MSNBC: Starbucks Corp. and Fortune Brands Inc.’s Jim Beam distilled spirits unit are bringing out a second product in their jointly developed line of liqueurs, the companies said Wednesday.
The new drink, which is called Starbucks Cream Liqueur, will be sold in 35 markets in the United States, starting this fall. It will be rolled out nationally by February 2006.
Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, the first drink developed by the two companies, is the top-selling new spirit of 2005, said Larry Plawsky, a vice president at Jim Beam, who is overseeing the rollout of the new drink.
Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee-shop chain, will not sell the drink in its retail outlets. The company said it has no plans to seek a license to sell alcohol in its stores.
The cream liqueur category, which is led by Bailey’s Irish Cream, is nearly three times the size of the coffee liqueur market. Because of the size of the market, Plawsky said he expected Starbucks Cream Liqueur to eventually be a bigger seller than the first drink.
