At Press Time

Fortune Brands Inc. was one step closer to splitting itself up after it recently completed the $1.23 billion sale of its golf business, which includes Titleist golf balls. Fortune sold Acushnet, which also includes the FootJoy brand, to Korean investors led by athletic company Fila Korea Ltd. and Mirae Asset... Read More

MS Walker, Inc. has acquired 15 brands from Lewiston, Maine-based White Rock Distilleries with a total sales volume of more than 4OO,OOO cases annually.  Effective August 1, MS Walker assumed ownership and marketing rights for: Orloff Vodka (the number-one selling vodka in Maine), Zhenka Vodka (a top-selling spirits brands in... Read More

From vodka to wine, counterfeit alcohol is big business. And while it’s a never-ending struggle to track down fakes, in Scotland they’re on top of their game. Many in the illicit industry try their hand at creating fake Scotches. Not only do fakes cost loss of revenue they also damage... Read More

Liquor stores near the Connecticut border can breathe a sigh of relief: no more Sunday liquor sales this year. The State and its residents are in favor of stores being open on Sundays, but the state’s liquor store owner’s association lobbied successfully against the measure in the legislature. Supporters will... Read More

Wild Turkey has a new home. The bourbon maker recently celebrated Kentucky’s first major distillery expansion in decades. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear joined Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell and executives from brand owner Gruppo Campari at a ceremony in June in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky as the expansion was unveiled for... Read More

Jameson Irish Whiskey has won the 2O11 Effie Award in the Beverage Alcohol cate-gory for its “Taste Above All Else” ad campaign, which is centered on a character, John Jameson, and recounts, in tongue-in-cheek fashion, his adventures and philoso-phy as he brings his Irish whiskey to the world in the... Read More

Heaven Hill Distilleries has acquired the worldwide rights to the Admiral Nelson family of rums from Luxco, Inc. The Admiral Nelson brand is the second largest selling spiced rum in the United States and growing at a rapid rate. Its five year growth has outpaced both the overall spirits industry... Read More

To mark the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee in 2O12, John Walker & Sons, Scotch Whisky Distillers By Appointment to Her Majesty, will produce a limited edition of 6O crystal decanters of Diamond Jubilee Blended Scotch Whisky, a blend of whiskies distilled in 1952 and finished in a cask of... Read More

Horizon Beverage Co. has completed the acquisition of its future home in Norton as it prepares for a relocation that could add as many as 35 jobs. The Avon-based company closed on its purchase in June. The company tried to find another spot in Avon large enough to replace the... Read More

When you get down to it, it’s always a good idea to stay away from flaming food and drinks. A recent fire that burned five patrons at Ozona Blue Grilling Co. in Florida was caused by a waiter who poured additional alcohol on a flaming dessert, according to an investigative... Read More