AlcBev in Five

US removes tariffs on Scotch whisky. The US has lifted its tariffs on Scotch whisky, which distillers say restores duty-free access to a top export market. (The Herald, Mirage News, gov.uk)

Spirits industry presses Trump for broader trade relief. Global spirits producers are urging the Trump administration to extend the Scotch tariff removal to other imported wines and spirits, Yahoo Finance reports. (Yahoo! Finance)

Beer leads bev-alc off-premise declines through Q2. Off-premise bev-alc sales fell 2.8% through the first half of 2026, with beer the largest drag, according to NIQ. (Brewbound)

Indian single malts reach half a million cases in 2025. Trade body CIABC estimates Indian single malt whisky grew to about 500,000 cases in 2025, with domestic producers holding a reported 92% share. (@businessline, Business Standard)

Also moving today:

India tariff cut opens door to wider Scotch whisky market (The Drinks Business, FortuneIndia, Economic Times)

Heineken Announces Nomination of Oliveira as CEO (THISDAYLIVE)

Columbia Distributing Completes Acquisition Of Pac NW RNDC Markets (Shanken News Daily, The Spirits Business)

Copper & Kings gets backing from FMCG investor (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business)

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United Spirits reports 52% quarterly profit rise. Diageo's India unit attributes its first-quarter profit jump to premium spirits demand, offering a read on whether India keeps offsetting softer markets elsewhere. (The Drinks Business)

Brewers Association: over half of craft brewers report growth. The trade group's mid-year report pairs positive brewer sentiment with an estimated 4% volume decline, a split the trade will weigh in back-half planning. (Brewbound)

Boston Beer reports Q2 depletions down 6%. The brewer's quarterly financials show shipments down 4.5%, with Sun Cruiser and Angry Orchard cited as its only brands in growth. (Brewbound)

UK plan would cut pub business rates 20%. A reported plan from new UK prime minister Andy Burnham would cut business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues from April 2027, if enacted. (The Spirits Business)

Also moving today:

Trump's latest tariff list reads like a perfectly stocked bar (The Globe and Mail)

Champagne sector agrees to cut harvest again (Just Drinks)

Hemp Bill Signals Push for Alcohol-Style Distribution and THC Taxes (Brewbound, BevNet)

Tie booze tax to inflation, Treasury told (Times LIVE)

Wine GB calls on government for duty relief at the cellar door (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News)

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Pernod Ricard Shifts Tactics in $314M India Tax Case. Pernod Ricard has withdrawn its court challenge to pursue an administrative appeal, a shift in a $314 million dispute testing how foreign spirits makers manage tax exposure in India's Scotch market. (Yahoo! Finance, ETCFO.com)

Leading Vodka Brands Compete for Share as U.S. Volumes Fall. U.S. vodka volumes slipped 3% to 71.7 million cases last year per Impact data, and top brands are reportedly contesting share within a contracting category. (Shanken News Daily)

Also moving today:

Brewbound Voices: The A-B Consent Decree Expired Earlier This Week. What Now? (Brewbound)

Africa bucks trend of falling global beer output (Just Drinks)

Once again, Moutai bumps up price of signature spirit (The Drinks Business)

Vintae completes acquisition of Bodegas Riojanas (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News)

SipSource: vodka to outpace US spirits market (The Spirits Business)

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Trump To Impose 50% Tariff On Canadian Goods. The administration plans a 50% levy on most Canadian imports in 30 days, a move that would raise landed costs for Canadian-sourced beverage alcohol. (Shanken News Daily, The Globe and Mail, dentons.com)

Off-Premise Alcohol Sales Fall 21% After July 4. Circana reports an expected post-holiday sales pullback, leaving year-over-year growth brands as the signal operators are watching beneath the seasonal noise. (Brewbound, The Spirits Business)

Carlsberg Gains Share As World Cup Beer Boost Underwhelms. Morgan Stanley reports a smaller-than-forecast tournament volume lift, positioning Carlsberg's apparent share gain as the relative winner rather than a category-wide tailwind. (The Drinks Business)

Diageo Chairman Reportedly Seeks Board Shake-Up. The Financial Times reports the chairman is aiming to add industry veterans, a governance move signaling how far the turnaround under new CEO Dave Lewis reaches. (Shanken News Daily)

Also moving today:

Ballast Point Hits Troubled Seas in Ownership Civil War; Lawsuit Alleges Brewery in ‘Imminent Threat of Operational Collapse’ (Brewbound)

Hemp THC Drinks Reached 1.6 Million Cases On Triple-Digit Growth In 2025 (Shanken News Daily)

Swiss spirits investor acquires Killarney Brewing & Distilling site (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business)

Edrington Aligns With Breakthru In Illinois (Shanken News Daily)

German spirits body challenges tax hike plan (The Spirits Business)

Indian vodka Magic Moments hits 3.25m cases in Q1 (The Spirits Business)

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MPs open inquiry into Scotch whisky industry. The Scottish Affairs Committee will examine how trade deals, tariffs and domestic policy affect Scotch, putting the category's regulatory exposure on the record. (The Spirits Business)

Bordeaux vineyard values fall as sales drop. Land prices across Bordeaux's leading appellations continue to slide and annual wine sales have reportedly fallen below three million hectolitres, a marker of how deep the region's downturn runs. (The Drinks Business)

Producers expand mini-bottle lines as shoppers trade down. Pernod Ricard, Bacardi and 818 Tequila are among companies growing their mini-bottle ranges, a format shift reportedly driven by shoppers choosing smaller sizes. (RNZ, WAAY TV 31, CNN International)

Also moving today:

Germany’s Berentzen-Gruppe issues profit warning (Just Drinks)

NIQ: Margarita Sales Temper as Martinis Gain On-Premise Momentum (Brewbound, BevNET)

How Liquor Giant Diageo Is Taking On Beer At The World Cup (Forbes, Yahoo! Finance)

Will Modelo and Corona brewing move from Mexico to the US? (The Drinks Business)

Bacardi backs refill technology over single-use glass (Packaging Europe, DFNI)

Apogee to buy Luca Mariano Distillery for $19.5m (The Spirits Business)

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Royal Stag now world's top-selling whisky, Pernod says. Pernod Ricard's India CEO ties the brand's rise to a shifting market that increasingly shapes global category rankings. (Firstpost)

China alcohol group urges tighter online spirits rules. An industry body says existing e-commerce regulation lags platform growth, pointing to possible tighter oversight in a major market. (The Drinks Business)

New trade talks could raise fresh risks for bourbon. Pending negotiations may renew tariff exposure for an export-reliant Kentucky whiskey category, per the report's framing. (Sun Herald, The Courier-Journal)

Also moving today:

FTC, Southern Glazer’s inch closer to settlement in price discrimination case (Just Drinks)

Could the CANADA Act deepen the US-Canada drinks trade war? (The Drinks Business)

Grape payments deal underlines headaches facing Champagne industry (Just Drinks)

UK trade bodies call on Wales to change DRS plans (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business)

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Australian wine harvest falls to 25-year low. Australia's 2026 crop hit a quarter-century low, yet grape prices kept falling, signalling a supply glut a smaller harvest hasn't cleared. (The Drinks Business, Just Drinks)

Fine wine market stabilised in H1 as US buyers returned. Liv-ex data cited by trade press frames renewed US buying as the swing factor steadying fine-wine prices while Asian demand stays subdued. (The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News)

Brown-Forman faces questions as CEO prepares to exit. With a leadership transition looming, Just Drinks asks whether Brown-Forman will recruit externally, as Diageo and Heineken did. (Just Drinks)

Also moving today:

Bourbon’s Super-Premium Tier Outpacing The Market (Shanken News Daily)

Irish whiskey to outpace Scotch in travel retail (The Spirits Business)

Ian Macleod scales back Scotch production (The Spirits Business)

Uncle Nearest’s Receiver Turns Fraud Narrative Back On Lender, Alleges Farm Credit Mid-America Ignored ‘Red Flags’ & Benefitted Financially (Brewbound, BevNET, The Spirits Business)

Pernod Says Jameson, Redbreast Well Positioned Despite Tough Conditions (Shanken News Daily)

NIQ On Premise data shows category divergence. NIQ's July 2026 on-premise analysis reports spirits extending their lead as beverage alcohol categories diverge, giving planners a fresh data reference. (BevNet, Brewbound)

UK-India trade agreement takes effect for Scotch. The UK-India free trade agreement comes into force today, and The Spirits Business reports Scotch producers are looking to capitalise in one of the category's largest volume markets. (The Spirits Business, The Drinks Business, Drinks International)

Quality Brands closes RNDC Plains States acquisition. Quality Brands has completed its purchase of RNDC's Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota businesses, a route-to-market change for brands in those territories. (Shanken News Daily)

Horse Soldier opens $200m Kentucky distillery. Gallo-backed Horse Soldier Bourbon has opened its American Freedom Distillery, adding capacity and a visitor destination amid reported softness in American whiskey. (The Spirits Business)

Also moving today:

Jack Daniel's Maker Brown-Forman To Lose CEO as Lawson Whiting Retires, Board Now Searching for Successor (IVCPOST)

Pricing shows new pragmatism as reality dawns for Scotch whisky (Just Drinks)

Sazerac picks Osborne for Spain distribution (Just Drinks, Yahoo! Finance)

James Watt Makes Another Bid to Buy BrewDog, Sends Offer to Tilray (Brewbound, Just Drinks)

Uncle Nearest CEO fired from business by receiver (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business)

Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting to retire. The Jack Daniel's owner says its CEO will step down once a successor is named, putting a leadership transition in front of an American whiskey house working through soft US spirits demand. (The Spirits Business, Just Drinks, Just-Drinks)

IWSR research finds Gen Z drinks at population rate. New IWSR consumer data indicates Gen Z drinks at close to the same rate as the wider adult population, cutting against a generational-abstinence assumption embedded in many brand plans. (The Drinks Business, The Spirits Business, Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News)

June CPI: beer prices up 3.1% on- and off-premise. BLS data shows beer pricing tracking close to headline inflation while the rest of beverage-alcohol lags it, a split that reads through to pricing and margin planning. (Brewbound)

NIQ scans show small July 4 lift, sales still negative. Off-premise beverage-alcohol sales stayed in the red through the Fourth of July despite the US 250th-anniversary holiday, according to NIQ's latest weekly read. (Brewbound)

Also moving today:

Mich Ultra, High Noon & Mexican Imports Are Winning the World Cup in the On-Premise, per BeerBoard (Brewbound)

M&A Activity For Scaled RTD Brands Expected to Ramp Up (BevNET)

Trade groups challenge Oregon’s EPR over glass fees (The Spirits Business)

La Martiniquaise-Bardinet buys non-alc brand Sir James 101 outright (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business, Drinks International)

Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting to step down. The Jack Daniel's maker's chief executive plans to depart, in a move the company frames as part of an effort to move past a slowdown in alcohol sales. (The Wall Street Journal, Market Screener)

RNDC wind-down disrupts spirits distribution. The near-complete unwinding of national distributor RNDC is rippling through the three-tier system, with suppliers reported to be chasing owed payments and lining up new routes to market. (Brewbound, BevNET)

Modelo, Michelob, Busch led July 4 beer gains. Circana's weekly off-premise scans point to brand-level beer gainers over the Fourth of July even as total bev-alc volumes stayed roughly flat. (Brewbound)

Bill proposes federal framework for hemp beverages. The Goodness of Hemp Act would establish federal rules for hemp drinks, which backers say could pre-empt restrictions slated to take effect in November. (Brewbound, BevNet)

French heat could cut Champagne yields 10%. Prolonged heat and drought could reduce Champagne yields by around 10% and pull harvests earlier, a supply factor for the category, growers say. (The Drinks Business)

Also moving today:

Champagne Rebounds In The U.S. (Shanken News Daily)

Super-premium Tequila faces 5% drop by 2030 (The Spirits Business)

Grolsch owner Asahi adds Gulpener to Dutch stable (Just Drinks)

South Korea lines up changes to alcohol warning labels (Just Drinks)

Cutwater, Surfside Lead Bev-Alc Growth Brands; El Jimador New Mix and Suntory -196 Among RTDs to Watch, per Bump Williams (Brewbound)

Viva Wine Group receives takeover bid from shareholder consortium (Just Drinks)