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India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is investigating whether Pernod Ricard and Diageo wrongly classified bulk Scotch whisky concentrate imports to claim the reduced 75 percent customs duty, down from 150 percent, that took effect July 15 under the India-UK trade pact, which the tax department says was meant only for bottled and eligible retail lines. Officials questioned executives at Pernod Ricard's offices near New Delhi on Thursday and searched Diageo's United Spirits locations on Friday; both companies pledged full cooperation, and no formal findings have been announced.
The420.in |
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The District Court of Amsterdam ordered Heineken to pay EUR111m (US$124.6m) on October 21, tying the group to a 2015 Hellenic Competition Commission ruling that found its Athenian Brewery unit had abused its position in Greece's beer market to the detriment of rival Macedonian Thrace Brewery. Heineken said it will appeal, arguing the damages assessment rests on assumptions about MTB's sales, pricing and profitability in a hypothetical market scenario.
Drinks Intel |
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Napa-based importer Quintessential has signed U.S. agreements with Chile's Montes and Argentina's Kaiken, taking on wines including Montes Alpha M, Purple Angel and Kaiken's flagship Mai Malbec. The Montes deal is effective November 1, 2026 and Kaiken January 1, 2027, adding to a South American lineup that already includes Pascual Toso, Bodegas Bianchi, Seña, Vinedo Chadwick and Matetic Vineyards.
Shanken News Daily |
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At its first AGM under CEO Sam Fischer, Treasury Wine Estates confirmed about $50 million in proceeds from selling Seppelt, Rosemount and vineyards, with further divestments expected to be signed by the end of the first half of F27. In the US, TWE is cutting grower intake, fallowing vineyards and reducing winemaking capacity to address what Fischer called "structural misalignment," while a strategic review of the Americas business runs through this financial year.
Food & Drink Business |
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A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington dismissed a class action on Friday that accused Costco and its Kirkland Signature label of fraudulently marketing tequila as "100% de agave." Filed by Hagens Berman in November last year with 14 plaintiffs, the suit relied on SNIF-NMR testing; Costco countered with product tests conducted in Mexico and cited prior cases where judges found SNIF-NMR insufficient to disprove the claim.
VinePair |
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Attorneys at Adams & Reese write that the U.S. alcohol industry, long seen as recession-resistant, is facing a convergence of headwinds that should push producers, distributors and retailers to assess their financial positions. They lay out options including out-of-court restructuring, bankruptcy protection and strategic transactions.
Law360 |
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The Amsterdam District Court ordered Heineken to pay 111.2 million euros in damages to Macedonian Thrace Brewery, maker of Vergina beer, holding it responsible as parent of subsidiary Athenian Brewery, which Greece's competition authority found had abused its dominant market position since 1998. The figure covers 43.3 million euros in lost profits over 16 years plus 67.9 million euros in interest; Heineken will appeal, arguing the damages calculation relies partly on hypothetical assumptions about MTB's revenue and profitability.
NL Times |
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Jefferies left its ratings unchanged on several beer-related stocks after the National Beer Wholesalers Association's annual convention, where distributors reported a 4% drop in volumes and described a market still under pressure.
Vinetur |
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California growers removed more than 19,000 hectares (roughly 47,000 acres) of vineyards in a single year, per Vinetur. Weak demand and oversupply drove the correction.
Vinetur |
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A coalition of political factions in Europe rejected WHO-inspired cancer-warning labels for alcohol, per Wine Industry Advisor.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Chilean wine group Viña Concha y Toro is open to further M&A in the "near term," corporate affairs director Patricio Poblete told journalists, with any purchases targeting established wine brands that complement its portfolio rather than vineyards alone. The Casillero del Diablo owner took a majority stake in France's Maison Mirabeau in February and bought 1,000 hectares in the Colchagua Valley from Santa Rita this year, bringing its total vineyard land to 13,000 hectares globally.
Drinks Intel |
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Crazy Mountain has picked up Target distribution and Crowns & Hops is now pouring at the Intuit Dome, among distribution moves reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter for October 19-21. Ska Brewing was also among the breweries with distribution news.
Brewbound |
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Carlsberg A/S is preparing to publicly file for an IPO of Carlsberg India that could raise as much as $700 million, with a public filing possible this week, investor roadshows next week, and a launch as early as December, Bloomberg reported. The offering is expected to be entirely a secondary share sale by the Danish brewer, which entered India in 2007 and holds about a 22% share as the country's second-largest brewer; Kotak Mahindra Capital, JPMorgan and Citigroup are working on the deal.
Mint |
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India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence searched the Indian units of Diageo and Pernod Ricard in recent days, with Reuters sources linking the visits to concerns that bulk scotch whisky imports are being wrongly classified for duty. Diageo India confirmed a search began at multiple locations on 16 October as part of an industry-wide exercise, and both companies said they are cooperating fully with the authorities.
Drinks Intel |
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Tilray reported record revenue for its fiscal first quarter, led by a sharp rise in beverage sales helped by the acquisition of Scottish brewer BrewDog, which the company said was profitable in the quarter. Cannabis revenue fell on declines in Canadian adult-use, medical and wholesale sales, while international cannabis grew; Tilray's Carlsberg partnership to produce and distribute brands in the U.S. begins early next year.
Kalkine Media |
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A June 2026 document reviewed by Brussels Signal shows AB InBev and joint-venture partner Efes told the Russian-appointed administrator of their Russian operations that neither is seeking to transfer its interests and both are committed to long-term ownership, contradicting AB InBev's April 2022 pledge to sell its 50 percent stake. The companies also asked for management control to be returned to them; the venture paid more than €1 billion in taxes to the Russian state in 2025, per a Forbes report.
brusselssignal |
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Florida's Tripping Animals Brewing has secured TTB label approval to produce three beer brands from Grand Theft Auto 6: Pißwasser, Patriot, and Vice City, bringing Rockstar Games' fictional labels to market.
ShiftDelete.Net Global |
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William Grant & Sons is tying its single malts to cultural and sports events to reach new drinkers, with Glenfiddich and The Balvenie ranking third and fourth in the U.S. single malt market at 180,000 and 95,000 cases in 2025. Through July, Glenfiddich grew 4% in control states while The Balvenie was flat; recent efforts include Glenfiddich's Aston Martin Formula 1 partnership and The Balvenie's tie-ins with designer Samuel Ross at Milan Design Week and artist Daniel Arsham's 1931 Collection.
Shanken News Daily |
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Brewbound's Press Clips roundup from October 19-21 covered the Stone Brewing founders revealing the name of their new restaurant and Suarez Family Brewery changing its operating model, along with items from Arlington Brewing and Shiner.
Brewbound |
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Investigators in Ken Mattson's bankruptcy case have opened a new line of inquiry into a series of multimillion-dollar real estate transactions in Del Mar. The deals have become a focal point over suspicions Mattson orchestrated them.
winebusiness |
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LVMH has acquired 1.3 hectares of vineyards in the Côte-d'Or for €15.5 million, per winebusiness.
winebusiness |
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Wine Institute has secured a $500,000 grant to launch Project One Voice, a collaborative effort to build consumer demand for California wine. The initiative brings wineries and industry partners together around shared messaging, storytelling and consumer engagement.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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González Byass USA is now the U.S. importer for Villa Marcello, adding the Veneto estate's vintage, estate-grown Prosecco to its Italian portfolio.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Diageo has launched "Bring on the Baileys," a year-round global platform for its cream liqueur timed to the holiday season, starting with two short-form spots, 'Earrings' and 'Skater,' rolling out across US social and digital channels later this month before reaching Australia, the Netherlands and the UK next month. The campaign also includes out-of-home, radio and limited-edition holiday SKUs such as 5cl bottles with attached candy canes, bottle bows and a cocktail glass box set.
Drinks Intel |
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An Italian winery has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a trademark infringement win it secured in New York federal court, only to have the Second Circuit overturn it. The winery argues the appeals court got the justices' standard for trademark preclusion wrong.
Law360 |
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Liqueur owners are moving into RTDs to reach new occasions and younger drinkers as the spritz trend lifts the category: Stock Spirits Group extended its Limoncè range with a bottled spritz RTD in April (alongside Limoncè Originale at 25% ABV and Limoncè Aperitivo at 14.8%), and Pallini now makes its limoncello spritz in a 25cl can. IWSR data cited by Drinks Intel show CAGR volume declines in three of Europe's top five liqueur markets (Poland, Spain and Germany) between 2019 and 2025, with the UK and France posting only minimal gains.
Drinks Intel |
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Boston Beer Company leaders and Brewers Association president and CEO Bart Watson discussed craft beer's current slump and how innovation might reverse it, framing RTDs as a "Trojan horse" to win over drinkers, Brewbound reported.
Brewbound |
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Scotland-based Whitebox Cocktails is entering 12 US states through importer Lighthouse Brands, adding the country to the eight international markets it already sells in, including Canada, the Netherlands and the UAE. The RTD maker, set up in 2021, is shipping products such as its Spicy Marg and Pocket Negroni from its Edinburgh facility, each a 100ml format priced at $4.99.
Just Drinks |
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Investment in food, beverage and CPG rebounded in Q3 2026, according to Northhall's October report, which flagged shifts in deal size, funding distribution and investor activity beneath the topline growth figures.
BevNET |
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Co-founder David DeFazio bought back Wyoming Whiskey in June 2026 when Edrington, which had built its stake to 80%, sold all of its shares; the remaining 20% stays with founders Brad and Kate Mead. DeFazio plans to pull distribution back to core Western states plus New York and Texas after RNDC's bankruptcy, raise the flagship Small Batch age statement from five to six years within about a year, and bring back master blender Nancy Fraley.
The Spirits Business |
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Washington's farmed vineyard acreage has dropped from about 60,000 to 35,000 over the past two years, per the Washington State Wine Commission, with hop farms seeing similar declines and some breweries closing as drinking habits shift and tariffs weigh on business. Deputy director Chris Stone said Canada, once the state's top wine export market, "is literally gone," while wines priced $50 and above are performing well and the $10 to $15 range has been hit hardest; brewers are leaning into low-ABV and NA beers in the 3 to 4% range.
KUOW |
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Archie Rose Distilling, the Sydney maker co-owned by actor Chris Hemsworth, brought three core whiskies to the US on October 23 across eight states: Straight Rye Malt ($49.99), Single Malt Australian ($59.99), and Australian Original ($39.99), with Reserve Bar as e-commerce partner and distribution through Reyes Beverage Group in California, Texas and Florida, plus Manhattan Beer, Fedway Associates, Best Brands and others. The launch pairs a redesigned core range and a global campaign produced by and starring Chris and Luke Hemsworth, with rollouts also in Singapore and New Zealand.
The Spirits Business |
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A free trade agreement will cut India's tariffs on New Zealand wine from 150% to as low as 25%, with the reductions phased in over 10 years. The deal opens access to one of the world's most protected wine markets.
Vinetur |
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Moët & Chandon remained the world's most valuable wine brand in 2026, according to Brand Finance, which named Veuve Clicquot the fastest-growing brand as champagne held up despite weaker global wine consumption.
Vinetur |
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First Growth Technologies, publisher of The Wine Market Journal and Spirits Market Journal, says U.S. auction results show rare wine values gaining about 6% year-to-date in 2026 while rare spirits dropped nearly 20%, breaking from the two markets' historical pattern of moving together. The firm's Benchmark Wine Group in Napa posted its strongest four quarters in its 24-year history, up about 14% from the prior year, while spirits sales at Benchmark Wine & Spirits in Washington DC were weaker.
Markets Insider |
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Europe's 2026 winegrape harvest is finishing earlier than usual across key producing countries, per an October report from Vinetur. The bulk wine market is opening under pressure from weak demand and ample supply.
Vinetur |
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Gary Vaynerchuk posted a manifesto titled "The Wine Business Needs to Wake Up" on LinkedIn Monday, which Fingers critiques as part polemic, part lead magnet. Vaynerchuk, who built his profile reviewing wines on YouTube, now runs a discounting brokerage sideline called Wine Texts.
Fingers |
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Absolut Vodka has signed musician Charli XCX to a two-year partnership that will include limited-edition drops, collectable items, custom glassware and fan events, though specifics have not been confirmed. The Pernod Ricard brand follows rival celebrity tie-ups including Diageo's multi-year Johnnie Walker deal with Sabrina Carpenter and Bacardi's St-Germain partnership with Sophie Turner.
The Spirits Business |
