Whiskey and storytelling go hand in hand. For better or worse it’s been a muse to some of literature’s most enduring ­ figures – Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Haruki Murakami and Charles Bukowski have all professed their love for it. So, of course, brands have learnt to spin a good yarn over the years, and as far as stories go, Uncle Nearest has a pretty…

The TFWA returns to Singapore’s spectacular Marina Bay Sands Expo Centre this month as optimism is reinstalled in the region after three long Covid-disrupted years. Airlines in Asia Pacific reported a welcome 363.3% jump in international traffic last year, according to the International Air Transport Association, and China’s reopening has further boosted passenger numbers this year, quickening the pulses of duty free retailers in anticipation…

The business world has shifted. Corporate environmental and social sustainability has become central to operations and consumer messaging. Rarely a month passes without a vow to deliver net zero or a pledge to invest huge amounts of money in reducing a company’s harm. The world is burning, and corporations want you to know they’re doing their part. And in this new landscape, it’s the environmental…

A­fter wildfires devastated part of the agricultural industry in Chile, including razing a number of vineyards run by small grape producers in Itatá and La Araucanía in February (Drinks International, March 2023), winemakers across the country have moved forward with the 2023 grape harvest, bearing in mind these losses. Climate change is a recurring phenomenon that Viviana Navarrete, chief winemaker at Viña Leyda, believes viñas…

Every drinks category, at some stage in its history, needs leaders. Johnnie Walker pioneered the blended Scotch movement in the early 19th century, the ‘big four’ of the Cognac region continue to spearhead cognac’s growth, while Patrón is taking premium tequila volumes to the next level. Pisco, both Peruvian and Chilean, has needed leadership like this for some time. The debate over origin will likely…

Considered to be England’s national drink, it’s unsurprising that the UK is the world’s largest exporter of gin. According to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), in 2022 UK gin sales were worth some £950m (on and off-trade). However, despite this achievement, high taxes are causing a strain on the category as it calls on the government to freeze duty and, as the Spirits…

In late April, Bushmills officially opened its new Causeway Distillery, which is set to double the production of its Irish single malt whiskey. The brand, which claims to be the oldest licensed distiller in the world, has previously been owned by both Pernod Ricard and Diageo – but since Proximo bought it in 2015, investment has spiked. While the Causeway Distillery cost the company a…