About the Hosts
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Looking for a niche podcast in the beverage alcohol industry? The Beverage Information Group Insider podcast looks at the U.S. and global alcohol industries, with a focus on retail trends and best practices. We speak with business leaders in retail, branding and marketing to keep a pulse on the state of the alcohol industry. Download or subscribe to our podcast to remain current in the business of booze.
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Episodes
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Fresh off being named the new Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, Elizabeth McCall joins us to talk about what's next for the brand, learning under the former Master Distiller Chris Morris, expanding Woodford's production, sustainability in the whiskey industry, and how young people can get involved in the industry.
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
In this episode, we discuss current legal topics in the alcohol industry, which will be explored further during the annual Legal Symposium (March 13-15) of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA). Joining us are NABCA CEO Neal Insley and NABCA Associate General Council Buddy Buckner. What are the pressing alcohol legal questions of the day? And how much did the Covid-19 pandemic affect that? Tune in to find out! And for more information on NABCA and its annual Legal Symposium, which anyone can attend, visit nabca.org or nabca.org/meeting.
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Beverage Dynamics Editor Kyle Swartz talks with small-business expert, author and BARC speaker Tom Shay about the importance of beverage alcohol retail mastermind groups.
Monday Jan 16, 2023
Monday Jan 16, 2023
Bars and restaurants are where alcohol trends begin, before advancing into the retail industry. So what can we expect for on-premise trends in 2023? For answers, we interviewed Andrew Freeman, founder of the San Francisco-based agencies af&co. and Carbonate. His companies put out an annual trends report, which you can read at afandco.com or Carbonate.com, that has helped guided the industry for many years. What does the report forecast for 2023? Tune in to find out!
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Editors Melissa Dowling and Kyle Swartz look back at some of the freshest and most dominant trends in alcohol in 2022, and talk about what these developments mean for the new year. Can American whiskey continue to expand at such a high clip? Why is tequila suddenly everywhere? And what, exactly, are vegetable cocktails? Tune in to find out!
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Why is the tequila category so hot? In this episode, we speak with Mike Moreno, owner of Moreno's Liquors of Chicago, the largest single-store retailer of tequila in the country. Moreno takes us through the modern tequila boom, explains the agave shortage and also hits on tequila cocktail trends, single barrels, cristalino, celebrity tequilas and other agave spirits.
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
The pandemic changed everything for beverage alcohol retail technology. Suddenly, every store needed a robust ecommerce presence, while a significant number of consumers learned for the first time that they could order alcohol online. But what does this technology landscape look like now, as we (hopefully) emerge from the Covid-19 crisis? For answers, we interviewed Yosi Dediashvili-Drossos, cofounder and chief technology officer at CityHive, and Cathy Lewenberg, chief operating officer at Drizly. Both represent two of the top alcohol retail tech companies currently operating.
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
What are the most pressing trends and challenges facing the on- and off-premise beverage alcohol industries? In this episode, Editors Melissa Dowling and Kyle Swartz are joined by Associate Editor Jamie Stafford to recap what we learned at Beverage Week 2022. Taking place last June at Orlando, this multi-day event included days of panels, speakers, tastings, and awards shows surrounding the industry, providing invaluable networking and educational opportunities.
Melissa Dowling
Melissa Dowling is the editor of Cheers, the beverage business magazine for full-service restaurants and bars, which also includes the Cheers@Home digital consumer magazine and the Cheers Beverage Summit professional event. Founded in 1990, Cheers reaches more than 130,000 on-premise beverage professionals nationwide with each edition. Prior to joining Cheers in 2012, Melissa was the editor for business-to-business magazines targeting executives in the direct marketing, ecommerce and retail industries.
Kyle Swartz
Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics, the nation’s only trade magazine dedicated to the off-premise alcohol industry. Prior to this position, he covered politics on the editorial board of a daily newspaper in Connecticut. His joke (which is also the truth) is that the politicians drove him to alcohol. Kyle resides in south-central Connecticut with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. His drinks of choice are craft beer and bourbon.