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Wine & Spirits

BarTrack, Arryved Team Up to Streamline Bar, Taproom Operations

Quality management and data technology company BarTrack and Arryved, the leading point-of-service provider for craft food and beverage establishments, have created an integrated partnership for front-of-house bar and taproom operations. The two data-driven companies will host a live webinar on Dec. 13 at 1 pm ET for management teams to learn more about how to utilize these tools as a tandem solution to save an average of $5,000 per week. Click here to register for the webinar.

BarTrack’s beverage and quality monitoring insights integrate with Arryved’s sales and revenue data to provide breweries, bars, and restaurant management teams with industry-leading, one-of-a-kind reports they can use to pinpoint where, when, why, and how waste occurs and strategize improvements to management efficiency and increase revenue.

BarTrack’s system, featuring the first beverage sensor with no moving parts and no obstructions to draft lines, provides real-time metrics on a dozen beverage-specific variables affecting beverage quality, including flow and keg levels, line temperature, pressure, cooler health, line cleanliness, and more. Arryved’s sales data seamlessly integrates with the BarTrack interface to illustrate reasons for waste that occur as a beer is poured.

Current users of the integration see an immediate impact using BarTrack and Arryved, increasing pouring efficiencies from an average of 47% to as high as 97 percent by the end of the first month – an average of $5,000 in savings per week.

“We’re excited to partner with Arryved because we both offer tools built by the industry, for the industry. Like Arryved, we develop solutions based on the key insights we received from owners and operators with decades of experience,” said Brett Danielson, co-founder, and CEO of BarTrack. “Customer success is a tremendous part of both of our solutions and frequent check-ins and strategizing is key, we both focus on providing high-level customer support.”

Equipped with BarTrack’s draft monitoring system and Arryved’s POS, management teams have access to insightful real-time data over every pour from inventory to sale. Insights are specific to the minute and to the ounce, making it possible to determine where losses and waste occur and if the losses are related to inventory management processes and equipment or human error.

Apocalypse Ale Works, a craft brewery in Forest, Va., reduced its pour cost from 12.8 percent to 7.5 percent, a 5 percent total deduction, after only 3 months using BarTrack and Arryved in tandem.

“We are a low staff, family-run business. These tools and reports are a game-changer when it comes to the success of our draft beer program and visibility into business operations. We were able to identify specific problem areas and develop detailed strategies that ultimately eliminated areas of waste, improved our beer quality, and boosted our overall revenue,” said Austin John, owner of Apocalypse Ale Works. “In the first month the system had paid for itself. Arryved and BarTrack are the two front-of-house solutions that every brewery should invest in.”

Grist Brewing Company, based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., increased its pour efficiency from 54.6 percent to 85 percent in the span of three weeks using the integrated BarTrack and Arryved solution. The brewery’s average pour cost dropped from 12.8 percent to 7.6 percent, equating to $6,359 of lost potential revenue to $1,392, an average of $20,000 in savings per month.

“In a short period of time we have dramatically reduced our pour costs through identifying principal causes of waste and creating a specific plan to successfully remedy those causes,” said Chuck Norman, Grist Brewing owner. “This is the solution for breweries to start re-examining their draft program in the taproom and take a revised approach to maximizing potential profits and improving brand integrity through quality.”

The webinar on Dec. 13 at 1 pm ET will feature additional discussion about these case studies and provide actionable recommendations for teams looking to implement process improvements that improve beverage quality and minimize draft waste.

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Southern Glazer’s Expands Sassenach Spirits Distribution

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is expanding its distribution agreement with Sassenach Spirits, the spirits import company founded by Scottish actor and philanthropist Sam Heughan and American entrepreneur Alex Norouzi.

Inspired by the Scottish Highlands, The Sassenach Spirit Of Home Edition is a collaboration between Master Blender Michael Henry and Heughan. Carefully selected single malts create an ornately balanced blend with a sweet finish.

“Whisky is personal to me,” Heughan said. “It has been part of every moment in celebrating life, my heritage, and my culture. So, this wasn’t just a ‘business opportunity,’ it was the process of creating something very personal and unique that we could share with others. With our first release of The Sassenach, ‘The Spirit of Home’ Edition, we accomplished exactly that! The partnership with Southern Glazer’s is yet another endeavor to celebrate, and I can’t wait to work closely with them in bringing more of my home to consumers.”

The portfolio consists of The Sassenach Scotch Whisky: Spirit of Home Edition. Additionally, the company will launch a high premium Scottish Gin, scheduled to be released in 2023.

“This partnership is critical to the growth of our portfolio,” Norouzi said. “The Southern Glazer’s team brings strong proficiency in both the on- and off-premise markets and we know that the momentum we’ve created so far will be enhanced by their team.”

Sassenach Spirits is part of the Southern Glazer’s Craft Collection Luxury Spirits Division portfolio. The Craft Collection team of industry specialists delivers a differentiated customer experience, with first-hand beverage operations expertise, collaboration, and a thoughtfully curated portfolio.

“We’re pleased to be working with such a professional team,” said Ray Lombard, executive vice president, general manager, Craft Collection Luxury Spirits Division of Southern Glazer’s. “Sam personifies Scotland – his passion for Scotch and collaboration with Michael are truly bringing ‘Scotland in a bottle.’ Sam and Alex have built a formidable brand and we’re excited to be part of the next phase of growth. Our team is also looking forward to helping launch The Sassenach Scottish Gin and create a strong national footprint for the brand.”

For news of interest to the alcoholic beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Southern Glazer’s Debuts the Served Up Book Club

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, has launched a new online book club at www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast. The Served Up podcast features interviews with the hospitality industry’s most respected and celebrated leaders.

Just in time for the busy holiday shopping season, book worms in the beverage industry can check out the Served Up Book Club for recommendations on some of the latest books to buy and read exclusive interviews with the authors who are sharing their knowledge, experiences and stories.

Authors featured include:

  • Derek Brown, author of Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails
  • Camper English, author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits and Cocktails
  • Kim Haasarud, author of the “101” Cocktail Book Series
  • Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
  • Natalie Maclean, author ofWine Witch On Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much
  • Shannon Mustipher, author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails
  • Jessica Pettit, author of Good Enough Now
  • Julie Reiner, author of The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious for Every Occasion

Served Upwith hosts Bridget Albert and Julie Milroy, is available on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music and is a source for beverage professionals to hear conversations on topics such as advocacy, entrepreneurship, and belonging with food and beverage industry and social justice thought leaders representing the diverse hospitality community.

Albert is the senior director, external communications for Southern Glazer’s, a published author of Market-Fresh Mixology and award-winning mixologist with more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Milroy is a vice president, supplier development & marketing for Southern Glazer’s with more than 17 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry including roles in Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, and Commercial Strategy.

To pitch a guest for the show, to submit your book for the Book Club, or to schedule the Served Up team for on-site beverage industry event coverage, contact servedup@sgws.com. For more information about the podcast visit www.southernglazers.com/serveduppodcast.

For news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.