Latest drinks industry comment
The best views and opinions in beverage industry publishing, all in one place, from beverage's monthly columnists and in-house experts.
Soft drinks and plastic - The unbreakable bond
Have a guess at who said this: "We are the first generation to understand the consequences of our impact on the planet, and the last that ca...
Has soft drinks missed premiumisation train?
The UK's gin boom has allowed for a raft of innovation in the mixers segment. In turn, the availability of premium mixers has provided non-d...
Why vodka's US woes could soon be drowned out
For the established vodka brands, the US has long been the outstanding market, initially driving the category's metoric growth but now accou...
Pernod breaks boundaries with Chinese distillery
The recent unveiling of Pernod Ricard Asia's plans to produce China's first domestically-sourced single malt whisky is undoubtedly a landmar...
Where should wine focus to buck the on-premise trend? - Comment 8 Oct 2019
These are strange times for the on-premise channel, particularly when it comes to wine. Category commentator Chris Losh takes a look at one area of the on-premise channel that is in rude health, but it's an area full of challenges for the wine industry.
Could 'delocalisation' signal the death of provenance in spirits? - Editor's Viewpoint 3 Oct 2019
The role of provenance in marketing is widely prevalent in the spirits category - always by brands that have to be produced in a certain location, but also often by those that aren't tied by rules of definition.
Can Brown-Forman ride Jack Daniel's brand equity with Tennessee Apple? - Editor's Viewpoint 2 Oct 2019
Four months after flagging the booming growth of flavoured whiskies in the US, Brown-Forman has lined up the addition of another expression of its flagship Jack Daniel's whiskey brand in the country. Tennessee Apple, announced this week, is the third flavoured variant in the Brown-Forman stable, joining Tennessee Fire and Tennessee Honey. Could the new iteration stretch Brown-Forman's flavoured whiskey stable too far?
Why low-alcohol is the next growth opportunity for beer - Comment 24 Sep 2019
Back from his long-haul travels, just-drinks' beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, believes he has found an untapped growth opportunity for the world's brewers.
Vallat appointment means it is business as usual for Remy Cointreau - just-drinks thinks 12 Sep 2019
What does yesterday's announcement of Eric Vallat as Remy Cointreau's next CEO tell us about the company's plans?
This month, soft drinks commentator Lucy Britner takes a closer look at the driving forces behind flavour migration in Asia-Pacific.
Why do consumers find wine so... boring? - Comment 3 Sep 2019
Our resident wine commentator, Chris Losh, has spent some time on 'the other side'. He's returned from his recent visit to the spirits world armed with some challenging advice for the wine trade.
Why Diageo's Cuban rum play isn't enough to save the category - Comment 29 Aug 2019
Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. More than a quarter of a century after Pernod Ricard signed its Havana Club joint venture with state-owned Cuba Ron Corp, Diageo has followed suit. The group's Santiago de Cuba agreement, announced earlier this month, is one of the most eye-catching spirits deals of the year - but it shouldn't distract us from the huge challenges facing the rum category, says Richard Woodard.
How concerned should the beer category be about the hard seltzer boom? - Comment 28 Aug 2019
Hard seltzers have hogged the headlines in recent months, particularly the category's perceived threat to beer. Our beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, looks under the hood of the newcomer's numbers and considers how real the threat truly is.
Why rye whisky is set to go global - Comment 15 Aug 2019
With its distinctly peppery, spicy flavour profile, rye whisky presents a challenge to the average consumer's palate, thinks Neil Ridley, but one that a new breed of whisky consumers appears keen to explore in more detail. So, why is the UK craft distilling scene getting excited for such an innovative, yet relatively extreme, spirit?
What will Diageo's Cuban rum JV mean for Pernod Ricard and Bacardi? - Comment 14 Aug 2019
Last year, I spoke to Juan Gonzalez, the head of Cuba's state-owned rum company, Cuba Ron. It was one of the most entertaining afternoons of my life.
Food for thought? Nutritional drinks enter the wellness zone - Comment 6 Aug 2019
Are beverages ready for ingredients such as potatoes and rapeseed oil, microalgae and tumeric? Lucy Britner finds that in the era of well-being, functional drinks are moving far beyond just a snack in a bottle.
Diageo - An apology - just-drinks thinks 26 Jul 2019
With six years at the helm now under his belt, Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes has endured and enjoyed a rollercoaster ride of a time - and, that's putting it mildly.
How the spirits category can make the most of less sugar - Comment 25 Jul 2019
As consumers demand to know more about what's in their food and drink, category commentator Richard Woodard believes the spirits industry is well-placed to capitalise on the public's cravings for less sugar.
Why beer consumers care less about the detail than you do - Comment 24 Jul 2019
While brewers around the world are keen to highlight any point of differentiation from their competitors, they risk losing sight of the bigger prize. Category commentator Stephen Beaumont has a warning for those in beer focussing their efforts at the geekier end of the consumer spectrum.
Why the next chapter for Scotch whisky has its challenges - Comment 18 Jul 2019
The recent rule changes in Scotch maturation introduced by the Scotch Whisky Association go some way to appealing to the creativity of today's forward-thinking distillers. However, is the general public ready for Scotch 2.0 or, for that matter, does the consumer even want it? Neil Ridley delves into the casks to see what's slumbering away.
Bellwether AG Barr can show UK soft drinks how to survive sugar tax woes - Analysis 16 Jul 2019
A profits warning from AG Barr this morning brought a strong reaction from London's financial market. The Irn-Bru owner's forecast that full-year profits will be down 20% on the year-prior sent shares spiralling by almost 30%. Consequently, the gains AG Barr had made since the UK Government implemented its sugar tax last April were almost completely wiped out.
Will China bite again to tarnish Chapoulaud-Floquet's Remy Cointreau legacy? - just-drinks thinks 10 Jul 2019
Is Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet, who announced yesterday she will leave her post as Remy CEO at the end of the year, a contender for the spirits industry's luckiest leader? Or did the former cosmetics industry executive, who oversaw a remarkable turnaround in Remy's fortunes, set the blueprint for how a modern spirits company should be run?
Why the wine consumer is getting angry and what you should do about it - Comment 9 Jul 2019
Climate change is having a seismic effect on the global wine industry, but not only in the vineyards. Chris Losh believes consumer sentiment towards companies is also taking a hit from freak weather spates.
How soft drinks can tap into meal delivery revolution - Comment 4 Jul 2019
This month, soft drinks columnist Lucy Britner turns her attention to takeaways. As the trend towards convenience and frictionless delivery continues, where do soft drinks fit in?
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