At Press Time

The inaugural Ultimate Cocktail Challenge was held in New York City in April. Founded by F. Paul Pacult, David Talbot and Sue Woodley, the competition assessed how well individual spirits performed in classic cocktails. Expert judges evaluated how, for example, different gins perform in various classic gin cocktails like the... Read More

Three members of the brewing community were recognized with awards for their dedication and service to the industry at the Brewers Association’s annual Craft Brewers Conference in early April.  The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and owner of Bell’s Brewery; the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation... Read More

This may be the final chapter in the controversial direct shipping case which has been the source of ongoing lawsuits and court battles. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will not fight a January federal appeals court decision that lifts restrictions on out-of-state wine shipments directly to consumers. The deliveries now... Read More

One of the longstanding arbitrary blue laws in Massachusetts forbids the sale of alcohol before noon on Sundays. It’s arbitrary because any other day of the week you can order a cocktail at 8am, if you so choose, and if the establishment has the right type of license. Sundays, however,... Read More

In a frustrating move, the House has rejected Republican-led efforts to lift the state’s new sales tax on alcohol sold in stores as well as an amendment to repeal last year’s increase in the sales tax, which raised the rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. The proposed tax cuts... Read More

It turns out that you can trademark wax. Not only is the Maker’s Mark red wax seal iconic, it’s now the company’s exclusive property. A federal judge issued an injunction in April preventing Casa Cuervo from using a dripping wax seal on its tequilas sold in the United States, ending... Read More

C&C, the Irish maker and distributor of alcoholic drinks, has sold its spirits and liqueurs brands to William Grant for €3OO million (US $46O million). Among the brands involved are: Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey, Carolans Cream Liqueur, Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, and the whiskey liqueur Irish Mist. They are exported to... Read More

New Hampshire homebrewer Rob North has been named the winner of the 2OO9 Sam Adams Patriot Homebrew Contest. North bested nearly 2OO other entrants from all six New England states to win the third annual contest. His winning brew, a Rauchbier, meaning “smoke beer” in German, will be served and... Read More

If the Asian market is any indication, things could be looking up for the spirits industry. Drinks company Pernod Ricard has raised its forecast for full-year earnings after reporting better-than-expected sales in its third quarter, thanks to strong demand for premium Cognac in China and an improvement in US demand.... Read More

Brewers from six continents earned awards from an international panel of judges at this year’s 2O1O Brewers Association World Beer Cup – the world’s largest-ever commercial beer competition. The eighth bi-annual competition announced awards to brewers from 19 countries ranging from Australia and Italy to Iceland and Japan. This year,... Read More