ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS) FOR AMARULA CREAM
Amarula Cream, one of
South Africa's most famous exports and also the country's only brand to make it
on to the Impact Databank list of global top 100 premium spirits brands, has
won gold at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The latest competitive
coup in a series of international accolades for the brand comes in the wake of
continued growth across many parts of the world. Achieving double digit
year-on-year volume increases in Africa, Asia Pacific and the global duty-free
channel, the Spirit of Africa is still wowing many of its traditional markets
such as Germany, where a momentum of spectacular growth is being maintained,
according to the brand’s global marketing spokesperson, Adéle Ankiewicz.
"We are
encouraged by the strong growth in newer markets such as Angola, South Sudan,
Mozambique, the UAE, Thailand and Vietnam but also by the fact that Amarula is
still turning heads in Europe and the Americas. That it is able to sustain such
strong growth in Germany, one of its key markets, where the brand is already
very well-established, is an indicator of its robust health."
She said the
cream-based drink with a 17% alcohol by volume (ABV) had been voted one of the
world's top bar brands in a global survey polling restaurant owners and
mixologists and commissioned by Drinks International and
published last year.
The gold medal awarded
in San Francisco was an important endorsement in the US, a highly competitive
market. "Historically, Amarula Cream has excelled on platforms such as the
UK-based International Wine & Spirit Competition and is a former winner of
its Worldwide Best Liqueur title. This latest medal speaks to a specifically
American audience, where we are also actively building our support base."
She was also confident
that the newly launched Amarula Gold, the brand's first new drink in 25 years,
would further advance visibility and sales. The clear, golden-coloured spirit
with a 30% ABV was launched this month in South Africa and in global travel retail.
It would be released into other key markets from September. "The initial
response has been even more positive than we anticipated and indications from
exposure on trade shows and taste trials are that it will appeal to a broad
consumer base.
Amarula Gold, like its
Cream counterpart, is made from the fruit of the marula tree that is fermented
into wine and then twice distilled as a spirit before being aged for two years
in French oak.
