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OBITUARY – PARKER BEAM, 75

Heaven Hill Master Distiller Emeritus Parker Beam passed away on January 8. He had been battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, since 2O13. Beam began working at Heaven Hill in 196O, where he was trained by his father, Earl, the distillery’s previous Master Distiller. He earned the title himself in...
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THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

THERESA McCULLA has been appointed as historian to oversee the museum’s American Brewing History Initiative. The three-year brewing initiative is part of the Smithsonian Food History program and was created in 2O16 to collect, document and preserve the history of brewing, craft brewers and the beer industry and explore how...
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THE BREWERS ASSOCIATION

NEIL WITTE has been appointed to the role of quality ambassador. In his new job he will work to promote the vision of the BA Quality subcommittee to, “develop a membership that consistently produces beer of high quality”. He began his career in the Kansas City brewpub industry, moving to...
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CONSTELLATION BRANDS

BILL NEWLANDS has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, a new position within the company. He joined Constellation in 2O15 as Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer and currently serves as president of the Wine & Spirits Division. In his new role, Newlands will oversee the Beer...
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ROYAL BUBBLY

IN CASE YOU’VE BEEN living under a rock . . . British bubbly is a big deal. It’s so big that even the Queen of England has latched onto the craze by producing 3OOO bottles of sparkling wine from vines grown on her estate. Don’t get out your credit card...
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CAMERON HUGHES WINE SOLD

PERHAPS IT WAS SIMPLY a case of too much growth too fast. Cameron Hughes Wines was sold in January by a bankruptcy court receiver to Vintage Wine Estates. Hughes was quickly successful more than a decade ago when he began offering low priced wines from prestigious regions packaged under his...
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SINGIN’ THE BLUE WINE BLUES

IT’S GENERATED QUITE a buzz with the Millennial set and been highly visible throughout all social media outlets but Spanish authorities have told the makers of Gik “blue wine” that they can no longer label it as wine. Gik has sold close to 1OO,OOO bottles in 25 countries, but a...
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McManis Family Vineyards

by Harvey Finkel WE DON’T THINK about it much, but the family farmer has been historically, and even to some extent currently, the producer of our wines.  Over the last 2O years I had periodically noted in passing one of these, though larger that the postage-stamp properties of yore, producing...
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The Flowering of Irish Whiskey

by LEW BRYSON AFTER YEARS of being a two brand market, Irish whiskey’s growth has attracted other players to the game. First there was Cooley, with their TYRCONNELL and KILBEGGAN brands. Then TULLAMORE DEW returned, back in America after years away. When Cooley was sold to Beam, the sons of...
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IRISH WHISKEY WOMEN

by Pink Lady IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, when everyone is Irish for at least an evening and your favorite pub will be likely overrun with happy strangers downing pints of Guinness, Irish car bombs, and shot after shot of Jameson.  Should you find yourself declaring “Erin Go Bragh”...
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