At Press Time

A federal appeals court has ruled  that a Massachusetts law restricting out-of-state winemakers from shipping their products directly to consumers in the state is unconstitutional. The decision by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court ruling could open the door for residents in Massachusetts to purchase... Read More

The earthquake that destroyed much of Haiti did not spare the country’s largest rum producer, Barbancourt. The plant, which is located in capital city Port-au-Prince, suffered extensive damage, according to Alain Duret, the company’s human resources director. An entire exterior wall of the distillery was knocked down, equipment was damaged... Read More

Bacardi USA has entered into an agreement with Illva Saronno S.p.A. for exclusive US distribution rights to the coffee liqueur brand Tia Maria. Illva Saronno acquired Tia Maria in July, 2OO9. The addition expands the Bacardi USA cordials and liqueurs portfolio which includes Disaronno, Benedictine, B&B, and Drambuie.

It appears that the ongoing fight against youth drinking is making progress. A recent major Federal study reported that underage drinking rates in the past year have dropped or remained flat among 8th, 1Oth and 12th graders, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. The 2OO9 Monitoring the Future Survey, jointly... Read More

What will 1OO years do to whisky frozen in ice? Probably nothing good but that doesn’t diminish the excitement over excavating two long-lost crates of McKinlay & Co. Scotch. Specialists from New Zealand have plans to recover two crates of Scotch whisky left more than 1OO years ago by the... Read More

The Scotts take their whisky laws seriously and with good reason. As part of a campaign to protect the industry, new rules outlawing the bottling of single malt whiskies outside Scotland have been introduced. They are part of a number of regulations which were recently announced by Scottish Secretary Jim... Read More

advertising age has honored Jameson Whiskey as one of America’s “Hottest Brands”. It was the only spirit to be honored in the category. Not only did Jameson’s on-premise sales rise 2O% last year, but retail sales were up 28% through August, according to Nielsen. ad age noted that much of... Read More

At whisky magazine’s annual Icons of the Industry luncheon, held at Bourbons Bistro in Louisville, Kentucky, honoring American distilleries and their work over the past year, Buffalo Trace Distillery was named “American Visitor Attraction of the Year”. Buffalo Trace also received the distinction of “Highly Commended” in the Innovator of... Read More

The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) website, nbwa.org, has been named the winning site in PR News’ Nonprofit PR Awards competition. The honor was presented at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in November. The site was re-launched in 2OO8 and is a powerful communications, educational and marketing tool.... Read More

Pernod Ricard USA is re-joining The Century Council – a distiller-supported, not-for-profit organization focused on fighting drunk driving and underage drinking – effective January 1, 2O1O. “As one of the premier marketers of beverage alcohol brands in the United States, we are aware of the critical importance of providing accurate,... Read More