Sweet wine varietals and indulgent flavored vodkas remain popular in the wine and spirits categories, according to experts. In fact, the Moscato wine varietal has achieved between 30 and 50 percent growth in recent years, said Claire Moulin, lead analyst for Chicago-based Euromonitor International, in Beverage Industry’s March issue. Likewise, the flavored vodka segment is up 25 percent, said Bump Williams, chief executive officer and president of Stratford, Conn.-based Bump Williams Consulting, in Beverage Industry’s April issue. Within that segment, indulgent and unusual flavors are up nearly 70 percent, he added.
In the whiskey segment, flavors also are making an appearance, said Frank Coleman, senior vice president for public affairs with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Washington, D.C., in Beverage Industry’s April issue. White whiskeys also have increased in popularity as of late, he added. Earlier this year, Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc. launched Jacob’s Ghost white whiskey, which is aged slightly to impart flavor but not enough to darken the color of the liquid.