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Wine Industry Advisor weighs in on a California investigation into Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, arguing the wholesaler has grown too large for current alcohol regulation to effectively oversee.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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The American Craft Spirits Association's annual Craft Spirits Data Project found that craft-distillery closures outpaced openings for the first time in 2025. CEO Emily Pennington told Global Drinks Intel she does not see the closure rate slowing "until we have some sort of macro change," pointing to RNDC's collapse, distributors narrowing to their biggest brands, and consumers moderating their habits.
Drinks Intel |
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Carlsberg Britvic plans to close Marston's Brewery and its primary logistics operation in Burton upon Trent in summer 2027, putting 303 jobs at risk, citing structural decline in the ale category and UK cask ale volumes that have more than halved in under a decade. The company will keep Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn but is seeking new owners for other cask and regional ale brands.
The Caterer |
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California wineries carrying an oversupply of premium wines are increasingly selling to major retailers at a fraction of their usual price, with some bottles going for as little as $10, per KTLA.
KTLA |
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Prepared cocktails returned to year-over-year volume growth in the latest four weeks, with accelerated gains in NIQ's most recent off-premise report, despite a reported slowdown in category growth in Q3.
Brewbound |
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Heaven Hill Brands has agreed to sell Irish Mist liqueur to Dublin-based The Old Canal Quay Spirits Co for an undisclosed sum, less than a decade after buying it alongside Carolans from Campari Group for US$165m in July 2017. Old Canal Quay, which started operations in April 2024, counts ex-Diageo and Proximo Spirits executive David Phelan and Shed Distillery founder Patrick Rigney among its principals.
Drinks Intel |
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Japan's antitrust watchdog is investigating the country's four top brewers, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, over suspected price fixing, per Nikkei Asia. The four together control more than 90% of Japan's market for beer and similar beverages.
Nikkei Asia |
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More than 115 drivers and warehouse workers at Southern Glazer's facilities across Oklahoma voted for representation with Teamsters Local 516. The vote followed Southern Glazer's taking full ownership of its Oklahoma operations, and the union says workers prevailed despite a management union-busting campaign as they seek better pay, seniority, and overtime terms in a first contract.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters |
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The Scotch Whisky Association has appealed the UK government's decision to grant protected geographical indication status to English whisky, which was awarded on September 11 under Defra's UK Spirit Drinks Geographical Indications Scheme. The SWA, joined by the Irish and Welsh whisky associations, objects that the framework lets single malt English whisky be mashed and fermented away from the distillery; Defra has until November 5 to respond.
Drinks Intel |
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Maspex Group has hired Miami-based importer The Brand Collective as US importer and marketer for its Polish vodka Żubrówka, which it bought from Roust Corp four years ago. The Bison Grass and Biala expressions get a renewed push across 37 unnamed states in the coming weeks.
Drinks Intel |
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PepsiCo now expects core earnings per share to rise 1-2% this year, down from a prior forecast at the low end of 4-6%, citing margin pressure in its North America business. CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will pursue "structural cost reduction actions" cutting redundancies and discretionary spending in the coming months, as third-quarter net revenue rose 5.6% to $25.7bn.
Just Drinks |
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Carlsberg Britvic plans to shut Marston's Brewery and its main logistics operation in Burton-upon-Trent next summer, affecting about 310 employees, citing UK cask ale volumes that have fallen more than half in under a decade. Priority brands including Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn will stay in the lineup, though it is unclear where they will be brewed, and some smaller brands may be sold to specialist or local brewers.
news.ssbcrack |
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SFGATE reports that California's wine industry is struggling, framing a family-run business founded in 1990 and based in the northern San Joaquin Valley, mostly in and around Ripon, Clarksburg and Lodi, which has been recognized for helping bring sustainability practices to the region.
SFGATE |
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California Congressman James Gallagher urged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a letter released October 8, to prioritize trade negotiations with India and Vietnam and restore market access in Canada for American wine, while reviewing federal rules he says disadvantage domestic grape growers. He flagged TTB labeling standards that let wine labeled "American" contain up to 25 percent undisclosed foreign-grown product, plus duty drawback provisions and customs treatment of Canadian bulk imports; Natalie Collins of the California Association of Winegrape Growers backed the call.
indica News |
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Wine Industry Advisor looks at why wine companies facing the same industry pressures are landing in different places, with some succeeding and others failing in what it calls the era of super AI.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Proximo Spirits is closing its Great Jones Distilling Co. visitor center in Manhattan's NoHo, five years after it opened in 2021, with a WARN notice filed October 2 listing 26 permanent layoffs effective December 7 for "economic" reasons. Great Jones and Black Dirt Distillery products remain available online and at select retailers, with the whiskey distilled and aged at Proximo's Black Dirt craft distillery in upstate New York.
Yahoo |
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Provi, the online marketplace linking beverage alcohol suppliers with retailers and bars, reported 21% growth in aguardiente from 2024 to 2025, with Colombian "guaro" drawing the most interest, driven by on-premise accounts over retail. New York City engagement jumped 277.8% this year, while sales and menu placements are growing most in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.
Yahoo |
