Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Diageo-owned Port Ellen reopens after 40 years

Published: 20 March, 2024

In a landmark moment for Scotch whisky, Port Ellen Distillery, on the island of Islay, reopened today after a 40-year hiatus.

Henry Jeffreys: Whisky goes global

Published: 24 November, 2023

Henry Jeffreys looks beyond Scotch and more latterly Japan, to those countries which have emerged as serious, sellable propositions for the trade.

Diageo profit warning knocks European drinks markets

Published: 13 November, 2023

Diageo has issued an unexpected trading statement to warn that this year’s revenue and profit will be significantly lower than the group previously expected – a blow which has had a serious knock-on effect for the European drinks sector.

Diageo launches special releases 2023 collection

Published: 18 September, 2023

Diageo, a global leader in premium drinks, has today unveiled its Spirited Xchange Special Releases Scotch Whisky collection

Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes passes away

Published: 07 June, 2023

Spirits giant Diageo has announced the sad death of its CEO Sir Ivan Menezes following a brief illness.

Henry Jeffreys: Seeking out gin’s disruptors

Published: 21 April, 2023

Looking beyond London Dry, Henry Jeffreys tracks down the British gin brands on the hunt for growth with new points of difference.

Diageo announces 18% sales growth in 2023 interim results

Published: 26 January, 2023

The British multinational alcoholic beverage company, Diageo, has reported net sales of £9.4 billion in the half-year ending 31 December 2022, an increase of 18.4% on the same period in 2021.

Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes awarded knighthood for ‘services to business and equality’

Published: 03 January, 2023

Ivan Menezes, Diageo's Indian-born CEO, has received a knighthood in King Charles' first New Year’s Honours list.

Government extends alcohol duty-freeze for six months

Published: 20 December, 2022

The freeze on UK alcohol duty rates has been extended six months to 1 August 2023, the government announced yesterday (19 December 2022).

Diageo and Encirc partner in net zero glass project

Published: 13 December, 2022

Diageo and the glass manufacturer Encirc have announced a partnership to create the world’s first net zero glass bottles at scale by 2030.

Diageo partners with Springboard and Prince’s Trust to tackle staffing crisis

Published: 01 November, 2022

Diageo, maker of Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, has announced a new three-year partnership with Springboard and The Prince’s Trust to help tackle the staffing crisis in the hospitality industry.

Vodka's wild ride

Published: 29 June, 2022

The corporate world is very fond of quoting an old adage: “Commerce hates noise.” Yet vodka brands cannot hide from the upheaval caused by Ukraine, rising inflation and post-pandemic behavioural shifts. With the political, economic, and social environment in a state of realignment, spirit brands have been presented with a unique set of opportunities, and threats, in 2022.

NabLab: Europe’s first no & low alcohol trade fair announced for 2023

Published: 27 May, 2022

Drinks platform NabLab has recently announced that it will host the first major European trade event dedicated to no and low alcohol beverages.

Diageo urges drinkers to ‘Know When to Stop’ at Christmas

Published: 19 November, 2021

Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker maker Diageo has launched a new global responsible drinking campaign aimed at urging people to know when to say enough’s enough this Christmas.

Diageo reports 8.3% jump in sales

Published: 29 July, 2021

Diageo has reported an 8.3% jump in sales to £12.7bn with strong organic growth offset by an adverse foreign exchange impact in the year to 30 June 2021.

Drinks giants back startup incubator scheme for black-owned FMCG brands

Published: 16 February, 2021

Pernod Ricard and Diageo have backed a new not-for-profit innovation accelerator founded to drive growth of black-owned brands within FMCG.

Drinking in the new sustainability

Published: 11 January, 2021

A critical mass of smaller, sustainability-focused players is helping the wine and spirits industries reach new levels of innovation and accountability, writes Jo Gilbert

Diageo introduces health warnings on labels

Published: 16 December, 2020

Diageo has announced that it will introduce a health warning on Smirnoff, Gordon’s Pink, Baileys and Captain Morgan labels in the UK from early 2021.

Diageo launches ambitious ten-year sustainability plan

Published: 23 November, 2020

Global drinks giant Diageo has launched a new ten-year sustainability action plan featuring a range of goals involving environment issues, diversity and inclusion, and moderate drinking initiatives.