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Shanken News Daily, April 29, 2013 – Nashville, Tennessee-based supplier Lipman Brands has unveiled new additions to its spirits and beer portfolios, as well as the relaunch of the El Diamante del Cielo Tequila brand. Acquired by Lipman in 2010, Cielo will re-enter the market this year with new packaging for its Anejo, Reposado and Silver offerings. The relaunch follows the company’s recent addition of American-made Heroes Vodka in February, as well as craft beer brand Napa Smith Brewery—which produces nearly a dozen offerings—in January. Later this year, Lipman plans to introduce Old Hickory Great American Whiskey, a handcrafted grain whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky. Alongside its new offerings, Lipman’s portfolio also includes the Lonely Cow wine, Country Club spirits and Hap & Harry’s beer brands. Meanwhile, Lipman has also named former Paddington Brands chairman J. Smoke Wallin as managing director.

Press Releases

LIPMAN BRANDS ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL BRAND PORTFOLIO & EXPERIENCED
MANAGEMENT TEAM

Featured brands include Cielo Tequila, Heroes Vodka and Napa Smith Brewery

Nashville, TN – April 17, 2013 – National brand supplier Lipman Brands announced today several recent strategic moves related to portfolio growth and increased distribution of its diverse portfolio of wines, spirits, beers and mixers.

LIPMAN BRANDS PRODUCT NEWS                                

Lipman Brands announced today that it will officially re-launch the acclaimed El Diamante del Cielo Tequila at the 2013 WSWA Convention in Orlando. Produced from the highest quality Weber Blue Agave, Cielo was acquired by Lipman in 2010. The previously nationally distributed brand will re-enter the market with updated packaging for its Anejo, Reposado, and Silver tequilas, including a new bottle with rebranded metallic labels. The original Anejo and Reposado recipes will be used, according to company CEO Robert Lipman. Cielo is billed as the highest-rated tequila ever, receiving four double gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2006), 96 points from Beverage Tasting Institute (2007) and voted Paul Pacult’s Best of the Best 2006-2007.

Veteran-owned Heroes Vodka, an award-winning 4X distilled American spirit, was launched in a limited test market in Tennessee in February 2012. In its first year, Heroes Vodka experienced significant growth including distribution in 10 states, and a national market plan with authorizations from retail giants BevMo! and Walmart. On the heels of a national announcement last month to give back a portion of all purchases to AMVETS, Heroes Vodka is also available in Navy and Coast Guard Exchange Stores and has enjoyed success in several on-premise establishments.

In a strategic move to increase its craft beer portfolio, Lipman Brands added Napa Smith Brewery to its offerings in January 2013. The only production brewery located in the Napa Valley, Napa Smith is “brewed for food” by the nation’s most experienced craft brewer, Don Barkley, who got his start in 1978 at New Albion Brewery. With nearly a dozen current offerings, Napa Smith is distributed nationally with a significant presence at Walt Disney World. It also has developed a substantial presence in Sweden achieving coveted listings from the government monopoly on their Organic IPA and a new West Coast IPA. In 2011, Lipman Brands launched Hap & Harry’s Tennessee Beers brewed in Nashville at Yazoo Brewery. Hap & Harry’s Tennessee Lager is one of the top-selling local beers in the state; Tennessee Ale will be available on tap and in bottles this spring.

Red Eye Original Premium Bloody Mary Mix will also be showcased at WSWA. The established brand billed as “big Texas taste that beats all the rest,” is featured at Cost Plus World Markets and hundreds of other retail and on-premise accounts nationwide.

Later this year, Lipman Brands will roll out its master blend of Old Hickory Great American Whiskey. The statuesque bottle features a historical image of acclaimed U.S. President Andrew Jackson – a connoisseur of fine whiskeys – on its front label. WSWA attendees will be the first to taste the 100% American Grain hand-crafted blend of the finest corn, rye and barley grains aged in oak in Bardstown, KY.

Lipman Brands will round out its offerings at WSWA with award-winning Lonely Cow Wines made in New Zealand and the collection of Country Club Vodkas, a legacy brand in distribution since 1957.

FRONT OFFICE NEWS

Lipman Brands announced the appointment of J. Smoke Wallin as its Managing Director to lead its  experienced management team to the next generation of growth as a national brand supplier. A beverage alcohol industry veteran, Smoke joined the Lipman Brands team in January 2013.

“Our national brand business has grown significantly in the past year with Heroes Vodka, Cielo Tequilas, and Red Eye Bloody Mary Mix,” said Robert Lipman, CEO of Lipman Brands. “With the addition of Napa Smith Brewery and its CEO, Smoke Wallin, Lipman Brands is well-poised for continued sales growth. Smoke is experienced in this business channel and he is committed to help develop a unique portfolio of products with a point of difference from what’s currently in the marketplace.”

Smoke, who entered the beverage industry in 1988 after graduating from Cornell University’s Food Industry Management undergraduate business program said, “Lipman Brands has a significant and rapidly growing brand base and I am excited for the opportunity to help contribute to the scale of this company.” Smoke earned his MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

In addition, Lipman Brands announced the core of its leadership team. Steve Morgan, Marketing Director and President of the Napa Smith Brewery, has more than 20 years of beverage alcohol experience with companies including Gallo, Beringer, and Delicato Family Vineyards. His background includes launching, managing, and growing national and international brands.  Travis McVey, founder of Heroes Vodka, is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran who proudly served as a Presidential Honor Guard for President George H.W. Bush. Award-winning agency Double Diamond Marketing + Communications is spearheading brand development efforts.

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For more information, contact:
Angela Evans
Double Diamond Marketing + Communications
angela@dddinc.com
615-254-1515