Pernod Ricard Announces U.S. Launch of Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Yellow Spot, one of Ireland’s premier Single Pot Still Irish Whiskies, has officially entered the U.S. market. The 12 year old Single Pot Still, previously available exclusively in select European countries, will join fellow renowned Single Pot Still Green Spot, which entered the U.S. market last year. Yellow Spot is matured in a combination of American bourbon, Spanish sherry and Spanish Malaga casks. It is the rare taste of a bonder’s style Pot Still Irish Whiskey and is known for its sophisticated and complex taste profile, possessing honey sweetness with pot still spices. MORE>>
Sparkling and Premium Wines Driving Category Growth
On award show night, many celebrities seem to sparkle as they walk the red carpet. In the U.S. wine market, sparkling wines also seem to be garnering consumer attention. Eric Penicka, U.S. analyst with Euromonitor International, Chicago, notes that sparkling wines that are not Champagnes saw strong growth in 2013, with Prosecco up 28 percent and Moscato up in the mid-teens. MORE>>
Are Consumer Cocktail Choices Gendered?
As more women experiment with dark spirits, and men become more partial to a cocktail as opposed to a pint, it seems old ideas of masculine and feminine drinks are a thing of the past. However, some claim that while male and female palates are not anatomically different, the sexes are still very much restrained by social norms and expectations. MORE>>
Herbal Tea: Aromatics Add New Notes to Cocktails
Consumers have grown accustomed to herbs like mint and basil in their cocktails, so they seem willing to try more aromatics, such as sage, rosemary and thyme. Herbs add depth to floral flavors such as elderflower and can add a savory or bitter note to fruity and other sweet flavors. Comparing menus from fourth-quarter 2014 with the same period of 2013, Technomic’s MenuMonitor online trend-tracking resource finds the number of adult beverages with sage as an ingredient or flavor has increased by 54%. MORE>>
Boutique Wines
Matt Ferris of the New Asian-focused Sunda in Chicago was thrilled to hang out with Ken Freeman, a renowned Pinot Noir winemaker, in Sonoma, California, recently. While Ferris is a fan of Freeman Vineyard & Winery’s Akiko’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, it’s the story that resonates. Traveling in Japan as a young American business student, Freeman met and fell in love with a woman named Akiko, now his wife. MORE>>
Diageo Targets Wine And Beer Categories With New Product Rollouts
Diageo Chateau & Estate (DC&E) is rolling out a new California wine brand to the U.S. market this spring, Truvée Wines. Derived from the French word “to find,” Truvée is a Central Coast-sourced label created by sisters Robin and Andréa McBride, who grew up separately in Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand respectively. MORE>>
7 Factors Consumers Consider When Choosing a Restaurant
For consumers, choosing where to eat is a complex decision. Today’s diners are concerned about the quality of the food they’re eating, but they’re also looking at factors beyond food, like technology and a restaurant’s environmental impact. Here are seven things consumers take into account when choosing a restaurant, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast: MORE>>
Buffalo Wild Wings Wants to Ease Wing Price Swings
Buffalo Wild Wings wants to take the swing out of wings. The 1,000-unit, Minneapolis-based chicken wing chain, coming off a quarter in which its chicken wing prices rose 16 percent, is looking to ease that volatility in coming quarters. Company executives said on their fourth quarter conference call Thursday that they have entered into a new contract for two-thirds of their traditional chicken wings. The contract starts in April, and should reduce the company’s exposure to historically high wing prices, but also historically low prices. MORE>>
Red Robin Lags Earnings on Higher Costs
Colorado-based casual dining restaurant operator Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB - Analyst Report) reported lower than expected fourth-quarter results. In response, shares of the company dipped 0.3%. Red Robin’s adjusted earnings of 66 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 69 cents by 4.4%, mainly due to higher costs. MORE>>
10 Things You Didn't Know About Chili's
Chili's holds a special place in all of our stomachs or, if you read the words "baby back ribs" even relatively recently, your ear canal. And to prove that Chili's is more than just a Tex-Mex restaurant endorsed by Justin Timberlake, we gathered up a few key stories about the chain for your review. We even got to the bottom of that sexy chef debacle. MORE>>