---
title: "Digits: Osama bin Laden’s bro’s house, ugly shoes, and liquor sales"
description: "Plus: Underwater internet cables and an island in Connecticut."
---

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# [Digits: Osama bin Laden’s bro’s house, ugly shoes, and liquor sales](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/02072022-digits)

 Written by [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/jacob-cohen) | Feb 7, 2022 9:34:38 AM

**1)** Connecticut may not be known for its island living, but Great Island — a ~60-acre estate on the Long Island Sound, owned by heirs of the Ziegler baking powder dynasty — is back on the market for [**$100m**](https://www.wsj.com/articles/connecticut-private-island-reduces-price-to-100-million-11643824237?mod=hp_major_pos1) after failing to sell in 2016 when it listed for $175m.

**2) **It’s no coincidence that alcohol is flammable because liquor sales are on the comeback. Sales of bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and rye whiskey were up [**$288m**](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-lifestyle-restaurants-cc6acc7d06bc2458c0f536dc8f87d8d5) from last year to $4.6B, and alcohol overall saw $35.8B in sales, up 12% (however, these are still below pre-pandemic levels).

**3) **In style: ugly footwear. Last year, Birkenstock was acquired by LVMH for ~$4.9B, and this year Crocs could see $5B in sales. Deckers Outdoor Corp, maker of Uggs, Teva sandals, and Hoka sneakers — none of which are particularly sexy — is also projecting [**$3B**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-02-03/how-uggs-hoka-and-tevas-helped-build-deckers-2-5-billion-ugly-shoe-empire) in sales this year.

**4) **The internet, while seemingly made up of thin air, relies heavily on thousands of miles of undersea cables. When a volcano erupted near Tonga recently, the nation’s only source of internet — a 514-mile, [**$15m**](https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/znpnejbjovl/) cable connecting it to Fiji — broke. It could take more than a month to fix.

**5) **Wanna live in Osama bin Laden’s brother’s house? Here’s your chance: Ibrahim bin Laden’s Bel-Air estate cut its list price from [**$28m to $26m**](https://nypost.com/2022/02/03/no-one-wants-to-buy-osama-bin-ladens-familys-bel-air-mansion/) — a steal. Ibrahim abandoned the 7.1k-square-foot home following 9/11.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/02072022-digits)

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