At Press Time

NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LIQUOR STORES SELL WINE liquor and lottery tickets but they don’t sell beer. For now. McKinsey & Company, a global consulting firm looking at ways to boost state liquor store profitability, suggested that selling beer from the stores could net New Hampshire six million dollars a year.... Read More

TIMES ARE TOUGH indeed in Ireland. According to a report released by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland alcohol consumption dropped dramatically last year because of the weak economy and cross-border sales in Northern Ireland, bringing average consumption levels in 2OO8 back to where they were a decade ago. The... Read More

WHISKY with no HANGOVER? Sounds too good to be true. But that’s the claim of Naked Scot a new whisky from Australian drinks maker ASM Liqueur. Distilled on the Isle of Mull, the brand boasts that the blend will not cause a hangover when drunk to excess. ASM believes that... Read More

LIQUOR  LICENSES in Massachusetts have long been notoriously difficult to obtain. And when they are available their price can be on a par with a king’s ransom. But under a new proposal from Governor Patrick there could soon be more licenses available throughout the state. Currently, the number of licenses... Read More

LABEL ’EM WARNED The Alston Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force and Youth Coalition has launched a sticker shock campaign targeting adults in the community. The stickers placed on multi-packs of alcoholic beverages at liquor stores, remind adults that it is illegal to provide alcohol for people under 21. The  campaign... Read More

TRUTH IS SOMETIMES STRANGER THAN FICTION. After failing the breathalyzer on his car’s interlock device an Australian man challenged in court to prove his claim that ice cream gave him a blood alcohol reading.  Prosecutors wanted to know why the machine had registered a “fail”, which prevents the car from... Read More

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR DWI COURTS (NCDC) and Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) are joining forces to launch a national campaign aimed at establishing best practices for DWI Courts and determining national policy issues on drunk driving as it relates to DWI Courts. Last year over 17OOO people... Read More

CONSTELLATION BRANDS INC. has entered into an agreement to sell its value spirits business to New Orleans-based Sazerac Company Inc. for $334 million, subject to closing adjustments. The transaction was expected to close by the end of February. The entire net after-tax proceeds of approximately $21O million will be used... Read More

ACROSS THE COUNTRY state budgets everywhere are desperately in need of additional revenue. In New Hampshire, the hope is that a change in the way liquor is sold will generate much needed funds to help with the $25O million deficit the state is facing. New Hampshire State Liquor Commissioner Mark... Read More

IT’S BUTT’S OUT TIME IN BOSTON. In December Boston health regulators banned cigarette sales in drugstores and on college campuses, giving the city some of the most stringent antismoking laws in the nation. The rules, approved unanimously by the Boston Public Health Commission, mean that starting in February, about 75... Read More