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One month after Ste. Michelle Wine Estates filed suit over Treasury Wine Estates’ recently launched The Stag brand, TWE has fired back in court. A TWE spokesperson has told Shanken News Daily that it has filed a motion to dismiss Ste. Michelle’s entire complaint and also seek an affirmative judgment from the court that TWE’s proposed use of “The Stag” name isn’t in violation of U.S. trademark laws.
In late August, Ste. Michelle—parent company of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars—launched a trademark infringement suit against TWE in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. The complaint maintains that Treasury’s The Stag brand aims to mislead consumers into thinking it’s associated with Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, where TWE also owns a winery (Stags’ Leap Winery). However, TWE says strongly denies the accusation, claiming that “imagery of the Stag has long been associated with the historic St. Huberts winery in Victoria, Australia.”
“Following the success of The Stag tier of wines by St. Huberts in Australia, TWE intends to launch a North Coast Cabernet under the St. Huberts brand with a similar label design for sale in the U.S.,” added the Treasury spokesperson. “Our strategy is to build global brands across multiple markets and with wine sourced from multiple regions—this is no different. The Stag proposition for commercial use in the U.S. has no connection to Stags’ Leap Winery or the Stags Leap District—this was made very clear to Ste. Michelle before they filed their complaint.”
Pernod Ricard has officially unveiled Ultis, the first blended malt Scotch whisky to be released under the Chivas Regal brand. A blend of hand-selected Speyside malts from Tormore, Longmorn, Strathisla, Allt A’Bhainne and Braeval, Ultis (80 proof) is hitting limited cities across the U.S. at a retail price of $200 a bottle. Ultis is launching alongside the next phase of Chivas Regal’s Win the Right Way campaign, which stars actor Javier Bardem and “delves into the stories of successful social entrepreneurs from across the globe.” Ranked sixth among Scotch brands in the U.S. market, according to Impact Databank, Chivas was roughly flat at 357,000 cases last year.
•Edrington is adding to its Macallan single malt range with the launch of The Macallan Double Cask 12-year-old. Joining the luxury brand’s core lineup, Double Cask 12-year-old combines the influence of American oak Sherry-seasoned casks as well as European oak Sherry casks. Positioned between The Macallan’s Sherry Oak and Fine Oak ranges, Double Cask (86 proof) carries a suggested retail price of $65 a bottle. The Macallan is the second-largest single malt Scotch whisky brand in the U.S. (after The Glenlivet) and was up 7% to 217,000 cases last year, according to Impact Databank.
•Jackson Family Wines has forged a new sales partnership with Breakthru Beverage Canada. Under the deal, Breakthru will handle sales for the majority of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio across eastern Canada, and provide sales support to Jackson Family’s Summit Fine Wines unit throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Jackson Family’s flagship brands include Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Murphy Goode, Cambria, Stonestreet and Freemark Abbey, among others.
•Pernod Ricard has closed the Seattle location of its Our/Vodka craft distillery program, reportedly citing pressure from local competition. Launched in the U.S. in 2014, the Our/Vodka initiative was created to allow Pernod’s Absolut vodka brand to link with regional partners on micro-distilleries, with each distillery producing vodka made with local ingredients. Pernod Ricard, which opened its Seattle distillery early last year, also operates Our/Vodka locations in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles. The company has said that it remains committed to the Our/Vodka concept and plans to continue opening micro-distilleries in markets such as Miami and New York.
•Andy Fennell, formerly chief marketing officer of Diageo PLC, has joined Qui Tequila as a strategic advisor and partner. Fennell spent 18 years with Diageo before leaving the company last year, and was CMO of the spirits giant from 2008 to 2013. Launched in 2013, the ultra-premium Qui has enjoyed solid growth off of its small base over the past few years. It’s currently distributed by Empire Merchants in New York, Republic National Distributing Co. in Texas and Breakthru Beverage in Florida.
•Usquaebach Scotch whisky has introduced An Ard Ri Cask Strength, the brand’s first new blend in nearly 25 years. Produced by Scotch blender and bottler Hunter Laing & Company, An Ard Ri Cask Strength is a high-proof blend of more than 20 single malt casks aged between 10 and 21 years. The 57.1%-abv offering is limited to 2,000 bottles, priced at around $200. An Ard Ri Cask Strength joins Old-Rare Superior Blended Scotch Whisky, 15-year-old Pure Malt and Reserve Premium Blended Scotch Whisky in Usquaebach’s stable, which is handled in the U.S. by New Jersey-based importer Cobalt Brands LLC.
•Pennsylvania-based Brandywine Branch Distillers has unveiled DragonDance, billed as the first jalapeño-infused gin in the U.S. Part of Brandywine’s Revivalist line of gins, DragonDance (86 proof) retails at around $40 a bottle and is available in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition to gin, Brandywine’s portfolio also includes Custom Cask Straight Bourbon.
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