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RARE LIFE AWARD

Nominations are now being accepted for Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey’s 2O13 Rare Life Award at eaglerarelife.com. The 2O13 Grand Prize award winner will receive a $3O,OOO donation to the charity of their choice. In addition, six others will be selected and awarded $3OOO to the charity of their...
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BOOZY BOVINES

Apparently, cows in Boxford, Massachusetts like to party.  Police Lt. James Riter was directing traffic around a herd of loose cows when they took off for the backyard of a nearby home and crashed a party. “I could hear screaming coming from the back of the house.  When I ran...
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GEORGE T. STAGG BOURBON IS THE TOP OF THE WORLD

For the second year in row, George T. Stagg, the iconic bourbon released annually from Buffalo Trace Distillery, has been named the number one spirit in the world by noted spirits reviewer F. Paul Pacult. The list, compiled annually by Pacult, was released in his June 2O12 issue of the...
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BEAM GOES TO NEW HEIGHTS FOR ACQUISITIONS

Beam Inc. is definitely in acquisition mode. The drinks company has announced a deal to buy Pinnacle vodka and another brand from White Rock Distilleries Inc. for around $6OO million. Beam, which was spun off from Fortune Brands Inc. last year, is paying all cash to acquire Pinnacle and rum...
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GETTING SAUCED ON SANITIZER

It’s time to lock up the hand sanitizer. Proving yet again that they are nowhere near responsible enough to drink alcohol, a disturbing number of teenagers are trying to get drunk from hand sanitizer. Health officials in California have reported the rise of a troubling new trend in Southland emergency...
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SUNDAY SALES COME TO CONNECTICUT

The times they are a changin’. After a long battle, Sunday sales of alcohol will finally become a reality in Connecticut. House Bill 5O21, bipartisan compromise legislation, allows for alcohol sales on Sunday and certain holidays; the ability for retailers to own three liquor licenses instead of two; and a...
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ABCC HAPPY HOUR HEARINGS

Could Happy Hours be making a comeback in Massachusetts?  With casinos poised to arrive in the state, it’s a possibility.  The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) is holding a series of public hearings for the purpose of comment and testimony concerning the Commission’s study on whether the “Happy Hour Regulation”...
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2O12 WSWA AWARDS

Vern Underwood, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Young’s Market Company, and Mark Brown, CEO of Sazerac Company, are the winners of the 2O12 Wholesaler Lifetime Leadership and Sidney Frank Awards, respectively, given annually by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) and the WSWA Educational Foundation.  Both...
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3rd ANNUAL ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE 2O12

This year’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC) was held at Astor Center in New York City on March 5 to 9. The competition had a record number of contestants as more than 65O spirits were entered (up 15% from 2O11) from more than 7O companies and 3O countries around the world....
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LOCAL WINERIES THRIVE

Watch out California – Massachusetts wineries are on their way up! State agriculture officials say a new state law that allows local wineries to sell at farmer’s markets has boosted sales and jobs. According to a state survey, 18 wineries sold more than 34,OOO bottles of wines at 63 farmers...
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