Talking to Drinks International, Russell Jones, Captain Morgan global brand director, said the consumer trend is away from white rums and towards spiced rums and that Bacardi’s 19.56m 9-litre case sales (2011) is achievable by Captain Morgan (9.20 cases in 2011). He said: “I think we can catch up with Bacardi. In some markets we are ahead of Bacardi. In Canada we‘ve gone through a…

Miguel A Tores will continue in his role as group president, while his daughter, Mieria Torres Maczassek, will maintain her position as general manager and oenology consultant of the group’s Jean Leon And Torres Priorat companies.   Miguel Torres Maczasseck will also continue to occupy the executive presidency of the Sociedad Vinicola Miguel Torres, the group’s subsidiary in Chile.  He was formerly…

The £14m acquisition would take Diageo’s share in Halico to 45.52%. The branded spirits firm, said to be the leader in Vietnam, produces the Vodka Hanoi brand.  Diageo said that its international portfolio – led by Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Baileys – would be developed and distributed in Vietnam independently of Halico, through its wholly owned subsidiary Diageo Vietnam. While the public offer for the Halico…

In its latest market review, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association found that consumers are paying 6.5% more than last year for wines and spirits, while inflation for the year to end of April 2012 was 3%. The research found that while wine and spirits sales were declining overall, the upper end of the market is in good health. Among the headline growth segments…

According to the Californian wine brand, the varietal saw 73% growth in the US last year, making it the third most popular wine style in the market. Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato, which launched in the UK in March, is described as a “sweet and refreshing white wine with an ABV of 8.5%”. It is available from ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Morrisons for £6.79. Valance’s involvement…

For the updated Millionaires’ Club 2012, click here. The Polish vodka brand sold 2.45 million 9-litre cases during its first full year of sales (2011), taking the brand past seven of its CEDC stablemates and up to 18 in the list of best selling vodkas. Żubrówka Biała, which is the sister brand to CEDC’s Żubrówka Bison Grass, became the group’s second…

Employees of the Cuban rum brand hope the island’s rum will be recognised by the EU by the end of 2012. Talking to Drinks International from the Havana Club distillery, the rum brand’s commercial director, Sergio Valdés, said: “We are creating a Cuban appellation for Cuban rum to guarantee [to consumers] the quality of the rum. In a few months we will be recognised.” According…

The Havana-based final, which takes place every two years, was the culmination of a globally-contested competition and the centre piece of a series of festivities organised by the Pernod Ricard and Ron Cuba-owned brand. The competition’s deciding round was contended by the aforementioned Escot – bartender and owner of Montpellier bar Papa Doble – the UK’s Ryan Chetiyawardana, and Australian Chris Hysted. National heats had taken place in 38…

Click here to download The Millionaires’ Club 2012 Compiled by global research agency Euromonitor International and published by Drinks International, the supplement details the 2011 volume sales of 181 global spirits and liqueurs brands. Topping this year’s list is the South Korean soju brand Jinro (61.4m 9-litre cases), which more than doubled the case sales of second place Smirnoff’s 24.7m cases last year.