| Beverage Wholesaler - October 10, 2017 |
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| Live from the NBWA Convention |
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The 80th annual National Beer Wholesalers Association Convention kicked off in Las Vegas yesterday, opening with a somber remembrance in honor of the victims of last weekend’s shooting. The event has been held in Las Vegas during odd-numbered years for the past 30 of its 80 years, a milestone the event didn’t overlook.
After walking attendees through the long legacy of the NBWA, Chairman of the Board Paul Bertucci spoke about his personal history in Mississippi and how beer distributors are helping in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
President and CEO Craig Purser spoke about the challenges facing the middle tier, and how standing together as independent distributors can help the industry overcome outside pressures. He emphasized the NBWA’s political action committee and some of the legislative changes it’s fought against in recent years, before introducing Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta.
Acosta spoke about the booming economy and how low unemployment, decreased regulations and tax reform will improve the beer wholesaling industry.
Later, Tom Fox of CM Profit Group and NBWA Chief Economist Lester Jones discussed industry trends and challenges. Among the top ones were SKU overload, misalignment among the tiers and occasion-stealing from wine and spirits.
Heineken USA President and CEO Ronald den Elzen spoke about the industry’s need to come together with one voice. He said that in recent years Heineken has tried to “go it alone” in turning around the declines in beer sales, but realizes that all suppliers need to work together to reverse falling sales. Among the strategies the company has tried in Europe that it’s promoting for the U.S. market is “Love Beer,” which tries to improve beer’s image as a sophisticated drink that appeals to both men and women.
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| Ted Danson Talks Mixology, Favorite Cocktails |
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Actor Ted Danson famously played the bartender/bar-owner (and teetotaler) Sam Malone on the TV show “Cheers.” Today, Danson continues his connection with the alcohol world as brand ambassador for Diageo’s Smirnoff Vodka.
Danson toured Diageo’s production facility in Plainfield, Illinois, on Oct. 4 — National Vodka Day — to see how brands like Smirnoff are blended, flavored, bottled and boxed. The tour also highlighted Smirnoff’s Made in America campaign with Danson, reminding consumers that while the vodka bears a Russian name, it’s 100% produced in the U.S.
During the day’s festivities, I had opportunity to chat with the actor:
Beverage Wholesaler: What cocktails do you prefer?
Ted Danson: My favorite vodka cocktails depend on the season. In the summer I like vodka with cranberry juice and soda. In the colder months, I’ll take a dirty martini, straight up. Especially if it’s shaping up to be a really fun evening.
I just came back from Hawaii. They had a fruit called the lilikoi. That and some vodka was delicious. The drink wasn’t even infused with the lilikoi — the cocktail had the pulp in it and everything.
I’ll always take something fresh in a cocktail. Where I live we have a lot of orange trees. I’ll pick some fresh oranges and peel them and put that in a drink — that’s great!
The problem, though, with being an actor is that I’m up at 5 in the morning every day, and I’m supposed to seem smart and remember my lines. So drinking is not really a huge part of my daily routine now. And having played Sam Malone, being around intoxicated people is not always the easiest thing.
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ONE MORE THING
More than 20,000 people have been evacuated and thousands of acres of wildfires are burning in Northern California’s wine country. Stay tuned to BeverageDynamics.com for breaking coverage. |
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