|
|
Treasury Wine Estates, owner of Penfolds, has made 170 roles redundant as part of an operational and regional restructure that CEO Sam Fischer says will help prepare the business.
The Australian |
|
|
For the first time, more U.S. craft distilleries shut down than opened, according to the 2026 Craft Spirits Data Project from the American Craft Spirits Association and Park Street. The report, released today, also shows craft spirits volume down 8%.
Brewbound |
|
|
|
|
India's John Distilleries passed Rs 10,000 crore in revenue for FY26, with Sazerac becoming the majority shareholder in a shift of the company's ownership.
ET Retail |
|
|
Beer wholesalers including Reyes, Quality Brands, Columbia, Morales, and Manhattan Beer picked up markets from RNDC after its divestiture and bankruptcy; Reyes took 11 markets worth more than $5 billion in revenue last year, making its Reyes Beverage Group Spirits and Wine the No. 3 U.S. wine and spirits wholesaler behind Southern Glazer's and Breakthru. Southern Glazer's, whose beer revenues top $1 billion annually, is dropping "Wine & Spirits" from its name in early 2027 after buying beer operations in New York and Colorado, while Martignetti agreed last month to acquire Massachusetts distributor Girardi, its third beer expansion in the state in recent years.
Shanken News Daily |
|
|
|
|
Japan's Fair Trade Commission raided Asahi Breweries, Kirin Brewery, Sapporo Breweries and Suntory, the four firms that make up about 90 percent of Japan's beer market, over suspected collusion on wholesale beer prices over the past several years. All four confirmed the inspections and pledged to cooperate; the companies had cited rising raw material and logistics costs for their repeated price increases.
Malay Mail |
|
|
US spirits dollar sales in the 18 control-state territories tracked by NABCA dropped 5.5% to $1.06bn in August, with volumes down 3% to 5.1 million nine-litre cases. Cocktails, led by canned RTDs, were one of the few gainers, up 8.4% to $50.7m, while US whiskey fell 6.8%, Canadian whisky nearly 15%, and Scotch 9.7%; TD Cowen's Seamus Cassidy said Diageo lost 101 basis points of market share and Sazerac gained 17.
Just Drinks |
|
|
|
|
Western Cape wine exports to the US dropped 38% to R371.5m in the 12 months to July, part of a 41% overall slide in the province's US-bound merchandise from R16.89bn to R10.02bn, per figures from the Premier's Office citing SARS and Quantec. Wine shipments to the rest of Africa rose 19%, or R184m, over the same period, though the province said those gains have not yet replaced the US losses.
Cape Times |
|
|
Non-carbonated hard sports drinks may resemble Gatorade, Powerade and Body Armor in look and taste, but they cannot make health-related claims or even call themselves sports drinks, McDermott, Will & Schulte partner Alva Mather told a recent webinar.
Brewbound |
|
|
Accelerated beer declines and a slowdown in ready-to-drink cocktail sales drove a steeper Q3 downturn in off-premise scans, according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana.
Brewbound |
|
|
TKC Distilling, parent of The Kentucky Castle and True Story Whiskey, terminated CEO Wes Henderson effective immediately on October 4 after relatives filed a sealed Kentucky lawsuit in June accusing him of secretly filming 40 people, including nude underage relatives, at the venue and other sites. Henderson, who co-founded Angel's Envy before its 2015 sale to Bacardi, denies the allegations and expects the complaint to be dismissed; his attorney said he is prepared to defend himself, chief operating officer Kyle Henderson takes over as CEO, and a federal probe has been launched though no charges have been filed.
Just Drinks |
|
|
Heaven Hill Brands has agreed to sell Irish Mist Liqueur to Dublin-based The Old Canal Quay Spirits Company, a privately held business founded in 2024 and led by CEO David Phelan; terms were not disclosed. The deal covers Zilorto Limited, the Heaven Hill Ireland subsidiary that owns the brand, which Heaven Hill picked up in 2017 along with Carolans in a $165 million deal.
The Spirits Business |
|
|
Beverage program operators are contending with rising costs from tariffs, supply chain issues, and inflation, alongside disrupted product supply following the collapse of Republic National Distributing Company over the past year. Wine Industry Advisor spoke with professionals about how they are adjusting their programs to cope.
Wine Industry Advisor |
|
|
U.S. beer supply fell 1% year-over-year in August, an improvement the Beer Institute attributed to a rebound in imports.
Brewbound |
|
|
Anora Group finalised an agreement on 5 October to become the exclusive distributor of Bacardi's portfolio, including Bacardí rum, Bombay Sapphire gin and Grey Goose vodka, across Sweden and Norway, running through the end of the first quarter of 2031 and covering all sales channels except ready-to-drink beverages in Norway. The company expects the deal to generate roughly €25m to €30m in annualised net sales.
Just Drinks |
|
|
Constellation Brands led a $20.8m Series B round for functional non-alcoholic beverage maker Hiyo, backing the "social tonic" brand again after taking a minority stake through its venture-capital arm in February 2025.
Just Drinks |
|
|
Scotch distiller GlenWyvis has appointed administrators from Interpath, which said the society faced "a prolonged period of financial pressure."
Just Drinks |
|
|
|
|
Oregon wine grape production fell 25% in 2025 and sales dropped 16%, with 110 vineyards and wineries closing and exports to Canada down 83% after Canadian liquor boards pulled U.S. wines in response to tariffs. Craft beer production declined more than 5% nationally last year per the Brewers Association, though the Oregon Brewers Guild says the state has avoided the steeper drop-off seen elsewhere.
Oregon Public Broadcasting |
|
|
Santé raised a $15 million Series A led by FINTOP, with returning investors Bonfire Ventures, Operator Collective, Y Combinator, and Veridical Ventures, six months after its $7.6 million seed round. The fintech and AI platform says it now serves nearly 1,000 wine and liquor retailers processing $2 billion in annual GMV, and is adding autonomous AI tools for tasks including ordering, marketing, SEO, and employee scheduling.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
|
|
Napa Valley winegrowers and wineries have pledged $2.5 million to fund Phase One of the Grapevine Red Blotch Virus Research Initiative, a public-private collaboration backing a three-year, multi-institution research program on the GRBV threat to vine performance and wine quality. Working with the American Vineyard Foundation as fiscal agent, the initiative plans to issue its first competitive calls for proposals in January 2027 and make initial funding decisions in spring 2027.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
|
|
Buffalo Trace has completed the $1.2 billion expansion it began in 2015, lifting production capacity by almost 150%, from roughly 200,000 barrels a year to an estimated 500,000, through new buildings, 20 fermenters, and 19 ageing warehouses. The Frankfort, Kentucky distillery filled its nine millionth barrel since Prohibition in August 2025, less than three years after its eighth million and seven years after its seventh.
The Spirits Business |
|
|
A CSNews report identifies five trends shaping alcoholic beverages, finding that no-, low- and functional drinks are increasingly complementing traditional beverage alcohol rather than replacing it. The report says that opens up expanded drinking occasions.
CSNews |
|
|
A Drinks Intel commentary points to packaging and format as the next innovation front, citing Diageo's July "Small Bottles Made for Big Plans" push that gave 20cl and smaller formats more visibility across 230-plus Asda stores in the UK, with Tesco and Sainsbury's to follow. It notes individual small-format alcoholic drinks are now a $670m business in the US and grew 16% last year, per NIQ, while Gallo's 20cl Tetra packs have become its fastest-growing size by dollar sales growth.
Drinks Intel |
|
|
Caribbean rum producers are repurposing vinasse, the acidic, nutrient-rich distillation byproduct the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers' Association calls "the central environmental challenge for cane spirits production," into biofertiliser and biogas, per WIRSPA's inaugural sustainability report. Edrington's Brugal distillery in the Dominican Republic expects to repurpose almost all its vinasse as biofertiliser this year and runs two anaerobic treatment plants supplying more than 50% of steam demand, while Campari's J Wray & Nephew spent $65m on a dunder-treatment plant at Jamaica's New Yarmouth Distillery in 2024.
Drinks Intel |
