Wine.com reports 217% revenue increase

Leading US online retailer Wine.com has reported a 217% year-on-year revenue increase for the six months to September 30.

Naked Wines' James Crawford reflects upon H1 results

Drinks International caught up with Naked Wines’ chief financial officer James Crawford to discuss the firm’s impressive H1 results.

Naked Wines revenues increase 79.6%

Naked Wines enjoyed 79.6% revenue growth in the six months to September 28 after demand for online wine purchases soared during the lockdown.

C.Gars brings Key West First Legal Rum to the UK

UK-based cigar and whisky merchant C.Gars has become the exclusive importer and distributor for Key West First Legal Rum for the UK and EU.

Bars and restaurants in the US added 192,000 jobs in October

Restaurants and bars in the US added 192,000 jobs in October, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Marussia Beverages launches Hatozaki Japanese whisky

Marussia Beverages has bolstered its spirits portfolio by taking on two Japanese whiskies from Hatozaki.

Adelaide Hills winemaker Taras Ochota has passed away

Legendary Adelaide Hills winemaker Taras Ochota has died after a long battle with illness.

Trade groups urge EU and US to end tariff war

Eighteen trade associations have joined forces to call for an immediate elimination of the retaliatory tariffs that the US and EU have imposed upon spirits, wine and beer.

Mocktails Brands appoints Craftwork as UK distributor

Mocktails Brands has appointed Craftwork as its UK distributor in a bid to ramp up sales of its premixed alcohol-free cocktails among British consumers.

Diageo shares climb after positive trading update

Diageo stock enjoyed its best session since March after chief executive Ivan Menezes issued a positive trading update ahead of the firm’s annual meeting.

Templeton Rye ramps up focus on innovation

Templeton Rye has released a limited-edition Caribbean Rum Cask Finish expression into the domestic and export markets.

Naomi Osaka invests in sake producer

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has been appointed as creative director for SOTO after investing in the premium sake brand.

Diageo to purchase Aviation Gin in $610m deal

Diageo will purchase Aviation Gin and several sister brands in a deal worth up to $610 million.

US spirits industry reiterates pleas for tariff dispute de-escalation

The US government has announced that the existing 25% tariffs will remain on single malt Scotch for the foreseeable future.

US hospitality industry revived almost 600,000 jobs in July

The US bar and restaurant industry revived 592,000 jobs across the country in July, according to new statistics from the Bureau of Labor.

US off-trade sales continue to surge throughout summer

Sales of spirits, wine and beer continue to soar in the US off-trade as shoppers shun bars and restaurants in favor of drinking at home.

Lebanese winery Ixsir gears up for export drive

Lebanese wine producer Ixsir is ramping up its focus on exports after the domestic market was hit by a double whammy of hyperinflation and Covid-19.

Agora aims to reignite a passion for vermouth

A vermouth lover aims to bring finesse and balance to the category with the launch of his small-batch Agora Vermouth.

Chase Distillery launches gin seltzer range

Chase Distillery has launched a range of gin seltzers in a bid to appeal to health-conscious millennial consumers.

Naked Wines makes a flying start to fiscal 2021 as online orders soar

Naked Wines has reported 81% year-on-year revenue growth during April and May as online orders spiked during the coronavirus lockdown.

American whiskey exports to EU decrease 33% following retaliatory tariff

American whiskey exports to EU have decreased by a third since the bloc imposed a 25% retaliatory tariff in June 2018.

Irish Distillers appoints new master distiller

Kevin O’Gorman will take over as master distiller at Jameson producer Irish Distillers after Brian Nation decided to move to a startup in the US.

Zamora Company USA adds Don Papa rum to portfolio

Zamora Company USA has bolstered its spirits portfolio with the addition of Filipino rum brand Don Papa.

BrewDog unveils 10-point plan to keep visitors safe when bars reopen

BrewDog has unveiled details of the measures it will take to protect visitors to its bars once they are permitted to reopen.

AB Inbev reports 32% sales decline in April

AB Inbev has warned that Q2 trading will be “materially worse” than the previous three months due to brewery closures and supply chain disruption.

Rémy Cointreau expects steep sales decline for the current quarter

Rémy Cointreau has reported a sales decline of 9% for the 2019/20 financial year as a result of a significant slump in Q4.

Zamora Company explains how brand owners can help the on-trade recover

Spanish producer Zamora Company has reported that wine and spirits sales in China have recovered as the country emerges from a sweeping coronavirus lockdown.

Drinks brands impress social media users during coronavirus crisis

Engagement with alcoholic drinks brands on social media has increased by more than 300% during the coronavirus lockdown, according to social analytics agency ListenFirst.

US alcoholic beverage sales soar amid coronavirus lockdown

Alcoholic beverage sales in the US increased 55% year-on-year during the week to March 21 as shoppers stocked up ahead of a long coronavirus lockdown.

US off-trade sales soar while bars begin to reopen across China

The US off-trade has seen soaring sales of wine, spirits and beer as shoppers stocked up ahead of a lengthy coronavirus lockdown, according to Nielsen stats.

Laithwaite's works hard to meet high demand among self-isolating wine lovers

Leading online wine retailer Laithwaite’s has assured customers that it will continue to keep them well stocked after demand shot up amid the coronavirus lockdown.

AB Inbev draws down $9bn loan facility as coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world

AB Inbev has drawn down the entirety of a $9bn loan facility from global banks as it bids to ride out the coronavirus outbreak.

Aquavit: A new lease of life

Aquavit, ‘the water of life’ was all but dead in the water thanks to younger drinkers’ aversion to it. but now all that is changing, as Hamish Smith discovers

New shoots

Finally getting its own craft segment, vodka is taking cues from wine and championing the terroir of its base as a flavour provider. Shay Waterworth grows the theory.

New Zealand wine exports to US breaks $500m

New Zealand wine exports to the US have surpassed $500m for the first time, an increase of 11% within the last year.

William Grant & Sons branches into US

Scottish whisky distiller William Grant & Sons has bought Tuthilltown Spirits in New York state to expand its whisky portfolio into the US for the first time.

Willamette Valley wine auction raises $500,000

Nearly $500,000 was raised at the Pinot Noir Barrel Auction, a trade-only showcase of rare wines hosted by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA).

Marie Brizard reports "contrasting" Q3

Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits has recorded a third quarter of contrasts, with improvements in France but penalisation in the US and Poland. 

Ribera del Duero and Rueda come together

The two Spanish wine regions have come together to raise awareness of their wines in the all-important US market.

US: Wine shipped direct to consumer is on the up

The value of direct-to-consumer shipments from American wineries increased to $1.46 Billion in 2012, and was greater than the total value of US wine exports, according to the 2013 Direct Shipping Report released by Ship Compliant and Wines & Vines.

Barbera d’Asti Lequilibrio Montalbera 2009

Barbera d’Asti Lequilibrio Montalbera 2009

Panama axes US spirits duty

The US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement has come into force, representing "significant new access in an expanding spirits market" according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US.

Absolut Exposure launches at TFWA Cannes

Pernod Ricard launched Absolut Exposure last night at an event at TFWA Cannes.

Bergersen becomes Pilsner Urquell’s International Master Bartender

Bartender Kim Daniel Bergersen of Norway prevailed from a field of 11 finalists at Pilsner Urquell’s International Master Bartender (IMB) competition.

Champagne

Despite reports of champagne’s struggle to keep cases sales up, Lucy Britner finds that the world has far from fallen out of love with France’s famous export

Craft bucks US beer trend with 12% H1 growth

US craft beer grew by double digits during H1 of 2012 despite the malaise of the US beer market, says the Brewers Association.

Campari H1 boosted by N America and Asia

Gruppo Campari has announced sales growth of 5% for H1 of 2012, with strong performances in North America and Asia Pacific offsetting difficulties in Germany, Italy and South America.

US: Heaven Hill introduces wheat bourbon Larceny

Heaven Hill Distilleries has introduced Larceny, a super-premium wheat bourbon, to the US market.

Wild Geese land in UK cities

The Avalon Group has announced distributor Emporia Brands will roll out its Irish Whiskey brand The Wild Geese to the UK market.

Treasury and Accolade pack for each other

Treasury Wine Estates and Accolade Wines has announced that TWE will pack wine for Accolade in Australia with Accolade will pack wine for TWE in the UK.