Is Macallan too good for this? | New On-Premise Data drops | Cocchi Comps & Perfect Blend finalists
12 February - More Good Drinks News dropping hot
Editors Note
A grateful thanks to the new paid subscribers who joined last week - it really means a great deal that you care about this work and information.
What I’ve been up to this week:
Interviewed Siona Collier from Whisky Galore for Drinks Business Leaders series
Solidified dates for The Drammys, The Rumbles and The Junipers
Worked on a collaboration with Awildian Gin coming soon
Started two exciting education projects - one for trade, one for consumer with two great brands (more to come)
Secured some initial plans for the More Good Drinks tour - where I’ll be completing research for my book ‘The Spirit of the Land’
The Macallan launch
Why am I telling you this? Because when I say your support makes this work possible, it’s really true and I like being accountable to you - that every week I’m working to make our industry better, more informed, connected and generally friendlier.
And if you’d like to get in touch about your project, product or brand - my email inbox is open.
It was also great to enjoy people’s response and feedback on my two features in Whisky Magazine based in the UK. Having written the first distillery feature on a New Zealand distillery in 2021, it was incredibly exciting to write the second - a milestone of the growth and credibility of what’s happening in our whisky industry.
You can read Pōkeno - A Valley of Dreams online as well as my regional focus on Tasmanian whisky Off The Beaten Path. It can take 4-5 months to bring these stories to life so there are already lots more layers to unpack. I’d love to hear what you thought!
And now - the news.
x Tash
The Data is In - On-Premise is in a state of flux
The latest CGA by NIQ New Zealand Pulse+ Report takes a deep dive into the 2023 performance in On-Premise. While general and food-led visits were consistent throughout the year, drink-led visits were less stable.
Well, we all knew that - right?
An average of 86% of consumers who visited the On Premise went out to eat monthly across 2023, compared to 50% of consumers going out for a drink monthly. Unsurprisingly, there was an overlap as occasions increased during the festive period versus recent months.
It’s clear drink-led visits are peaking during public holidays and other key occasions on the annual calendar. This iterates why public holidays and national events are key dates for suppliers, brands and operators to factor into On Premise strategies. Understanding how to activate appropriately around these supports success in the right places at the right times.
As consumers continue to feel the pinch month on month due to wider cost of living pressures, frequency of visitation fluctuated throughout 2023. So, what’s the antidote, given consumers continue to demonstrate a healthy appetite for going out?
Tom Graham, Senior Manager Client Success ANZ said: “Its important to reflect on 2023 to have a clearer picture of what 2024 will hold for the On Premise. This includes identifying any obstacles facing brands, suppliers, and operators. Using the information and insights in the Report, key learnings from 2023 can be leveraged to maximise sales, profitability and visitation frequency with targeted products, marketing, food pairings and drinks promotions.”
More Good Drinks take: Both local and international spirits brands should be paying attention to a couple of key highlights from this report - while spirits and cocktails enjoyed higher than average spend in the first half of 2023, beer and beer varietals surge ahead in the back of 2023 and may be positioned as the ‘affordable alternative’ or ‘value offer’ in on-premise moving forward. Both beer and spirits producers need to pay close attention to competing and placing strong messaging and resources for on-premise across category, recognising that you’re not competing just with other gin producers, but with other categories that have a perceived higher value proposition.
What you need to know - competition season
COCCHI DROPS IN
The team at Tickety-boo Liquor are driving forward the Cocchi competition - inviting participants to think creatively about how vermouth can be used to drive complexity and sensory exploration in fizz and lower ABV options. The rules are simple — 30ml Cocchi minimum and 5 ingredient maximum (ice and garnish excluded).
Round 1 – Online Submission (19th Feb-19th March)
12 Semi Finalists from across NZ will be selected for Round 2!
Round 2 – Mystery Judging (19th March-1st April)
Mystery judges will score semi-finallist cocktails in-venue to try their cocktails where they will be scored against the judging criteria. Top 6 scoring drinks will move on to round 3!
Round 3 – FINAL (16th April – 19th April) // PRIZE ROUND
6 Finalists will get treated to a proper Italian style 2 day trip to the beautiful Martinborough. Filled with hospitality, food, wine, masterclasses, workshops, mindfulness. Shared with an awesome group of top NZ bartenders. Before travelling back to their regions, they will then spend a day in Wellington to compete for the winning title - NZ 'Cocchi Futurist' 2024.
Contact Gina Nicholls gina@ticketyboo.co.nz for more information
In other competition news…
The Reid Global Compeition is open.
And The Perfect Blend is unfolding their plans to celebrate World Bartender Day on February 24, 2024.
Kismet Cocktail & Whisky Bar in Nelson, NZ have kicked off a two week celebration - including championing both Nicky Widley (Professional) and Swanny Monthuit (Apprentices) reaching the NZ finals.
In case you weren’t across it - a massive congratulations to the APPRENTICES - Connor Bowes, Kelle Roberts, Kevin Menezes, Senuka Sudusinghe and Swanny Monthuit.
And the PROFESSIONALS - Akira Ohki, Charles Gillet, Corbin Parker, Dan Felsing, Daniel Preston-Jones, Dayyana Dimitrova, Federico Casadei, Harry Powell, Jay Corcraighe, Jonny Park, Mangesh Shah, Martyn Wood and Nick Widley.
The New Zealand competition is bundled with Australia, with all finalists competing for a trip to UK to visit Beam Suntory distilleries, the chance to work alongside a Master Distiller, visiting some of the world’s best bars, seeing industry mentors and attending some industry events along the way.
Stay tuned for more details as they drop!
Opinion - Is The Macallan too good for this?
Last Thursday I headed to Bar Albert to celebrate the launch of The Macallan: A Night On Earth - The Journey - a collaboration with Chinese artist Nini Sum, celebrating reunion, which in China, happens primarily over the Chinese New Year holiday festival. The box design is beautiful.
The opening cocktail was a green tea inspired whisky highball, curious notes of jasmine and pineapple designed by the @baralbert.auckland team and matched with a view to die for.
And as much as I love the creativity that surrounds these releases — I still find it so hard to surpass the gorgeous fruit character and milk chocolate of the 15 year old double cask. Just me? Once I’ve hit the Macallan 15 in a tasting flight, it’s hard to go anywhere else! I always love the novelty and exploration of trying something new but it’s a great reminder that in a world plagued by fast-fashion, we can suffer exactly the same in the spirits industry. The demand of the new release to capture a fickle market when actually, I’d happily try to convert people to the 15 year old all day.
That being said - A Night on Earth “The Journey” is more citrus-dominant than those traditional dried fruit characteristics, with a faintly tropical coconut and vanilla softness that let the oak pull through, so a great Macallan for those who are less sherry-driven and enjoy a lighter approach.
Thanks so much to the team at Hancocks for a brilliant night, great food and capturing the energy and excitement of the Lunar New Year.
Awards Season is here
Submissions for the 2024 New Zealand Spirits Awards will open on Thursday 29 February. Register for email alerts by contacting NZ Spirits Awards.
KEY DATES FOR 2024
Awards entry submission opens Thursday 29 February 2024
Awards dinner on sale Monday 1 April 2024
Judging sample received deadline Tuesday 9 July 2024
NZ Spirits Awards Judging - 4 days Tuesday 30 July - Friday 2 August 2024
Medal winners announced Friday 9 August 2024
NZ Spirits Awards Gala Dinner Friday 13 September 2024
Right - let’s get this week off to a great start.
Stay tuned for podcast episodes and guides dropping this week.
Stay More Good.
Tash