At Press Time

THE BREWERS at Samuel Adams announce the latest in a line of talented and imaginative LongShot American Homebrew Contest winners, at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver – craft beer’s most celebrated gathering. This year’s winners include Forestville, California resident Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter, Smithtown, New York resident Matthew... Read More

FEWER CATEGORIES have been hotter than Irish whiskey over the last few years. Keeping up with demand, the Teeling Whiskey Company (TWC) has broken ground on their new whiskey distillery located in Dublin’s Newmarket in The Liberties, Dublin 8. This is the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125... Read More

DRINKS COMPANY Constellation Brands announced it will swallow the Carlos Santana’s Casa Noble tequila brand, the latest in a series of liquor transactions this year that highlight rising demand for popular labels and rich payout potential for their owners. The purchase marks the New York-based buyer’s first foray into the... Read More

THERE WILL soon be more places than ever to whet your whistle in Boston. Certain areas of the city will receive 75 liquor licenses over the next three years after a Massachusetts Senate and House joint committee approved an economic development bill. The aim is to rejuvenate outlying neighborhoods by... Read More

Harpoon Brewery, as of August 1,  became an employee-owned company. The existing shareholder group transferred 48% of the company’s shares to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). “Employee ownership is the embodiment of what Harpoon stands for,” says its co-founder, Dan Kenary. “Our success as an independent craft brewer is... Read More

WHO SAYS the Massachusetts Senate gets nothing done in the summer?   They’ve been busy – bill has been passed to allow retail sale of alcoholic beverages at 1Oam on Sundays, two hours earlier than currently allowed!  The House previously approved the bill, which goes to Governor Deval Patrick for his... Read More

DRAMBUIE CERTAINLY has its share of suitors at the moment. Currently for sale by the MacKinnon family, the liqueur has sparked interest in several drinks groups that wish to add the brand to their portfolios. William Grant & Sons, the family-owned business behind Glenfiddich and Grant’s, is examining a £1OOm... Read More

FINE WINE importers and distributors Winebow and The Vintner Group have agreed to merge their operations to create The Winebow Group, LLC with a combined distribution network covering 14 states and Washington DC.  The company will distribute wine and spirits under the Winebow Distribution name in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, New... Read More

TENNESSEE WHISKEY comes from Tennessee, Scotch comes from Scotland and tequila hails from Mexico. The rules are the rules, right? Actually, it’s far more complicated than that. The latest chapter in the Tennessee whiskey wars revolves around the finer points of making whiskey in the Volunteer State – specifically, where... Read More

NEVER BEFORE has there been such demand for Scotch whisky. Unfortunately, we are a culture of instant gratification and Scotch is a spirit that needs years of aging. A new report from Rabobank, titled NOW THAT’S SMOOTH, provides both an assessment of the category as well as suggestions for managing... Read More