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A federal ban on intoxicating hemp-derived delta-9 THC products, which would cap them at 0.4 milligrams total, is scheduled to take effect December 11 after being delayed from November 12, putting at risk a category that Whitney Economics puts at more than $1.1 billion in sales. Producers including Cann, Nowadays, and Crescent Canna are hedging by rolling out compliant sub-0.4mg or nonintoxicating lines and, in Crescent's case, moving 50mg seltzers to cannabis-derived THC for dispensary sale, while the bipartisan Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, which would limit drinks to 5mg per serving under alcohol-style three-tier, 21-and-up rules, has not advanced.
SevenFifty Daily |
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A federal judge threw out the last of Patco Brands' counterclaims against BuzzBallz, closing a three-year trademark dispute between the two rival makers of orb-shaped ready-to-drink cocktails.
BevNET |
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Suntory declined to address reports that it is negotiating to buy a minority stake in India's Allied Blenders and Distillers. In its first-half results, the company called India a high-priority market for future growth.
Just Drinks |
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Unite and GMB Scotland members at Diageo's Cameronbridge grain whisky distillery in Fife walked out on 28 September, with 16 strike days planned through 15 October after negotiations failed over proposed job cuts. Diageo wants to remove up to 10 roles, said it held 15 meetings with the unions over 12 weeks, and does not expect any disruption to product availability.
The Spirits Business |
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Workers at Diageo's Cameronbridge distillery began striking on 28 September after weeks of dispute over job reductions, with the trade union Unite saying more than 100 members are involved.
grocerygazette |
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New IWSR research challenges the idea that Gen Z is drinking less, according to Wine Industry Advisor's This Week Uncorked. The episode also covers questions about the future of traditional wine clubs and the opening of a large "Wine Disneyland" in Russia.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Coca-Cola has named Rob Gehring its next North America president, bringing him back after about two years at Monster Energy Company, where he had started in 2024 as chief growth officer. The company's Capri-Sun CEO is leaving.
BevNET |
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South Korea's whiskey imports totaled 12,205 tons in the first eight months of 2026, down 22.1% from 15,663 tons a year earlier and more than 5,000 tons below the 2024 figure, per Korea Customs Service data. Revenue fell across importers: Pernod Ricard Korea down 31.1% to 120.7 billion won, Brown-Forman Korea down 10.8% to 39.2 billion won, and Diageo Korea down 4.3% to 153.65 billion won ($110 million), with Diageo and Brown-Forman lifting operating profit through cuts to advertising and administrative spending.
en.sedaily |
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Stateside Brands, the company behind hard iced tea Surfside, has dropped a lawsuit filed last year that alleged Anheuser-Busch's Skimmers copied its packaging design. The terms that ended the case were not disclosed.
Inc.com |
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ThaiBev is promoting executive vice-president Sopon Racharaksa to president from October 1, overseeing group operations while staying on as chief people officer and stepping back from its spirits arm. Kosit Suksingha takes over the Spirits Product Group, and Rahul John Colaco adds the non-alcoholic beverage unit; Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi remains chairman and Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi stays as CEO.
The Spirits Business |
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VinePair, using data from insights firm Ground Signal, put the average U.S. on-premise Espresso Martini at $14.38, topping out in Hawaii ($16.92) and New York ($16.03) and cheapest in Oklahoma ($12.06). Vodka appears in 90 percent of the cocktails, with Tito's the most common brand in 29 states, Ketel One in 17, Stoli in five, and Absolut in one.
VinePair |
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Campari is launching Sarti Rosa, a pink aperitivo flavored with mango, passionfruit and blood orange, in the US, calling it the company's largest investment to date, CNN reports. Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, the largest US distributor, ranks it among its most successful debuts, and Campari's aperitif category including Sarti climbed nearly 9% globally in the first half of the year while overall aperitif sales rose 4%.
Newser |
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Jefferies analysts Edward Mundy and Sebastian Hickman expect AB InBev to post a 16 percent rise in earnings per share to $1.15 when the brewer reports third-quarter results on October 29, with revenue up 3.8 percent despite a 0.6 percent drop in volumes and EBITDA up 4.0 percent. The bank repeated its buy rating with an 86.00 euro price target; the shares closed Monday in Brussels at 67.56 euros.
De Aandeelhouder |
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Come Over October, the wine-industry campaign now in its third year, has grown beyond the U.S. into Canada and New Zealand. Kroger and Albertsons are activating the campaign at U.S. retail this fall.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Japan is set to unify its liquor taxes, and beer-makers are preparing for the shift. Beer and related products are currently split into three categories based on malt content, with beer carrying the highest tax rate.
The Japan Times |
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New Belgium's chief marketing officer told Brewbound that winning brands don't blame consumers for leaving or fret over industry-decline headlines, but instead evolve to meet new consumer realities.
Brewbound |
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Sierra Nevada has formalized Hidden Scroll, a higher-priced "brand family" whose cans use art-forward white matte labels and drop the company's signature gold scroll, aiming to compete with small hype breweries; the line builds on West Ghost IPA, which moved from taproom-only to national distribution in early 2026, with West Coast Pilsner Boat Plane and double IPA Lava Lamp among candidates for 4-pack distribution in 2027. The brewery, whose portfolio grew 1.9 percent in dollars year-to-date through September 6 per Circana, is separately launching Crafted By Sierra Nevada, covering agave hard seltzer Agua Azul and radler Shred, now in test markets.
VinePair |
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Mixer producers need to find opportunities outside of spirits, said Steve Cooper, founding director at The Artisan Drinks Co. "Mixer brands have got to stop thinking like we're tonics for gin. There's such a bigger opportunity out there," Cooper said.
Just Drinks |
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Michelob Ultra has become the official beer sponsor of the NHL. Separately, Paramount committed to releasing at least 30 films into theaters across 2027 and 2028.
Portada Online |
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A Forbes piece uses the tequila sector to examine political risk in Mexico, drawing on Ted Genoways's book about Jose Cuervo to argue that many of the historical issues he documented remain present in Jalisco and Mexico more broadly today.
Forbes |
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Rising fuel costs tied to the Iran war are pushing up Heineken's brewing costs in Asia, where the brewer depends more on Middle East oil and holds smaller reserves, Asia-Pacific President Jacco van der Linden told Bloomberg TV. He said the company is passing about 70% to 80% of inflation on to consumers and covering the rest through productivity; Heineken's second-quarter volumes rose 13% in Asia-Pacific and 3.5% in Africa and the Middle East, while falling 4.1% in the Americas.
Moneycontrol |
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Wildfires largely spared Bordeaux's vineyards, but Food & Wine reports that smoke can travel well beyond the flames and leave compounds behind in grapes. Experts weigh what that could mean for the region's 2026 vintage.
Food & Wine |
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Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya has kept Anchor Brewing idle since buying the shuttered Potrero Hill brewer for an estimated $50 million in May 2024, with a third Christmas now set to pass and no beer produced, an SF Standard opinion piece reports. The city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development said it last heard from Ulukaya's team in June, when they reported ongoing diligence at the 2.17-acre site but offered no reopening timetable.
sfstandard.com |
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A Wine Industry Advisor opinion piece argues that the anti-alcohol contingent understands the impact of language, down to the change of a single word.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Bero co-founder and CEO John Herman told Global Drinks Intel that US non-alcoholic beer on-premise sales are growing 45% this year, versus high-single to low-double digits off-premise, and said a celebrity tie-in without credibility or quality will fail. Herman, who co-founded the roughly two-year-old alcohol-free brand with actor Tom Holland, said Bero is in about 1,300 UK locations and is pushing to build its on-trade business in the US, where the off-trade still leads.
Drinks Intel |
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OSCA (One Stop Credit App), a technology platform built for the beverage industry, launched September 28, aiming to streamline credit account applications for restaurants and bars across the wine and spirits industry.
BevNET |
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30BestBarsIndia, working with The Outlier, put out the fourth edition of its What India Is Drinking report, which maps consumer brand preferences at the country's leading bars. The survey drew on 155 bars across 18 cities, with participation from bar owners, head bartenders, and beverage leads rising 24% over the prior year.
Deccan Chronicle |
