The manРІР‚в„ўs genius was obvious from JР“В¤germeister РІР‚вЂњ a herbal digestif drunk by elderly German immigrants which he turned into one of the hottest student brands ever. Since then every budding spirits entrepreneur has dreamed of emulating Sidney FrankРІР‚в„ўs success. Two thirds of this staggering sum went straight into FrankРІР‚в„ўs back pocket, though sadly he suffered a fatal heart attack on his private jet two years later. Eight years later, with sales somewhere north of 1.5 million cases, it was bought by Bacardi for a reported US$2 billion. Grey Goose Vodka was distilled from thin air in the summer of 1996 as a concept with no distillery, no bottle and no spirit. It sure did, prompting Frank to keep hold of the Grey Goose name and eventually pass it onto the iconic vodka that created the super-premium category almost single-handedly. РІР‚СљThere was always something about the name that had magic with the consumer,РІР‚Сњ he later said. Liebfraumilch faded like many fads from РІР‚Сљthe decade taste forgotРІР‚Сњ, but Frank had registered his brand name worldwide and was clearly attached to it. Within his stable was a sugary German Liebfraumilch РІР‚вЂњ a beverage that bridged the gap between soft drinks and wine for a generation of Americans. *This feature was first printed in The Spirits Business August 2014 issue.Р”В«ack in the 1970s the late liquor baron, Sidney Frank, was building his empire in the States.

Since its launch in 1997, Grey Goose has pioneered the super=premiumР’В vodka category It was a decisive move by Grey Goose to fly into its own super-premium vodka market РІР‚вЂњ and itРІР‚в„ўs a move thatРІР‚в„ўs paying off as the brandРІР‚в„ўs story of success continues.

Grey goose logo