Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/391612
12 / the tasting panel / october 2014 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT A Winning Team N ewcastle Brown Ale's Drink the Beer. Get the Gear campaign—a retail and on-premise program that engages sports enthusiasts during the height of the viewing season— will run now until December. The elements, including social media, a sweepstakes (via Twitter) and occasion-relevant cross-merchandis- ing offers, will encourage consumers to choose Newcastle and share their sports-watching occasions, while driving incremental sales at retail and on-premise. Patrón Spirits Introduces Patrón Citrónge Lime Liqueur P atrón Spirits has launched the first brand extension in its highly successful Patrón Citrónge liqueur line. New Patrón Citrónge Lime is an ultra-premium liqueur crafted from Persian limes cultivated from the Mexican states of Veracruz, Michoacán and Colima. For decades, Mexico has reigned as the premier growing region for lime and the world's largest producer and exporter of this savory citrus fruit. The Patrón Citrónge brand was first introduced in 1992 with the launch of Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur. "We originally developed Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur to complement Margaritas. Over the years bartenders and chefs have asked us to explore a lime flavor extension to widen the variety of cocktails and food recipes that are possible with this unique spirit, and that need has become even more compelling with the recent volatil- ity of lime prices and availability," said Ed Brown, President and CEO of Patrón Spirits International. "We're very proud to add this innovative new lime liqueur to our growing portfolio of ultra-premium spirits." The cork-finished Patrón Citrónge Lime bottle is available in 750-ml. (SRP $22.99) and 1-liter (SPR $26.99) sizes. www.patronspirits.com Growing a Following A ccording to the latest Gomberg- Fredrikson data, Chile is now the third largest country of import for bottled table wines in the U.S. Rankings released from the International Organization of Vine and Wine place Chile as the fourth largest global exporter, knocking out Australia, in 2013. "In the U.S., our volume through May 2014 of 2.4 million cases has topped 2012 perfor- mance," said Marybeth Bentwood, Executive Director of Wines of Chile USA. "One particular area where we're seeing significant growth is wine blends verses single varietals. Both categories are driving consumption by the Millennial generation, a 70-million-strong age cohort that will be defining wine trends in the next decade," said Claudio Cilveti, Managing Director of Wines of Chile in Santiago. 101 Legendary Whiskies O ur own regular Scotch Report cor- respondent Ian Buxton has had remark- able success with his 101 Whiskies series of books, which have proved popular not just with whisky mavens but in the gift market too. The combination of snappy content, convenient size and an eye-catching jacket design has meant a ready demand for the first two titles in the series. The third instal- ment, 101 Legendary Whiskies, will hit U.S. bookstores in November. According to Ian, this is his "best yet"—he tells us he's found "the most intriguing stories, the most outlandish prices and the rarest whiskies." The entries—all 101 of them—fall into four neat categories. The whiskies are variously Luxurious (those $100,000+ bottles for oligarchs and plutocrats); Lost (representing the dearly departed distilleries that drinkers now yearn for); Living (a few stellar whiskies you might you find in a bar near you) and Legends (mainly whisky folk who've done something outstanding to merit inclusion). Priced at $19.95 and available just in time for the holidays, 101 Legendary Whiskies is available from amazon.com and good bookstores.