Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed the terms of its £71bn takeover of SABMiller.

Brewer SABMiller has reported good underlying sales for the second quarter, a day after AB InBev agreed a £17bn merger. 

Diageo is hoping to “re-imagine” Smirnoff as a true challenger rather than a tired leader by appealing to Millennials. 

Mezcal sales value is growing at 22% and now amounts to $88m a year, according to the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal.

During the first day of his state visit to Ireland last week, President Evo Morales of Bolivia announced that a high altitude coca leaf liqueur is to become the official drink of the presidential palace in La Paz, Bolivia.

Diageo has outlined its Scotch category growth strategy at its investor conference in New York.

Port house Sandeman has announced the release of a six-bottle collection to celebrate its 225-year history.

Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits has recorded a third quarter of contrasts, with improvements in France but penalisation in the US and Poland. 

Gruppo Campari has reported positive growth of 7.9% as group sales totalled €1,144.7 million in the first nine months of 2015. 

Beam Suntory sales increased 36% in the first nine months of the year, benefitting from “strong performance” in North America and Japan.

The Silent Pool Distillery has launched a 43% abv gin, blended with 24 botanicals, into the UK market. 

Pernod Ricard’s Royal Salute has unveiled ten blends with the youngest containing whiskies 21 years or older and the oldest containing whiskies at least 30 years old.

Beam Suntory has added Peppermint Bark and Pumpkin Pie to its Pinnacle vodka flavour range. 

Stock Spirits has announced the appointment of Miroslaw Stachowicz as an independent non-executive director. 

It’s reputedly the UK’s fastest growing soft drink and its pairing with the cool kid of craft – gin – has done it no harm whatsoever. So why is the drink that makes up three quarters of a G&T such a hard sell Stateside?

Mezcal is a spirit steeped in the rituals of mexico’s ancients. Hamish smith discovers how it is finding its way in the modern world.

Business columnist Hamish Smith discusses whether Islamic countries could be the next growth engine of the drinks industry

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Bacardi has named its three most promising bartenders in its Bacardi Legacy Cocktail competition.