Harpers Design Awards 2021 – The Winners

People buy with their eyes and clever design can also deliver strong cues as to what will be in the bottle, conveying clear messages that help bridge the gap between consumer and producer, as Andrew Catchpole reports from this year’s Harpers Design Awards.

Indies: Sustainable steps

With sustainability roaring back to the top of the agenda, Harpers surveyed the indie sector to discover what demonstrable initiatives, innovations and actions leading merchants have implemented on their green journey.

Bouncing Back Q&A: Sam Thackeray, MD, Enotria & Coe

Continuing our seasonal Bouncing Back Q&A series, Sam Thackery of Enotria & Coe takes stock of the challenges and lessons of 2021 and considers the path ahead for the trade.

UK food & drink businesses ‘behind’ on climate change targets, says WRAP research

Just under two-thirds (63%) of UK consumers want businesses to take immediate action to tackle climate change, a new national survey commissioned by sustainability charity WRAP has showed.

González Byass named ‘Best Spanish Winery of the Decade’

González Byass has become the “Best Spanish Winery of the Decade” according to a Spanish Association of Journalists and Writers.

Duty reforms: What’s the cost for wine and spirits?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed plans to simplify the current alcohol duty regime during yesterday’s Budget, when it was revealed that the Treasury would be adopting a new principle of “the stronger the drink, the higher the rate”.

Hermitage launches new spirits and liqueur agency

Hermitage, the premium Cognac importer and bottler, has launched Bunch & Bushel bunchandbushel.com, a trade arm bringing a wider range of spirits to the market.

31Dover to embrace pioneering low-carbon distribution technology

Independent supplier 31Dover will start to distribute spirit brands using an innovative distribution system that nearly eliminates packaging waste in the supply chain.

UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021: The Top 10

Welcome to the final release instalment of our UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021, featuring the chart-topping Top 10, along with all of those that have made it into the ranking this year.

Online BWS sales buck downward trend

New data has revealed that turnover from UK online retail slumped in the month of August, with three notable exceptions.

Q&A: Patrick Venning, The Brixton Distillery Company

On the first anniversary of former Pernod Ricard executives Patrick Venning and Laurent Lacassagne’s creation of Market Row Botanical Rum, Andrew Catchpole meets Venning at their Brixton-based distillery to find out how their novel approach to the category is going.

Berry Bros unveils Nordic Casks whisky range

Berry Bros & Rudd has launched a Nordic Casks whisky series, marking the first time an independent bottler has focussed on this whisky region, according to the business. 

BWS grocery sales decline 6%

Beer, wine and spirits (BWS) sales through supermarkets continued to slide in the four weeks ending 14 August 2021, down 6% compared with the same period last year, according to Total Till data from NielsenIQ released today.

Long read: When it comes to no and low, one size does not fit all

Richard Horwell, owner of London-based food and drink marketing and branding company, Brand Relations, talks though the nuances between no and low beers, wines and spirits, and sets out the future for each.

Spirits boost drinks sales recovery while wine trails behind

Drinks sales have continued to edge further back towards pre-Covid levels in August, with spirits emerging as the leading category helping to catapult the on-trade towards recovery.

Online BWS sales shoot up again

Online beer, wine and spirits (BWS) sales shot up once again, posting 29.9% year-on-year growth in July compared to the previous month, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index released today.

Distil to invest up to £5m in Ardgowan Distillery

Distil has announced that it will be investing up to £5m into the new eco-friendly Ardgowan Distillery in Inverkip, Scotland.

C&C Group appoints Harriet Kininmonth as wine trading director

C&C Group has appointed Harriet Kininmonth to the newly created position of wine trading director.

Oz fires lead to smoke taint innovation

Research is being carried out in Australia to convert smoke from 2019’s devasting bushfires into a desirable characteristic that can be turned into one-of-a-kind spirits.

Premium spirits: Paying the price of lockdown