GROWTH BRANDS - Continued

FAST TRACK BRANDS

The Fast Track represents the elite Growth Brand category, and reflecting the upbeat sales momentum throughout the industry, 15 spirits brands qualified for inclusion this year, all of them premium or superpremium, one more than last year. Interestingly, 13 of the Fast Track brands are imports, while only two are domestically produced. And, as usual, premium and superpremium vodkas are well represented, with six included here. Among them is the returning Fast Track brand, Skyy Vodka (Skyy Spirits USA), which gained just under 200,000 cases in 2004 to 1.88 million cases, an 11.0% increase in 2004. The domestic vodka boasts a four-year annual compound growth rate (ACGR) of almost 14.6%. The superpremium French import Grey Goose Vodka, another Fast Track repeater, was purchased by Bacardi from Sidney Frank Importing last year for about two billion dollars. The brand continued its tremendous sales performance, up another 25.7% in 2004, for a 376,000 case increase to 1.76 million cases.

Ketel One (Nolet Spirits USA), the superpremium vodka from Holland, is another returning Fast Track brand. The brand gained 14.6% last year to more than 1.3 million cases. Ketel One Citroen, the brand's citrus-flavored line extension qualified for the Fast Track itself for the first time, just breaking the 100,000 case mark last year, while boasting a four-year ACGR of 24.1%.

The final two vodkas in this list are also Fast Track veterans. Svedka Vodka (Spirits Marque One) posted a huge 46.4% increase last year. The Swedish vodka reached 448,000 cases in 2004, with a four-year ACGR of 55.8%. And Fris Vodka (Shaw-Ross International Importers) also had an impressive year in 2004, gaining 19.5% to sales of 233,000 cases.

Distilled Spirits:
The brand must have exceeded 100,000 9-liter cases in 2004,
with double-digit growth over each of the past four years.
All brands must be at least five full years of age.

DISTILLED SPIRITS (thousands of 9-liter cases)

Brand	Supplier	2000			2001				2002			2003			2004p		'03/'04 % Chg	'00/'04 ACGR
Skyy	Skyy Spirits USA	1,090			1,295				1,495			1,694			1,880		11.0%	14.6%
Jagermeister	Sidney Frank Importing	600			700				900			1,300			1,800		38.5%	31.6%
Grey Goose	Bacardi USA	275			600				1,150			1,400			1,760		25.7%	59.1%
Ketel One	Nolet Spirits USA	750			903				995			1,162			1,331		14.6%	15.4%
Maker's Mark	Allied Domecq Spirits USA	330			370				425			490			545		11.2%	13.4%
Svedka	Spirits Marque One	76			124				200			306			448		46.4%	55.8%
Cruzan Rum	Cruzan Ltd	229			304				340			380			435		14.5%	17.4%
Patron	The Patron Spirits Company	75			120				135			205			347		69.3%	46.7%
Jameson	Pernod Ricard USA	175			202				226			262			304		16.0%	14.8%
Cointreau	Remy Amerique	162			183				202			225			248		10.2%	11.2%
Fris	Shaw-Ross Int'l Importers	90			123				152			195			233		19.5%	26.8%
Appleton	Brown-Forman Beverages	58			70				108			122			141		15.6%	24.9%
El Jimador	Sazerac	27			68				76			89			123		38.5%	46.2%
Ketel One Citroen	Nolet Spirits USA	43			50				59			81			102		25.9%	24.1%
Tuaca	Brown-Forman Beverages	52			64				75			90			101		11.5%	18.0%

(p) Preliminary    ACGR=Annual Compound Growth Rate

Of the three liqueurs in the Fast Track, Jagermeister (Sidney Frank Importing) and Cointreau (Remy Amerique) have both been here before. Jagermeister, the herb-infused schnapps from Germany, rose an astonishing 500,000 cases to sales of 1.8 million cases in 2004, a 38.5% increase. For its part, the venerable Cointreau gained 10.2% to 248,000 cases. The final liqueur, Tuaca, imported from Italy by Brown-Forman Beverages, is new to the Fast Track, just edging over the 100,000 case mark in 2004 (+11.5%).

One of the two whiskies in the Fast Track, Maker's Mark (Allied Domecq Spirits USA) is also a veteran of this list. The high-end bourbon posted an 11.2% rise in 2004 to 545,000 cases. The other whiskey returning to the Fast Track is Jameson Irish Whiskey (Pernod Ricard USA), which increased sales 16.0% in 2004 to 304,000 cases.

Cruzan Rum (Cruzan Ltd.) is another brand returning to the Fast Track. The rum notched 435,000 cases last year, representing a 14.5% increase. New to the Fast Track is Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum (Brown-Forman Beverages), which gained 15.6% to 141,000 cases.

Finally, two tequilas are included here: Patron (The Patron Spirits Company), a returning Fast Track brand, which had another hugely successful year with case sales jumping 69.3% to 347,000 cases. El Jimidor (Sazerac) is a Fast Track rookie, and made the list by increasing sales 38.5% in 2004 to 123,000 cases.

This year, 12 brands of wine are included in the Fast Track category. Ten of these wines were included in the category last year (Foxhorn, Blackstone, Jacob's Creek, Sterling Vineyards, Alice White, Ravenswood, Fat Bastard, Hardys, Toasted Head and Sycamore Lane). California wines lead the group once again, with eight attaining the Fast Track, followed by three wines from Australia and one from France.

Wines:

The brand must have exceeded 100,000 9-liter cases in 2004,
with double-digit growth over each of the past four years.
All brands must be at least five full years of age.

WINES (thousands of 9-liter cases)

Brand	Supplier		2000	2001	2002	2003	2004p		'03/'04 % Chg	'00/'04 ACGR
Foxhorn	The Wine Group		1,026	1,245	1,419	1,580	1,880		19.0%	16.3%
Blackstone	Pacific Wine Partners/ Constellation		412	582	1,009	1,275	1,450		13.7%	37.0%
Sterling Vineyards	Diageo Chateau & Estates		430	514	605	757	946		25.0%	21.8%
Jacob's Creek	Pernod Ricard USA		423	578	693	808	895		10.8%	20.6%
Ravenswood	Franciscan Estates/ Constellation		450	505	595	690	892		29.3%	18.7%
Alice White	Canandaigua Wine/ Constellation		221	240	390	480	658		37.1%	31.4%
Smoking Loon	Don Sebastiani & Sons		5	35	155	330	630		90.9%	++
Barefoot Cellars	Barefoot Cellars		215	247	301	374	592		58.5%	28.9%
Fat Bastard	Click Wine Group		46	109	288	382	445		16.5%	76.6%
Hardys	Pacific Wine Partners/ Constellation		140	155	195	350	405		15.7%	30.4%
Toasted Head	R. H. Phillips Vineyard		85	170	223	332	387		16.6%	46.1%
Sycamore Lane	Trinchero Family Estates		62	140	216	253	282		11.5%	46.0%

(p) Preliminary   ACGR=Annual Compound Growth Rate   ++Greater than 100%

Among the California wines, Foxhorn (The Wine Group) registered 1.88 million cases in 2004, a 19.0% gain. Blackstone (Pacific Wine Partners) followed, with sales of 1.45 million 9-liter cases last year, a 13.7% increase. Sterling Vineyards (Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines) grew a hefty 25.0% last year to 946,000 cases, while Ravenswood (Franciscan Estates) registered sales of just under 900,000 cases, an impressive 29.3% jump over 2003. Smoking Loon (Don Sebastiani & Sons) joined the Fast Track for the first time after having been a Rising Star. The brand grew by an extraordinary 90.9% in 2004, increasing case sales by 300,000 to 630,000. New to the Fast Track is Barefoot Cellars (just purchased by E&J Gallo), which also saw eye-opening sales increases, up 58.5% to just under 600,000 cases. Toasted Head (R.H. Phillips Vineyard) gained an additional 16.6% last year, to sales of 387,000 cases, while Sycamore Lane (Trinchero Family Estates) increased sales by 11.5% to 282,000 cases.

Among the Australian wines, Jacob's Creek (Pernod Ricard USA) continued its growth, expanding sales 10.8% last year to just under 900,000 9-liter cases. Alice White (Canandaigua Wine Co.) upped sales to 658,000 cases, a 37.1% increase. And Hardys (Pacific Wine Partners) notched a 15.7% sales increase, to 405,000 cases. The French member of the Fast Track this year is Fat Bastard (Click Wine Group), which grew another 16.5% to 445,000 cases.

Fast Track | Rising Stars | Established Growth Brands | Comeback Brands