Spirits

Pernod Ricard has made a play for flavored whiskey by acquiring a majority stake in peanut butter flavored Skrewball whiskey, the company announced today.

U.S. spirits exports reached a record high last year, driven by American whiskeys and buoyed by temporary halts to retaliatory tariffs, a new report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) revealed yesterday.

On International Women’s Day, we caught up with Women of the Vine & Spirits founder and CEO Deborah Brenner to talk about the challenges women still face in the industry, how companies can make their work environments more inclusive, and why a diverse workplace strengthens the bottom line.

When the Finnish Long Drink entered the U.S. market in 2018, it’s likely few Americans had heard of Finland’s national drink, a grapefruit and gin highball. But in not too long of a time, the company has made its version of the Finnish staple the eighth highest-selling ready-to-drink in the U.S., according to 3 Tier Beverages and NielsenIQ.

Legislative efforts to change how spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages are categorized gathered momentum this week, as lawmakers in Texas introduced a new bill that would give greater market access to packaged spirits-based cocktails under 17% ABV, allowing them to be sold in grocery and convenience stores, while a Washington State Senate committee passed a bill to adjust how the products are taxed.

Buffalo Trace, the producer of the popular Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, will double its whiskey production in the coming days.

Data released last week by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) showed that for the first time spirits revenues outpaced beer, but how did craft spirits measure up? At last weekend’s American Craft Spirits Association Conference in Portland, data experts shared insight into the segment’s growth and opportunities.

For the first time, spirit revenues have eclipsed beer, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) in its annual economic briefing today.

California lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow wine and beer retailers to sell spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages that are lower than 10% ABV and in containers no larger than 16 oz.

A year-long legal dispute between rapper and business tycoon Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Bacardi was finally resolved on Friday when the spirits giant announced it has agreed to acquire the majority of Cognac venture D’ussé, with Carter retaining a significant ownership stake through his company SCLiquor.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. has broken ground on a new 70,000 square foot distillery in hopes of turning Northern Michigan into a hub for whiskey in the Midwest.

Diageo is deepening its roster of top-tier brands in reaching an agreement to acquire super-premium dark rum label Don Papa Rum for an initial fee of $281.5 million, the company announced today.

Molson Coors continues to grow its non-alcoholic portfolio with its latest release Roxie, a zero-proof canned cocktail launching today exclusively online.

Remember when the subscription box came onto the scene? It was the early 2010s and, as new meal delivery kits and beauty product subscription boxes started to become the rage, Josh Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Speakeasy Co, saw an opportunity for craft cocktails to play in the same arenas. But he also wanted a way to sell full-size bottles of craft spirits. Before long, the latter goal became the main target.