Last year marked the third consecutive year of diminishing growth rates in the beer industry, dropping 2.1% to 2.877 billion cases. According to the Beverage Information Group's recently released 2010 Beer Handbook, the beer industry's downturn can be directly attributed to the decline in the light beer segment. Light beer, which accounts for a 52.8% share of the U.S. beer market, posted its first negative year since its beginning 30 years ago.

Other segments of the beer industry differed in their 2009 results. Imports declined 6.9% to 359.6 million 2.25-gallon cases, while the craft beer segment increased 7.0%. Craft beer continues to grow at an extraordinary rate, due to the abundance of flavors and types that attract both young and old consumers. Expanded distribution also continues to be a key driver for growth in this segment. It is clear that the "trading up" trend that began before the recession has continued despite the changing economy.

The premium, super premium and flavored malt liquor segments all faced declines; but the popular and ice segments both had slight upticks due to their value price point and strong consumer bases.

The beer industry's future remains tentative with slow growth expected over the next five years as the country recovers from a struggling economy. Favorable demographics, continued growth of the craft beer segment and success of value-priced beer will help slow declines in the beer category.  

"The growth of the beer industry has slowed every year since 2006," says Eric Schmidt, Manager of Information Services for the Beverage Information Group based in Norwalk, Conn. "There are hints that this slowing will end in 2010, but projections are still forecasting a downturn in the short term."

The cost of the 2010 Beer Handbook is $755; handbook with companion CD is $925. Shipping and handling is $10 for U.S. orders; $20 for all other orders. The handbook and CD can be purchased at www.beveragehandbooks.com or by calling Cynthia Porter at (630) 762-8709.

SOURCE The Beverage Information Group

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Old Forester has released the 2010 expression of its vintage-dated Birthday Bourbon in honor of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Louisville-based Brown-Forman and Old Forester, America's First Bottled Bourbon™. Launched eight years ago to commemorate Brown's Birthday on September 2, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is a limited-edition, historically award-winning bourbon which is released annually.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100831/CL57405 )

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100831/CL57405 )

"This year's vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch that was put into barrels on October 24, 1997," said Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller. "These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43 and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character."

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a batch of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day of production. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800's when Old Forester was first produced. Old Forester is the only bourbon still in existence today that was produced before, during and after Prohibition by its original distiller.  No other bourbon brand sold in the U.S. today can make that claim.  

Since its introduction in 2002, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has received unprecedented acclaim and has collected honors from USA Today, Malt Advocate, Whisky Magazine, Spirit Journal, and Sante.  A favorite among critics, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has taken home gold from numerous tasting competitions including a gold medal in the 2005, 2006 & 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2007 expression was also named American Whiskey of the Year at Malt Advocate WhiskyFest New York.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, a Brown-Forman product, has a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is sold at most liquor stores with a wide and varied range of bourbons. The 2010 edition of Birthday Bourbon is bottled at 95 proof.  

For more information on Old Forester and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, visit the Old Forester website at www.oldforester.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oldforester.

About Old Forester Bourbon

George Garvin Brown was the founder of Old Forester Bourbon Whisky and Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE: BF-B). Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, Kentucky, is a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Tequila Herradura, el Jimador Tequila, Canadian Mist, Woodford Reserve, Fetzer wines, and Korbel California Champagnes.

Love life. Sip responsibly.

Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whisky, 43-50% Alc. by Volume, Brown-Forman Distillers Company, Louisville, KY ©2010

SOURCE Brown-Forman Corporation

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Honours are drawn level after a grand blind taste-off between more than 700 wines that pitted Australia's best shiraz wines against iconic syrah brands from France and other world producers.

For the first time, judges in the 'World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge' hosted by Australia's Winestate Magazine were unable to split the top two  – Hardys HRB D637 2006 Shiraz from South Australia and the 2006 Domaine Auguste Clape Rhone Cornas (syrah).

"It was an exhaustive contest involving different styles and price points and estate-grown versus regional vineyard blends – and in the end our judges found it impossible to decide a clear winner," said Winestate publisher Peter Simic.

The Hardy's HRB D637 2006 Shiraz is a blend of Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills grapes and retails at $39AUD, while the Auguste Clape is the benchmark flag carrier for the small appellation of Cornas with a price tag of $210AUD.

"A striking feature of the tasting is the emergence of more elegant and vibrant shiraz styles in Australia in a shift away from the high alcohol blockbusters of the past," Mr. Simic said. "The finesse of the HRB D637 makes it more food friendly and closer to traditional international syrah styles."

It was the 5th challenge organised by Winestate with an 18-strong panel of winemakers and masters of wine sampling 780 shiraz & syrah wines from Australia, New Zealand, France and South Africa.

South Australia dominated the taste-off involving the highest ranked wines with seven in the top 10. The 2005 Penfolds Bin95 Grange was squeezed into fourth place by France's E.Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote-Rotie.

Wines tasted ranged from low budget to the highest priced wines. Panel chair Louisa Rose said the challenge highlighted that good drinking shiraz wines were available at great-value prices.

Results are featured in the September/October edition of Winestate magazine or by subscription to www.winestate.com.au .

The contest is managed by Winestate Publishing, the Southern Hemisphere's oldest and most respected magazine authority on Australian & NZ wines and the industry. Each year it evaluates over 10,000 wines from regions in Australia and New Zealand, plus international offerings.

Publisher and wine doyen Peter Simic says this latest tied score between Australia and Europe showed the relevance of extending publication of Winestate in the UK as a bastion for Australian wine information.

Winestate Magazine was established in 1978. Readership in Australia, NZ and Asia is over 80,000 and as the UK is the largest export destination for Australian wines, the publisher sees a demand in the UK for information on these wines.

SOURCE Winestate Publishing

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The Munich Beerfest, otherwise known as the Oktoberfest, will open to six million people this year. Known for its amazing parties and festivities, the Oktoberfest attracts many big companies to take part. Leading companies such as bigfishgames.com and Casino.com are promoting the festival this year and offering amazing prize packages to the event.

This October, the Oktoberfest will be celebrating its 200th anniversary and people are expecting the party of a lifetime. If you too are dreaming of a trip to Germany, there are some fantastic promotions running on the net this year. Free tickets to the hottest VIP parties and Spa treatments will get you in the spirit for the world's biggest party. If you like to play online, then you can play your way all the way to Germany.

Leading the crowd is http://www.casino.com, who are sending players to the home of the legendary Oktoberfest in style. For an opportunity to experience the electrifying atmosphere of the October Beer Festival for free, play any game at the casino and earn 200 points or more. Additional prizes are available for runners up as well. This coming month is all about beer, sausages, yodeling and polka dancing. Get ready for the world's largest, 17-day festival and get your game on!

About Casino.com: Casino.com offers traditional card and table games, as well as slots, video poker and progressive bonus jackpot games. The games are currently available in Adobe Flash or to download, and can be played for real money or for fun in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian and Swedish. Casino.com is owned by Mansion Limited which is licensed and operated in Gibraltar.

For more information on Mansion please contact +350-200-41000 or e-mail marketing@mansion.com.

SOURCE Casino.com

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Jose Cuervo, the world's largest producer of Tequila, today introduced "Cue the Cuervo," a multi-tiered national marketing campaign that illustrates how the legendary Tequila brand brings together all elements of a night to take it from exciting to epic.  "Cue the Cuervo" is inclusive of television, out-of-home, online, print and radio advertising, public relations support, experiential marketing, a social responsibility program and groundbreaking digital extensions. The campaign will also be prominently featured at point-of-sale throughout the country.

"Cue the Cuervo" will be brought to life on Facebook, Cuervo.com and in bars across the country through a number of consumer touch points.  Among the unique digital extensions will be "Cue the Cab."  Jose Cuervo is proud to introduce this free iPhone application that leverages mobile technology to provide consumers with a one touch option to request a safe ride home.  The "Cue the Cab" program will synchronize the consumer's location with a cab company for pick-up at no additional cost for the coordination, ensuring that the most legendary nights out end with a safe, responsible ride home.  

Consumers online will be impressed with an innovative pre-roll video that synchs with banner ads on the same web site.  The digital interaction allows the Cuervo hero featured within the video to reach across screen and grab shots of Jose Cuervo from the banner ad.  The Cuervo shots move seamlessly from the ad and into the video where they are handed out to a group of friends who then bond together with a shot of Cuervo.  

"Jose Cuervo has been a category leader in quality and innovation since creating the tequila industry more than two-and-a-half centuries ago, and 'Cue the Cuervo' pushes the envelope in marketing quality and innovation," said Paul Clarke, Jose Cuervo Brand Director, Diageo. "The campaign reminds consumers that Jose Cuervo is the one element that can bring the night together, and it does so in a compelling, interactive manner."

The campaign artwork for out-of-home advertising and point-of-sale materials will keep the brand name front and center, calling out that "Cue" is embedded within the word "Cuervo," just as Jose Cuervo is often the one constant embedded within most extraordinary nights out with friends.  

Consumers can also tune in for the campaign's two leading 30-second television spots, "Bar" and "Apartment."  These commercials will 'Cue' in all of the mundane elements of a scene for a night out one by one – the tables, the chairs, the kitschy atmosphere, the locals or party guests, and the girls – and then promptly 'Cue' in the drink that brings it all together, taking the night from ordinary to legendary.  The spots will air on cable networks including ESPN, HBO and FX and on sites including Break.com, FunnyorDie.com, ESPN.com, Deadspin.com and FoxSports.com.

For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/Cuervo or  www.Cuervo.com.  Jose Cuervo reminds you to Cue Responsibly.

About Jose Cuervo

Jose Cuervo is the largest producer of tequila throughout Mexico and around the world. The Jose Cuervo portfolio of tequilas includes Jose Cuervo Especial Gold, the number one tequila worldwide, Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, Jose Cuervo Black Medallion, Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Jose Cuervo Platino, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Jose Cuervo Golden Margaritas, Authentic Jose Cuervo Margaritas and Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix. For more information, visit www.josecuervo.com.

About DIAGEO

Jose Cuervo Tequilas are imported and marketed in the United States by Diageo North America, a subsidiary of Diageo plc. Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands and performance, visit us at http://www.diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

When enjoying its products, Diageo reminds its adult consumers to drink responsibly.  As the world's largest spirits, wine and beer company, Diageo is committed to social responsibility and the responsible marketing of its brands.  The Diageo Marketing Code is one of the most stringent in the industry.  Diageo is a founding member and major supporter of The Century Council, a not-for-profit organization whose programs are designed to combat drunk driving and underage drinking.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

SOURCE Diageo

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