News

New Chinese import laws to affect UK/Irish spirits

Confusion reigns supreme in regard to China’s new import laws which go into effect on 1 January. According to Reuters, China’s customs authority published new food safety rules back in April. However, detailed instructions on how to get the required registration were only announced in October and the website to do the registration only became…

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Italian winemakers using clay amphoras

Although not a distilling story, for all of you who use casks you will find this story interesting, reported by SevenFifty and written by Jaclyn DeGiorgio. In a cultural exchange between Georgian and Italian winemakers, a project is duplicating how the Romans would have made and stored wine, complete with clay amphoras and wild yeast….

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Spirits will disappear off shelves unless HGV action

Concerned members of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association are calling on the Transport Secretary to take urgent action over HGV driver shortages and freight disruption to avoid some of our favourite spirits from disappearing from the UK supermarket shelves. Nearly fifty of the UK’s wine and spirit businesses put their names to a letter,…

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Norwegian distillery appoints new UK distributor

The multi award winning Norwegian distillery Oslo Handverksdestilleri (OHD) has appointed CASK International as its new UK distributor. The distillery is known for producing spirits using only botanicals native to Norway. This range includes Vidda Torr Gin, Akevitt Blank, Marka Bitter and Norwegian Wood Birch Vodka which is new to the UK market. Since OHD…

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Demand up for craft spiced rums and flavoured spirits

While craft gin continues to do well, spiced rum is beginning to move quickly up the ranks, especially now as we approach the holiday season. During this same time, too, the industry is experiencing increased sales of flavoured vodkas and ready-to-drink cocktails. If you are a spirits brand owner, distiller, or alcoholic beverage manufacturer looking…

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Craft distillers and brewers press for alcohol duty changes

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said his sweeping reforms to the “outdated, complex and full of historical animalities” alcohol duties would make the system “simpler, fairer and healthier”. There are those who disagree. Distillers and wine makers argued that beer and cider continued to be taxed more favourably than their products, and that the higher duty rate…

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Cocktails sales are up, says Wetherspoons

Pub chain Wetherspoons says that young people going out post-lockdown have helped sales of drinks such as mojitos and cosmopolitans rise by 45 percent over 2020, along with rum and vodka sales. However, according to the BBC, ale sales are down by 30 percent. In looking at other pub and bar sales, this seems to…

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FDF launches ‘Achieving Net Zero’ handbook

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has today launched its handbook to help food and drink manufacturers on their journeys to Net Zero. The ‘Achieving Net Zero’ handbook outlines how the FDF and the food and drink sector can address these challenges, and provides practical guidance for food and drink manufacturers, particularly those at the early stages of…

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Diageo invests US$75 million in its first malt whisky distillery in China

Global spirit giant Diageo has announced that it has broken ground on its carbon neutral single malt distillery in Yunnan Province, China. Located in Eryuan County in at an elevation of 2,100 metres, the 66,000 square metre distillery will produce Diageo’s first China-origin, single malt whisky. Details of the US$75 million investment were officially unveiled…

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Leading supplier of glass bottles and packaging’s rebrand

Bruni Erben (H Erben Ltd) has now officially become Berlin Packaging UK Ltd. Berlin Packaging UK has a vast portfolio of clients from innovative start-ups to large global brands. With an in-house product design studio, and partnership with the Bruni Glass Innovation Centre in Milan, this allows Berlin Packaging UK to bring our unparalleled expertise…

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