Pernod Ricard agrees deal for Wyborowa vodka
17-Jul-2001
Pernod Ricard has pledged to develop Wyborowa vodka into a major global brand after buying its Polish producer for over £50m.The Paris-based drinks...
Cheap spirits served as top brands reveals investigation
17-Jul-2001
An undercover investigation in Britain's pubs has discovered that as many as one in 12 bottles of branded spirits contains cut-price substitutes.The...
How pricing your wine can lead to increased sales
03-Jul-2001
Research has shown that a flexible approach to wine pricing can lead to an increase in sales. Here we look at an innovative new way of retailing a...
Drinks trade looks beyond "pink pound
29-Jun-2001
Guinness has said it is not simply targeting the "pink pound" by becoming a sponsor of the annual gay festival Mardi Gras. For the first time, it was...
Summer cocktail recipes
26-Jun-2001
Summer is the time that long cocktails really come into their own. Either as single serve long drinks or sold in pitchers, freshly made cocktails can...
That's the spirit - gin has a fight on hits hands
19-Jun-2001
Gin is struggling to compete in today's spirits market. Ben McFarland finds out what the future holds for one of our more traditional tipples.The...
Look after your wine and keep your customers happy
08-Jun-2001
A few simple and relatively inexpensive steps can ensure that wine is served in perfect condition to your customers. Dark cellars racked floor to...
Boosting sales with the six faces of the wine drinker
06-Jun-2001
All right, you've got 10 seconds. What are you having to drink? Under such pressure it would be no surprise if you plumped for the obvious - a pint...
Pimm's - the quintessential summer drink
05-Jun-2001
Pimm's is aiming to make the most of the summer with a new ad campaignSo-called scientific research has shown that in addition to turning everyone...
Cocktails - a potential source of extra profit for pubs
04-Jun-2001
Some licensees are reluctant to experiment with mixing anything more exotic than a gin and tonic - but they could be missing out on an important...
Independent Scottish whisky company takes on big brands
30-May-2001
An independent Scottish company is returning the art of whisky making to its traditional roots by reopening the Bruichladdich Distillery on the...
Happy schnapps
08-May-2001
Schnapps is emerging as a genuine and viable player in the white spirits market. Ben McFarland reports.They are a charming, yet slightly sneaky bunch...
Vodka Jelly faces Irish bid to ban it
08-May-2001
Vintners' Federation claims London-based product targets childrenThe largest licensees' association in the Irish Republic has advised members not to...
Grant's feels the need for speed
25-Apr-2001
Sponsoring the Jaguar Formula One team has moved Grant's whisky firmly into the spotlight. With another Formula One Grand Prix season off the...
New company KC Brands schnapps up FD Brands' spirits
21-Apr-2001
A new company specialising in premium spirits has been set up by the directors of the Smiles Brewing company, based in Bristol.Smiles chairman...
Surge in scoth whisky among young people in Europe not seen in UK
18-Apr-2001
The popularity of scotch whisky among young people is pushing up sales worldwide - but not in British pubs.It has become the biggest-selling spirit...
Former FD Brands' spirit to be distributed by Halewood
18-Apr-2001
Halewood International has been awarded the distribution rights for Cockspur Golden Rum after the former UK suppliers, FD Brands, went into...
How to profit from wine
03-Apr-2001
Wine has become increasingly important to pubs as a source of profit. Here, Graham Threader, sales director of Waverley Wines & Spirits, looks at...
Boost for Glenmorangie and Drambuie with pooling of supply resources
03-Apr-2001
Glenmorangie and the Drambuie Liqueur Company are pooling resources to handle supply of their brands - but they both said they would remain...
Wine packaging is boxing clever
02-Apr-2001
Wine boxes give great flexibility with the prospect of guaranteed quality, minimum wastage and best use of space. We investigate.No doubt about it,...
New Bacardi Breezer flavour, cranberry, released into market
30-Mar-2001
The premium packaged spirit market leader, Bacardi Breezer, has expanded its range of flavours with the addition of a new cranberry flavour.The...
Maxxium becomes world's third biggest drinks supplier
28-Mar-2001
Maxxium, the marketing and distribution company has taken on board a fourth partner, Sweden's Vin & Sprit (V&S), to become the world's third...
Brands change hands after acquisition of Seagram Drinks
26-Mar-2001
Drinks brands are changing hands as the dust settles from Pernod Ricard and Diageo's acquisition of Seagram Drinks.Pernod Ricard and Diageo said they...
Sherry bleurgh?
19-Mar-2001
Is sherry set for an on-trade revival? Or will it always be consigned to Auntie's drinks cabinet? Ben McFarland talks to the major players.It's been...
Sherry renaissance headed by relaunch of Tio Pepe brand
19-Mar-2001
Rumours of a sherry renaissance have been substantiated by Gonzalez Byáss' decision to relaunch its dry fino Tio Pepe brand. The sherry category has...
Building a quality wine list
15-Mar-2001
Branded wines have a lot of advantages to offer the pub trade.The days when "house red" and "house white" could be considered enough of a choice to...
Q&A: What is the legal position regarding measuring spirits?
14-Mar-2001
Please could you clarify the position regarding measuring spirits? As far as gin, rum, vodka and whisky are concerned legal measures apply. They can...
Two more PPSs aunched despite a cramped market
14-Mar-2001
Another two premium-packaged spirits (PPS) have been launched into the on-trade despite fears from within the industry that the category is at...
Russian vodka row sparks supply fears
05-Mar-2001
Efforts by the Russian government to nationalise the Stolichnaya brand may lead to future UK distribution problems for First Drinks Brands and Allied...
Beverage Brands launches WKD Blue
12-Feb-2001
The battle for domination of the increasingly competitive premium packaged spirit (PPS) market is set to intensify with the launch of a new WKD...
Inferno vodka is hot stuff
05-Feb-2001
A new fiery vodka from Canada is looking to attract UK distributors in a bid to challenge the major players for a share of the prosperous flavoured...
Bacardi Limón heads to UK
27-Nov-2000
Bacardi-Martini has announced the introduction of a new flavour to its Bacardi Rum range and unveiled an extensive pre-Christmas advertising...
Tequila faces an uphill struggle despite its popularity
30-Oct-2000
Tequila sales have soared over the last decade but a shortage of the agave plant means the spirit faces an uphill struggle Few spirits in the UK have...
Drambusters! Scotch whisky has a change of image
16-Oct-2000
Scotch whisky is moving away from its traditional image to grab a share of the youth marketSince its heyday in the seventies, scotch whisky has been...
Two bidders left in battle for Seagram drinks
09-Oct-2000
The fight for Captain Morgan rum, Martell cognac and the rest of Seagram's drinks has become a two-horse race between Allied Domecq and a team made...
Kick-off for range of schnapps shots
02-Oct-2000
Bulmers has designed a new shot glass to accompany the launch of its new schnapps shooter drinkSidekick, a range of single-serve flavoured schnapps...
Drinks fail packaging guidelines
02-Oct-2000
Complaints against four alcoholic drinks have been upheld in a report published last week by drinks industry watchdog The Portman Group.An...
Rare whiskies set for launch
18-Sep-2000
William Grant & Sons is introducing a selection of some of its oldest and rarest single malt Scotch whiskies onto the UK market this month.Two...
Bacardi-Martini 'baffled' at ITC Metz decision
08-Jun-2000
Bacardi-Martini has said it is "baffled" by the Independent Television Commission's (ITC) decision to ban the screening of its Metz commercials...
Allied aims to fill portfolio gaps with new brands
15-May-2000
Allied Domecq is on the look-out for new drinks brands after admitting to gaps in its UK portfolio.It confirmed it was still eager to buy a vodka...
'Positive' Allied set for new expansion
30-Apr-2000
Drinks giant Allied Domecq is poised for acquisitions and launching new products as it faces renewed speculation about a takeover or merger.Expansion...
Plymouth hot on heels of its rivals
01-Feb-2000
Plymouth Gin's sales increased by 350 per cent in 1998 and it is currently the fastest growing gin brand in the UK.It was bought from Allied Domecq...
Bacardi in deal to sponsor free travel over Millennium
13-Dec-1999
Millennium revellers and barstaff are to get a free ride home — thanks to a joint initiative between Bacardi Breezer and London Transport.The brand...
Bacardi goes for a more macho image
06-Dec-1999
If you're looking for gorgeous, bikini-clad women walking along endless sandy beaches, don't watch the latest advertisement for Bacardi.In fact,...
Proposed takeover of Highland Distillers would create giant drinks company
20-Sep-1999
Consolidation continues to hit the drinks industry with plans to create a powerful new group out of the proposed takeover of Highland Distillers.The...
First Drinks takes on Grant's whisky
22-Mar-1999
Grant's, the UK's fourth biggest on-trade blended whisky, has moved from Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine to First Drinks Brands (FDB). FDB already...
Diageo rumoured to be selling-off Cinzano to concentrate on key products
22-Mar-1999
Diageo is believed to be planning a disposal of its Cinzano spirit brand as part of its move to focus on key products.It is trying to reverse a...
UDV spends £15m on ad in fight against economic slowdown
07-Dec-1998
A record £15m spend on advertising by wine and spirits giant UDV this month is one of the steps in its fight against an economic slowdown.The TV and...
Stepped-up spend for Glenmorangie in Christmas boost
30-Nov-1998
Glenmorangie is stepping up investment to give a further boost to sales of its whiskies in pubs.Its malt whisky and wood finishes will be promoted...
UDV brands to get 'significant' cash spend
10-Aug-1998
New wine and spirits giant United Distillers and Vintners (UDV) has revealed it plans "significant" new investment to boost its brands and markets.It...
