Havana Club, the dark rum brand owned by Cuba Ron SA and Pernod Ricard , has recorded a 15 per cent year-on-year increase, taking it past the 3 million nine-litre case mark. Havana Club International says the rum is set to make 5 million cases by 2013. The company exports to 124 countries, excluding the US where Cuban-made products are banned. Havana Club International…

Pacific Beverages, SABMiller’s joint venture with Coca-Cola, is planning to build a “state-of-the art” brewery in Australia to increase production of its premium brands. The brewery in New South Wales will have a capacity of 500,000 h l and will be used by Pacific to brew more Bluetongue and Bondi Blonde beer and potentially develop more premium brands. Ari Mervis, managing director of SABMiller Asia,…

Fortune Brands is believed to be ahead of its rivals in the bidding auction for Sweden’s state-owned Vin & Sprit, owner of Absolut vodka. Sweden’s government has narrowed the race to four bidders, according to a local media report, understood to be Fortune Brands, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi and a private equity group. But it is Fortune, which already distributes Vin & Sprit’s Absolut vodka brand…

Irish Distillers, part of Pernod Ricard and maker of Jameson whiskey, is set to sue rival distiller Cooley. The dispute relates to a new Cooley whiskey produced for the Russian market. Irish Distillers is understood to be concerned about the whiskey’s similarity to the Jameson brand. A spokesperson for Irish Distillers declined to comment on the case, but said that proceedings were at a…

Scotch whisky specialist Edrington Group has its sights on fast-growing rum markets after buying a majority share in the Brugal Company. Drinks International understands Edrington paid more than £200 million for the 60 per cent share in Dominican Republic-based Brugal. The deal catapults Edrington into the growing rum market. Brugal sells 5 million cases of golden rum annually, has an 80 per cent share of…

A marketing campaign promoting Italy’s Trentino region as the Champagne of Italy is being launched globally this year. Trentino is one of the most important producers of Italian sparkling wine, with almost eight million bottles produced there last year . But wine drinkers around the world do not associate the region, in the north of the country, with quality sparkling wine. The campaign, which was…