Cheers

Cheers

The Beverage Business Magazine for Full-Service Restaurants and Bars

  • Beverage Trends
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Spirits
    • Wine Reviews
    • Marketing
    • Operations
  • Recipes
    • What I’m Drinking Now
    • Submit a Drink Recipe
  • Resources
    • eRNDC Login
    • SG Proof Login
    • CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees
  • Events & Awards
    • Cheers Beverage Summit
    • Growth Brands
    • BevX Awards
    • Supplier Awards
  • Podcasts
  • E-News
    • E-News Subscribe
  • Digital Issues
  • Cheers@Home

How Shaw-Ross Got Into Sake, and Ascended with Whispering Angel

06/12/2017

by: Kyle Swartz

Shaw Ross International Importers has remained busy in recent years, picking up a popular sake brand while also adding a premium wine division. Working with Chateau d’Esclans, the company has also overseen the explosive growth of Whispering Angel, a trendsetter among rosé brands.

I recently spoke with Shaw-Ross Managing Director Bruce Hunter about these and other developments at the company.

Cheers: Why did you decide to enter into the sake market?
Bruce Hunter: In January of 2015 we were appointed the new exclusive importer of Gekkeikan sake, which sells half a million cases annually. And we’re diligently working our way into that market. A few years back Sidney Frank was changing the way they did business. They’d imported the brand for 26 years and then relinquished it. We were looking for new imports, so we inherited the brand. We’re really focused on maintaining sales of traditional sake in large centers and also focusing a lot on premium sake.

Shaw-Ross Managing Director Bruce Hunter

Cheers: How would you increase sake’s profile?
BH: We think that the future is teaching people that you can enjoy sake cold, in a wine glass, and that it pairs so well with food.

We actually took the unprecedented step of having our entire sales staff trained for the Level 1 Sake Award from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. If I could be honest, I don’t think that people fully understand the idiosyncrasies of sake. So we decided to fully train our staff so that they have more knowledge of the product.

You can’t sell something that you don’t know how to talk about. And sake is not like selling wine or spirits. Consumers have limited knowledge about it. People have incorrect assumptions. They think that you can only drink sake warm and out of little cups. Which is not true. We’re trying to dispel that by showing that sake is very wine-like.

Advertisement

Cheers: How specifically would you say sake is like wine?
BH: Its flavor profile lends itself to occasions when you would drink light wine. And sake has different flavor profiles depending on how the raw rice is milled. Like anything, the more you learn about it, the more you can enjoy it. And you can really pair sake with food like wine – it’s not just for sushi.

Cheers: What other food does sake pair with?
BH: An array of foods. Fish, for instance, or lobster in a cream sauce. There are sakes with a lot of body that can cut through that intense flavor profile of lobster. And it’s delicate enough to have with sautéed or grilled fish, or shrimp.

If you’re having a pork loin or roast, sake has the flavor to go with that as well.

Cheers: Where are the largest sake markets?
BH: Right now I think it’s just certain metro areas. But we’ve noticed that the 25-to-35-year-old has a really keen interest in sake. That began with their interest in sushi, which led to sake, and now they’re discovering the different ways they can use sake beyond sushi.

Cheers: What’s behind the rise of Whispering Angel?
BH: We partnered with Sasha Lichine [propietor of Chateau d’Esclans] about six or seven years ago when he was doing about 3,500 cases a year of his rosé. Last year the brand did 200,000 cases, and this year it’s projected for 300,000.

For the longest time people were really hesitant about rosé. They thought the wine was neither fish nor foul. And some younger drinkers thought it was white zinfandel.

We did a lot of metro tastings. We did a lot of marketing in the Hamptons. There are a lot of trendsetters there. And then it started to make the transition throughout New York and Connecticut, and ultimately proved successful.

Whispering Angel is light and easy to drink, whether at cocktail hour or with meals. We’re finding that rosé drinkers are 50/50 men and women. There are now four different rosé expressions from Chateau d’Esclans, including Garrus, which retails for around $100. Who thought you could sell a $100 bottle of rosé! And yet they always sell out.

Kyle Swartz is managing editor of Cheers magazine. Reach him at kswartz@epgmediallc.com or on Twitter @kswartzz. Read his recent piece 5 Alcohol Trends At Taste NY Craft Expo 2017.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

bruce hunter bruce hunter shaw ross Shaw-Ross

Last modified: 06/14/2017

Previous Story:
Luis Hernandez Wins ‘Most Imaginative Bartender’ NY Regional
Next Story:
Gruppo Campari Continues Wine Exit, Sells Château de Sancerre

About the Author: Kyle Swartz

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Us

Facebook
Twitter

In The News

  • Diageo Acquiring Don Papa Rum
  • San Francisco Cocktails Celebrate Mean Girls The Musical
  • NYC’s Mister Paradise Unveils New Menu
  • How Much Do Alcohol Consumers Care About Sustainability?
  • Podcast: Beverage Alcohol Trends For 2023
  • Meet The Mixologist: Laura Unterberg
More News >>

Featured Drink

  • Red Dragon
    Red Dragon cocktail

Drink Recipes

  • A Round of Valentine’s Day Cocktails for 2023
  • Red Dragon
  • Year of the Rabbit
  • Viva Magenta Colored Cocktails
  • Winter White Sangria

Current Issue

Cheers Current Issue

Cheers Magazine

  • About Cheers
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Market Research

Events & Awards

  • Beverage Excellence Awards
  • Cheers Beverage Summit
  • Growth Brands Awards

Magazines

  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Handbooks (research)

E-Newsletters

  • Better Bartending
  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Universe
  • Cannabis Regulator
  • About EPG Brand Acceleration
  • Send File
  • Privacy Policy
© Cheers Magazine. All rights reserved.