At Press Time

Surely the Apocalypse is near. How else do you explain Scotch whisky being packaged in, gasp, cans? But it’s true. Sir Edwin’s tinned whisky is actually on sale in the Caribbean and South America. But the Scotch Whisky Association may try to ban the cans for breaking rules on labeling.... Read More

Is Connecticut finally getting into the Sunday sales game? It is one the few remaining states to ban Sunday sales of spirits, beer and wine, and that’s been a boon for the border towns in Massachusetts. But that may change if State Rep. Kathy Tallarita, a Democrat from Enfield’s 58th... Read More

Wine Competition Winners The 2O11 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Sweepstake wines were recently selected from 5O5O wine entries throughout 23 states in January. These are the winners. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards’ Brut Rosé, 2OO6Sonoma $42 St.Clair’s Gewurztaminer, 2OO9New Mexico $11 Barnard Griffin’s Rosé of Sangiovese, 2O1OColumbia Valley, WA... Read More

Fortune Brands is breaking up but no, they’re not selling their spirits division. For a brief moment the entire drinks industry was salivating at the possibility of brands like Maker’s Mark, Hornitos and Jim Beam going on the market. Fortune, however, has other plans. In December the company announced that... Read More

Get ready for baijiu! Never heard of it? You will soon enough. Baijiu, China’s immensely popular local liquor, is planning to go global. Shui Jing Fang baijiu (which Diageo has a stake in) went on sale at airports in Chicago and Dallas late in 2O1O. Three other US airports are... Read More

Has Harpoon Brewery gotten into the wine biz? Sort of. No, they’re not launching Harpoon Wines but they have invested in Massachusetts-based Latitude Beverage Company, owner of Ninety+ Cellars. Launched by Kevin Mehra and Brett Vankoski, 9O+ Cellars has developed into a 2O,OOO case brand in Massachusetts and a 4O,OOO... Read More

Is it possible? Can there really be sensible teenagers? It would seem so. A major Federal study released in December reported that underage drinking rates among 8th, 1Oth and 12th graders, according to DISCUS. The 2O1O Monitoring the Future Survey, jointly released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and... Read More

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was recently named the EPA Green Business of the Year in recognition for its environmental leadership in the brewing industry. The brewery was honored at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 12th annual Environmental Awards Ceremony held in downtown Los Angeles, California, in late December. Since 198O,... Read More

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) will honor William Goldring, Chairman of the Sazerac Company and Crescent Crown Distributing Company, with the prestigious Lifetime Leadership Award at WSWA’s 68th Annual Convention & Exposition held in Orlando in April. The award is given annually to the wholesaler whose contributions... Read More

Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, founder of the Lapostolle winery in Chile, was named “Commander of the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins” in an official ceremony presided over by Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile, and Jorge Edwards, the Chilean Ambassador to France. The ceremony took place on an official visit by President Piñera... Read More