World’s first honey-flavored cognac a highlight
BORDEAUX, FRANCE – June 17, 2015 – In the heart of French wine country, spirits are both high and hot at Vinexpo 2015, currently underway in Bordeaux. With global spirits consumption at a record level, the launch of a dedicated spirits area at this year’s Vinexpo highlights the growing number of brands jostling for a share of a market forecast to reach nearly 3.2 billion cases by 2018, per an IWSR/Vinexpo study.
Representing Vinexpo’s 2015 “Country of Honor,” the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) has lent a fair bit of flair to Bordeaux’s Spiritual bar debut. Over the course of the five-day expo, which concludes June 18, Spiritual is the source of master-classes on cocktail making and spirits appreciation, as well as seminars and tastings, including the involvement of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Aaron Gregory Smith, executive director of USBG, noted that Rum and American Whiskey cocktails have been in high-demand amongst the 120 nationalities visiting Vinexpo. He added, “We’ve introduced the crowd to the American style of ‘Dealer’s Choice’ mixology, where we design a cocktail on the spot based on a few insights from the drinker. It’s been very popular.”
Un-bee-lievable: World’s First Honey-Flavored Cognac
Despite anti-corruption legislation in China that curtailed 2013 growth after rocketing demand from 2009-12, the five-year forecast for Cognac and Armagnac is positive (+3.5 percent), per IWSR/Vinexpo.
Innovative spirits producer ABK6 out of France has launched a single-estate Cognac flavored with honey from a Charente forest, billed the world’s first honey-flavored Cognac per CEO Elodie Abécassis. She added, “Vinexpo is the place to launch brands.”
Bourbon Boom
Over the next five years, Bourbon sales will rise nearly 20 percent, as predicted by IWSR/Vinexpo’s study. Justin Ames, director international sales and marketing for Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distillers, said Bourbon appeals equally to men and women and its mixability in cocktails is contributing to world demand.
Interesting Liqueurs
The global appetite for cocktails is inspiring product development by long-established liqueur brands according to Daan Van Der Tuijn, owner of Dutch liqueurs brand, Wenneker. They have just launched a spicy carrot liqueur, which Van Der Tuijn suggests is a sign of where liqueur flavors are headed in the future.
About Vinexpo
Founded in 1981, Vinexpo has evolved into the world’s leading show for wine and spirits professionals and a partner for the wine and spirits industry worldwide. Vinexpo is held in Bordeaux in odd-numbered years; since 2006, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific has taken place in Hong Kong in even-numbered years and has become the key exhibition of the industry in Asia. 2016 will welcome Vinexpo Hong Kong and Vinexpo Tokyo. Before each exhibition, Vinexpo commissions studies on industry-specific issues and presents the findings in conferences around the world. Since 1999, it has produced a world market study with a five-year outlook, as well as a variety of trend reports. For more information, visit www.vinexpo.com.
