The EU and India have agreed a landmark trade deal which will see the 150% tariffs on European produce, including beer, wine and spirits, cut by half and followed by a gradual reduction. The deal means that tariffs will be cut to 20-30% on EU wine, 40% on spirits, and 50% on beer, with some estimates suggesting that European exports will double by 2032. Ursula…

Drinks International sat down with co-founder Xavier Baker to chat about Mermaid Gin’s plans to crack the American market. DI: So, a decade since launching, why is now a good time for Mermaid Gin to accelerate its expansion into the US? XB: The timing is perfect – the American super-premium gin segment grew 57% between 2020 and 2024, reaching over 1.25 million nine-litre cases and…

Cheng International is on a mission to introduce China's national spirit to an international audience.

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…

The headline news for this year’s Brands Report is the success of Fords gin. Never before has a brand debuted in Bartenders’ Choice at the top of the ranking. Despite being made in south London, the brand is thriving in the US under the leadership of Brown-Forman, but this latest achievement can be attributed to its recent engagement in Europe – including the opening of…

Tara O’Reilly, marketing & product specialist at McCormick Distilling Company, joined Drinks International to discuss both brands Is McCormick Irish Cream made at the same distillery as Five Farms? McCormick Irish Cream is produced by McCormick Distilling Company in the US, whereas Five Farms is made in County Cork, Ireland. Five Farms is made entirely in Ireland using cream sourced from five family-owned dairy farms…

According to the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA) Independent Beer Report 2025, demand for independent beer remains strong, however UK brewers are facing “heavy headwinds” from increased taxation, market access restrictions and reduced alcohol consumption. Despite average production climbing 10% last year, the report found that “nearly half (46%) of independent brewers say their main priority is survival and almost a third (29%)…