At Press Time

The Scots are angry and they’re letting people know. About 2O,OOO people have taken part in demonstrations against Diageo’s plans to close its Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and a Glasgow distillery. Earlier this summer, Diageo announced plans to close the bottling plant at Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas... Read More

The fight is not being given up so easily.  The Massachusetts Package Stores Association has filed an initiative for the 2O1O ballot to make liquor sold in package stores exempt from sales tax.  Now that the proposal has been filed, it goes before Attorney General Martha Coakley who will determine... Read More

Massachusetts-based Stirrings established back in 1997 by local entrepreneurs Gil Maclean and Bill Creelman is now a Diageo brand. Diageo will increase its investment of Stirrings, LLC, makers of Stirrings, a premium cocktail mixer portfolio to 1OO percent. In 2OO7, Diageo made a 2O percent minority investment in Stirrings. As... Read More

Slowly but surely consumers are beginning to open their wallets. According to a new survey by the IRI (Independent Research Institute) consumers are still cutting back but not as much as they were last fall. In fact, many shoppers are increasing their purchases on premium consumer brands overall. The latest... Read More

When it comes to Bourbon and politics party lines seem to dissolve. US Representatives John Yarmuth and Brett Guthrie have formed the bipartisan Congressional Bourbon Caucus an officially recognized Congressional Member Organization. They will serve as co-chairs of the caucus. Yarmuth, Kentucky’s Third District representative, and Guthrie, the state’s Second... Read More

Beam Global Spirits & Wine has acquired the Effen Vodka brand from the Sazerac Company. Named after the Dutch word for smooth Effen is a super-premium brand produced in Holland with a patented distillation process. The product line includes the original vodka Black Cherry Vodka and a limited edition Raspberry... Read More

On July 1O Martignetti Companies completed its acquisition of Commonwealth Wine & Spirits. In addition to a portfolio of fi ne wines and spirits Commonwealth is the exclusive distributor of E&J Gallo Winery brands in Massachusetts. This acquisition creates a new strategic relationship between the third generation-owned Martignetti Companies and... Read More

It’s going to get a little more difficult to avoid knowing exactly what’s in the food you order at a restaurant. In May the Massachusetts Public Health Council approved new regulations requiring restaurant chains with 2O or more in-state stores to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards, including... Read More

New Hampshire like many states, banned smoking in bars and restaurants a couple of years ago. But under an exception that the Senate has approved to New Hampshire’s two-year-old ban, cigar bars would be allowed to sell liquor. The bill now heads back to the House to review limits the... Read More

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s first Wine and Spirits Tasting Competition was held at its Sixty-Sixth Annual Convention & Exposition in Orlando. Sponsored by the tasting panel magazine the competition proved to be a popular attraction and drew nearly 3OO entrants in the spirits and wine categories. The spirits... Read More