Why mid-strength spirits offer new threat to wine industry
Back in 2010, Diageo won a UK court case against drinks firm Intercontinental Brands, and more specifically its Vodkat brand,…
All articles by Richard Woodard
Richard Woodard
A trained newspaper journalist with more than 20 years' experience of writing about the wine and spirits categories, Richard has been a regular contributor to Just Drinks since 2006.
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Global travel retail offers ray of light amid spirits-industry gloom
Amid difficult trading conditions in many of the world’s leading beverage alcohol markets, greater attention naturally turns to the limited…
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Why Sazerac’s frenzy of activity could steal march on rivals
It must have been around 2009 or 2010 when I interviewed John McDonnell, then COO of Patrón Tequila (who has…
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Why the heat is still on for Diageo and CEO Sir Dave Lewis
As I write these words on another blisteringly hot day in this record-breaking European summer, Diageo’s stock market performance is…
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Brown-Forman faces big questions as CEO prepares for exit
Brown-Forman doesn’t really do boardroom chaos. In a note published following the announcement that president and CEO Lawson Whiting is…
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Pricing shows new pragmatism as reality dawns for Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky reporters (me among them) had a busy time of it in early October 2017. Within 24 hours, the…
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Grape payments deal underlines headaches facing Champagne industry
Should we be worried about Champagne? At a time when the wine industry is suffering its worst structural decline in…
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The logic in Henkell Freixenet’s interest in Pommery – and why it could presage more wine M&A
Here we go again. A month or so after Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman terminated discussions over their mooted “merger of…
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Rémy’s new Bruichladdich cocktails highlight changing nature of RTDs
In the global scheme of things, it might not appear to be the most consequential drinks product launch of 2026.…
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American whiskey is witnessing a sorry saga but we’ve been here before
It’s called – in not terribly elegant language – a semiquincentennial. On 4 July, the United States of America will…