From oak barrels to mahogany bars, famed bourbon shoots for smooth ride on the saloon supply chain SAN FRANCISCO, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Gina Pepperdine creates new twists on classic cocktails, such as a Vanilla Manhattan made from Maker's Mark whiskey, for her customers at New York's hip Cibar Lounge, deemed the Miss America of Bars. But she worries. Pepperdine's nightmare isn't a rowdy customer or an obnoxious patron hustling a woman at her bar. She can handle that. She does, however, worry about running out of Maker's Mark. That's because of the fine Kentucky bourbon's popularity among her customers, according to a feature article in the July 2 issue of Shipping Digest. The weekly magazine, based in Newark, N.J., specializes in international trade, shipping and logistics. "When I order liquor, I expect it to be on the shelf the next day. My customers are sophisticated cocktail aficionados -- purists -- and if I substituted another bourbon, they would feel ripped off and drink elsewhere," says Pepperdine, who is also the bar's general manager. The whiskeymaker agrees. Bill Samuels, Jr., CEO of Louisville-based Makers Mark Distillery, told reporter Chris Barnett that says he has to forecast demand seven years before the whiskey moves "from an oak barrel to a mahogany bar." Samuels, a seventh-generation bourbon man, said he doesn't believe in computerized predictions for his distillery. "I use one forecasting method-hanging out in the better bars in major cities talking to customers, to find out the buzz about Maker's Mark," he said. "Call it bar stool market research. It's very unscientific but it works." He exports Maker's Mark to 20 countries. The most recent addition to the growing list of overseas markets was Bulgaria. Next up is Brazil. Samuels says his big worry is the same as Gina Pepperdine's-not having a bottle of Maker's Mark on the top shelf when a bourbon lover orders it. Chris Barnett, a contributing editor for Shipping Digest, has been writing about great bars worldwide for 35 years. Reach him or 415-336- 5092 About Shipping Digest Shipping Digest, part of the Commonwealth Business Media group of companies, provides logistics professionals involved in East Coast freight transportation-from Georgia to Maine to Canada-with regional news, analysis, feature stories and special reports, plus weekly sailing schedules for steamship lines and NVOCCs serving ports on the Eastern seaboard. For more information please visit http://www.shippingdigest.com/ About Commonwealth Business Media Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., a subsidiary of United Business Media plc, is the leading information provider to the global trade and transportation market with comprehensive proprietary data, news and analytical content. Its leading brands include The Journal of Commerce, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, BACK Aviation Solutions, Air Cargo World, Traffic World, OAG and Aviation Industry Group, a number of directory databases covering the international trade, railroad and trucking markets. The Company also produces more than 30 conferences serving the international trade, aviation and maritime markets. Commonwealth is headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey, with offices in Newark, San Francisco, New Haven, Long Beach, Atlanta, Montreal, Toronto, Washington DC, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Singapore, Hong Kong and London. For more information on Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. and the products they offer, visit http://www.cbizmedia.com/. DATASOURCE: Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. CONTACT: Jill Rodby, Vice President Communications of Commonwealth Business Media, +1-415-847-6768, Web site: http://www.cbizmedia.com/ http://www.shippingdigest.com/

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