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Local Spirits Brand Champion 2022: Mistral
Regional spirits such as soju, shōchū, cachaça and pisco have attracted attention from local consumers, as well as drinkers around the world looking to expand their horizons.
One brand that is experiencing success overseas is pisco brand Mistral, this year’s Local Spirits Brand Champion. The Chilean brand recorded enormous growth last year – 45.1% – to surpass two million cases.
The brand’s superb performance in 2021 was attributed to its distribution channels and advertising, as well as an “outstanding increase” in the e-commerce market.
Juan Carlos Munita, export director of Compañía Pisquera de Chile, says: “In 2021 there was an explosive rise of the super-premium segment in the pisco category. The consumer looked for quality products, which represented a huge opportunity for Mistral, considering its leadership position in the market and in particular within the super-premium segment (49.6% of share).
“The growth of the labels Nobel, Gran Nobel and Selección de Barricas, besides the launch of Mistral Nobel Barrica Tostada, contributed to a remarkable 2021.”
The company singled out countries such as Argentina and Chile as its most successful markets, while Australia, Germany and the US also have potential for the brand.
Mistral says it has “ambitious plans” to boost the brand in China and the States. Looking ahead, Munita says: “We will keep innovating and empowering the super-premium segment, leading the development of the category in Chile and all around the world.
“To keep our leader position at global level, in terms of sales, besides innovating, we will have to open new markets and push the category within spirits.”
For 2022, Mistral is planning three major campaigns comprising TV advertising, out-of-home, radio and digital investment.
Elsewhere across the world, Brazilian cachaça Ypióca unfortunately continued its downward trajectory, recording the biggest decline among local million-case brands with a 14.3% drop to 3.6m cases.
This year, Pitú cachaça declined to disclose its 2021 sales.
Meanwhile, Diageo’s raki brand Yeni grew a solid 9.1% to 2.3m cases, yet it struggled to reach its 2019 levels of 2.5m. It was an unlucky year for Japanese spirit shōchū, with both Iichiko and Kanoka recording declines in 2021 after registering minor growth in the previous year.
Diageo-owned baijiu Shui Jing Fang reported huge growth in 2021, soaring by 40.2% to 1.2m cases. It was a new entry to the Brand Champions list after surpassing one million cases for the first time.
The world’s biggest spirit brand, Korean soju Jinro, recorded its first decline in five years (down by 0.8% to 94.5m cases).
Figures: million 9l-case sales
Brand | Owner | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | %+/- |
Baijiu | |||||||
Shui Jing Fang | Diageo | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 40.2% |
Cachaça | |||||||
Ypióca | Diageo | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | -14.3% |
Pisco | |||||||
Mistral | Compañía Pisquera de Chile | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 45.1% |
Raki | |||||||
Yeni | Diageo | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 9.1% |
Shōchū | |||||||
Iichiko | Sanwa Shurui | 7.5 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 6.7 | -5.8% |
Kanoka | Asahi Breweries | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | -5.6% |
Soju | |||||||
Jinro | Hite‐Jinro | 76.8 | 78.0 | 86.3 | 95.3 | 94.5 | -0.8% |
Chum Churum | Lotte Liquor | 27.6 | 28.6 | 25.5 | 19.9 | 19.0 | -4.4% |