2012 | Booze Business: A Blog Dedicated to the Business of Spirits and Wine

“Dude… there’s weed in my wine”

April 21, 2012 1 Comment

Buffalo Trace Newsletter reprinted a story from the Daily Beast headlined, “Marijuana-Laced Wine Grows More Fashionable in California Wine Country.”

Apparently, it’s quite common for winemakers to produce cannabis cuvées with bold reds such as Cabernet and Syrah. The recipe is a pound of marijuana dropped into a cask of wine, which yields about 1.5 grams of weed per bottle. The article quotes the president of the Napa Valley Marijuana Growers who says the combination of alcohol and marijuana produces “an interesting little buzz.” “People love wine,” he goes on the say, “and they love weed.”

I think there are a number of good reasons for marijuana infused wine to be more readily available.

Wacky World of Vodka

April 13, 2012 1 Comment

Over half a billion 9-litre cases of vodka are sold around the world. It should not come as a surprise therefore, that some strange things occur with brands, people and the category itself.

As a public service to my blog readers, I have found just a few of the more interesting, and yes, wacky recent occurrences.

The Vodka for the Rich

Stoli is introducing a $3,000 a bottle of vodka from the Himalayan Edition of Stolichnaya’s Pristine Water Series. Only 300 bottles will be sold globally. Apparently what makes it so expensive is the type of water used, sourced from the Himalayan mountains, from an underground reservoir that has been pooling fresh melted snow. The water is then combined with 100% winter wheat harvested from Russia’s Tambov region. As an added bonus, it comes in a hand-blown glass bottle with a gold-plated decorative ice pick – perfect for your spouse to stick in your brain when he/she sees the credit card bill.

Not to be outdone, there is a company I believe is based in Hong Kong, selling (or about to launch) Royal Dragon vodka from Russia. There are three editions, but the Emperor Vodka will be made from rye and only 888 bottles will be sold.

Spirits Ads on TV

April 3, 2012 1 Comment

I write a monthly column for Spiritz magazine in India, which is the most widely read alcohol-related magazine in the country. My column is called Booze Abroad and the March issue contained a story on how the broadcast advertising (voluntary) ban for spirits was ended in the US.

While TV advertising for spirits has become widespread, it came about through the leadership of Seagram, but not without some ups and downs along the way.

The article is available on this blog with the permission of Bishan Kumar the publisher of Spiritz. To read it, simply click on the words, “Spirits Ads on TV” at the top of the column on the right.