Distillers Woo Female, Young Drinkers New Right Hits

2 ^ - THE HERALD. Fri., Feb. 5, 1982 Distillers woo female, young drinkers New Right hits CORDIALS SALES also are up from about 4 "iHliOT. By Fred Ferguson they have wineries ot their own, or they distribute the Floridians for promotion of scotch mixed. cases in 1984 to over IS million in 1980, says Patricia. Weicker votes. United Press International grape or import it. IN ’THE U.S., now the world’s biggest scotch maiket, WUey, DeKuypcr’s marketing director. “ What distillers are doing is competing with each Miguel says, “ dlstiUers must attract women and DeKuyper’s big push at the moment is schnapps NEW YORK — Some of those In the liquor business other so that the buying decision is for their brand,” younger Americans who in recent years have flocked to although she says other cordials do well among young; ... page 8 are finding sweet ways to expand their market share, if Shanken says. adult drinkers, parUcularly women. ^ wines and white goods, particularly vodka.” He got in a not counter the Inroads made by wine at cocktail time. Walter Haimon, president of Seagram Distillers, crack about the rest of the scotch industry appealing to “ Schnapps used to mean in Germany a clear wWte Young adult guzzlers and the growing proportion of wants to talk about the two dark Myers rums Seagrams liquid, hot and harsh, a shot after dinner,” she says. Not women tipplers — what the industry calls “ e n ^ level old men. , has just introduced. Why? , At Uie Buckingham Corp., which distributes Cutty anymore. drinkers” — is their target, interviews indicate. Sales of rum have m ore than doubled in the past 10 Sark, maiketing vice president John Miller takes this “ Youngsters of drinking age are taking it away f i ^ - Examples: years from 1.9 percent of the distilled spirits market to with a tut. having to be a clear liquid used as a shot. S chnapps^; • Leaders in the cordials trade are (nishlng schnapps 7.1. Along with schnapps and cordials, rum.is a bright “ If you are going to mix with fruit juice, why Spend become a contemporary word for what llqueun used ta.; jazzed up with flavors and whiskey-based liqueurs, picture in the business. $10 for scotch when you can have vodka for much less? be. Tliere’s no real similarity to the original 60 proof. which they say sell big attwllege campus bangoute and Prime cothpetitor Bacardi, notes Shanken, “ was the Clearing today; “ People enjoy scotch for its distinctive taste,” he Heublein has produced an 85 proof peppermmt; ski lodges. only distiller to experience double digit growth in the says, albeit not always straight. Research indicates schnapps called “ Steel.” As for DeKuyper, under th© • Seagram’s is moving into quality dark rums on ‘70s.” He says its 11.3 percent growth rate shot up to 16.9 Cold Sunday they like it on the rocks or \^th water or soda. “Of aegis of NaUonal Brands, Ms. Wiley says, “ We ve grounds they’ll have status appeal among young urban during the last five years. course,” he says, “we have no objection to someone out with a 100 proof peppermint we’re calling silver,; trendies, single or otherwise, when mixed to the “ Myers rum and orange juice has become one of the — page 2 mixing it. And a scotch soqr is still a wonderful drink.” prescription of the moment. hottest drinks on campus,” says Haimon. “ ’They have a schnapps. It has a silver label.” While Silver is a label, Heublein’s Steel is a. • Bell’s, a big name scotch abroad, is rocking the U.S. desire for something with taste. Vodka has no taste. THE NATURE of the wine drinker relates to dis- scotch industry’s barrel with this shocking proposal: They want a taste to com e through ^ for example, rum proprietary brand. “ We want people to go to a bar and;, tlUers’ decision to battle instead within their somewhat mix it with soda pop. It is a, pardon the pun, straight up and Coke.” ask for it by the brand name, not just for schnapps, enticement to the younger drinker. He talks on about the advent of women drinkers with diminished market, says Seagrams Haimon. says Billie Brown of Heublein. j;I “’The wine drinker goes back and forth between • Schenley is circumspect but notes cocktails and the same desire for taste. Wooing the youth market is a matter of attracting;, mixed drinks now "often vie with choices that cover the Perrier and some other soft drink. The majority of pre people with tastes they like, Ms. Wiley says. “ P ^ l ^ dinner wine drinkers, I don’t think ever were martini today are impatient. ’Ihey were raised on soft drinks., entire spectrum of the beverage industry.” And that, it APPEALING TO TASTE, both DeKuyper and drinkers or sour drinkers. ’The majority are young and She also mentioned a chocolate candy roll, the jelly bean -; says, includes soft drinks. Heublein have introduced new peppermint schnapps Remember when ? “ There’s no question that wine is enjoying increasing not spirits drinkers in the first place.” and a sweettasting red mouthwash. $157 billion with DeKupyer’s officials noting the extension from But there are lots of young, dedicated hard liquor “ What they want is instant gratification.” ; popularity,” confirms Marvin Shanken, a mouth mints’ flavor and Heublein’s citing cordials’ knowledgeable observer of the industry. “ And a certain drinkers. lower proof. They say both appeal to young people and ’Th e s e prospective customers have yet to es-! amount of that is coming from the distilled spirits “ We’ve done research among singles bars In New women amid the g ro \ ^ in wine drinking and the fitness York, Chicago, San Francisco. These young people are tablish brand preferences, Ms. Wiley says. “ What we’re • drinkers and has been for five years.” phenomenon. definitely spirits drinkers.” These young professionals, doing in the industry is following the mouth mint In “ Impact,” a trade research publication Shanken Taste, in fact, is at the heart of the brou-ha-ha among he says, “ are terrific customers for super premium flavors; translating them to other flavors.” puts out, he notes the American wine market grew at an the scotches. brands.” "The blue-jeaned, downvested set wants a duality of deficit now annual average of 5.9 percent from 1970 to 1980 com Shattering domestic precedent Raymond Miguel, ‘ "rhere are particular brands to which they’re turned taste sensation. ’They are attracted because of the: pared with 1.6 percent for distilled spirits. Wine head of Bells, recently toured the U.S. appealing for the refreshing taste, cooling to the tongue, warming to the shipments passed distilled spirits shipments for the first . on,” says Shanken. “ Jack Daniels, for example.” mixing. stomach.” i time, reaching more than 2(W million cases compared to Haimon also says the affluence of even the entry level Britons, even Scots, he insists, and he should know, do Along this , line, Heublein offers a Canadian less than 191 million for spirits. drinker heightens prospects for a premium mixable drink their scotch with sweet stuff. He says 70 percent dark rum with the advantages of color and taste over whiskeybased liqueur, Yukon Jack, which Ms. Brown of Scottish women scotch drinkers “enjoy scotch’s “ IT IS TO BE expected that, if the distilled spirits in vodka and gin. says young drinkers go for. dustry is flat and the brands are flat, they have to look flsvor sw0ct.** “ When I went to college, if I had $1.25 for a pitcher of Or they take peppermint schnapps as a shot with beer, predicted The scotch industry, he declares, “ must adapt to for increased usage or expanding their base,” said beer, that was a lot of money. Today it is conspicuous a practice Ms. Wiley of DeKuyper says is big in Denver changing American tastes by developing Kotch drinks Shanken in an interview. consumption. We have the minimum wage — a couple of skiland. “ It’s the best of both worlds — a touch qf sour sweetened with ginger ale, fruit drinks, lemonade and But Shanken and others say there’s no way the big dis with a touch of sweet.” ' In addition to much larger deficits other mixers.” He has targeted trendy Californians and bucks in the jeans at the end of the week.” By Mary Beth Franklin tillers are about to tackle wine head on. For one thing. United Press International than administration projections, the budget office forecast shows deficits WASHINGTON - The non increasing each year, rather than IRS: Child care credit save taxes partisan Congressional Budget Of declining as Reagan has promised. fice Friday predicted next year’s Early in his presidency, Reagan federal deficit will be $157 billion — had hoped to balance the budget by H A R T F O R D - A qredlt is worth up to $400 IRS has guidelines to help able to care for himself or is married at the end of the well above administration forecasts 1984. 'liie Congressional Budget Of divorced or separated for one child and up to $800 them determine who herself tax year must file a joint — unless Congress cuts spending or fice projection shows a $188 billion parent who pays someone for two or more children on should claim the credit. • been In the custody of return to claim the child raises taxes. deficit for that year. to care for his child may be this year’s tax return. Generally, the parent who one or both parents for care credit. A person who f Herald photo by Pinto The budget office projection for One of the problems, the office eligible for a federal in Changes in the tax law may had custody for a longer more than half of the year, is legally separated under fiscal year 1983, starting next Oct.

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