and consideration are all key in responsible drinking. “I don’t think spirits should be promoted as “healthy”, even though some spirits actually are healthy in small quantities,” he says. “When liquor brands promote their spirits as ‘healthy,’ they are definitely not going to mention the ‘small quantities’ part. I feel that by promoting spirits as healthy, the marketing guys are going after the recent trend of healthy lifestyle. That may get confusing to consumers (who may rationalize that they can) drink to be healthy.” According to Maz Naba, Director of Operations for Nico, his venue’s low-proof cocktail list, by its nature, appeals to customers looking for ways to drink smarter. He insists the quality of a cocktail’s base ingredient itself, even when confined to wine and beer, should help make bar buyers and their customers make an informed decision. “Regardless of whether or not a spirit is truly healthier or not, customers are more conscientious of what they are consuming as a whole—food, liquor and so on,” he says.
“Functional” Spirits As a result of some of these messages, as well as the freshingredient focus of the craft cocktail movement, customers are not shy about wanting things both ways. It also doesn’t hurt that Millennial, Gen Y and even Gen X consumers are generally seen as more health conscious compared to older generations, and want to indulge more cautiously. It has also given rise to craft brands devised by independent producers looking to establish their own niche in larger categories or create new one. One tangible response to consumer trends was VEEV® Spirits, launched in 2007 by brothers Courtney and Carter Reum. This brand came into the world with a lot of fanfare through its original product, a 60-proof vodka alternative distilled with organic Acai. It was described in their early campaigns as, “A Better Way To Drink™.” In 2014, the brand reintroduced itself www.barbizmag.com
through VEEV® 2.0 in a reformulated 70 proof liquid, a redesigned package and a strategic, social networkingheavy campaign using such buzzy tag lines as “What Vodka Should Be” and “Cheat on Vodka,” directed at young and choosy cocktail fans. On the heels of VEEV, other entrepreneurs have found a way to get themselves membership to the metaphoric “health club.” In Spring 2016, Bellion Vodka launched, with the founders and marketers putting it into a new category—“Functional Spirits.” The brand’s messaging poses the argument that while other vodkas were stuck in the past, promoting familiar tacks as multiple filtrations, flavors and overly flashy packaging, they looked to the future with a scientifically tested formulation offering health benefits (less liver damage) that, “promises a safer drinking experience, U.S. issued patents, and studies to back it up.” A spokesperson notes it also has U.S. issued patents. The genesis for Bellion was pharmaceutical scientist Harsha Chigurupati finding his enjoyment of an occasional cocktail at odds with his being acutely aware of the adverse health consequences associated with alcohol, particularly with the liver. Chigurupati, applying his knowledge, theorized that alcohol could be altered in a way that could
reduce its adverse effects, favorably modifying genetic and epigenetic impacts. He found his niche by founding Chigurupati Technologies, and getting financing for extensive research into how best to accomplish that objective. After nearly a decade of research, trial and error testing and clinical studies, Harsha came up with a groundbreaking technology, NTX, that had shown in clinical studies to protect the liver from potential damage caused by moderate/social alcohol consumption. The technology is based on three compounds, all generally recognized as safe by the FDA, that when infused into spirits in the right dosage and right form synergistically work together to significantly reduce the oxidative stress on the liver (caused by alcohol consumption on an average of 93%) and prevent DNA damage. After having the technology patented (http://patents.justia.com/ inventor/harsha-chigurupati), Chigurupati’s NTX was applied into the Bellion Vodka distillation process. The NTX technology has been infused into Bellion Vodka, as well as strategies on how to accurately explain what makes the product safer than other vodkas. “We don’t have reps who pitch to the end market, but we do educate the spirits manufacturers and the
Bellion Vodka, a better way to drink. August 2016 Bar Business Magazine
33