At Press Time

THIS MAY JUST BE the stupidest theft in history.  Someone stole a diamond-encrusted bottle of Russo-Baltique vodka, worth an estimated $1.3 million, drank the vodka and dumped the bottle.  But it was the bottle that held the value, not the vodka.  The bottle was stolen in early January from a... Read More

THE MR. BOSTON website has now been made into an app, available for both iOS and Android users.  In 2O16 the company launched mrbostondrinks.com with every recipe from the Mr. Boston Official Bartender Guide since the first edition was printed in 1935.  In total, 1O,54O historical recipes have been digitized,... Read More

OPOSSUMS, as it turns out, enjoy a drink . . . or three. Well, one intrepid opossum in particular that is. The thirsty marsupial made his way in to a Florida liquor store over Thanksgiving and managed to down an entire bottle of Cognac. A liquor store employee found the... Read More

FOR THE RECORD, Moët Hennessy does not produce any wine from the Rhône.  Therefore it was surprising for the company to learn that a Chinese wine company was selling Rhône wines it claimed were made by Moët Hennessy.  The wines in question, purported to be Côtes du Rhône, were being... Read More

RARE WINE and spirits remain a top target for thieves who can re-sell their contraband on the black market for staggering prices. The most recent heist happened in November in Paris and is considered to be one of the largest whisky thefts on record. A team of burglars struck at... Read More

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 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

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

THIS SEASON’S must have item?  A Glenmorangie bicycle made from whisky casks, of course!  Glenmorangie has partnered with bicycle maker Renovo to create a limited edition of bicycles made from the whisky’s barrels.  Used staves from Glenmorangie barrels are shipped from Scotland to Renovo’s workshop in Oregon.  Each bicycle contains... Read More

TAINTED OR FAKE alcohol is a very real and frightening problem often resulting in significant injury or death. Over the past year there have been several incidents at popular vacation resorts. One of the key issues is that it’s usually impossible to detect fake alcohol as it looks and tastes... Read More