just-drinks authors and correspondents

Biography

A trained newspaper journalist, Richard Woodard was editor of the drinks trade magazine Wine & Spirit International from 2000 to 2005, responsible for writing, commissioning and producing a broad range of business-related content relevant to the international drinks industry.

He now works freelance and is a regular contributor to just-drinks.com, Decanter, The Spirits Business, The Drinks Business and Imbibe, among others.

Columns by Richard Woodard

Comment - Spirits - A Word with Woodard

Resident columnist and spirits know-it-all Richard Woodard provides his monthly take on the latest in the global white spirits industry.

Articles by Richard Woodard

Why big spirits firms are willing to pay for potential - Comment 27 July 2017

This month, spirits columnist Richard Woodard takes a closer look at why the world's largest spirits firms are investing in relatively small brands. 

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The road ahead for Tequila and mezcal - Research in Focus 26 July 2017

Tequila will continue to be one of the global spirits industry's most dynamic and buoyant categories for the next five years – but there are challenges too, says a new joint report from Just-drinks and the IWSR.

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Mezcal to bolster Tequila with growth of agave spirits set to continue - research 26 July 2017

Global sales of agave-based spirits are poised for further growth, new research claims, as Tequila's success continues in the next few years, supplemented by the increasing significance of mezcal.

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Why the spirits brands of the past should be wary of the future - Comment 6 July 2017

When your brand is steeped in history, how do you make it relevant to the consumers of today, without diluting that long-held cachet? Richard Woodard considers the dilemma facing the likes of Gruppo Campari's Grand Marnier and Remy Cointreau's Cointreau brands.

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Flavoured spirits poised for bounceback in next four years - research 7 June 2017

The large and diverse flavoured spirits category will stage a modest recovery over the next few years, ending a recent trend of long-term decline, according to a new joint report from just-drinks and The IWSR.

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Slide goes on for flavoured spirits, but opportunities remain - Research in Focus 6 June 2017

The global flavoured spirits market remains in the midst of a slow, long-term decline, according to research released this week, but the diversity of the 150m-case-plus category creates a complex picture that defies easy generalisations.

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Why craft owes more to multinational brands than we're made to think - Comment 18 May 2017

In wanting to trumpet their credentials, craft spirits brands still owe much to the bigger, more-established brands in the segments. Richard Woodard believes beating up the big boys leaves craft brands open to charges of biting the hand that feeds them.

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Has the race to premiumise made spirits forget the mainstream? - Comment 25 April 2017

It's the last thing the English language needs, but could a companion term to the verbally-ugly 'premiumisation' pass into everyday use in the years to come? Is 'mainstreamisation' – a neologism arguably even more hideous than the p-word – here to stay? Richard Woodard thinks so.

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Scotch whisky sales set to soar, despite recent struggles - research 20 April 2017

Worldwide sales of Scotch whisky are poised for a remarkable resurgence in the coming years, led by the continued march of malts and a recovery in blended Scotch sales, according to recent research.

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Why Scotch must drop the 'malts good, blends bad' mantra - Research in Focus 20 April 2017

Scotch whisky is contemplating a brighter future after three consecutive years of falling global sales, according to the latest joint Global Insights report from just-drinks and The IWSR. While worldwide consumption of blended Scotch and single malts fell slightly in 2015 – down 0.2% to just under 94m nine-litre cases – the early signs from 2016 are positive, and the years to come look brighter still.