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Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits will pay $12.5 million and tighten its compliance controls under a two-year non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, announced Sept. 10, resolving a federal investigation into improper payments to employees of alcohol retailers, including chain grocery stores. Federal authorities said company executives and employees provided cash, prepaid gift cards, flights, golf trips, resort stays and luxury goods to induce retail purchases and used third-party vendors and false invoices to conceal the payments; the company was not criminally charged and admitted responsibility for the conduct.
distributionstrategy |
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Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits has set up a new Gold Division to run the Anheuser-Busch portfolio across all markets it serves, plus operations in New York and Colorado, covering 19 markets in total. Glendal Vandenbempt, a former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive with more than 18 years in consumer goods, will serve as managing director and report to commercial sales president Mark Chaplin.
The Spirits Business |
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Sazerac has bought UK-based spirits maker Au Vodka, adding to the overseas portfolio of the U.S. distiller behind Buzzballz.
Bloomberg |
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Beverage-alcohol sales over Labor Day were "mixed," in line with much of this year, according to the latest weekly scan data from Circana.
Brewbound |
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WSWA's SipSource tracker found total wine and spirits volume down 6.8% and revenue down 6.1% in the 12 months through July, but wine is showing bright spots: over the last three months Champagne revenue rose 14.7%, Prosecco 10.2%, and Sauvignon Blanc 3.2%, and the $50-plus wine segment is up 0.9% over 12 months. Spirits trends were weaker, with three-month volume and value down 5.7% and 7.1%, all price tiers off more than 5% in revenue, while on-premise volume fell 2.8% versus a 7.5% off-premise decline.
Shanken News Daily |
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers asked the Supreme Court to reaffirm the Eighth Amendment's excessive fines clause and rule that Alaska's seizure of a $95,000 plane over a six-pack of beer was disproportionate to the alleged harm.
Law360 |
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Diageo is launching 20% ABV "mid-strength" versions of Gordon's gin, Captain Morgan rum and Smirnoff vodka in the UK.
Just Drinks |
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Defra confirmed on 11 September that "English Whisky" and "English Whiskey" are protected names under the UK Spirit Drinks Geographical Indications Scheme, following a six-year campaign led by the English Whisky Guild. The rules require UK-grown cereal grain and English water, distillation in England below 94.8% ABV, at least three years of maturation in England in casks up to 700 litres, and bottling at no less than 40% ABV; Defra counts more than 70 producers, with English whisky exported to over 30 countries.
The Drinks Business |
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Diageo is moving into the mid-strength category with 20% ABV versions of Gordon's, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan. The three-product range rolls out to 250 Tesco stores this month.
KamCity |
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Sierra Nevada is carrying its 2026 growth into 2027 with a portfolio-wide packaging overhaul, revamped variety packs, and new Little Things and Torpedo IPAs. The plan also includes the return of major brand campaigns and a push into the beyond beer category.
Brewbound |
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Oregon's Buoy Beer is joining Great Frontier Beverages, the parent company of Ninkasi Brewing. The brewery cited difficulty recovering from a 2022 building collapse.
Brewbound |
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Impact's annual Hot Prospects list, honoring smaller brands with at least 15% depletions growth in 2025, named 15 RTDs and 27 full-strength spirits brands, with agave spirits led by Tequila making up more than half the spirits honorees. RTD winners above 100,000 cases include Casamigos, Skimmers, Beach Juice, Bulleit, El Jimador New Mix, and Salt Point, while spirits honorees over 100,000 cases include Eagle Rare, Tequila Ocho, Colonel E.H. Taylor, Gran Coramino, Penelope, and Flecha Azul.
Shanken News Daily |
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Veritas Legacy Partners, LLC has closed on its acquisition of Veritas Vineyard & Winery. Terms were not stated.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Casual-dining chain O'Charley's closed its corporate locations last week, leaving only a small number of franchisee-owned units still open. The shutdown followed further closures at Red Lobster and a bankruptcy filing by a Denny's operator.
Restaurant Business |
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Old Rip Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace set an average 16.8% price increase across four bottlings in the 2026 Van Winkle Collection, while two expressions held their 2025 prices. Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Bourbon 15-Year-Old saw the steepest rise, up 25% this year to $299.99 for a 50% jump over two years; the collection ships in limited quantities to US retailers, bars, and restaurants through Sazerac's distribution network.
The Spirits Business |
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Anheuser-Busch InBev will hold a Capital Market Day in St. Louis on September 22, its first time hosting the event in the city since 2010, the year the InBev and Anheuser-Busch merger was still recent.
Seeking Alpha |
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Patrón has launched Agave Masters, a global program for bar professionals that folds in its Patrón Perfectionists competition and Academia Patrón education platform, and includes what it calls the only WSET accreditation dedicated entirely to agave spirits. It is free to join and open to anyone of legal drinking age on a bar team, available now at agavemasters.com and losmaestrosdelagave.com in English and Spanish, with winning teams heading to an inaugural Global Summit in Guadalajara and Hacienda Patrón in Jalisco.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
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Chapel Down has appointed brand strategist Nimbility to accelerate its growth across Asia-Pacific, focusing on importer partnerships, premium distribution, and trade education, as the English sparkling winemaker pursues its long-term goal of winning the equivalent of a 1% global share of the Champagne market.
The Drinks Business |
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Chinese baijiu producer Guotai put its Guotai Shang whisky range on sale Sept. 12 in Guangzhou, offering a 50% ABV sauce-aroma whisky at 429 yuan ($63.90) and a 46% ABV sauce-and-malt version at 318 yuan ($47.52), both made with baijiu's solid-state fermentation and matured in bourbon casks in Kentucky. The whiskies are jointly produced by Guotai parent Tianjin Tasly and US-based Maritime Brands, sold through JD.com, Tmall and Douyin flagship stores plus group-purchasing distributors, joining Langjiu, Yanghe and Luzhou Laojiao in moving into whisky.
Vino Joy News |
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Priory Hospitality Group, owner of The Priory, has bought Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh's oldest brewery, five months after it filed for bankruptcy in April. New owners Eric Heinauer and John Graf plan to keep producing pilsners and other German-style beers at the brewery's historic Troy Hill building, which is marking its 40th year.
Yahoo |
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Ford's Garage, the burgers and craft beer restaurant with an official Ford licensing agreement, is recruiting franchise operators to enter North and South Carolina, targeting Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbia, Charleston and coastal areas. The brand currently runs 35 locations across Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, with a full bar of craft cocktails, local craft beers and "No Octane" mocktails.
FSR Magazine |
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Spirits-based RTD nearly quadrupled in volume over five years on the strength of trial, but Method1's State of Indulgence research argues repeat purchase now depends on emotional payoff rather than novelty or convenience, which 0% of the heaviest alcohol consumers cited as a reason a treat feels worth it. The study found 64% of consumers who name beverage alcohol their most meaningful indulgence don't commit to a single brand, and 51% say an indulgence matters most when it feels earned.
Beverage Industry |
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Chile has passed a decree creating a "low-alcohol wine" category for its domestic market. The government said the aim is to align production with consumer demand and allow innovation.
Just Drinks |
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A Newsmax opinion piece argues that protecting Kentucky bourbon should not mean freezing its business model in the past, contending the industry became an American icon by adapting over generations and now needs a more modern marketplace.
Newsmax |
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Andrew Donaldson, founder of Central Otago producer Akitu, told The Drinks Business that New Zealand faces an allocation problem rather than an oversupply one, arguing that if US growth rates for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc continue, the country could even see undersupply. Sauvignon Blanc accounts for roughly 85% of New Zealand's exports, and Donaldson said producers have put too little energy into marketing the country's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The Drinks Business |
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India's Enforcement Directorate told the Bombay High Court last week that banks recovering Vijay Mallya's debts does not make the money laundering and fraud proceedings against the former United Breweries and United Spirits boss redundant, arguing the PMLA case operates separately from lenders' recovery. Mallya, who defaulted on £1.15 billion in bank loans and has lived in the UK since 2016, contends he has repaid his dues and the matter should be closed.
The Drinks Business |
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Global alcohol consumption fell 2.8% in 2025, per IWSR, hammering the family-controlled groups that dominate the sector: Pernod Ricard and Rémy Cointreau shares are down nearly 70% from spring 2023 highs, Brown-Forman is off 60%, and Campari down 50%, El Mundo reports (via Corriere della Sera). Brown-Forman turned down a $15 billion offer from Sazerac and a proposed merger with Pernod Ricard, both scuttled by disagreements among the controlling families, while two of its 130-plus Brown heirs wrote to the board accusing management of destroying "billions of dollars of generational wealth."
EL MUNDO |
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Rupee Beer, an Indian-inspired brand based in Portland, Maine, has launched in Nevada with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. The distribution deal brings the brand to the Las Vegas market.
Brewbound |
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"Alberta Whisky" now has a legal definition in the Canadian province, per Forbes, with Alberta positioning its grains as the best in the world for making whiskey.
Forbes |
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The Original Pickle Shot named Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits as its distributor across 24 states. The 30-proof shot, made with five-times-distilled vodka and a proprietary pickle brine and free of artificial flavors, comes in Original Dill and Spicy Dill.
BevNET |
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Ten years after Rioja, Germany, Austria and Piedmont codified single-vineyard designations in Burgundy's mold, trade figures interviewed by The Drinks Business say the frameworks resonate more with sommeliers, buyers and collectors than with consumers, and that direct commercial evidence, average bottle prices, export value or measurable pricing premiums, remains elusive. Rioja created its "Viñedos Singulares" category in 2017, Alto Adige added its 86-area UGA system in October 2024, and several sources argued classifications recognize existing value rather than create it.
The Drinks Business |
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Origen X Group, which launched the Irish Bottling Company in 2024, is reviving historic Irish whiskey names Kinahan's and Bagots on a strategy of affordability, using hybrid casks of different oak species and chestnut wood for Kinahan's and wine casks including Madeira and white Moscatel for Bagots. Founder and CEO Zak Oganian says the aim is to shelf a product with the character of a £55 bottle at £30 maximum, citing Irish whiskey exports up 13% in value and 3.6% in volume in 2025.
The Spirits Business |
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Pine Ridge Vineyards is releasing the 2025 vintage of its Chenin Blanc + Viognier ($16), marking 30 years since founder Gary Andrus first blended the two varieties in 1995, and has handed oversight of the program to winemaker Josh Widaman, who also leads its Cabernet Sauvignon. The Napa winery also picked up a nomination for American Winery of the Year in Wine Enthusiast's 2026 Wine Star Awards.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
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The Greek Wine Federation and the Regulatory Council of Jumilla PDO have launched European Wine Treasures, a three-year, EU co-funded effort to build U.S. trade and media awareness of both regions, kicking off September 15 with a national webinar led by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein. The fall schedule adds a press dinner and B2B tasting in San Francisco on November 9-10 and a technical masterclass plus trade tasting in Los Angeles on November 12.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
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Anheuser-Busch, through its foundation, gave $130,000 to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for rice research covering brewing quality, aromatic rice market research, lager shelf stability, and water-saving irrigation. The gift is part of more than $200,000 in National Rice Month grants that also went to the Arkansas State University Rice Program, Ducks Unlimited and USA Rice; the brewer buys roughly 20 million bushels of rice a year and works with more than 80 rice farmers in Arkansas.
Arkadelphian |
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Heaven Hill's 20th Parker's Heritage release is roughly 100 barrels of its core bourbon mash bill, distilled between October 2011 and January 2012 and made with backset from rye whiskey production, then bottled at 118 proof after 14 years. Bottles reach the market this fall at an MSRP of $199.99; since the line's 2013 "Promise of Hope" edition, Heaven Hill has donated more than $1.4 million from Parker's Heritage proceeds to the ALS Association.
VinePair |
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The House of Suntory named musician and actor Rina Sawayama global brand ambassador for Haku Japanese Craft Vodka's first campaign, "Made to Shine," built around a Tokyo-set hero film directed by Frank Lebon. Content is live across Suntory's YouTube and social channels and rolling out in key markets including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, with Martini Masterclasses planned in New York City.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
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SFW Starka, a Polish distillery founded in 1863 that makes an oak-aged rye spirit, is for sale with an asking price of about 90,000 Polish zloty (roughly US$24,000). The deal in Szczecin covers the brand, intellectual property, production facilities and ageing inventory, some of it maturing for more than 70 years, at a site that draws over 10,000 visitors a year.
The Spirits Business |
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Cork-sealed wines averaged £8.19 per bottle against £6.93 for screwcaps in the UK's top 250 off-trade SKUs in the 52 weeks to 13 June 2026, stretching cork's premium to 18.2% from 12.6% in 2021, per NIQ data cited by the Portuguese Cork Association. Cork SKUs generated £344m at +5.9% value growth, held 72.2% of category value above £12, and doubled white-wine share to 22%, while separate on-trade analysis put natural cork's premium over screwcap at 74.5%.
The Drinks Business |
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Keith Larry, who spent more than a decade at Employees Only, has teamed with restaurateur Michael Bray to open Bar Etienne at 44 Bedford Street in New York's West Village. Larry runs the cocktail program, built around "crushers" using techniques like clarification and centrifugation, and the bar offers small-format Martinis for $14.
The Spirits Business |
