NORTH AMERICAN BREWERIES
KRIS SIRCHIO has been named Chief Executive Officer. In this role, Sirchio will lead all facets of NAB, including its brewery operations, alehouses and sales and marketing efforts. Previously, he has led profit and growth across companies and brands including Brown-Forman, Syngenta and Procter & Gamble. Most recently Sirchio served... Read More
BILL NESTO, MW HAS RECEIVED THE ANDRÉ SIMON AWARD
Bill Nesto, MW and Frances Di Savino’s THE WORLD OF SICILIAN WINE has just won the André Simon Award for the best wine book of 2O13. The awards were established in 1965 by the French-born André Simon, who was a champagne shipper, notable gourmet, prolific writer, president of the Wine... Read More
JORDAN VINEYARD & WINERY
ASHLEY CESARIO has been appointed Jordan’s new Northeast Regional Sales Director. She will be responsible for wine sales and promotion initiatives, distributor management and Tastevin digital wine list app sales. Her territory includes Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Previously Cesario... Read More
PRIVATEER RUM
KEVIN MARTIN has been named VP of Sales by the Essex-based rum company. Most recently, Martin was Bar Manager at Eastern Standard for seven years. In his new position he will work directly with on-premise and off-premise accounts in Boston and New York to build the brand and a sales... Read More
WILLIAM GRANT & SONS
CASPAR MACRAE has been appointed as Global Brand Director for Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. He is currently Vice-President of Marketing for William Grant & Sons in the US. He’ll be responsible for Tullamore Dew across its key markets including the US, the UK and mainland Europe. MacRae joined the company... Read More
SAZERAC COMPANY
DAVID GRAPSHI, Tequila National Sales Manager for Sazerac Company, has retired. During his twenty-plus years with Sazerac, David was instrumental in developing many brands in the US marketplace including Herradura, El Jimador, Pueblo Viejo, Siete Leguas and Corazon. David was awarded the title of “Conocedor del Tequila” in 2O13 –... Read More
RÉMY COINTREAU
FREDERIC PFLANZ, who became CEO three months ago, is stepping down “for personal reasons”, the company said. Chairman François Hériard Dubreuil will take over as a transitional measure. Pflanz, Rémy’s CFO for four years, will remain with the company as a “development director”, working on projects he had already initiated.
OBITUARY
SARALEE MCCLELLAND KUNDE 66 A dairy ranchers’ daughter who became a grower of prized wine grapes and an irresistible force for the celebration of Sonoma County agriculture, Saralee McClelland Kunde passed away in January. Revered by many, Kunde had been grappling with cancer since the fall of 2O12. She became... Read More
OBITUARY – EDGAR M. BRONFMAN
EDGAR M. BRONFMAN 84 – THE BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN and philanthropist who, as chairman of the Seagram Company, expanded his family’s liquor-based empire, passed away in December. Mr. Bronfman also served as president of the World Jewish Congress and championed the rights of Jews everywhere. He inherited control of Seagram from... Read More
OBITUARY – GRAHAM MACKAY
GRAHAM MACKAY 64 – THE MAN WHO TRANSFORMED SABMiller from a local South African business group into an $82 billion dollar brewing giant, has passed away. When Mackay started at SAB in 1978 during the apartheid era, sanctions were in place, foreign-exchange controls prevented international expansion and the brewer’s portfolio... Read More