Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118688
PHOTO: KIRK WEDDLE TJ Nichols, North/West Texas Regional Manager for Western Spirits, with Dallas's Beverage Depot's stockpile of Twenty Grand. Hand-Selected Placements Another aspect of Twenty Grand the team is banking on is the element of surprise. From Holecz's perspective, consumers think it will be one thing because of its amber color, but will be completely surprised when they taste it because of a distinctive flavor profile that transcends either vodka or cognac. "We could put as many words onto a piece of paper as we can, but one taste tells the whole story," says Holecz. "We have hand-selected the placements onand off-premise instead of blitz marketing it because we are after that very specific kind of trendsetting consumer. We know there are specific accounts that attract the upwardly mobile and adventurous consumer, including those on-premise accounts that focus on bottle service." Houston club Grooves officially launched Twenty Grand during 2013 Houston NBA All-Star Weekend in February, but the management had the product in-house two weeks before that so they could familiarize themselves with it before the big weekend. Bar Manager Nickole Tyler created several themed cocktails built around the brand, and Grooves owner Felicia Drake was won over by the spirit even though she is admittedly not a cognac drinker. "For a brown spirit," she says, "it has defied any expectation of its being harsh and instead pleasantly surprised customers with its taste, smoothness and versatility. It certainly does have appeal, and that has been reflected in our early sales." Other on-premise accounts also report quickly selling through their initial shipment and then reordering to meet the growing demand. never heard so many positive compliments about a brand new product in such a short period of time," he continues. "I know my consumers well, and observing their buying patterns, I knew this was going to be very successful." Stretching the Dollar The team encourages consumers to try Twenty Grand for the first time neat or on the rocks to experience taste product in a pure state. But Holecz acknowledges that the modern mixology movement will play a growing role as time goes on. While the initial on- and off-premise test markets were staged in Texas when the product launched in a few limited markets in the state, the ensuing success and feedback prompted Western Spirits to expand it into major markets including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Oakland and St. Louis. The response from these cities over the past few months, in turn, has been very favorable. "As the success of a new spirit is a team effort between retailer and supplier, the Twenty Grand rep's attitude and direction has been strong and has contributed to the impact we're making with the product," assesses Gonji. "Cha-ching!" Impact In the off-premise, Twenty Grand offers accounts several options in terms of where and how bottles are placed— the vodka section, the cognac section and specialty spirits sections. No matter how the individual retailer positions the product, Holecz believes the possibilities are almost limitless. Sean Gonji, owner of Dallas retailer Beverage Depot has seen a lot of creative promotions and launches in his many years in the business, but nothing quite like the "cha-ching!" impact Twenty Grand has made. "In our in-store tastings, the most frequent comments we've gotten from customers is how smooth the product is and that they were surprised about the price point, given their high quality experience with the product," says Gonji, who points out Twenty Grand has shelf space both in the vodka and cognac section, as well as a huge case display in one of their stores. "In my years of doing this, I have april 2013 / the tasting panel / 7