FORMER PATRÓN EXECS BACK FOR ROUND 2
After a hiatus of a few years, John Paul DeJoria is back in the spirits game and part of a new venture called Round 2 Spirits. DeJoria, the founder of Patrón Tequila will be joined by a crew of former colleagues including Ed Brown, who was CEO of Patrón Spirits for... Read More
UNCLE NEAREST HBCU OLD FASHIONED CHALLENGE
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has launched its second annual HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, a nationwide initiative to raise funds for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This year’s challenge will see the company work to raise $1.4 million, amounting to one full in-state tuition scholarship per accredited HBCU. The Uncle Nearest Old Fashioned Challenge launched on Martin... Read More
DISCUS & THE TASTING ALLIANCE FORGE PARTNERSHIP
The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) has announced a new partnership with The Tasting Alliance, a leader in global spirits and wine competitions, that will open the door to the world of spirits competitions and benefits DISCUS members. Through this collaboration, DISCUS members will receive a 10% discount... Read More
BERT “TITO” BEVERIDGE NAMED RAY HERRMANN H.E.R.O. AWARD RECIPIENT
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) has announced that Bert “Tito” Beveridge, Founder of Tito’s Handmade Vodka will receive the 2024 Ray Herrmann H.E.R.O. Award at Access LIVE in Vegas January 29-February 1. Tito was chosen by the selection committee for the qualities that make him a H.E.R.O. (Humanitarian,... Read More
Beam Suntory to sell Courvoisier
It’s the end of an era for Beam Suntory. The drinks company will exit the Cognac category with the sale of Courvoisier to Campari Group for $1.2 billion. Campari said the agreement is the largest in the group’s history and would include full ownership of the brand and its operations... Read More
SLÁINTE TO IRISH WHISKEY
Irish whiskey makers have plenty to raise a glass to these days. The category continues to experience steady growth globally, thanks to new international markets, a heightened focus on luxury, and the category’s ability to innovate. In 2022, the value of Irish whiskey exports surpassed $1.07 billion for the first... Read More
Martignetti Completes Acquisition of Quality Beverage
Martignetti Companies has completed the acquisition of Quality Beverage, L.P. Quality Beverage is a distributor of beer and alternative beverages in Massachusetts, representing the Anheuser-Busch portfolio in addition to a variety of other domestic and imported brands including Yuengling, Wormtown, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Harpoon, Liquid Death and Beatbox. Previously... Read More
TOP 1O BEST SELLING COCKTAILS
When it comes to cocktails, everything old is new again. DRINKS INTERNATIONAL (DI) has released its annual list of the world’s best-selling classic cocktails in its January issue and the list is dominated by classics. DI asked bartenders from 127 of the best bars in 38 countries around the world... Read More
BOGUS BOURBON BARRELS
As if fake Scotch wasn’t bad enough, the recent holiday season saw an online company scamming customers out of bourbon barrels from Lexington, Kentucky. The state’s Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a Scam Alert in December for the website OakWoodBarrels.com. The website claimed that The Oak Wood Barrel Co. sold... Read More
FAKE SCOTCHES ABOUND
While counterfeit wine is a massive concern for the industry, fake high end spirits are becoming equally problematic. Case in point: More than a third of vintage Scotch whiskies tested recently at a specialist laboratory were found to be fake. Twenty-one out of 55 bottles of rare Scotch were deemed... Read More