SALES OF THE TOP SEVEN Indian whisky brands are equivalent to Diageo’s total annual sales of scotch whisky around the world. That comment comes from Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach. India is one of, if not the, fastest growing alcoholic beverages markets in the world. United Spirits, the country’s largest drinks company, claims to be the world’s biggest liquor company…

THE FORTUNES OF THE GREEN FAIRY are finally looking up. In 2012, absinthe is facing its first full year of recognition as a global spirits category since the early 20th century. The period of government-dragooned illegitimacy – a reaction to absinthe’s so-called psychoactive powers – is over, and there’s a new wave of liberated producers pushing the category forward. With the anti-absinthe propaganda…

TESCO’S RECENT PLEDGE to move to a lightweight bottle for its De Vallois Champagne is a bold move in the champagne sector, but with the backing of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) it could yet be one that similar producers follow.  One of the key issues for the traditional champagne sector is cost. While many consumers still buy…

YOU COULD BE FORGIVEN for thinking that the term ‘liqueurs’ is a catch-all for any alcoholic drink that is sweet and on the sticky side, relatively low in alcohol and as such not a serious alcoholic beverage. But the reality could not be more different. Globally the liqueurs category amounts to more than 85 million nine-litre cases a year and, although growth is…

“I’VE STARED DOWN the barrel of a gun a couple of times in my life,” says Ronnie Cox, brands heritage director at Berry Bros & Rudd Spirits – and he’s not talking in the figurative sense. “In the 80s in Latin America, if you sacked a distributor they wouldn’t take to it very kindly. On one particularly alarming occasion, the moment…

EXPLAINED SIMPLY, pisco is a grape spirit made in Peru and Chile. But then, things are rarely simple. The narrative of pisco can be as complex or as concise as the storyteller chooses, or the reader requires. That in mind, refer – or don’t – to the potted history of pisco at the end of this feature. Certainly, there is an empty seat…

THE ROLLS ROYCE. It’s a design icon and a euphemism for luxury quality – “It’s the Rolls Royce of (insert just about any word here).” Many believe it’s more than just a car, although when you look at it, with its four wheels, steering wheel, engine, seats… it appears it is, well, a car. The BMW-owned Rolls Royce company says it sold…