Beam Suntory posted a mid-single-digit sales increase in its Americas region for 2015, led by strong progress for its Bourbon stable. Maker’s Mark showed robust volume growth in the Americas during the year, while fellow Bourbons Knob Creek and Basil Hayden’s were up by double-digits. Full story
Beam Suntory
Beam Suntory considers opening downtown Chicago office
After Japanese whiskey maker Suntory Holdings bought Beam Inc. to form Beam Suntory in 2014, the company said it would keep its headquarters in suburban Deerfield. Now, however, the company appears to be looking to move some of those corporate employees to downtown Chicago, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune. Full story
Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse Experience
This city continues to find engaging ways to celebrate its state’s proud bourbon heritage aside from the plentiful availability of the beverage. The Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse provides those frequenting Louisville’s downtown area with another convenient opportunity to learn more about one of the world’s most popular whiskeys without committing to a daytrip with tour costs to see its rural origins. Full story
Merging US, Japan Work Cultures a Challenge for Beam Suntory
The head of Japanese whiskey maker Suntory said Friday that merging work cultures remains a major challenge, more than 20 months after his company acquired the U.S. maker of Jim Beam bourbon.
Takeshi Niinami, the president and CEO of Suntory Holdings Ltd., said integration is difficult because Japanese and American employees have differing career aspirations and compensation systems. Full story
Beam Suntory celebrates sales success streak
Reported YTD sales for Beam Suntory – the alcoholic drinks arm of Japanese drinks arm of Japan’s Suntory Holdings – grew 36%.
The results were boosted by strong performances across its joint portfolio of Japanese and American whiskey, which was formed following Suntory’s US$16 billion acquisition of Beam Inc in January 2014. Full story
BASIL HAYDEN’S® BOURBON AND QUODDY® SHOES TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION GIFT SET FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Quality, Craftsmanship and Style Come Together to Create the Perfect Gift for 100 Bourbon Fans
DEERFIELD, IL–(Marketwired – Oct 29, 2015) – Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon, a distinctive super-premium bourbon known for its trademark spicy finish, and Quoddy®, the Maine-based footwear brand with a century-old family tradition of shoemaking, have come together to create 100 limited edition gift sets for the upcoming holiday season, perfect for bourbon fans who appreciate handcrafted, American-made finds. The co-branded gift sets will be exclusively available for purchase beginning November 1 at the “Basil Hayden’s Bourbon Holiday Shop” on Huckberry.com, an online curator and retailer of products that inspire active, adventurous and stylish lives. Continue reading
Urban Stillhouse is Louisville’s latest monument to ‘bourbonism’
Bourbon tourism has been given a name by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer: Bourbonism.
The mayor defines that as the act of coming to Kentucky and enjoying good bourbon and food. We’ve seen Fischer drop this term here and there. Today he got a big reason to use it when Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Suntory Inc. opened its new Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse at Fourth Street Live in downtown Louisville. Full story
A bourbon-Scotch fusion from Beam Suntory
Jim Beam Kentucky Dram is the latest creation from the Beam Suntory brand and is due for release in the coming weeks. Inspired by Jim Beam’s adventurous forefathers who travelled from Scotland, the new release is a fusion of premium bourbon infused with Highland Scotch whisky. This is a limited release that will drive interest in premium bourbons, which is a focus for growth in the category. Full story
Bourbon inroads in India: A smoky affair
As bourbon whiskey- which is a rival of the Scotch worldwide- goes through a renaissance of sorts in its home in the U.S. state of Kentucky, its popularity is growing overseas, too. India being the top consumer of whiskey in the world, the country is a prime target. Ashley Scoby in Lexington, USA and Supriyo Hazra in Kolkata report on the trends. Full story
Work starts on Jim Beam’s downtown visitors center
Work is under way on Jim Beam’s Urban Stillhouse at Fourth Street Live in downtown Louisville. This project was announced in December after Jim Beam Distillery owner Beam Suntory Inc. was approved for tourism tax credits for the facility. The stillhouse is supposed to be a highly visible visitors center that will include a small working distillery, a bottling line, a tasting experience and merchandise for sale. Full story
Jim Beam is the latest spirit sued over ‘handcrafted’ claim
Big bourbon is battling a swarm of lawsuits: Jim Beam, whose white label is the biggest-selling bourbon by volume, was hit Tuesday with a $5 million-plus lawsuit over claims that it is “handcrafted.” Beam is the latest to come under fire. Maker’s Mark, Angel’s Envy, Tito’s vodka and Templeton rye face also court challenges. Full story
Maker’s Mark: Consumers know it’s not completely “handmade”
The label on a bottle of Maker’s Mark says “handmade,” but any reasonable consumer knows the Kentucky bourbon is not completely made by hand. That’s one way Maker’s Mark parent company Beam-Suntory defends itself against a pair of class-action lawsuits that allege the word “handmade” on a Maker’s bottle is false and misleading because the process is, in fact, “mechanized and automated.” Full story
Booker’s® Bourbon Unveils Collection of Limited-Edition Releases
Booker’s® Bourbon is proud to unveil the inaugural batch of its limited-edition collection celebrating founding distiller Booker Noe’s legacy as the father of small batch bourbon. One of the few bourbons available today bottled straight from the barrel, Booker’s® Bourbon will now feature limited-edition labels inspired by Booker Noe’s love of bourbon, family and the spirit of experimentation. These commemorative releases will be available in limited quantities throughout the year. Full story
Suntory plans to double Beam spirits sales to $10 bln in 5 years
Japan’s Suntory Holdings Ltd aims to double revenue at its Beam spirits business to $10 billion in five years as it capitalises on the growing popularity of drinks like whisky and bourbon and forays further into developing markets, its new president said. Full story
Suntory Puts Asia’s Biggest Booze Buyer on 3-Year Hold
After a $16 billion whiskey binge, Suntory Holdings Ltd. is keeping its wallet in its pocket. Suntory, Asia’s biggest-spending beverage acquirer over the past five years, plans to hold off on buying overseas companies for three years, President Takeshi Niinami said in an interview.Suntory’s $16 billion purchase of U.S. spirits maker Beam Inc. last year has helped raise the portion of revenue from overseas, while boosting debt and causing its credit rating to drop. Full story
Review: Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon
Here’s a new release that really came out of the blue. Bonded whiskey was a big deal before Prohibition — when heavy tampering with spirits was a major problem — but it is rarely seen these days because of the cost involved and, surely, limited demand. (Rittenhouse 100 is one good example that’s still around.) Full story
Scotch struts its milder side to appeal to bourbon drinkers
It was a division that didn’t draw much attention until recently, when bourbon sales began to soar. Suddenly, the relatively sweeter, more caramel-driven American whiskey was cultishly popular, particularly with younger drinkers just getting started in the world of brown liquors. And that was a market scotch makers didn’t want to miss out on. Full story
Here’s what Jim Beam’s downtown Louisville stillhouse will look like
Beam Suntory Inc. received preliminary approval for tax incentives today for its planned new Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse at Fourth Street Live. The stillhouse aims to be a “highly visible presence for the world leader in bourbon,” according to a news release from the company. The release said the stillhouse will include a small working distillery, a bottling line, a tasting experience and merchandise for sale. Full story
Lawsuit Accuses Maker’s Mark of False Advertising
A lawsuit filed in California accuses Maker’s Mark of false advertising by promoting its Kentucky bourbon as handmade. The suit claims the process of making the popular bourbon includes mechanized or automated steps requiring little or no human involvement. Full story
Bottled-in-India Jim Beam to become 25% cheaper
Global whisky powerhouse Beam Suntory has started local bottling of its flagship bourbon Jim Beam betting on India’s changing whisky habits. This is one of the rare instances of the largest selling bourbon being bottled outside the home market US, underscoring the significance attached to India, the biggest consumer of whiskies. Full story
Beam Suntory set to distribute Suntory whisky in U.S.
Beam Suntory Inc. said Monday it will start distributing Suntory whisky brands in the United States and Germany on July 1. Full story
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