Avenue Vine

Capitalizing on the cocktail craze and the newest “it” flavor in mixed drinks, Bardstown, Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. has released Pama Pomegranate Liqueur. The new spirit is a blend of imported Tequila, super-premium vodka and all-natural California pomegranate juice.

“Pama Pomegranate Liqueur is a product of the cocktail revolution,” says Reid Hafer, Pama’s brand manager. “Pomegranate has become one of the hottest flavors in bars and nightclubs throughout the United States and this liqueur captures the true flavor of the unique fruit.”

Heaven Hill, which saw huge first-year success with Hpnotiq liqueur — the brand went from roughly 100,000 nine-liter cases in 2002 to 615,000 cases in 2003, according to Impact Databank — has high expectations for Pama. Originally the company planned to make the new spirit available nationally by the end of the third quarter of 2006, however it has accelerated distribution and will now have Pama in roughly 75% of its markets nationwide by the beginning of this year’s second quarter.

Though they won’t say how many cases of the red liqueur they’re releasing, Josh Hafer, Heaven Hill’s corporate communications manager, says Pama will receive similar resources in its first year as Hpnotiq did at its introduction. “It will fit into our portfolio as a component that helps drive a variety of mixable products,” Hafer explains. “We can leverage Pama’s success much in the way we did Hpnotiq’s. This is another component of our on-premise portfolio and is a rising tide for all of our brands.”

The liqueur’s mixability is a major focus for Heaven Hill, which will be emphasized on-premise. Off-premise, Pama has p-o-s support and each bottle comes with a mini booklet featuring six cocktail recipes.

Pama has already received praise in OK Magazine, US Weekly and Cosmopolitan, and was featured on “The Tony Danza Show” and “The View.” Additionally, a marketing program for Pama is in the works and Heaven Hill expects to use trade and consumer advertising to further publicize the brand.

At 17-percent alcohol-by-volume, the liqueur is packaged in a sleek glass bottle that highlights its deep red color. It retails for $24.99 a 750-ml. bottle and $3.29 a 50-ml. bottle (a 375-ml. bottle is in development).

Source: “Heaven Hill Introduces New Pama Liqueur,” Laura Pelner, January 20, 2006