______________________________ THE RUM CATEGORY is as broad and far-reaching as they come. At last count, it is produced in nearly 85 countries. As a consequence, regulation and enforcement are notional for some. One of the most divisive and keenly debated unregulated and unenforced issues when it comes to rum is age. Some rum-producing regions stipulate that the age printed on the…

________________________________________ IN THE LAST DECADE South African brandies have been the most awarded brandies in the world. They dominate the biggest blind tasting competitions with almost embarrassing regularity, yet the category struggles where it arguably matters most – in the minds and wallets of consumers. “The international recognition that comes from winning global awards is incredibly powerful and cannot…

_____________________________________ ON A MISERABLE GREY February day seven judges met at the White Horse in London to judge the third Wine Design & Marketing Challenge. After a great deal of back and forth, the one thing the judges were unanimous on was that, when it comes to design and marketing, wine is anything but grey and miserable. “For many years the…

________________________________________ YOU COULD BE forgiven if your mind goes straight to premium vodka when looking at the beautiful and ballsy woman pictured here. For six years Ali Dedianko, the new boss of London Beer Week, run by Drink Up London, was Belvedere global ambassador, so her move to all things hops and a fixed address will come as a shock to some.

Hartreuse is a drink sandwiched between two liqueur brands that have increased in volume and value thanks to the demand for bitter drinks. The Negroni has helped to catapult Campari from seventh best selling in 2015 to most requested liqueur brand. Aperol was nowhere to be seen two years ago but the Aperol Spritz has taken hold and shot the drink’s namesake from zero to hero…

Bollinger is once again the World’s Most Admired Champagne Brand in the hearts and minds of our esteemed Academy. After losing its crown to Krug last year, James Bond’s favourite champagne has climbed an impressive three places to claw it back. Last year’s winner has slipped one place and is joined by Louis Roederer, Pol Roger and Billecart-Salmon to make up the top five most…

Champagne has been somewhat in the shade of prosecco and English sparkling wine in terms of column inches over the past couple of years. While it is changing, the other categories don’t tend to be brand led. Can you name five prosecco brands? You might be able to but a lot of patrons have historically struggled. Moët & Chandon and Perrier-Jouët have been playing leap-frog…

The tequila category has been growing aggressively over the past few years. With gin, it has been one of the fastest growing spirits and is forecast to increase 3.6% in volume year on year until 2020. That equates to 1m cases a year for the next three years. “The versatility of tequila has helped to grow the category – from long drinks to shots,” says Pierre Aymeric-Du…

It might have been a torrid year for more reasons than there’s room here to mention, but 2016 was a good year for one thing: gin. So much so that the Wine & Spirit Trade Association declared 2016 ‘the year of gin’. The UK on-trade is the global driver, with the equivalent of 40m bottles or 1.12bn G&Ts sold. For six consecutive quarters, on-trade sales of gin…

Paterson has pioneered the art of maturation and cask finishing which has been instrumental to the success of The Dalmore, the company said. The Dalmore 50 year old has been made in partnership with four luxury houses, as a tribute to each year of Paterson’s career. The liquid has been matured in American white oak, Matusalem oloroso sherry casks from the Gonzalez Byass Bodega and…