Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd. (DKAM)

[sneaky_peaky]

Too funny!

It was very much a case of from the sublime to the...
sublime for us here at just-drinks last week. We started on
Monday at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes. This
week-long, annual event brings the entire travel retail
world - wine, spirits, beer, fags, handbags et al - together
under one enormous roof, to show off its wares and ply for
custom from around the globe. While there appeared to be a
slight - yet still begrudging - acceptance from around the
halls that the current economic gloom would make its
presence felt in the travel retail channel, I found the
overwhelming atmosphere on the two days I was there to be
one of optimism
(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=95364). "These
people will always have money", is the hope.

The trip also gave me the opportunity to sit down with the
head of the second largest spirits company in the world -
soon to be first, according to the man himself - Vijay
Mallya from The UB Group
(http://www.just-drinks.com/blogdetail.aspx?id=1457). The
fruits of this labour - hardly work, let's be fair - will be
on the site in the form of a special interview later this
month.

Bookending the week, Thursday (30 October) found us
celebrating the global launch of Pernod Ricard's gin
extension, Beefeater 24
(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=95356). Taking
place in a fancy country pile on the outskirts of London,
and employing the talents of the Lost Vagueness gang - a
troupe of burlesque funfair folk - the occasion was nothing
if not memorable... and a shade bizarre. One further aspect
of this weirdness, however, was that the brand was actually
launched in travel retail (they really are lucky devils,
aren't they?) on 1 October, but the party didn't take place
until almost a month later.

From the sublime to the ridiculous after all, then.

On the just-drinks newsdesk last week, we saw Pernod
Ricard defy the credit crunch gloom with a 13% rise in net
sales (http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=95388) in
its first quarter. News brewing at Mexico's Femsa was more
downbeat
(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=95400), with net
income down 24% in the third quarter.

French winemakers are no strangers to protests, but last
week' co-ordinated action across many of the country's wine
regions was a special event even for them. Thousands of
winemakers marched through the streets, angered by what they
see as a creeping "prohibition" movement.
(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=95410)

Finally, this weekly edition looks ahead to Tuesday's US
presidential election, one of the most eagerly anticipated
for years.

Obama has admitted to drinking alcohol during his time at
High School, while McCain has been forced to reject
suggestions that he favours prohibitionist policies.

Interestingly, John McCain's wife, Cindy, was reported in
July to be in line for a payout from the InBev,
Anheuser-Busch deal - as a shareholder in the US brewing
giant. One report, by the California-based Marin Institute,
claimed that the alcohol industry has dished out up to
US$750,000 in funding for the candidates, with McCain the
favoured choice.

Will the outcome make much difference to the drinks
sector? In terms of economic policy, the US appears to be
heading for a mini Ice Age over the next couple of years,
which is unlikely to leave either candidate with much room
to manoeuvre.


Until next time...

Olly Wehring, Managing Editor