In the world’s best bars, for cognac it’s long been Hennessy’s world, with the other brands simply living in it. Well, no more. The LVMH flagship has topped our bestselling table every year since we began recording in 2010 but there’s a new top dog. Rémy Martin has invested heavily in its presence at the top end of the bar world, sponsoring a…
Cheng International is on a mission to introduce China's national spirit to an international audience.
Accompanying the tasting, Peter McCombie MW will lead a masterclass exploring how Italian reds are modernising and becoming more globally relevant. “Our focus remains straightforward: facilitating productive, significant one-to-one business meetings. This is complemented by a structured tasting environment, enabling buyers to efficiently and deeply explore the wines on offer,” said office director of the Italian Trade Agency in London, Giovanni Sacchi, about the upcoming…
In 2025, Teeling celebrated a decade of distilling at its Dublin city centre home. On arrival, the brand heralded a new dawn for Irish whiskey outside of the centralised powers that had become the entirety of the category. “Timing is everything, and our timing was pretty good,” says managing director Jack Teeling, who co-founded the brand alongside his brother, Stephen. “We launched in 2012, and…
Don Julio has maintained its dominance as the bestselling tequila brand in the world’s best bars. Diageo’s flagship brand has taken poll position in the Brands Report in every edition since 2016, but it’s never been this tight at the top. This year Don Julio only held on to its position by virtue of more often being the house pour, it was the…
As the low and no space continues to evolve, producers and bartenders are turning to bitter iterations to achieve body, flavour and more sophisticated offerings.
It’s been a difficult couple of years for the rum category. The sector has often been touted as the next big thing, but since the optimism of its 2022 peak and several high-profile acquisitions at the beginning of 2023, it’s struggled to make good on its promise. The 2025 edition of Drinks International’s The Millionaire’s Club highlights the extent to which rum’s major players are…
In its autumn budget, the government outlined its plans for the duty hikes, stating that the increase to RPI is to “maintain its current real-terms value”. Adding that, “the government heard representations from stakeholders ranging from a duty cut or freeze to above inflation increases. “This decision balances the important contribution of alcohol producers and the hospitality sector to the UK’s culture and economy, with…
In September, Ian Burrell publicly announced the end of his involvement with Equiano Rum. The separation came as a surprise to many. This was the first brand that the man known across the international spirits sector as the ‘global rum ambassador’ had put his name to as a co-founder. And the rum itself, a blend of African and Caribbean liquids named after a former slave…
Caroline Thompson-Hill is the first chair of the WSTA board from a multiple retailer. “It is a privilege to be appointed chair of the WSTA board and I look forward to working with the team to deliver the best service possible to our members,” said Thompson-Hill “I am eager to get to grips with the WSTA’s many workstreams to ensure that we prioritise effectively as…
