Drinks industry news and inside stories
UK India Trade Deal
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
6 May 2025
It was widely reported that the UK and India agreed a trade deal that will make it easier for UK brands to export whisky to India.
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
3 May 2025
The Warehousekeepers and Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations (known as WOWGR), introduced in 1999, was repealed, along with the end of UK spirits duty stamps.
Cask 88 Goes Bust
Abolition of UK Spirits Duty Stamps
Cask 88 Goes Bust
2 May 2025
Felipe Schrieberg reported in Forbes that sister Scotch whisky cask investment entities Cask 88 and Braeburn Whisky - which are linked with the Edinburgh-based company Whisky Merchants Trading Ltd - have all but shut down, with the latter now put into administration.
Noble & Co Q1 2025 Whisky Intelligence Report
Noble & Co Q1 2025 Whisky Intelligence Report
Whiskies stolen in Glenturret break-in
Noble & Co Q1 2025 Whisky Intelligence Report
14 April 2025
Several bottles of single malt whisky worth thousands of pounds were stolen from Highlands-based distillery The Glenturret on 12 April.
Westwood Whiskey Files for Bankruptcy
9 April 2025
American single malt Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure the business, after facing ‘significant liquidity challenges’.
In Search of The Negroni Grail
In Search of The Negroni Grail
Chaos Day
In Search of The Negroni Grail
The Cask Trader Spectrum
The Cask Trader Spectrum
In Search of The Negroni Grail
The Cask Trader Spectrum
1 April 2025
The long await Wisgy Sport launched with The Cask Trader Spectrum
Boston Harbor Distillery Files for Bankruptcy
31 March 2025
Boston Harbor Distillery was founded in 2012 to make whole-grain whiskey and other inventive spirits. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection thirteen years later.
Majestic Buys Enotria&Coe
31 March 2025
It was widely reported, that the combination of Enotria & Co and Majestic will create an enlarged on-trade wine specialist supplier. Which is nice for everyone.
BBC Reports on Cask Fraud
27 March 2025
Carla Basu reported in the BBC on whisky barrel scams and how victims are being conned out of life savings.
RELATED TOPICS
1 April 2025
Barnardian Tour of Cask Investment Companies
18 December 2024
The strange case of the whisky that never was
8 November 2023
New Broadcast Restriction of Ads for Unregulated Investments
Trump Threatens 200% Tariffs
Trump Threatens 200% Tariffs
14 March 2025
Trump threatened a 200% tariff on EU 'wines, champagnes, and alcoholic products' in response to the EU's introduction of 50% import duty on US whiskey, which the EU brought in to respond to the US's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Whisky Investment Firm Tied to Wine Scam
13 March 2025
Guy Taylor reported in CityAM that the founder of whisky investment firm Hackstons is tied to notorious ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ wine scam. Bordeaux Fine Wines (BFW), which liquidators subsequently labelled a ponzi scheme, conned investors out of at least £9.3m by selling wine it did not actually own.
'Glenglassaugh Distillery is Not Shutting Down'
28 January 2025
Spirits Business reported that Brown-Forman will mothball Scotch distillery Glenglassaugh, with production to be paused indefinitely and an unknown number of roles made redundant. Elizabeth Conway, director of external communications at Brown-Forman, commented: 'Glenglassaugh Distillery is not shutting down.
'We are implemen
28 January 2025
Spirits Business reported that Brown-Forman will mothball Scotch distillery Glenglassaugh, with production to be paused indefinitely and an unknown number of roles made redundant. Elizabeth Conway, director of external communications at Brown-Forman, commented: 'Glenglassaugh Distillery is not shutting down.
'We are implementing a shared production model with BenRiach, which will involve periods of production alongside occasional silent seasons, as has been the case traditionally. This allows us to optimise resources and expertise across both distilleries.
'This shared production model, and our ongoing demand planning process, resulted in a small number of redundancies.'
Brown‑Forman Announces Cooperage Closure
14 January 2025
Brown‑Forman announced plans to reduce its 5,400 worldwide workforce by 12%.
Brown‑Forman will close its Louisville-based Cooperage, staffed by 210 employees, by 25 April 2025 and will then source barrels from an external supplier instead.
India Investigates Diageo Bribe Claims
10 January 2025
Reuters reported that India's federal investigating agency has alleged that Diageo and Sequoia Capital made suspicious payments to a politician's firm in an attempt to attain favourable government decisions.
Diageo Closes Chase Distillery
10 January 2025
Drinks International reported that Diageo had completed the closure of its Chase Distillery in the west of England, moving the production of its gin and vodka to Scotland.
Alcohol and Cancer Risk
6 January 2025
The US Surgeon General published scientific evidence for the causal link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for at least seven different types of cancer, including breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and throat. The Advisory also helps to better inform the public of this relationshi
6 January 2025
The US Surgeon General published scientific evidence for the causal link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for at least seven different types of cancer, including breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and throat. The Advisory also helps to better inform the public of this relationship and offers key recommendations to reduce alcohol-related cancers.
Journal Archive
Wisgy Journal 2024
Wisgy Journal 2024
Wisgy Journal 2024
The inside whisky and spirits stories from 2024
Wisgy Journal 2023
Wisgy Journal 2024
Wisgy Journal 2024
The inside stories from 2023's press releases and industry news