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The best views and opinions in beverage industry publishing, all in one place, from beverage's monthly columnists and in-house experts.
Has history taught Remy Cointreau nothing?
We've all marvelled at Remy Cointreau's turnaround since the days of what we termed its Bain de Sang just over three years ago. After the bo...
Should brewers drop 'craft' for 'independent'?
In the last few weeks, two craft beer trade associations have offered members promotional material designed to highlight their independent o...
California wages wine wars on all fronts
This month, wine commentator Chris Losh heads to California and discovers a wine region buoyed by healthy figures but weighed down by matter...
The Highball - Japan's contribution to Scotch
There can be little debate about the role the Highball serve has had in Scotch whisky's performance in Japan. The serve - comprising whisky,...
Why the spirits brands of the past should be wary of the future - Comment 6 Jul 2017
When your brand is steeped in history, how do you make it relevant to the consumers of today, without diluting that long-held cache? Richard Woodard considers the dilemma facing the likes of Gruppo Campari's Grand Marnier and Remy Cointreau's Cointreau brands.
How much longer can US whiskey maintain its stellar growth? - Comment 4 Jul 2017
It's been one of the success stories of the Century so far. Spirits commentator Ian Buxton looks at US whiskey to see if an end to the category's explosive growth will break anytime soon.
Why brands should tap into consumers' beliefs and values - Consumer Trends 29 Jun 2017
Recent research from global marketing consultancy Edelman reveals consumers are increasingly inclined to choose brands on the basis of shared values. Communicating ethical positions through brand marketing can, therefore, offer significant new opportunities to build brand loyalty but, Ben Cooper writes, belief-driven consumers expect companies to act in accordance with those beliefs, and not just espouse them.
Will PepsiCo 'Live to Tell' a Vita Coco success story? - Comment 28 Jun 2017
This month, soft drinks commentator Richard Corbett takes a look at Vita Coco, the market-leading coconut water brand that is reportedly in PepsiCo's sights.
Beer cans should know their place, and it's not at the table - Comment 16 Jun 2017
This month, our resident beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont, has spotted a link between beer's missed opportunity in the restaurant channel and the propensity of some brewers to plump for cans as their preferred packaging.
The UK General Election, the younger drinker (or not) and the paucity of experts - The just-drinks analyst 13 Jun 2017
Our former beverage analyst Ian Shackleton has focused his attention this month on the post-election outlook in the UK and how macro uncertainty diminishes the role of the analyst. He also examines the latest data from The IWSR and laments that young people seem to be drinking less.
Why Marlborough is looking to up its New World wine game - Comment 7 Jun 2017
This month, wine commentator Chris Losh heads to Marlborough in New Zealand, to see how some folk in the wine region are trying to make its wine less 'meh' and more ... more.
Why is the spirits industry failing to push innovation beyond the top-end? - Comment 31 May 2017
This month, spirits commentator Ian Buxton considers an opportunity that - so far - has been missed by the category. For all its investment in cocktail competitions, he asks, why is the spirits industry failing to mass-produce the innovation it is so keen to encourage?
The soft drinks opportunity from a hard Brexit - Comment 25 May 2017
It's coming up to a year since the UK shocked itself - and Europe - by voting to leave the European Union. Article 50 has now been triggered and Brexit, we have been told, means Brexit. Richard Corbett considers the likely fallout of the UK's departure for the country's soft drinks industry.
Constellation Brands and Brown-Forman? Keep it in the family – Editor’s Viewpoint 24 May 2017
Has someone got their cheeky hat on, or has Constellation Brands got a bit too big for its boots? Yesterday’s reports linking Constellation with Brown-Forman can only be one of these two, and I think I know which one it is.
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.
Are big brewers buying craft brands to benefit big beer? - Comment 16 May 2017
Amid all the furore each time another craft brewer joins the other side, beer commentator Stephen Beaumont explores the strategy behind the larger players' forays in the segment.
Can Europe's wine industry weather the weather? - Comment 12 May 2017
A recent warm spell has thrown wine commentator Chris Losh out of kilter. But, if you think he's got problems, consider what these weather blips do for Europe's wine producers.
Is the UK not OK? - The just-drinks analyst 10 May 2017
This month, our former beverage analyst, Ian Shackleton, is confined to base and has focused his attention on the tough trading outlook in the UK, which is also limiting M&A opportunities. For private beverages companies in the country, however, the outlook looks much rosier.
Is Coca-Cola Co making a Smartwater move with Glaceau? - Comment 2 May 2017
Recent activity by The Coca-Cola Co behind Glaceau Smartwater has brought the enhanced water segment under Richard Corbett's nose. What are the company - and the segment's - chances of success?
How craft beer has shattered its US shackles and gone global - Comment 27 Apr 2017
Much as the US hogs the craft beer limelight, the segment finally appears to be going global. Stephen Beaumont looks at how craft has broken out of its birthplace and is cropping up in markets around the world.
Has the race to premiumise made spirits forget the mainstream? - Comment 25 Apr 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.
How soft drinks brands have offended everyone, some of the time - Comment 18 Apr 2017
In the same month that PepsiCo's knuckles got a consumer-driven wrap, Richard Corbett looks back at the adverts that have tested brand loyalty in the soft drinks arena.
As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, how long before wine faces its own revolution? - Comment 12 Apr 2017
Much has been made over the last year of the 'silent majority'; the long-suffering populations who have seen much of what they believed in eroded, their jobs migrated and workplaces closed, their standard of living on a seemingly endless downward curve. Chris Losh says the same headwinds are being felt across the wine world.
What role will Asia play in the future of beer, spirits and soft drinks? - The just-drinks Analyst 11 Apr 2017
Having focused (virtually) on Brazil in his last piece, this month our correspondent Ian Shackleton travels to Asia. Here, the former analyst shares a few thoughts on how the region might take on the West when it comes to beverages.
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