BROCKMANS GIN
LISA PANTELEAKOS has been appointed to the newly created position of National Field Director. Under this new structure she’ll work with Brockmans’ senior management and US market managers. Previously, Panteleakos was the company’s market manager for Connecticut and Rhode Island.
FREDERICK WILDMAN AND SONS
MARC HIRTEN has been named the new President and COO of Frederick Wildman and Sons. Prior to this he was with William Grant & Sons where he was General Manager of Commercial Strategy. He has held positions previously with Moët-Hennessy and Diageo that have spanned across general management, strategy, sales... Read More
BEAM SUNTORY
ALBERT BALADI has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer and President of the Americas region for the drinks company. He succeeds TIM HASSETT who is leaving to run a startup business outside of the spirits industry. In his new role, Baladi will oversee Beam’s global commercial operations, as well as... Read More
OLD FORESTER
JUAN MERIZALDE CARRILLO has been appointed Distillery Manager for the Old Forester Distillery. Carrillo’s whisky career began in the Brown-Forman research and development lab in 2OO7. Since then he’s worked in quality, operations and corporate engineering as well as management positions at Jack Daniel Distillery.
ANCHOR DISTILLING
There are several new additions to the executive team at Anchor Distilling. GREGORY FITCH, formerly Vice President of East Coast Sales, has been appointed as Chief Sales Officer, and MORGAN ROBBAT, who was Vice President of Marketing is now Chief Marketing Officer. In addition, SHANNON TRACY has been hired as... Read More
CLOWN SHOES ACQUIRED BY HARPOON
MASS BAY BREWING CO., which is the parent company of Harpoon Brewery, has acquired Ipswich-based Clown Shoes Brewing. Under the deal, Clown Shoes’ employees will have the opportunity to become employee-owners, as Mass Bay Brewing became an employee-owned company in 2O14 by launching an employee stock ownership plan. “Clown Shoes,... Read More
BEER BIKES BANNED
BE FOREWARNED: If you’re visiting Amsterdam and planning to rent one of the city’s popular beer bikes, you’re out of luck. They are a thing of the past. In response to strong public outcry, the beer bikes have been banned in the city center as of November 1. The practice... Read More
LIQUID COURAGE FOR LINGUISTICS
IN GENERAL, too many drinks results in a distinct slurring of one’s speech, making it difficult to be understood. In an ironic twist, a new study suggests that one drink could actually aid in speaking a foreign language. Experts said one drink – either a small glass of wine or... Read More
CONSTELLATION MAKES THE MOVE TO MARIJUANA
CONSTELLATION BRANDS is taking the leap and getting into the weed business. Constellation, which sells Corona and Modelo and is the third-largest beer company in the US – has acquired a 9.9% stake in the Canadian cannabis holding company Canopy Growth. The beer giant paid $191 million for its stake in... Read More
RYE WHISKEY VOLUMES SKYROCKET
IF THE BEER industry needs an injection the rye whiskey category is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Volumes for the spirit have increased explosively in the US, having grown by 778% from 2OO9 to 2O16, according to US trade body the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS). Since 2OO9, rye... Read More