Spirits Archives

Berry Bros. & Rudd – Some History and the Women Behind the Brand

On my way to 67 Pall Mall Wine Club for a meeting, I had some time, so I wandered into No.3…Just stepping through the front door it was a feast for my senses …. the ancient floorboards, mahogany wall paneling, antique furniture, Royal Warrants, old wine books and catalogs. Looking closer I saw portraits of former Royal family members who were regular customers, and a framed letter from the White Star Line informing Berry Brothers of the loss of 69 cases of wine and spirits in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. What history! In short, the Berry Bros. & Rudd head office is a historian’s dream.

No. 3 St. James’s Street, London

No. 3 St. James’s Street is now used as the company’s headquarters. No.3, as it’s known, contained Berry Bros. & Rudd’s main retail premises until mid-2017, when these moved around the corner to a purpose-built shop at 63 Pall Mall.

Berry Bros. & Rudd, founded in 1698, and is Britain’s oldest, family-owned wine and spirits merchant. Still trading from No.3 St James’s Street, London, they have two Royal Warrants and five Masters of Wine on staff. Their services also include Other services it offers include wine investment, wine storage, a wine club, tutored tastings, wine events and educational courses.

Royal Warrants

Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British Royal Family since King George III and received its first Royal Warrant of Appointment in 1903 from King Edward VII. Queen Elizabeth II granted the company her royal warrant in 1952, while Prince Charles, now King Charles lll, granted his in 1998.

Despite being 324 years old in 2022, Berry Bros. & Rudd remains at the forefront of wine and spirits innovation. Their current range of over than 4,000 wines is sourced from over 25 countries.

Berry Bros. & Rudd seems to embrace progress, and at the same time value their traditions. Still run by members of the Berry and Rudd families and they also continue to supply the British Royal Family, since King George III.

Women of Berry Bros. & Rudd

Berry Bro & Rudd has been run by the same two families for centuries; It has survived world wars and pandemics, but there is a fleet of female leaders who have shown, and now show that this historic business can and emerge stronger than ever.

The family firm began life as a grocery store in 1698, founded by a woman now known as “Widow Bourne.”

Elizabeth Rudd “Lizzy” is the current Chairman, who is currently planting the seed for the next generation with her ambitious sustainability plans and creating affordable wine investments.

Emma Fox, Chief Executive Officer, was appointed July 2020. She has been an independent director of the firm’s board since October 2017.

“Over the past few years as a director, I have got to know BB&R very well, I share its values and am passionate about a culture where people flourish and have fun,” Fox said.

#womeninwine #womeninwinebusiness #womenleaders #berrybrosrudd #london #londonwineshop #royalwarrants #winelovers #wine #wineeducation #wineinvestment #royalfamily #queenelizabeth #wineclub #BB&R #winehistory #winemerchants #londonhistory

Cognac Sales Up 31% In 2021

Cognac’s biggest market, the US, saw the liquid’s sales climb by 11.1% in 2021 Cognac sales saw a 31% rise in value last year, with volumes of the spirit increasing by 16.2% to 223.2 million bottles, the BNIC has revealed.

Christophe Veral, president of the BNIC, noted that demand for Cognac “has never been greater in our markets than this year.” He said despite weather uncertainties, last year’s harvest allowed a “continuation” of growth.

Despite the health and geopolitical uncertainties, this growth reflected recovery for Cognac, as well as new consumption habits, the BNIC said in a statement.

Cognac exports to the US, the largest market for the category, climbed by 11.1% with 115 million bottles shipped in last year.

Cognac’s second biggest market, China, saw a 55.8% boost in sales with 34m bottles shipped.

Meanwhile, sales in Europe jumped by 8.1% to reach 37.1m bottles in 2021. Within this region, France, which is the fifth largest market for Cognac, saw a 23.4% rise in sales as 6.1m bottles were sold.

In a statement released on Monday 17 January, the BNIC commented that with the development of mixology, Cognac is attracting new consumers who are searching for quality products.

The report also cited South Africa and Nigeria as new markets.

The BNIC also said that the outlook for the category was ‘positive’ for the coming months in all regions.

#cognac #cognaclover #cognacnews #spiritnews #mixology
#instacognac #mixologie #spiritueux #cocktails #cognaclife #cognaccocktails
#madeinfrance #drinks #charente #BNIC #bartender #spirits #angelsshare

Whisky Sales Boosted by ‘Perceived Health Benefits’

Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey sales are set to soar, driven by “health benefits” perceived by consumers, a new study has claimed.

“Perceived health benefits of whiskey have made it a preferred drink among those aiming at weight management. Whiskey has no fat and minimum sodium content, which have made it a preferred alcohol for consumption among people with weight issues or obesity,” according to a whisky market study by Fact.MR.

“Prevalence of obesity across developed nations including the US, Canada, and the UK is high. This also has led to increased consumption of whiskey which contains no fat,” stated the report, predicting that “the demand for whiskey is set to rise at a consistent CAGR of 6% during the assessment period of 2021 and 2031,” and “the market will top the valuation of US$60Bn by 2021-end”.

As per the survey: “Revenues of Irish whiskey and single malt Scotch will grow at 19% and 13.5%, topping a valuation of US$664 million and US$732 million, respectively.”

Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In recent research from Our World In Data, obesity was recorded by country and highlighted that “in most high-income countries, around two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. In the US, 70% are. At the lowest end of the scale, across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa around 1-in-5 adults have a BMI greater than 25”.

Website:
https://www.factmr.com/

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Bourbon Women Association Launch Amber Circle Diversity & Inclusion Initiative

Furthering its educational mission, the Bourbon Women Association has announced its new Amber Circle Diversity & Inclusion Initiative.

This new scholarship program builds on the organization’s Amber Circle mentoring program that started in 2019. It strives to empower women and those from underrepresented communities in the bourbon and spirits industry.

“We are so fortunate to be able to work in an industry that is always embracing change, and opening the doors to others so they can join us is one of the core missions of the Bourbon Women Association,” says Bourbon Women President Maggie Kimberl. “I am thrilled to be able to use the power of this first-ever female whiskey consumer organization to support women in growing their careers.”

The Amber Circle initiatives aims to create programs that benefit a more diverse and inclusive membership within Bourbon Women, and throughout the spirits industry. The program’s mission recognizes the importance of representation from all facets of human experience, including BIPOC women LGBTQIA+ women, and women of different abilities, educational levels and backgrounds.

The inaugural Amber Circle Diversity & Inclusion group of a dozen women will receive training through the Stave & Thief program. Founded in 2014, Stave & Thief was the first bourbon certification program recognized by the bourbon industry, the organization says, and is designated by the Kentucky Distillers Association as its “Official Bourbon Education Course.” The training is by Louisville-based Moonshine University.

“Discovery happens when you push boundaries,” says Board Chair Heather Wibbels. “Amplifying the voices and experiences of the underrepresented in the bourbon community encourages the bourbon industry to reach out and invite more diversity in their outreach to consumers and their own companies. We’re reaching out to members of our community and the whiskey spirits industry to support this initiative to advocate change from the ground up.”

The initiative kicks off with a donation campaign to raise scholarship funds. Individual donations of $250 and corporate donations of $1,000 or more are encouraged, the organization says.

Donations in these amounts may be made through Bourbon Women’s website on the Amber Circle page. For larger donations, contact Maggie.kimberl@bourbonwomen.org.

The Bourbon Women Association is a registered nonprofit organization.

#womeninspirits #womensupportingwomen #womenleaders #bourbon #womeninbourbon #BourbonWomenAssociation #womeninbusiness

iDealwine, France’s Top Wine Auctioneer for 6 Consecutive Years

The CVV has confirmed, for the sixth year running, that IWA (International Wine Auction, a subsidiary of iDealwine), is the leading wine auctioneer in France (for the sixth consecutive year), now boasting a 42% market share.

iDealwine has held 41 auction sales in 2020 (one auction every 9 days) with over 175,000 bottles auctioned for a total of €23.4 million including tax – meaning over 40% of all wine sold at auction in France (up from 37% in 2019). Auctions aside, iDealwine’s fixed price sales, which include wine sourced directly from partner properties at cellar door prices, have increased by 46% to reach €10m.  In total, iDealwine generated €33 million in sales in 2020 (+15%).

Despite the tumultuous year, the fine wine auctions market has remained comparatively stable, with iDealwine itself widening the gap in terms of market leaders. In France, wine auctions generated €47 million excluding commission (2019: €47m, 2018: €46m), which represents just 4% of the entire art and collectors’ items category. The art and collectors’ items category itself recorded a significant 22.4% drop in sales. IWA (and therefore iDealwine) has risen to rank as the eighth most important auction house in France in the art and collectors’ item category. Of course, much of this movement was accelerated by the pandemic. As a purely digital player in wine auctions, iDealwine was well placed to deal with the unique situation.

Cyrille Jomand, CEO of iDealwine, said: “We are delighted by this announcement. iDealwine recently welcomed new investment from entrepreneurial fund Capital Croissance. With this, we look forward to increasing iDealwine’s footprint not only in the fine wine world, but also in spirits via our new platform Fine Spirits Auction platform, which sees whiskies, cognacs, rums, and other fine spirits go under the hammer in partnership with La Maison du Whisky. iDealwine is also focused on its new bespoke cellar consultation and management service, offered to wine lovers, collectors, and investors.”

iDealwine has been named the number one wine auctioneer in France for the sixth consecutive year by the regulatory body for auctions in the country.

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