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

LYNCHBURG, Tennessee — The Jack Daniel Distillery and the Nearest Green Distillery announced today the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative to further diversity within the American whiskey industry. Both companies are supporting it equally with an initial combined pledge of $5 million to help create the Nearest Green School of Distilling, develop the Leadership Acceleration Program (LAP) for apprenticeships and establish the Business Incubation Program (BIP), focused on providing expertise and resources to African Americans entering the spirits industry as entrepreneurs. This joint initiative will be guided by an advisory board with members from both organizations.

Motlow State College, the fastest-growing college in Tennessee, has worked with leaders from both companies for the past year to develop a curriculum for the Nearest Green School of Distilling. The STEM based and employable skills focused program has passed Motlow State requirements and is now awaiting approval from the Tennessee Board of Regents to begin moving toward accreditation by the institution’s accrediting body SACSCOC. The certificate program may be offered as early as Fall 2021.

The Leadership Acceleration Program (LAP) will offer apprenticeships specifically to African Americans already in the whiskey industry, who are wanting to become a head distiller, head of maturation or production manager. The inaugural apprentices have already been identified and will begin shadowing at top distilleries throughout the country.

The third arm of the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative is the Business Incubation Program (BIP) that will offer African American entrepreneurs mentorship in all areas of the distilling business, including access to top marketing firms, branding executives, expanded distribution networks and other assets and opportunities to grow their spirits businesses.

“Generally, when companies talk about the need to improve diversity, few immediate action steps follow,” said Fawn Weaver, CEO, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. “Our group is different. We are doers, and we all agreed to work together to improve diversity in our industry, and specifically, a way to get African Americans into top positions within our industry. Nearest Green taught Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee whiskey and we’re incredibly proud our companies are joining forces to further their legacies of excellence, and to make distilling and the whiskey industry we love more diverse.”

“Given our deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, I am thrilled we are coming together in this way today,” said Lawson Whiting, President and Chief Executive Officer, Brown-Forman Corporation, the parent company of Jack Daniel’s. “This collaboration allows the extraordinary friendship of Nearest and Jack, and the hope they embodied during racially divided times in our country’s history, to help us advance the next generation of African American leaders in our industry.”

About Uncle Nearest
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, independently owned by CEO Fawn Weaver, honors the first known African American master distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green. It is the most awarded American whiskey of 2019 and 2020 to-date, garnering more than 65 awards in the past 16 months, including Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirit Competition and back-to-back honors of “World’s Best” at Whisky Magazine’s 2019 and 2020 World Whiskies Awards in New York and London. Uncle Nearest has also earned more than 20 Best in Class honors, including Cigar & Spirits Magazine naming Uncle Nearest one of the “Top 5 Whiskies in the World.”

The whiskey is currently available in all 50 states and 12 countries (while shipping into a total of 148 countries), in more than 12,000 stores, bars, and restaurants, and at its 270-acre distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., dubbed by a member of the press as “Malt Disney World.” For more information please visit the Uncle Nearest website.

About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the first registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. Today, Jack Daniel’s is a true global icon found in more than 170 countries around the world and is the most valuable spirits brand in the world as recognized by Interbrand.

About Brown-Forman
For over 150 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s & Cola, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Finlandia, Korbel, el Jimador, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Canadian Mist, Herradura, New Mix, Sonoma-Cutrer, Early Times, Chambord, BenRiach, GlenDronach, Slane, and Fords Gin. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by over 4,800 employees and sold in more than 170 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit www.brown-forman.com.

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New Holland Spirits Launches Lake Life Seltzers

June 2, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

HOLLAND, Michigan – Michigan’s proximity to freshwater is no secret, even the state’s name derives from the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning large lake. For many Michiganders, lake means life, and now New Holland Spirits has introduced a line of hard seltzers that reinforces that philosophy. Lake Life Seltzer arrives in Michigan this May with Cranberry Lime and White Peach Honey debuting as the first flavors.

Crushable and clean, the seltzers deliver a welcome switch-up for when the palate needs a break from craft beer. Brand Manager Adam Dickerson believes the new products will fit perfectly into the coastal lifestyle.

“Lake Life embodies the idea of letting loose,” Dickerson said. “Unplugging from the daily grind to step back and enjoy the weekend, the day, or even just a moment of carefree vibes.”

Made with Lake Life Vodka and fruit flavors, the two new seltzers allow you to drink by the lake without the hassle of extra ingredients or supplies—a cooler and some ice will do. The house-distilled vodka is what truly separates this seltzer from the pack. Lake Life Vodka launched in 2019, inspired by Michigan’s West Coast and savored moments spent on the water. Flavorwise, the spirit is smooth and subtly sweet, providing the perfect base to build a seltzer upon.

Head Distiller Brad Kamphuis sees the utility of both the spirit and the seltzer in different situations.

“If you enjoy mixing yourself a drink, Lake Life vodka has you covered, but we are stoked to be able to offer the ease of a ready-made beverage with Lake Life Seltzers,” Kamphuis said. “Both recipes are refreshing, crisp, and balanced with just the right amount of fruit flavor.”

The boon for those watching their beer bellies: Lake Life Seltzer contains just 80 calories and less than 1 gram of sugar. They’re a guilt-free alcoholic alternative and gluten-free to boot.

Carefully crafted near the shores of Lake Michigan by New Holland Spirits in Holland, Lake Life reflects a connection between spirit and season.

“Whether you are relaxed in an Adirondack chair, dipping your toes in the water, or doing a cannonball off the raft, these are the moments that we look forward to all year,” Dickerson said.

This summer, pair these moments with Lake Life and let’s coast.

About New Holland Spirits
In early 2002, New Holland Brewing Co-Founder & President, Brett VanderKamp visited the Caribbean with the intention of enjoying sun, sand and waves. Instead, he found world-class rum, and a lifelong obsession with fine craft spirits was born. He returned to Holland, MI with a mission; to create spirits that live up to his artful way of life and to share them with the world. For more information, visit their website or follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Silver Eagle Houston Now Distributing Anheuser-Busch’s Cutwater Spirits

June 2, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

HOUSTON, Texas – Silver Eagle Distributors Houston is now distributing Anheuser-Busch’s newest acquisition – Cutwater Spirits, a San Diego, California based distillery. Cutwater Spirits is an industry leader and an award-winning maker of 16 types of craft distilled spirits, three types of mixers, and ready to enjoy canned cocktails offered in 14 different flavors. “Silver Eagle Houston is thrilled to offer and distribute Cutwater Spirits to our Houston-area accounts,” said John Johnson, president of Silver Eagle Distributors Houston. “With the large assortment of canned cocktails to award-winning spirits and mixers, Cutwater’s on-the-go offerings will be a great option for Houstonians.”

Cutwater beverages are produced with “better for you” in mind, which include low calorie, low carb, and low sugar per serving. This brand offers a wide range of options for kicking off the Houston summer, such as the canned Tequila Lime Margarita and Spicy Bloody Mary. In addition, check out Cutwater’s website for some fun, easy to make, and enjoyable recipes.

Cutwater is available locally in select retail accounts and on-premise locations in single-flavor 4-packs and single-flavor 12 oz. cans.

About Silver Eagle Distributors Houston
Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC is one of the largest independent beer distributors in the nation. The company employs more than 1,000 team members, serving the metropolitan Houston-area to include the counties of Fort Bend, Montgomery and a significant portion of Harris County. Operations include its Houston corporate office and warehouse as well as warehouse operations in Conroe, Cypress, Pasadena and Rosenberg. Silver Eagle Houston distributes a broad selection of domestic and import brands, as well as microbrews and craft beers, craft spirits and several non-alcoholic beverages and waters to approximately 10,000 businesses across greater Houston. For more information, visit silvereagle.com.

About Cutwater Spirits
Built on the spirit of innovation, Cutwater Spirits is an award-winning maker of distilled spirits, mixers, and ready-to-enjoy canned cocktails based in San Diego, California. Originally founded in 2007 as Ballast Point Spirits, and rebranded in 2016 as Cutwater Spirits, we have amassed over 450 awards across our portfolio of products and are currently distributed in 34 states. We have become an industry leader in the RTD canned cocktail market with 14 different spirit-based canned products, including our American Distillers Institute Best-in-Class winning Vodka Mule, San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal-winning Spicy Bloody Mary, and our line of Vodka Sodas featuring 99 calories and zero carbohydrates. Production takes place at our 50,000 square foot facility in the Miramar neighborhood of San Diego, which includes a 250-seat world-class tasting room offering lunch, dinner, cocktails, and tours, where guests can learn about our products and experience our R&D process. For more information, visit www.cutwaterspirits.com.

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Jack Daniel’s Launches New Spirit-based Canned Cocktails

June 2, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

LYNCHBURG, Tennessee — Right in time for summer, the Jack Daniel Distillery has introduced the new Jack Daniel’s Cocktails series featuring Jack & Seltzer; Jack & Cola; and Jack, Honey & Lemonade, available in select markets beginning this month.

Each cocktail is made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, perfectly mixed and ready to enjoy in convenient packaging. Jack & Cola and Jack, Honey & Lemonade are 7% ABV, and Jack and Seltzer is 5% ABV with 0 carbs and 97 calories.

“We are always listening to our friends, and these new canned cocktails will be a convenient and refreshing way for them to enjoy our Tennessee Whiskey with a selection of wonderful flavors,” said Lisa Hunter, Jack Daniel’s Flavors Brand Director Lisa Hunter . “Each drink is perfectly balanced to highlight the flavors of our charcoal-mellowed whiskey in a drinkable and convenient format. This is real Jack and it’s ready to go.”

Jack Daniel’s Canned Cocktails will be available this summer in select states including CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, NH, NV, MD, MN, NY, PA, TN, TX, and WI. Retail price for a 4-pack of 12 oz. cans is $12.99 and single cans for $3.99. Visit www.jackdaniels.com for more information.

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Triple Eight Distillery Launches Nantucket Craft Cocktails

June 2, 2020 By Dow Scoggins

NANTUCKET, Massachusetts – Triple Eight Distillery is excited to have some good news to announce with the launch of Nantucket Craft Cocktails. After a few years of experimenting on Nantucket, Triple Eight introduces Nantucket Cran and Nantucket Blue. Nantucket Cran and Nantucket Blue are made from Triple Eight’s top-selling vodkas and blended into a clean, refreshing, ready-to-drink cocktail. They are a wonderful representation of the unique and flavorful cocktails which grace the drink chalkboards in the distillery bar on-island at Cisco Brewers.

Nantucket Cran and Nantucket Blue are made with 100% real VODKA from Triple Eight Distillery and flavored with natural cranberry, blueberry, and lemon flavors. These carbonated ready-to-drink cocktails are 4.44% abv and 100% Gluten Free.

“This might be the most challenging time to launch a new product in history. However, with all the doom and gloom, it’s actually nice to talk about something new, exciting & refreshing like a craft cocktail in a can. We have been experimenting with these recipes and trying them on all our customers for the past 20 years. We finally narrowed it down and took our top selling drinks from the distillery cocktail list, Nantucket Blue and Nantucket Cran, and packaged them to go in a can.” – Jay Harman, President of Nantucket Craft Cocktails.

Nantucket Craft Cocktails are a terrific way to bring the vibe of Nantucket to the beach or your back deck. This initial product launch will include retailers throughout MA, CT, RI & NY.

About Triple Eight Distillery and Nantucket Craft Cocktails
Triple Eight Distillery was founded in 2000 on Nantucket Island by the owners of Cisco Brewers and Nantucket Vineyard. Triple Eight produces a wide variety of award winning spirits including Vodkas, Gin, Rum, Bourbon, and Notch Single Malt Whisky. Nantucket Craft Cocktails is the group’s newest venture. For more info and history visit: ciscobrewersnantucket.com/about-us

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