The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) has warned that tariffs proposed by President-elect Trump "are going to hurt US consumers and lead to job losses".

In the Labour government’s first budget in 14 years, chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed that duty on alcohol would increase in line with the Retail Price Index in the new year.

French spirits group Pernod Ricard has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its Nordic local brand to Finnish multi-beverage company, Oy Hartwall AB.

Nordic wine and spirits brand house, Anora Group, has announced the retirement of chief executive Jacek Pastuszka.

William Grant & Sons has has reached an agreement to purchase The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt brands from Edrington.

French drinks group Rémy Cointreau has appointed Lee James as managing director for its UK, Ireland and Nordic markets.

AB InBev’s ZX Ventures arm has sold Master of Malt, Maverick Drinks and Atom Brands back to original founder Justin Petszaft, six years after acquiring the business. 

Spirits distributor Mangrove Global is bringing a selection of international brands from its independent spirits portfolio to UK customers nationwide, through an extended partnership with supermarket chain Waitrose. 

The group experienced H1 net sales of €1.523 billion, an increase from €1.457 billion during the same period last year.

Diageo has recovered the distribution of all its brands in France which are currently distributed by the joint venture Moët Hennessy Diageo France.

China’s alcohol market recovery has faltered amidst consumer downtrading and high inventories, new IWSR data has revealed.

Maison Ferrand has announced that it has acquired UK-based distributor Identity Drinks marking the launch of Maison Ferrand UK.

Zamora Company has announced record turnover for 2023 with €268 million and a 21.5% increase in sales since 2021.

Danish company Carlsberg has agreed a £3.3bn deal to buy the UK business of Britvic as well as the remaining 40% share in its joint brewing venture with Marston’s.

Scottish spirits company Edrington saw its core revenue rise 11% for the year to 31 March 2024, driven by The Macallan which saw double-digit growth.

RX, the organiser of the BCB trade events, has announced that from 2025, Imbibe Live will join the portfolio and rebrand as BCB London.

The founders of Avallen Spirits, the owner of Avallen Calvados, Stephanie Jordan-Balmforth and Tim Etherington-Judge, have announced a new consultancy company.

Japan’s Suntory Holdings has announced the creation of a new division in India to accelerate growth within the region.

Spirits volumes declined by 5% in the UK last year amid excise duty changes, the cost-of-living crisis, and a trend towards moderation according to a new report from IWSR.

Diageo has announced that Singapore-based consumer group Tolaram is set to acquire Diageo’s 58.02% shareholding in Guinness Nigeria.

The parent company of Suntory Global Spirits has denied being in early discussions to acquire Boston Beer Co (BBC) amid claims.

The Ada Coleman Project, a dedicated digital space for women, has launched with the aim to foster gender equality and diversity within the industry.

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has announced that Georgie Bell will join its Board of Trustees this month.

Diageo has announced that Nik Jhangiani will join the company as chief financial officer (CFO) in autumn 2024, also joining Diageo’s board and executive committee. 

Beam Suntory has rebranded to become Suntory Global Spirits, as the company marks 10 years since Suntory Holdings acquired Beam Inc in 2014.

Pernod Ricard has reported a 2% decline in Q3 organic net sales driven by double-digit declines in China and the US.

Campari Group has doubled the production capacity of Aperol by expanding its Novi Ligure plant in northwest Italy.

Brown-Forman has launched its own distribution business in Japan to bring its distribution in-house for the first time since entering the market in the 1970s.

Edrington and Beam Suntory have announced that their distribution agreement in the UK will be coming to an end on 31 January 2025.

US-based drinks group Sazerac has announced the purchase of ready-to-drink cocktail brand Buzzballz for an undisclosed fee.

Drinks group Diageo has announced that current non-executive director, Sir John Manzoni, will be appointed chair of the board upon the retirement of current chair Javier Ferrán.

Two-thirds of British adults say that eating and drinking out is still a priority for them despite the cost-of-living crisis according to new research from Zonal in partnership with CGA by NIQ and UKHospitality.

Drinks giant Diageo saw a 1.4% decline in net sales in the first half of fiscal 2024 due to a 23% decline in trading in Latin America and Caribbean markets.

Diageo has announced an open innovation call for improvements that will lessen and more effectively manage water usage across five areas of its global supply chain.

Beam Suntory France has officially begun operations and is directly responsible for the marketing and distribution of its portfolio in France.

Spirits group Beam Suntory has announced the appointment of Jamey Martin as the company’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.

The no-alcohol share of the total beverage alcohol market is expected to grow to nearly 4% by 2027 according to a newly published report from IWSR.

Gruppo Campari has agreed a billion-pound deal to buy Beam Suntory's cognac brand Courvoisier. 

Smirnoff owner Diageo has launched a global report offering insight into consumer trends around the world. 

Fine wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd has announced a double-digit sales growth of 11.1% to £254.3 million for the financial year ending 31 March 2023.

East London Liquor Co has been bought out of administration following “harsh new conditions” on its Time to Pay agreement with HMRC.

Drinks giant, Diageo has announced a global partnership with ecoSpirits to scale the distribution of the Diageo portfolio in reusable packaging to 18 markets over the next three years.

Sazerac Company has announced the renaming of subsidiary spirits distributor Hi-Spirits UK, to Sazerac UK.

In the Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled the plan to freeze alcohol duty until August next year.

Nc’nean Distillery Limited has secured a Virgin Money funding package with the backing of UK Government department, UK Export Finance (UKEF), to help the independent distillery grow in North American markets.

Johnnie Walker owner Diageo is expecting to see a decline in profit in the first half of fiscal 2024, due to a “weaker performance” in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). 

Drinks distributor Speciality Brands has signed an agreement with French spirits producer Distillerie de Grandmont to exclusively distribute the brand’s expressions in the UK from this month.

Multinational spirits group Beam Suntory has announced plans to launch Beam Suntory France in January 2024, establishing the Maker’s Mark and Yamazaki owner’s own route-to-market in Europe’s largest whisky market.

Italian drinks company and owner of Disaronno and Tia Maria, Illva Saronno Group, has bought a majority stake in US rye whiskey brand and distillery, Sagamore Spirit.

International Beverage has announced its acquisition of New Zealand spirits producer, Cardrona Distillery.