Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey Launching Toasted Caramel

From Shanken:

•Constellation Brands’ Black Velvet Canadian whisky brand is entering the flavored whisk(e)y arena with a new variant—Toasted Caramel. The 70-proof extension is available now nationwide for a suggested retail price of $12.49 a 750-ml. The brand’s lineup previously included Black Velvet Original and Black Velvet Reserve 8-year-old. The flavored whiskey category is among the fastest-growing areas of the U.S. spirits market, up 114.5% in case volume in Nielsen channels in the 52-week period ending September 15, 2012, lead by entries like Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Beam’s Red Stag, Wild Turkey American Honey and Evan Williams’ flavored reserves, among others. In other company news, Constellation has secured exclusive U.S. import rights to Carlsberg’s Somersby cider, marking its entry into another fast-growing segment. U.S. cider volume rose 23% to 5.7 million cases last year, according to Impact Databank.