MARKETING – NEW PRODUCTS: April 2007

Krug Collection, Saturday Red; Brakspear Blonde; Longmaorn 16 yo; Absolute 100; Sip; Michelob; Sparkling 1917; Debbie & Andrew’s Sausages; Diet Coke; Oval Vodka and Palais des Anciens

Product name: Krug Collection, 1981 and 1985 Vintages
Contact details: Krug, +44 (0)20 7245 4233
Two new vintages from the Krug Collection – the range first launched in response to requests for older Krug vintages – have been released. The best Krug vintages approach what the producer calls “a second life” after about 20 years. In the late 1980s, the first vintage of the Krug Collection, the 1969, was issued. Since then there have been a number of additions to the collection, but these are made based on taste and maturity, and may not occur in chronological order. New to the collection are the 1985 and 1981 vintages, available in both bottle and magnum, and individually numbered. Each bottle is presented in a wooden box with a certificate signed by Rémi Krug, available on allocation from a number of specialist retailers.

Product name: Saturday Red
Contact details: World Wine Agencies, +44 (0)1608 658 062
World Wine Agencies unveiled its new entry-level wine at last month’s Wine Institute of California Trade Tasting. As the brand’s name suggests, this is an uncomplicated, unpretentious product, which is confirmed by an initial price of £2.99. It was available from early last month at Co-op, after which it was launched to the rest of the trade at the generic tasting. This Californian red wine is produced at a winery in the Lodi-Woodbridge region of Northern California, and has a back label detailling an Italian tradition of filling a jug at a winery with “a winemaker’s special blend… never the same as last week’s but always delicious”.

Product name: Brakspear Organic Blonde Beer
Contact details: Wychwood Brewery, +44 (0)1993 890 800
Brakspear Organic Blonde Beer became available to the on-trade in cask last month, as a result of the success of the brewery’s bottled offering. The cask-conditioned beer, with an abv of 4%, is yet another innovation from Wychwood brewery. The bottled Brakspear Organic, launched in 2000, is now available in various UK supermarkets at £1.60 for 500ml. The new cask version is created with the same organic ingredients, and will contribute towards what Wychwood believe is a category that will grow in value in the years to come.

Product name: Longmorn 16 Year Old
Contact details: Chivas Brothers, +44 (0)20 8250 1642
The new Longmorn 16 Year Old unmistakably repositions this malt whisky brand as both global and super-premium. It replaces the 15 Year Old offering, with striking but delicate packaging that incorporates glass, metal, paper and, notably, a stitched leather base to avoid noisily clunking on the table and interrupting the ambience of a late night dram. It is presented in a hinged cardboard box with a magnetic closure to add to the luxuriousness of the product. As part of Chivas Brothers’ extensive single malt porfolio,  Longmorn 16 Year Old is another example of the company’s ongoing strategy towards creating more upmarket products. It will retail for £50.

Product name: Absolut 100
Contact details: V&S Absolut Spirits, +46 (0)70 191 7300
Absolut’s new offering is not an addition to its extensive range of flavours, but a vodka it hopes will attract a masculine audience. Absolut 100 is the result of an adjustment to the iconic brand’s production process that results in a higher proof vodka. The decidedly masculine packaging suits this vodka’s target audience, with opaque black and chrome combining with the famous Absolut bottle shape. This is the first time that an Absolut product has premiered in the travel retail market, and first appeared at Changi Airport in Singapore last month. It is initially only available in 100cl bottle (at an rrp 40-50% higher than Absolut)

Product name: Sip
Contact details: +44 (0)870 800 5271
Innovation in both the functional and water categories continues at quite a pace, but Sip may be the first drink that openly claims to have a beautifying effect. Launching this month, sip is a range of fruit-flavoured still waters that are “enhanced with beautifying ingredients”. Available in three flavours: elderflower, strawberry and mint; mango, and lemongrass; and ginger, these waters contain ingredients such as rose petal extract and white tea tincture. It goes without saying that Sip targets a female audience, specifically “health and beauty conscious women with on-the-go lifestyles”. The range will be available exclusively at Selfridges Food Hall with an rrp of £1.49 for 500ml.

Product name: Michelob

Contact details: Anheuser-Busch UK, +44 (0)20 8332 2302
An updated bottle and recipe for Michelob is being introduced to the UK this month. The updated packaging remains faithful to the brand’s famous teardrop-shaped bottle, originally launched in 1961 in the US. The shape was apparently designed to be recognisable in low light. When it was first brewed in 1896, Michelob was an all-malt beer, and the new recipe sees a return to this. The brand was first imported to the UK in 1989, and will continue to be imported from Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Williamsburg, Virginia. Retailing in the on-trade between £2.50 and £4.00, it will also be available in the off-trade in 4x355ml packs.

Product name: Sparkling 1917
Contact details: Iron Wolf Company, +44 (0)7796 954 105, www.sparkling1917.com

Sparkling wine production in Russia is a 500-year-old tradition, but Sparkling 1917 is the first example to be imported into the UK from the former Soviet Union. This wine is produced in Belarus from Chardonnay and Aligoté grown in Moldova. The resulting brut sparkling wine has been repackaged to suit UK tastes. Since 1979, Minskaya Zavodvin has produced sparkling wines that have achieved success in their domestic market, and they will now be available further afield via the Iron Wolf Company.

Product name: Debbie & Andrews Pork and Ale Sausages
Contact details: Debbie & Andrews, +44 (0)800 783 6481
The “glug of Newcastle Brown Ale” qualifies this unusual product launch to appear in the pages of the drinks business, and the implied promise of the imminent return of barbeque weather further justifies it. After testing hundreds of beers over the course of a year, Debbie & Andrews has chosen the Scottish & Newcastle brand as the best ingredient for this new addition to its premium sausage range, which is an unusual way for Newcastle Brown Ale to celebrate its 80th anniversary. The ale’s brand manager, Doug Cook, believes that “Debbie and Andrew have developed a great-tasting, top quality sausage.” He goes on to say that “beer and sausages make perfect partners”.

Product name: Diet Coke Limited Edition
Contact details: The Coca-Cola Company GB, +44 (0)20 8237 3000

To support the relaunch of Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has recently produced a limited number of promotional cans. This striking packaging makes use of a new printing technology developed by Rexam. Over 70 million cans have been produced, which also include an under-the-tab promotion that offers the chance to “Win Your Ultimate £10,000 Break”, with prizes such as holidays and discounts on shopping and travel. The promotion is also supported by a website, allowing consumers to determine whether a code qualifies for a prize.

Product name: Oval Vodka
Contact details: Fluid Brands, +44 (0)70 1421 7558
New Oval vodka comes in both 42% and 24% abv varieties. Launched last month in London by Fluid Brands, initial rollout is planned for Brighton, followed by the rest of the UK in early spring. Oval is produced using the first patented vodka production process of this century, with alcohol and water apparently being treated separately via osmosis. Marketing for Oval will suggest that it be served in the Russian tradition: neat, and at room temperature. The 24% option is being marketed as a return to the preferred abv of the Russian aristocracy during the era of the Czars, which allowed them to consume more than the rest of the population. The wholesale price for on-trade customers is approximately £29.

Product name: Palais des Anciens
Contact details: Bottle Green, +44 (0)113 205 4500
Last month’s France Under One Roof tasting saw the launch of Palais des Anciens, a premium Rhône brand from Bottle Green. The range, developed with Vignobles Du Peloux, aims to “evoke the rich and authentic essence of the Rhône”. The range incorporates five wines, from a Côtes du Rhône, at £5.99, to a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, retailing at £14.99. This launch is a result of the Rhône’s recent success in multiple grocers in the UK, growing 12% in volume in the last year according to ACNielsen.

© db April 2007