Liqueurs – Or Should That Be Flavoured Spirits?

Liqueurs, or as they are more often being called by brand owners, Flavoured Spirits, are just about to come into their own with the Festive season nearly upon us. But really Christmas is not the golden goose it once was and brand owners have been busy promoting liqueurs as long drinks. Susan Young takes a look at the market and the brands.

What is the best selling liqueur in your bar? It’s probably Jägermeister, but you probably don’t think of Jägermeister as being a liqueur! But not only is it a liqueur but it is now one of the World’s Top 10 power brands ahead of Baileys, according to Intangible Business the company behind the report on the 100 Top Power Brands. Jägermeister has knocked Baileys off its number one position and is the 8th biggest spirit brand in the world (Impact 2011).
No doubt this is why Diageo have brought their own herbal liqueur Zwack® a bitter herbal liqueur, which they are promoting as an ice cold shot. It’s an on-trade launch which no doubt aims to bite into Jägermeister market share – the brand saw total sales rise more than 100% in the last 12 months and sales of Jägermeister are forecast to reach 500K cases in 2011.
Fisk is another entry into this market segment from KC Brands. It’s a vodka shot with menthol, liquorice and eucalyatus, which is also to be served ice cold.
However Jägermeister is not sitting on its laurels, in fact the brand is living up to the literal translation of its name ‘master hunter’ by going after licensees who are ‘passing off’ or ‘pouring over’ inferior products, and calling them Jägermeister. ‘Passing off’ means serving another, often cheaper or inferior, brand from the one asked for by a customer, ‘pouring over’ is to mislead the customer by serving a cheaper or inferior product in the packaging of another brand. It’s not comfined to the brand itself but also to its JagerBomb and JBomb drinks. So if someone asks for a JagerBomb – you have to served Jagermeister, otherwise you have to call your version something different, and tell your customer!
That apart, Jägermeister generally speaking success is due to its innovative marketing. They were the first shot to bring out their Jägermeister Tap Machine which dispenses a shot at -18C (colder than ice) and can they promise licensees it increase their profits five fold. It has also just launched a location-based smartphone app that lets users find bars and music venues that serve its product on tap.
But what of Baileys, which has been the world’s number one selling liqueur for nearly 30 years? Its advertising has certainly become a lot tamer since the Portman Group have taken all sexual connotations out of drinks advertising. The former Baileys over ice campaign was great. The brand marketeers also seem to have been concentrating on launching range extensions from Hazelnut to the newly launched biscotti variant. But the marketeers appear to be concentrating more the off-trade than the on, (something which Jagermeister hasn’t done) which is a pity, particularly in Scotland where I am sure Bailey’s Biscotti would go down a treat in Italian restaurants. It seem a couple of years ago, with the campaign to get people to order a Baileys in a chocolate shot cup, instead of a sweet, that the brand was going down an on-trade route, but there seems to have been a change of brand direction. However, Baileys is still the number two selling liqueur in the world, it is a must stock behind the bar. But it is one of the few liqueurs which probably is best not served long, unless you are adding milk!
But the long drink route is one which just about every other liqueur brand is embracing. From Glayva to the newly launched King’s Ginger. The idea is to get people drinking liqueurs all year long. However if you ask licensees they are not getting many orders for long drinks with liqueurs. But I do think this will come.
Liqueurs also have an added advantage over many other spirit categories and that is in barcall. People generally ask for liqueurs by name – a Cointreau and lemonade… Glayva, Drambuie and ice, Tia Maria and Coke. Of course amaretto and sambuca are the notable exceptions. Although most consumers would assume they are getting Disaronno, when they order amaretto, because the brand is so well known. The brand has also moved up 14 places in the Top Power Brands listing due to its inclusion in many cocktails.
While its stablemate Tia Maria is concentrating on improving its image. Earlier this year Paloma Faith was appointed as the new brand ambassador for Tia Maria. As part of her role, Paloma will be helping the brand with its ‘Behind the Mask’ campaign, which aims to find the new face of Tia Maria.
The Behind the Mask campaign will see its second phase of advertising support this November and December. The integrated campaign which includes on-trade sampling activity is aimed at rejuvenating the brand’s image and character. It’s also got a new on-trade promotion which is offering bartenders the change of win a five-star holiday in Jamaica.
When it comes to sambuca – Molinari, Luxardo and Antico are the most popular brands – Luxardo was number one for many years, but now more the more cost conscious licensee is selling Antico, and it is now the number one selling brand in the UK, but generally unless you are Italian, you don’t ask for Sambuca by brand name. And with health and safety issues some restaurateurs won’t let you light it!
That brings me to another crucial element of liqueurs in long drinks and that’s sampling. It’s difficult these days with the new licensing regime. But how do you get people to try for instance Disaronno and cranberry? They are not going to order it at the bar unless they know they are going to like it. And they won’t know if they like it without trying it.
And while Jagermeister is the number one selling liqueur Scottish brand Glayva, has been trademarked as the “world’s best liqueur”, due to the fact that Glayva has won more IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition) trophies than any other liqueur, winning the IWSC best liqueur trophy an unrivalled five times.
Brand owners Whyte & Mackay have also been promoting Glayva as a long drink – either with cranberry or with ginger ale. And a new bottle a couple of years ago did give the brand more exposure on the back bar. Its Glayvamnsty was a great consumer promotion – it encouraged people to trade in their old dusty liqueur bottles for Glayva. The brand also did sampling, and concentrated on social media. But there was no on-trade Glayvamnsty, perhaps they will do that this year?
Because many licensees do have bottles of liqueurs behind the bar which are rarely asked for. And, in this time of recession, holding stock that doesn’t sell isn’t wise. The easiest way to sell your liqueurs is by developing small cocktail list.
One of the only reasons that some liqueurs have continued to sell is because they are utilised in popular cocktails. As you have already heard one of the reasons that Disaronno’s sales are buoyant is because of its success in cocktails.
That’s why many liqueur brands sponsor cocktail competitions. For instance Chambord runs the Chambord Rendezvous competition, which is now in its second year. Bartenders put forward some 300 different recipes for cocktails using Chambord. The winning signature serve was Le Roi Soleil, created by Nicolas Stoffel of Hotel du Vin in Bristol. Its name refers to Louis XIV of France, the so-called Sun King, who is believed to have enjoyed the liqueur while staying at the Chambord château in the 17th century.
Another two liqueur brands which have been pushed in recent years are Italian brands Tuaca and Aperol. Tuaca has a new bottle and Aperol also has a new look. Aperol has been a huge success in Italy over the last few years and now Gruppo Campari, through Cellar Trends in the UK, is promoting the brand here too. Earlier this year Aperol was listed as the ninth fastest growing, premium spirit brand worldwide (Impact), and this is due in no small part to the success of the Aperol Spritz which was created around 10 years ago. It is this serve – a blend of three parts sparkling white wine, two parts Aperol and one part soda, which is the backbone of its current international push. This has also coincided with a new bottle for the distinctive orange coloured liqueur which has a flavor of orange and rhubarb root. And its new back label has fallen in line with the brand’s tightly focused communication strategy to focus on the Aperol Spritz. And the key group being targeted in the on-trade is Italian bars and restaurants, although much of the activity has been focused on London before a roll out across the UK.
Gruppo Campari also now own Frangelico and Carolans, I wonder if they will have any plans for the brands in the UK in the next year or so?
Two brands which have not been doing so well in the Drinks Power Brands100 tables are Cointreau which dropped 16 places in the The Power 100 Drinks Brands listing, despite the brand increasing its volume sales and Grand Marnier which dropped down 15 places. The previous year Grand Marnier had moved up 12 places, but in the last 12 months its volumes have not particularly grown and it has been suggested that the brand is not achieving its potential in the hands of a small, independent owner according to the report authors Intangible Business. This is perhaps why the owners did a deal with Diageo in 2010. Diageo now distributes the brand in Europe. Although if there has been any marketing activity I’ve missed it!
Another brand worth mentioning is Xanté which is currently the tenth most popular liqueur in Europe. Over the past decade sales have increased in volume by over 500% worldwide. This pear liqueur has been around for a decade or more in Scotland, and is used by many mixologists in cocktails, which seems to be where its strength is.
Meanwhile the company behind Martin Miller’s Gin and Fever Tree soft drinks, The Reformed Spirits Company, has launched Triibe, a totally clear creamy liqueur, which is dairy and lactose free. Triibe is made to made “a secret Celtic recipe” with charcoal filtered Irish Malt Whiskey infused with honey and Royal Jelly for smoothness and clarity. The taste is velvety smooth with subtle hints of vanilla, caramel and chocolate I haven’t tried it but the company say that it can be enjoyed as a shot, over ice, in a long drink or a cocktail, in coffees…
One liqueur I have tried is The King’s Ginger – it’s spicy and warming, and has a strong ginger element, not surprising considering the name. It was specifically formulated by Berry Bros. in 1903 for King Edward VII. Rich and zesty, the liqueur was created to stimulate and revivify His Majesty during morning rides in his new horseless carriage – a Daimler. Well I might not have the Daimler …but after a week of our weather it definitely is worth trying. I like the idea of a King’s Ginger and Tonic – although I could see that being abbreviated to a King’s & Tonic.
A liqueur feature wouldn’t be complete without mention Du Kuyper and Bols – both hail from Holland, and both offer a range of liqueurs that quite simply a mixologist couldn’t live without. Bols have recently launched the first Bols foam… Bols Bartending Academy’s global ambassador and head trainer, Rob Rademaker says of the new launch, “The launch of Bols Foam makes molecular mixology accessible to all and brings true innovation to drinks presentation, producing new taste sensations for the consumer and enhancing the creative potential of Bols Liqueurs.”
Offering a new opportunity for creativity, Bols Foam keeps its hold for up to 15 minutes and is available in six different flavours. These include three for cocktails and mixed drinks: Bols Banana, Bols Blue and Bols Crème de Cassis and three for after dinner moments: Bols Amaretto, Bols Peppermint and Bols Cacao White.
Certainly bartenders are always looking for new ideas. But sometimes the best liqueur for the job is the classic one. Benedictine and Chartreuse are making a comeback, and Galliano despite its bottle height, is also gaining popularity. Bartenders want to try new products and new flavours but brand managers have to remember that licensees can be reticent about buying in these products at the risk of increasing their stock and having more dead money behind the bar. They need to know the brand is investing some marketing spend behind the brand to ensure that the liqueurs will sell through.
The past when it comes to liqueurs has been about older, traditional users and occasions. The after dinner liqueur market is literally dying out. The future for this category has to be about appealing to younger, and more contemporary drinkers. Perhaps it is time to rejuvenate the category with a new name, and if it’s good enough for the authors of The Power 100 Drinks Brands Report, authors it’s good enough for me – Flavoured Spirits.

Category: Features, Spirits
Tags: flavoured drinks, liqueurs, Spirits