The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States sponsored an export promotion at Vinexpo 2015 in Bordeaux, France June 14-18 to showcase American distilled spirits products in one of the industry’s top trade shows. The Council participated in The Spirits Business’ ‘Spiritual Bar’ booth, and partnered with the U.S. Bartenders Guild for an educational seminar for convention attendees, which highlighted the global resurgence of the cocktail, an American invention, along with the unique heritage and style of American spirits.
“The global interest in American spirits continues to grow, with record exports five years running,” said Distilled Spirits Council President Peter H. Cressy. “We were excited to showcase American spirits, which are increasingly recognized for their fine quality and rich heritage. Consumers continue to be fascinated to learn that the Father of our Nation, George Washington, had the largest whiskey distillery in 18th century America. It was reconstructed through the support of the U.S. spirits industry in 2006 and is visited by tourists throughout the world.”
Vinexpo is one of the top industry gatherings for industry executives, buyers, distributors and others involved in the beverage alcohol trade throughout the world. “This show represented an extraordinary opportunity to interact with nearly 48,000 professional visitors and to facilitate American spirits exports to over 135 countries in a single venue,” Cressy added.
The Distilled Spirits Council launched its export promotion 11 years ago. The Council recently reported that between 2004 and 2014, American distilled spirits exports have surged from $717 million to $1.56 billion, which marks the eighth consecutive year U.S. spirits exports surpassed a billion dollars. Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskeys also more than doubled in that time from $494 million to $1.01 billion.
