Infinium Spirits Looking To Tap New Audiences With Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
Flavored whiskey is big business in the U.S. Last year, the category grew 5.5% to 17.3 million cases, with six of the top 10 brands seeing growth, including Infinium Spirits’ Skrewball Peanut Butter whiskey, a 70-proof offering retailing at $27 a 750-ml. Compared to many of the other leading flavored whiskies like Fireball and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Skrewball is relatively young, having reached national distribution in 2019. Since its debut, however, Skrewball has been ascendant, earning Best New Spirits Product in Market Watch’s 2020 Leaders Choice Awards, and last year surpassing 600,000 cases with only one SKU.
According to brand president Carl Carlson, Skrewball is seeing growth across much of its distribution footprint. “We have seen such healthy growth rates in a wide array of geographies and types of selling outlets across the U.S., and recently in Canada and the Caribbean as well,” he tells SND. “We see significant cocktail activity and creativity with Skrewball in the bartending community and for those that get innovative at home.”
Late last month, Skrewball released the first canned version of the whiskey, which is available in 100-ml. cans. Initially, the new canned packaging will be available in 13 test markets across the U.S., but distribution will ramp up throughout the summer as the brand aims for national availability for the new format.
The canned rollout is aimed at increasing trial, as well as allowing consumers to bring Skrewball to places where glass is inconvenient. “Boating, camping, hiking, tailgating, ready-to-go in their backpack or cooler, are just a few examples,” says Carlson. “We’ve also received strong interest from on-premise partners, with golf courses, pop-up extension bars and kiosks at entertainment venues, and beach or lake clubs excited to offer our 100-ml. can.”
On the marketing front, Carlson highlights the brand’s partnerships with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and country musicians Maddie & Tae. “Our strategic partnerships are fostered to drive relevancy and awareness for both partners and to engage our growing community of Skrewball loyalists and explorers in occasions that fit their lifestyle and interests,” he says.
Overall, Carlson sees plenty of runway for Skrewball as consumer awareness grows. “Compared to other top spirits brands, we still have such untapped potential in distribution opportunities,” he says. “Consumer impressions and engagement, reach, media coverage, and social platform traffic and share levels” are all on the rise as more LDA drinkers become aware of the brand, he adds.
Source: Shanken News Daily