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Unite the Union says over 100 of its members at Diageo's Cameronbridge grain distillery in Scotland's Lowlands will strike from Monday 28 September, with further walkouts by specific worker groups scheduled through mid next month, in opposition to job cuts tied to Diageo's global restructuring. Diageo, which cut its global headcount by almost 2,000 in fiscal 2026, said it is "disappointed" by the strike decision and that removing up to 10 roles at the site is necessary as it maintains reduced production volumes.
Drinks Intel |
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The 7th Circuit heard oral argument on September 17 in Chicago on the appeal of Illinois's win defending its retail wine shipping law against a dormant Commerce Clause challenge brought by a Washington state retailer and two Illinois consumers. Circuit Judges Frank Easterbrook, Ilana Diamond Rovner, and Rebecca Taibleson made up the panel; no date has been set for a ruling.
Alcohol Law Review |
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The on-premise's summer fell flat, according to the latest report from market research firm NIQ.
Brewbound |
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Kroger, the largest U.S. supermarket chain, has stopped carrying Red Bull and Boar's Head products as it works through its pricing strategy in a tough economy, per Brewbound.
Brewbound |
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Uncle Nearest took five gold medals at a San Diego spirits competition, its highest honors yet, while operating under receivership and facing a lender's $108 million lawsuit.
Inc.com |
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A July Numerator report cited by Southern Glazer's projects that Millennial and Gen Z consumers will be the largest contributors to beverage-alcohol spending across all generations by 2035, leaving suppliers less than a decade to win their loyalty. The report points to beer cocktails, early recruitment, and flavor clarity as ways to capture Gen Z drinkers.
Brewbound |
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Italian wine group Argea, which posted €462 million ($533m) in 2025 revenue led by €120 million ($138m) in the U.S., is investing to grow its Zaccagnini brand (roughly 250,000 cases stateside) and widen distribution of Brilla, a range spanning Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Mimosa, and non-alc wines. CEO Massimo Romani said the group, 60% owned by private equity firm Clessidra and with global volume around 14 million cases, will keep making about one acquisition a year while focusing on the $15-$25 price band; last year it bought Philadelphia importer WinesU, which has sales of about $35 million.
Shanken News Daily |
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Massachusetts Treasury Secretary Deb Goldberg said tariffs stemming from President Trump's trade war are creating turmoil for the state's alcohol suppliers and manufacturers and threatening jobs. She discussed her efforts to mitigate the impact on the industry.
The Berkshire Eagle |
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Additional vineyard owners in Napa County want to join a lawsuit challenging what they describe as a "patchwork" of rules they say blocks growth for small-scale wineries, arguing the county's policies are unconstitutional.
SFGATE |
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The New York Times reports that the health of retail wine shops varies widely: richer, well-diversified operations are thriving while small storefront shops are struggling, with those in the middle working harder than ever.
The New York Times |
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A new study of the whiskey tariffs imposed under Trump in 2018 examines how retaliation reshaped prices for brown liquor in the U.S. market. The findings come as tariffs on Irish and UK whiskey are lifted in 2026.
Forbes |
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A family-owned, 3,500-acre California winery is up for sale after Canada's ban on US alcohol cut into its business. Canada, largely Ontario, had accounted for about 40% of the winery's export sales, roughly 75,000 cases, a figure that fell to about 5% from July 2025 to July 2026.
The Sacramento Bee |
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HSBC stands to lose more than £17m through the administration of BrewDog, the craft brewer that was sold earlier this year, City A.M. reports.
City A.M. |
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Dave Phinney, who created the Napa Valley luxury wine brands The Prisoner and Orin Swift, has sold his Savage & Cooke spirits business. Phinney opened the Savage & Cooke distillery on Vallejo's Mare Island several years ago, after the two wine brands sold for more than half a billion dollars.
winebusiness |
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Barbara Groom has listed her Northern California craft brewery, Lost Coast Brewing, for auction, months after saying she planned to retire and sell the business.
Brewbound |
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The latest Brewbound Podcast runs through recent shifts in the beverage-alcohol market, among them Constellation Brands' move in Colorado, a $12.5 million payment from Southern Glazer's to the federal government, and weak Labor Day retail scans.
Brewbound |
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De Kuyper Royal Distillers is switching its UK distribution from William Grant & Sons to Disaronno Group's Disaronno International UK unit from February 1, covering both on- and off-premise. The Archers owner, which bought that brand from Diageo four years ago, called the UK its "most important market" and said it and William Grant had mutually agreed to part ways.
Drinks Intel |
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Sazerac is bringing back the Glenmore distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky, which was founded in 1869 and stopped making whiskey in 1992. During Prohibition the facility bottled and distributed medicinal whiskey.
Inc.com |
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David Bruce Winery has been sold to Michigan-based Hillsdale College, the winery said on the 60th anniversary of its founding. Terms were not disclosed.
winebusiness |
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Wine production is taking hold in Tibet at what Bloomberg calls the world's highest vineyard, as China works to develop and integrate the Himalayan region.
Bloomberg |
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"Big Short" investor Michael Burry, a longtime Bitcoin critic, wrote on Substack that European bonded fine wines from producers like Petrus, DRC, Mouton Rothschild and Sassicaia offer a physical hard asset with "resilient demand in good and bad times" and a hedge against threats to crypto and conventional accounts from AI and quantum computing. Bordeaux Index co-CEO Matthew O'Connell, whose LiveTrade platform saw trades rise more than 40% year on year, said prices have "corrected hard" since the 2022 peak but that rising volume points to a broadening market.
The Drinks Business |
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Royal Swinkels plans to shift bottling from its Palm brewery in Steenhuffel, Belgium, to other undisclosed sites, cutting 33 of the 147 jobs there and citing falling beer consumption in Belgium and western Europe that has left over-capacity and filling lines near the end of their economic life. Brewing at Palm will continue unchanged, and a site in Roeselare will keep canning products; Swinkels is in talks with staff representatives.
Just Drinks |
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South Korean spirits group HiteJinro is closing its soju plant in Iksan, with operations at the site ending in mid-October. The company said the decision followed a "comprehensive review of production operating conditions and future competitiveness."
Just Drinks |
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CAAMBA Limited, the company behind cocktail brand Mahiki, was put into compulsory liquidation by the Manchester Business and Property Courts on 1 September 2026, less than a year after EBH Holdings took control in September 2025. Its latest accounts, for the year ended 31 March 2025, showed net liabilities of about £1 million (US$1.34m); the impact on the Mahiki trademarks, which CAAMBA still holds in the EU, is not yet clear.
The Spirits Business |
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Japanese whisky was the standout category in global travel retail last year, with value up 44% and volumes up 37%, per IWSR, which reported overall GTR spirits volumes rose 6% and value 7% in 2025. Cognac/brandy suffered "one of its worst declines in several decades," with volumes down 6% and value down 8%, while agave spirits gained 28% in value and vodka posted double-digit value growth.
The Spirits Business |
