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

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.

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Millennials are not the only fruit for Absolut - Comment 4 April 2017

The saga of Absolut's travails in the US continues, with the mooted recovery in the Pernod Ricard-owned vodka brand's fortunes proving more elusive than the company had hoped. Are Millennials to blame? Richard Woodard reports.

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Blip belies Champagne & sparkling wine's healthy future - Research in Focus 3 April 2017

There are good times ahead for sparkling wine producers all over the world, including Champagne, according to the latest joint just-drinks/IWSR Global Insights report – with non-Champagne fizz set for dramatic growth. At first glance, that might look surprising. After all, overall sparkling wine consumption (including Champagne) only expanded by 0.3% in 2015, with Champagne bucking the recent trend by outperforming its global competition.

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Future looks "spectacular" for Champagne, sparkling wine - research 3 April 2017

Champagne and sparkling wine are poised for a period of strong and uninterrupted growth in the years ahead, according to recent research compiled by just-drinks and The IWSR.

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Global sales slide masks premium opportunity for vodka - research 6 March 2017

Global vodka sales are set for continued declines over the next five years, but the prospects for the premium-and-above price segments are brighter, according to recent research from just-drinks and The IWSR.