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…
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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Why spirits slowdown could prompt majors to diversify
At first glance, the takeover of Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare by Suntory Holdings earlier this month appears to be of only…
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Green shoots? It’s still too early to call recovery in spirits
April in the Northern Hemisphere is a month of promise: longer days, flowers in bloom, warmth. In my neck of…
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Waterford Whisky saga underlines changing times in Irish whiskey
It’s taken close to 18 months, but a buyer has finally been found for Ireland’s Waterford Whisky, which went into…
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Spirits’ struggles mean more cautious majors – and harder task for startups
Well, that didn’t take long. Just a couple of weeks after Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis bemoaned the company’s underrepresentation…
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Sir Dave Lewis takes Diageo on first step of “turnaround journey”
“It’s been pretty intense.” Seven weeks into his tenure as Diageo CEO, Sir Dave Lewis has been left in little…
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Scotch export data highlights headaches for distillers
This time six years ago, Scotch whisky was in a pretty good spot. Export shipments in 2019 had ticked up…
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Irish whiskey soured in 2025 but distillers can prosper
The 1988 acquisition of Irish Distillers Ltd (IDL) by Pernod Ricard is the great drinks industry acquisition that almost never…
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Diageo and baijiu: the curious story that might be set to end
It’s hard to escape an eerie feeling of déja-vu as we navigate the early weeks of 2026: geopolitical uncertainty; the…
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Distilling giants point way for aged spirits in 2026
As we all contemplate what kind of year 2026 will be for spirits – after tariffs, conflict and macroeconomic gloom…