Rock & Rye

And by town I mean Vancouver, BC. In just over 6 weeks time, bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts from around the US and Canada will once again be gathering together at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.

“Vancouver is such a rich, vibrant cocktail city. We couldn’t help but come back for a second year”, said Ann Tuennerman, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail®. “With all the friends we’ve made north of the border, it’s really become our home away from home.”

This year the festivities have grown, and will include five tasting rooms, Meet the Maker, a specialty coffee bar and the Mott’s Clamato Caesar Bar. In addition there are 6 fantastic seminars that are sure to provide excellent information. In the evenings, guests will attend parties, and take part in a pub crawl that highlights some of Vancouver’s best restaurants and bartenders. In short, this is an event that you will not want to miss.

This year I am extremely happy to be covering this event as media. I will be attending everything I can, taking pictures as well as frantically scribbling notes, making sure that I can soak in as much as I can. If you are a cocktail enthusiast, or bartender in the Pacific Northwest, I would highly encourage you to check out this event. It is a great way to get involved in the fantastic community that surrounds our area! If you do come, drop me a note so I can make sure we meet up. Cheers!

This last Friday, Beam Inc, purchased the Cooley Distillery, the last remaining Irish owned distillery, for about $95 million. Cooley owns and produces the Kilbeggan, Connemar, Tyrconnell and Greenore brands, and operates two distilleries, Kilbeggan in County Westmeath and Cooley in County Louth.

Beam said Cooley’s status as one of only three sources for Irish whiskey, and the only independent company, makes the acquisition a compelling chance to get into one of the industry’s highest growth categories. Beam shares rose 35 cents to $50 in morning trading Friday. Its shares are up from a 52-week low of $42.30 in early October.

In the last year, Irish whiskey sales have grown 11.5%. Beam’s acquisition of Cooley will allow them to bring those products to a much wider audience, as well as hopefully to inject some cash in to an Irish economy that has been struggling for the past couple of years. This purchase, coupled with Pernod-Ricard’s €100 Million expansion of the Middleton distillery will hopefully boost Irish Whiskey back into the prominence it deserves.

While it’s sad to think that there are no remaining Irish distillers out there, it takes cash to produce a product, and global spirits companies are able to bring products to a wide variety of people who otherwise would know nothing about them. And hey, you never know, but just maybe we will see a resurgence of smaller craft distillers popping up in Ireland.

Starting next month I will be hosting a series of classes on different spirits at the Bayou Oyster Bar. The first class is scheduled for Sunday, November 20th, at 5:30pm, and we will be focusing on Gin. We’ll be enjoying cocktails, learning about the history and different styles of gin, as well as having a tasting of several different gins. This class will be limited to 16 people, so if you are interested, or know anyone who is, reserve your spot now at the Bayou Oyster Bar, preferably between the hours of 5-7. It should be informative and a lot of fun, so I hope to see you there. Cheers!

Politics Northwest | National distillers association criticizes I-1183 provisions | Seattle Times Newspaper.

The Distilled Spirits Council is Neutral on Privatization and I-1183.

Dear Voters:

This fall you will be asked to vote on Initiative 1183 to privatize the state’s liquor system. The Distilled Spirits Council and its member companies represent most of the distilled spirits sold in Washington State and across the United States. As a matter of principle, we take no position and are neutral on the issue of privatization. We believe that the citizens of each state should determine for themselves how beverage alcohol should be regulated in their state.

When considering this Initiative, we urge you not to base your decision on the misperception that spirits are different than beer or wine. This is simply not true. Alcohol is alcohol and is all the same to a breathalyzer. Beer, wine and spirits all should be consumed in moderation. The regulatory structure established by the State to prevent underage access and deter misuse of beer and wine will work just as effectively for spirits.

Unfortunately, in our opinion, Initiative 1183 is flawed for several reasons and may not be in your best interest as a customer.

FIRST, Initiative 1183 would allow retailers to sell to retailers. This would create a second wholesale tier, which would mean an extra middleman and increased costs to the consumer. This makes no sense and is not in the customer’s best interest. Across the country nearly every state has adopted a three-tiered system of suppliers, a single level of wholesalers and retailers. This system has ensured appropriate regulation, competitive pricing and great consumer choice.

SECOND, Initiative 1183 would require a spirits retailer to have at least 10,000 square feet of retail space. This would severely limit the opportunity for small business growth and customer convenience. While the Distilled Spirits Council is not in favor of beverage alcohol in every corner store, it does support the opportunity for responsible small business growth, the jobs this would create, and the consumer convenience this would allow.

THIRD, Initiative 1183 would greatly reduce competition in the marketplace by extending franchise protection to the wholesalers of spirits. Simply put, this means a wholesaler would essentially be unaccountable for the service it provides to retailers and for the prices it charges. This in turn would reduce customer convenience, service, choice and competitive pricing.

The Distilled Spirits Council has been a leader for over fifty years in advocating responsible decision making in the use of its fine products. In turn, we urge you to fully understand the issues presented by Initiative 1183 so that you may make a responsible decision as you vote on this important matter.

Sincerely,
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States