Liquor Running Circles Around Beer

Spirits companies are running circles around the beer business (and not wine, as Joe Thompson at IBG reminded me on Friday. "When you take out the two buck chuck and Yellowtail, the wine business hasn't done anything"). In 2003, we estimate that the US beer industry is about flat while spirits grew 3.5%, which means spirits has beaten beer for the fifth straight year. After some investigation, BBD has ascertained that their strategy seems to be pinned a few key