How Importers and Distributors are Adapting to a New Reality Without Restaurants and Bars

It’s no secret that retail alcohol sales have boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most notably, the wine and spirits sectors have seen significant growth. Between March 1 and May 5, retail wine sales increased more than 30 percent compared to the same period last year, according to an IRI data report. Spirits sales, meanwhile, experienced 44.1 percent YOY growth during the same period.

While the percentages are positive, not all wine and spirits importers and distributors are enjoying the spoils of the retail boom. In terms of wine, it’s bottles priced between $8 and $15 that have overwhelmingly driven sales growth. This demand has been much less beneficial to businesses that focus on the on-premise sector because they typically carry higher volumes of more expensive offerings. Spirits importers and distributors that work with small-scale craft brands are also feeling the pinch, because their portfolios are similarly catered toward bars and restaurants.

ADAPTING TO CONSUMER DEMAND

On March 15, the day New York State enforced bar and restaurant closures, New York City-based artisanal spirits importer and wholesaler PM Spirits lost 60 percent of its clients overnight. Those closures meant the company had 34 days’ worth of invoices that would likely go unpaid until on-premise businesses reopened, says Nicolas Palazzi, PM Spirits’ owner.

But with retail sales continuing, Palazzi has had to keep ordering from his suppliers to meet demand. In some instances, where Palazzi has outstanding financial commitments, he’s worked with suppliers to pay out of pocket, so that each business can continue functioning.

Operationally, Palazzi says Covid-19 disruptions have changed every aspect of his business. Products that were previously in high demand from the on-premise sector are no longer as viable. And because his business focuses on artisanal spirits, Palazzi hasn’t been able to switch to offering “value” brands. Convincing retailers to consider a broader range of his existing products has been complicated by the fact that delivering samples and conducting in-person tastings is not possible. “Every step of the process that used to be straightforward becomes very complicated,” he says.

10 Recommended Bottles - From Absinthe to Sambuca, a Quick Guide to Anise Spirits

From Absinthe to Sambuca, a Quick Guide to Anise Spirits

The category of anise spirits is broad reaching. It encompasses a number of spirits types that deserve attention, but don’t always receive it.

For starters, sambuca and anisette are two spirits that seem interchangeable, yet are not. Since Italian producer Meletti makes both, we asked producer Matteo Meletti to briefly outline the differences, which basically boils down to production and regulation.

Sambuca is regulated by the European Union, while anisette is not. “So when a company produces sambuca, it has to follow some strict rules, while anisette is more open recipe,” says Meletti. This may have to do with the fact that anisette is a much older product, dating back to the 18th century, while Sambuca is more recent.

Larusée Verte Green Absinthe (Switzerland; PM Spirits, Brooklyn, NY); $127, 89 points. Pours out olive drab, then slouches to a lively light green. The aroma entices with a sweet floral note, while the palate is bolder, reverberating with anise overload and a tingly finish. Hit the right water-to-liqueur balance and the flavor profile becomes a bit more delicate and refreshing, tinged with fresh celery. Made with a neutral beet spirit base blended with a dozen herbs and aromatic plants.

The 11 Best Mezcal Brands You Need To Try

Tequila and mezcal. What's the difference, right?

Quite a bit. Both tequila and mezcal do come from the agave plant, and both are indigenous liquors to Mexico. But the comparison stops there.

NETA Espadin 

What's cool about NETA is that they work with small producers from Mihuatlan, Oaxaca, and the southern valley. For this particular Espadin (arguably the most "common" mezcal), they worked with master mezcalero Candido Garcia Cruz, who works with "quiotudo," meaning he cuts each plant before it flowers.

"This leads to better yields and develops a richness of flavor that is not found in less mature agave," said Jimenez. "It has a brassy, bright nose with a hint of fruit and flowers with a gentle touch of smoke."

The Armagnac That’s Sneaking Into ‘Bourbon Porn’

It was early 2018 when the orange-waxed necks, with wooden placards on twine hanging from them, first started appearing on social media. If you spend any time trolling bourbon geek accounts on Instagram, or private groups on Facebook, you’ll recognize the repetitive set of images continually populating your feed: Pappy and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, of course; Weller, Willett, and Blanton’s, too, and maybe even dusty vintages of Wild Turkey.

Over the last couple years, however, distinct orange-waxed bottles of L’Encantada Armagnac — yes, Armagnac — have begun edging their way into these #bourbonporn posts. How did they get here?

Read more here.

Cognac Takes A Cue From Whisky

Whisky lovers have long relished the uniqueness of single-barrel offerings and individual cask selections, and that kind of careful curation has finally arrived in cognac.

Nicolas Palazzi, proprietor of importer PM Spirits, searches the cellars of grape farmers who not only grow, but also ferment and distill. Oftentimes the prize is a unique experience from a cask that has reached peak maturity, bottled at perfect proof to show off its charms. And, Palazzi says, he’s slowly growing an appreciation for his kind of farm-to-bottle treatment: “It’s a constant battle to get people to understand the wide possibilities of cognac.”

read more here

The Best Whiskey Distiller You’ve Never Heard of Is Finally Getting His Due

INTRODUCING GREG METZE, 38 YEARS LATER

The Best Whiskey Distiller You’ve Never Heard of Is Finally Getting His Due

Greg Metze is the reason you drink craft whiskey, even if he can’t say why. He can tell you that, as a former master distiller at MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, he presided over the production of whiskey, but he can’t explain how his creations ultimately filled the bottles of more than 120 brands. He certainly can’t mention any of those brands by name, nor can he discuss the role he played in the creation of any of the mashbill recipes that begot award-winning bottles, such as Bulleit 95 Rye. An iron-clad nondisclosure agreement Metze inked when he departed MGP in 2016 compels his silence.

Nicolas Palazzi, owner of PM Spirits, was primarily importing and distributing brandies and cognacs when the bourbon craze began to spin up. Palazzi knew he needed an offering within that category, but wasn’t sure where to begin. He worked with a guy who brought him various samples to blindly try over the course of a year. “The first batch around, I picked what I loved the best and it happened to be MGP juice,” Palazzi says. “The second batch also happened to be MGP. I thought they were great, the best of the bunch.”

Palazzi had heard of MGP, and Metze, but he didn’t have any firsthand knowledge. His edification process culminated in his belief that “these guys really know their shit,” Palazzi says. When you’re going to launch a brand with someone else’s whiskey, you want to know the juice is coming from a place that has mastered the process so there won’t be any discrepancies. MGP was solid.” Palazzi bought a slew of barrels and launched Mic.Drop Bourbon, which became a monster hit and sold out of its first two releases. “Both batches that put us on the map were distilled under Greg Metze’s supervision. That guy can make some incredible whiskey.” Mic.Drop’s third release, also a Metze by-product, is on shelves now.

Read more ab Greg Metze here