Fall is officially here and it’s the perfect time for curling up with a good book. As mom to three fur baby bunnies, a lop, a mini rex and a Dutch, I’ve been reading Peacebunny Island, a true story about 16-year-old Caleb Smith’s journey to rescue, train and raise comfort rabbits on a private 22-acre island surrounded by water in Newport, Minn.

Like the dreamers in all of us, at a young age Caleb had a dream to make the world a better place through the power of bunnies. He started out selling fur from Angora rabbits to make yarn and has since launched the Peacebunny Foundation, which hosts rabbit-themed STEM educational programs.

Many beverage entrepreneurs also have big dreams and tales to tell about their beverages and the distillation processes that they perfect.

September is Bourbon Heritage Month and several new books are out to educate others about the celebrated 19th century history of whiskey distilling, Whiskey Row storage warehouses and the “backroads” of Kentucky.

These topics are brought to life in Karl Raitz’s book, Bourbon’s Backroads: A Journey through Kentucky’s Distilling Landscape. Blending several topics — inventions and innovations in distilling and transport technologies, tax policy, geography, landscapes and architecture — this primer and geographical guide presents an accessible and detailed history of the development of Kentucky’s distilling industry and explains how the industry continues to thrive. A professor emeritus of geography at the University of Kentucky, Ratz also authored Making Bourbon.

In his seventh book, Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon, F. Paul Pacult chronicles how the Frankfort, Ky.-based Buffalo Trace Distiller became the world’s most awarded distillery (more than 1,000 awards) through in-depth storytelling, pictures, timelines, sidebars and more. The book spans the time of Daniel Boone’s late 18th century explorations in uncharted Kentucky through the trials of the U.S. Civil War, two World Wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression to the present era.

Pacult has been writing about spirits since 1989 and his previous books include Kindred Spirits, A Double Scotch and the recently released The New Kindred Spirits.

Within the beverage market, hard kombucha is bubbling up, according to a recent survey from Boston-based Drizly, which found health and wellness is emerging as a top influence on alcohol buying. JuneShine, Boochcraft and Flying Embers are the brands dominating the hard kombucha scene on the Drizly app, it says.

With increasingly trendy fermented foods such as kimchi, sourdough and kombucha growing more popular, The Fermentation Kitchen: Recipes for the Craft Beer Lover's Pantry can prove helpful for the home cook, whether a foodie, craft beer enthusiast or fermentation fan.

The Fermentation Kitchen includes recipes for bread making, pickling, cheese making, methods for making vinegar and kombucha, and how-to steps for making charcuterie.

“It’s not a coincidence that fermented foods and beverages are having a moment right now,” author Gabe Toth said in a statement. “The DIY-craze spurred from COVID-19 lockdowns created a fermentation boom that’s still going strong. The Fermentation Kitchen is part how-to guide, part cookbook, and part reference manual on how fermented foods work and what levers you can pull to tweak your recipe. With the details in my book, readers will learn how to use craft beer to ferment vegetables, kombucha, bread, sausage, vinegar, condiments and more.”

There’s no better time than the present to read a book, learn a new hobby and/or craft a new cocktail from scratch. BI

After more than a year of anticipation, Daniel Craig as the suave 007 returns with a vengeance in the 25th James Bond adventure: “No Time To Die.” Known for his affinity for stylish Aston Martins, beautiful women and a bubby glass of Champagne, Champagne Bollinger, the official Champagne of 007 and “No Time To Die,” introduced a limited-edition bottle and gift box that brings together three icons: Bollinger’s signature Special Cuvée, the Aston Martin DB5, and the ever-suave Bond … James Bond. The limited-edition gift box, designed by celebrated Bond photographer Greg Williams, features the silhouette of Bond alongside his Aston Martin DB5. The bottle also features “BOLLINGER 007” on the gold neck collar as well as a 007 seal in place of Bollinger’s classic blazon. Bollinger’s Limited Edition Special Cuvée is available globally for a suggested retail price of $79.

BioSteel inked a multi-year sponsorship with the Los Angeles Lakers. As the Official Sports Drink of the 17-time NBA champions, the BioSteel brand and products will have a year-round presence on and off the court. This includes BioSteel Sports Drink on the Lakers team bench and integration of the BioSteel brand into the team bench set ups, locker room displays and in-arena signage. “Fans worldwide know the Lakers as one of the most entertaining and storied franchises in all of sports, and we’re excited they’ve chosen BioSteel as their team’s official sports drink,” said Michael Cammalleri, Co-CEO and co-founder of BioSteel, in a statement. “Spending the first part of my NHL career in L.A., I take great pride in seeing this come full circle. We look forward to providing the Lakers with Clean. Healthy. Hydration. and to expanding on our message of providing a better-for-you product to athletes and consumers across the U.S.”

As consumers make their way back to bars and restaurants, top drink brands are dominating on-premise as consumers in the United States opt for familiar choices. The latest on-premise measurement from CGA reveals that the Top 10 beer, American whiskey and rum brands have increased their category share while many outlets and operators have had to reduce their drink range due to closures and restrictions.

CGA’s on-premise findings include the following data points:

• Beer remains dominated by core brands, with the Top 10 brands in beer making up 58% of on-premise sales, an increase of 3 percentage points post-COVID-19. Within this category, the craft beer segment is still holding strong; however, the Top 10 brands have maintained their share of 32% following the pandemic.
• Within the spirits category, the Top 10 brands hold a significant share across tequila, which maintains a 72% share, and vodka, which has dropped 4 percentage points to 75% post-COVID-19. Whiskey brands tell a similar story, with a share of 74% for the Top 10 brands; however, within American whiskey the Top 10 brands occupy 83% of this segment — with three brands holding 46% alone.
• Rum is a spirits segment in which Top 10 brands occupy the most share ― 97%, an increase of 5% post-COVID-19.
• The competitive nature of wine continues as it also experienced increases among Top 10 brands post-COVID-19. Table wine, the category’s largest segment, saw Top 10 brands reach a 25% share, a 1% increase. Yet, the sparkling wine segment bucks the trend, with Top 10 brands occupying a share of 66%.

Source: CGA, the data and research consultancy market research firm for the out-of-home food and drinks market. For more information, contact Matthew Crompton, Matthew.Crompton@cgastrategy.com.

Leveling the playing field

To ensure equal representation and to level the playing field, Michelob ULTRA announced a $100 million commitment to women’s sports during the next five years along with a new campaign encouraging consumers to help increase visibility of female athletes. ULTRA believes that every athlete deserves to experience an equal level of joy in sports, but women’s sports don’t always receive the same level of coverage in the media, which is a critical factor in ensuring that female athletes are paid equally, the company says. Among the ways it is helping is by dedicating 50% of its lifestyle media inventory to content that features and promotes female athletes and women’s sports by 2025, and to equally represent male and female athletes in all advertising as well as on its Team ULTRA talent and influencer roster. With the hashtags #SaveitSeeit and #WomensSports, ULTRA also is asking consumers to join the cause with the launch of its Save It, See It campaign, which encourages fans to help increase the visibility of female athletes by hitting “save” on women’s sports highlights on social media. Fans can tap the save ribbon on content featuring female athletes, which will allow for additional posts similar to the saved post to begin appearing on their feed more often and increasing the visibility of women’s sports.