Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer’s) – the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol – announced that its Liquid Insights Tour will kick off in Houston, Texas later this month. The Liquid Insights Tour is an intensive, coast-to-coast educational initiative that explores and identifies the latest trends in mixology and wine. The Tour travels to six cities in the U.S. and visits a wide variety of bars, hotels, restaurants, and other “on-premise” locations that serve liquid libations to customers.
“One of the key objectives of the Liquid Insights Tour is the discovery of innovative beverage trends and experiences across the country to ensure Southern Glazer’s continues to have the most knowledgeable sales consultants in the industry,” said Liquid Insights Tour Director Brian Masilionis, who also serves as the Director of On-Premise National Accounts Commercial Strategy for Southern Glazer’s. “We take our role as a leader in beverage alcohol very seriously – we’re the only company in the industry who conducts this type of exhaustive field research across spirits, wine, and non-alcoholic beverage categories.”
The Liquid Insights Tour will launch in Houston, Texas in February. Other Tour stops will include Kansas City, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles, with the last visit concluding in May. The information gathered during the Tour will then be compiled and reviewed for trend synergies across the U.S. Finally, the key findings of the Liquid Insights Tour will be announced in the third quarter of 2022.
Masilionis says that during the Tour, he and his team will observe a variety of aspects of the on-premise beverage experience. “We’re not only looking at what beverages are being served, or which spirits and wines are most popular,” explains Masilionis. “We’re looking at what unique flavors or flavor combinations are new and different, and how various types of locations are staying fresh and relevant to customers by delivering something unique and innovative. Everything about the on-premise experience is observed and celebrated.”
Another objective of the Liquid Insights Tour is to assist the on-premise (bars, restaurants, hotels, etc.) as the industry recovers from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout our industry, businesses offering beverage service have gone through unprecedented changes and suffered significant economic loss due to the pandemic,” says Debra Cantu, Vice President of National Accounts Commercial Strategy with Southern Glazer’s. “Being able to provide them with strategic insights and trend data, experiential ideas, and other innovations identified from this Tour can be invaluable in helping them recoup profits lost during the pandemic.”
Tour Director Masilionis and his team will be posting regular updates of their experiences from the road. Find Liquid Insights Tour updates on Southern Glazer’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter channels @sgwinespirits.
