Bannie Kang from Singapore was named Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year 2019 at the global finals in Glasgow on Thursday, 26 September.

London’s Tayēr + Elementary has been named second in the 51-100 list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019 just four months after opening.

Chivas Brothers, the scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, has opened a new head office in Glasgow city centre.

Mast-Jaegermeister UK has announced the launch of Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee in the UK, available across the on-and off-trade nationwide. 

Following a grant awarded to the charity by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation in July, The Benevolent is inviting bartenders and hospitality workers to their Minds Matter mental health workshops.

From the 27-29 September Barometer International Bar Show 2019 will take place in the CEC ‘Parkovy’, Kyiv with around 15,000 people expected to attend.

The Benevolent has been awarded a grant from Tales of the Cocktail Foundation aimed at implementing mental health workshops for bartenders and hospitality workers within the UK drinks industry.

Glencairn Crystal has now recorded 15 years of continued business growth following the release of its most recent financial results.

Spirits producers and organisations from across the world met in Geneva on Tuesday (9 July) to form the World Spirits Alliance.

Tim Etherington-Judge, founder of Healthy Hospo, will launch his Run 424242 challenge on 20 July 2019 at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

Ross Carter, who was head of London Wine Fair between 2013 and 2017, is the new chief executive of The Benevolent, the UK drinks industry charity. 

Non-alcoholic spirits drink Strryk has gained a £1m investment from soft drinks company AG Barr, which also owns Funkin Cocktails.

Europe’s first CBD cocktail bitters launched this June by independent UK-based company OTO.

Drinks International’s Shay Waterworth has been named the Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year 2019.

Vinexpo CEO Rodolphe Lameyse has announced big changes to the running of various shows over the coming years following his inception to the company in April.

In the space of a year, the value of the UK cocktail market has increased 9.5% to £587m according to CGA data released by Funkin Cocktails.

LVMH luxury goods company, which owns Glenmorangie, Ardbeg and Hennessey among others, will donate €200m ($226m) to help restore Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris after it caught fire on Monday evening.

Not-for-profit organisation P(our) has announced that ‘Understanding’ will be the topic of this year’s Symposium, held in London on 24 June.

Fruit purée and cocktail mixer company Funkin Cocktails has announced a new series of its Innovation Labs, a training programme for bartenders across the UK, in association with London’s Crucible.

Milk & Honey owner and Street Feast founder Jonathan Downey said the past decade of London’s bar scene has been a “desert in terms of change” and that hotel bars should not be named Best Bar in the World.

Bartenders Charles Roche and Eleanor Holcroft have launched a range of ready-to-drink cocktails called Liquid Intellect which focus on ‘nostalgic flavours’.

In honour of International Women’s Day, DrinkUp.London is celebrating the female bartender talent in London with an International Women’s Day Cocktail Tour on 4-11 March.

Long Tail Mixers has targeted international expansion as the premium mixers category continues to soar gloablly.

Beluga Vodka has launched the fourth edition of Beluga Signature, a multistage bartender program in seven major markets across the world.

Franklin & Sons has announced the launch of the ‘Taste Collective’ with the appointment of bartender Rich Woods, chef Sophie Michell and cookery writer and food stylist Rosie Birkett as ambassadors.

Funkin Cocktails will mark its 20th anniversary with a brand redesign which will roll out across its entire portfolio of purées, syrups, shrubs, pre-batched mixers, garnishes and draught products.

The Venning brothers won three awards at the 2019 CLASS Bar Awards last night, February 12 at Lindley Hall, London.

More than 500 WSET students graduated with a Diploma in 2018 from countries all around the world, highlighting the increased demand for wine and spirits education.

Fever-Tree has released its trading update for the year ended 31 December 2018, with full year revenue expected to be reach £236m, up 39% on 2017.

Visitor centres are shop windows for drinks companies. They are an important opportunity to show o facilities, inform and educate guests and, if successful, they can be a significant profit centre.

Bar innovator Ryan Chetiyawardana will launch three new Mr Lyan venues across three countries in 2019, including Lyaness which replace Dandelyan, the reigning world’s best bar.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is calling for clarity from the UK government on its post no deal tariff plans, warning that any no deal Brexit will see wine prices hit an all-time high.

Hamish smith has the lowdown on the who, what and how of the way the annual lists are compiled

Alex Kratena and Monica Berg will launch their first solo London venue in Spring 2019, it has been exclusively revealed to Drinks International’s sister publication Class.

Matt Whiley has announced he will open a sequel to his London bar Scout in Sydney in February 2019.

Stryyk, the zero-proof ‘spirit’ brand has launched Stryyk Not Vodka to its portfolio in time for Christmas and ‘Dry January’.

Glencairn crystal company has been selected by the Distilled Spirits Council of the US to be the official tasting glass for this year.

The Benevolent, the charity for the UK drinks industry, presents its recommendations to safeguard employees’ mental health on World Mental Health Day

Orlando Marzo from Melbourne’s Lûmé restaurant was named the world’s best bartender by Diageo World Class last night amid wild celebrations in Berlin.

Maverick Drinks has partnered with an online beverage learning platform called Jerry to bring the software to the UK.

Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Dandelyan was named World’s Best Bar at The World’s 50 Best Bars awards 2018 which took place at Roundhouse in London, UK.

Legendary writer and journalist Nicholas Faith has died aged 84.

The 2018 World’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list has been released and involves 28 cities across 19 different countries and 19 new entries.

London officially has the highest number of bars than any other city in the world followed by Tokyo and then New York.

The 10th edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars awards will take place on Wednesday 3 October 2018 at the Roundhouse in London, UK.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has appointed Jeremy Shepherd from Brown-Forman and Mark Riley from Edrington-Beam Suntory UK to its board.

The American Bar at the Savoy has appointed Maxim Schulte as its 11^th head bartender, a role considered by many to be the biggest job in bartending.

HMRC has confirmed that 326 soft drinks manufacturers have been hit by the sugar tax according to data held by national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, while alcoholic spirits remain safe from such legislations.

Dead Rabbit co-founder Sean Muldoon has vowed that the bar will “bounce back” after it was closed indefinitely following a fire in the early hours of Sunday, 1 July.

Arron Grendon from Tropic City in Bangkok has been crowned the 2018 Chivas Masters Global Champion.