You know those friends you have — we all have them — who, when you visit them for dinner or a friendly drop-in, offer you a drink but don’t seem to have anything you might want to drink? Or, when you ask for a gin and tonic, say, “Thank goodness someone will drink these spirits. Lord knows neither of us do.” They are the type who leave you thinking that outside of the rarefied confines of whisky aficionados, mixology hounds or general spirits enthusiasts, no one is drinking plain old booze anymore.
They’re also wrong. The evidence? It’s here:
Beam’s Sales Rise By 10% In Record Third Quarter
That’s from yesterday’s Shanken News Daily, and it’s a prime indicator that all is actually very well in the spirits world. Even for cognac.
Yes, cognac, that much-respected but little-consumed famous French brandy, sales of which have been in rather precipitous decline these last few years. Beam’s brand is Courvoisier, and its sales have just jumped through the roof, up almost 25% in volume year-to-date, according to numbers compiled by the Symphony IRI Group. Maker’s Mark isn’t doing so badly, either, buoyed by its line extension to a 23.3% climb in both volume and dollar sales. And those sales haven’t cannibalized either of Beam’s main or premium lines, with Jim Beam up 8.7% in volume and Knob Creek growing by 25% in volume.
All in all, rather encouraging news for those of us who like our spirits in addition to our beer and wine. But don’t bother trying to tell that to those friends; just bring your own bottle next time.
Or send them a list of preferred beers…
I drink spirits. And not always the posh stuff. Sometimes beer just has too much water.
Well put, Mr. Pattinson.