News

5,000-year-old big production brewery discovered

Archaeologists have uncovered in Egypt an ancient high-production brewery that is believed to have been used to brew beer for funerals, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities which posted the announcement on its Facebook page. The joint Egyptian-American archaeological mission, headed by Dr. Matthew Adams of New York University, and Dr. Deborah Fishak of…

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Uber buys Drizly for US$1.1 billion

The USA’s largest e-commerce alcohol marketplace has been bought by Uber Technologies for US$1.1 billion, according to a press release. Drizly has been designed to be fully compliant with local regulations from 1,400 cities across the majority of the USA. The company works with thousands of local merchants to provide consumers with a large selection…

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Record number of new distilleries

While COVID-19 restrictions have hurt pub and restaurant sales of distilled spirits, it hasn’t hurt the number of people getting into distilling. According to figures from HMRC, published by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), the number of new distilleries being registered in a year surpassed 100 for the first time. The figures reveal…

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Whisky cork taint is real

Cork giant Amorim has revealed breakthrough technologies to eradicate detectable TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) through the launch of Naturity and Xpür — technologies designed to remove detectable TCA from natural corks and to create a new segment of micro-agglomerated stoppers, respectively. Although it is more common in wine corks than whisky, it still exists and can affect…

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Oak barrels compounds can give a bitter taste

Wine and spirits are complex mixtures of flavor and aroma compounds, some of which arise during aging in wooden barrels. Among other compounds, oak wood releases coumarins, but how they affect wine’s sensory properties is unclear. Now, researchers reporting in American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have detected and measured six coumarins…

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Gin is tonic for COVID

The end of year market report from the UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) reported that combined sales of gin and flavoured gin in shops, supermarkets and online went up 22 percent in value last year, breaking the billion-pound mark for the first time, worth £1.2 billion totalling 75 million bottles. However, total gin…

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High duty hurting UK spirit sales

Post-Brexit and COVID-19 affected sales are hurting the UK’s spirit and wine industry, but help is not coming from the government which is not lowering the highest duty in all of Europe, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). UK drinkers are currently forced to pay £2.23 on duty per bottle of still…

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One tin lighter

Eco-friendly Bruichladdich Distillers are removing its tins on its web-shop and in its distillery shop in an effort to reduce packaging. While already the tins were manufactured from steel which was 100 percent recyclable, the progressive distillery, located on the Isle of Islay, questioned whether its whisky needed a tin at all. Although customers can…

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