AlcBev in Five

Trump order bans Canadian alcohol imports from Sept. 29. An executive order would halt U.S. imports of Canadian wine, spirits and beer within three weeks, per Shanken News Daily, leaving importers little time to adjust. (Shanken News Daily, The Drinks Business, mint) NIQ: most top U.S. alcohol markets show declines. NielsenIQ's four-week read to August 29 shows most top-10 markets down in volume and dollars, a demand signal the firm ties to household budget pressure. (Shanken News Daily) Boston Beer outlines premium, innovation strategy at Barclays. The brewer told investors it is leaning on premium brands, faster innovation and tighter spending while acknowledging category pressure, per Investing.com. (Investing.com) Diageo Cameronbridge workers vote to strike over job cuts. Unions say staff were not consulted on job losses at the Scottish distillery, per Just Drinks, an early labour test of Diageo's cost programme. (Just Drinks) Also moving today: Constellation Execs Say Reshaped Wine And Spirits Unit Outperforming (Shanken News Daily) Southern Glazer's Appoints Glendal Vandenbempt as Managing Director of New Gold Division (Southern Glazer's) Wild Goose, SS BrewTech Owner to Discontinue Brewing Division, Cites Secondary Equipment Market (Brewbound) Exclusive: Impact’s “Hot Prospect” Wines Point The Way Forward (Shanken News Daily) JOHNNIE WALKER DROPS LIMITED EDITION SABRINA CARPENTER BLACK LABEL BOTTLE DESIGN (Adnkronos, The Manila times, The Montreal Gazette) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

US announces import ban on Canadian alcohol. The Trump administration has announced a ban on most Canadian alcoholic beverages, leaving importers and cross-border brands with immediate supply questions. (Drinks International, SouthAsianDaily.com, The Daily Star) EU spirits exports fell 6% last year, Just Drinks reports. EU spirits export sales declined 6% in the past year under pressure in the US and China, the two markets most European producers rely on for volume. (Just Drinks) Molson Coors tells investors beyond-beer gains offset by costs. At a Barclays conference, Molson Coors described gains from its beyond-beer push as offset by inflation and freight pressure, per Investing.com. (Investing.com) Brown-Forman adds Switzerland to Coca-Cola HBC distribution deals. Switzerland becomes the twelfth market where Brown-Forman routes its spirits through Coca-Cola HBC, extending a spirits-through-bottler distribution pattern. (Yahoo! Finance, Just-Drinks) Also moving today: Middleby to Discontinue Brewing Group (Middleby) Whole Foods’ Mary Guiver Departs Retailer’s Bev-Alc Team (Brewbound) 2025’s Top Growth Brands Held Ground Ahead of Labor Day 2026, per NIQ Weekly Scans (Brewbound) CAMPARI GROUP LAUNCHES SARTI IN THE U.S., INTRODUCING ITS SIGNATURE SPRITZ TO A NEW GENERATION OF APERITIVO DRINKERS (CNHI News) Breckenridge Distillery and Southern Glazer's Expand Partnership Across New York and California (The Kingston Whig-Standard, The Montreal Gazette, The Manila times) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Constellation Brands signals shift from expansion to operating discipline. Constellation told investors at Barclays' consumer conference it is moving to a more operator-focused model, a signal for how it will fund pricing and portfolio spend into next year. (Investing.com) Heineken reports stronger first-half volumes, uneven market conditions. Heineken used the same Barclays conference to describe a growing business still facing uneven conditions across markets, a second same-day read on global beer demand. (Investing.com) Southern Glazer's report names five beverage alcohol growth opportunities. The largest US distributor published its inaugural trends report identifying five growth opportunities, framing that tends to reach supplier reviews and shelf resets. (Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits) Pernod Ricard reportedly hires four banks for India IPO. Pernod Ricard has reportedly appointed four investment banks for a potential listing of its Indian business that could raise more than US$1 billion. (The Drinks Business, cnbctv18.com) Also moving today: Boston Beer Appoints Samsung Electronics America CMO as Next Marketing Lead (Brewbound) Rogue IP Auction Ends with $2.82 Million Winning Bid from Fitness Company (Brewbound) Top Import, RTD and NA Brands Find YoY Growth Despite Misaligned Labor Day and Wonky Comps in Circana Weekly Scans (Brewbound) Brown-Forman revives dormant Kentucky Boy brand to honor bourbon legend (Yahoo, The Courier-Journal, Market Screener) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

France heads for one of its smallest wine harvests in 30 years. Preliminary government figures point to a third constrained French vintage, tightening supply for anyone contracting French wine into 2027. (Just Drinks) Circana scans show beer softness concentrated, not category-wide. Some leading beer brands posted a late-summer lift despite the category's slump, per Circana's latest weekly off-premise data. (Brewbound) Pernod Ricard engages four banks for India IPO, sources say. People familiar with the matter tell Moneycontrol the Absolut and Jameson owner has hired advisers for a proposed listing of its India unit valued above $1bn. (MoneyControl) Travel retail spirits split as Indian whisky gains, Scotch works harder. Drinks International reports Indian whiskies thriving at home airports while Scotch brands struggle to convert Asian travellers. (Drinks International) Also moving today: AB InBev invests Rs 200 crore in Rajasthan brewery as beer demand surges beyond big cities (Economic Times, Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd, LatestLY) Northern Ireland distilleries are increasingly winning business in Europe as sales to the US are impacted adversely by tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump (Belfast News Letter) CVH Spirits to resume Scotch sales in South Africa (Just Drinks, CapeTown ETC, Cape Business News) Rémy Cointreau names new Dutch distributor (Yahoo! Finance, Just-Drinks) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Beer Institute: July U.S. beer supply down 4.9%. The Beer Institute reports July domestic beer supply fell 4.9% year over year despite peak summer occasions, with imports cited as the drag, a supply-side signal for inventory and import planning. (Brewbound) FSSAI tells Bombay High Court Old Monk is not rum. India's food regulator told the Bombay High Court that Old Monk, made with neutral spirit and rum flavouring, should be labelled a rum-flavoured spirit, a category line with relabeling implications beyond one brand. (mint, India Today, The Indian Express) IWSR report frames Sub-Saharan Africa as long-term drinks growth. A new IWSR report calls Sub-Saharan Africa one of the most compelling long-term growth opportunities in drinks, while flagging structural volatility and entrenched local products as entry barriers. (The Drinks Business, drinkstuff-sa.co.za) Firestone Walker begins brewing Stone beers in Paso Robles. Firestone Walker has started producing Stone Brewing beers at its Paso Robles brewery, per The Tribune, two long-time California craft rivals now sharing a brewhouse. (The Tribune) Also moving today: Material and Wine Market Council Release New National Study Showing Where Wine Connects, and Where It Doesn't, in Online Media (Wine Market Council) Beer gets its buzz going as spirits market sobers up (Economic Times) Acclaimed NJ distillery is leaving for NY, as the Garden State industry pleads for reform (Gothamist) Australian Vintage “stronger” despite pressure on profits (Just Drinks) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Diageo to cut about 300 jobs at North America HQ. Just Drinks reports Diageo is cutting roughly 300 roles at its New York headquarters, putting a figure on a turnaround the group has said it is pursuing. (Just Drinks) Brown-Forman CEO says US business improving slowly. The outgoing Brown-Forman chief describes a gradual US recovery, a supplier-side read on American spirits demand tied to the group's profit outlook. (Just Drinks, NASDAQ Stock Market, The Drinks Business) House to vote on delaying November hemp THC ban. Shanken News Daily reports the House will vote this week on a one-month delay to the hemp THC ban, following the Senate, leaving timelines for a competing intoxicant category unsettled. (Shanken News Daily) Bloomberg reports younger drinkers shifting away from carbonated serves. Bar and campus behavior described by Bloomberg points to still drinks displacing fizzy ones among younger consumers, with implications for RTD, seltzer and mixer formats. (Bloomberg Business) Also moving today: FIFCO USA Acquired by Former CEO’s Private Equity Group (Brewbound) Martignetti Acquiring Mass A-B Distributor Girardi (Shanken News Daily) Impact’s “Hot Brand” RTDs Keep Climbing Heading Into Fall (Shanken News Daily) Liquid Death Founder and Sazerac Launch Mr. Fancy Canned ‘American Bubbly’ (BevNET, Brewbound) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Brown-Forman Reports Q1 FY27 Sales Down 1%. Brown-Forman reported a 1% net sales decline for the quarter ended July 31 and reaffirmed its full-year outlook, a signal of how a major supplier expects FY27 to trend. (Brown-Forman, Benzinga, Yahoo! Finance) NIQ Data Shows Beverage Alcohol Sales Down 3%. NielsenIQ measured a 3% value and 5% volume decline in total beverage alcohol over four weeks, putting numbers to the affordability shift buyers are already seeing at shelf. (Shanken News Daily) House Votes to Delay Hemp THC Ban by One Month. The House approved a one-month delay to the scheduled November hemp THC ban, extending the planning window for anyone holding hemp-derived THC drink inventory. (Shanken News Daily, Just Drinks) Diageo Removes ESG Metrics From Long-Term Executive Pay. Diageo has dropped responsible-drinking and sustainability targets from its long-term executive reward plan, a visible signal of how those commitments are currently weighted. (Just Drinks) Also moving today: Martignetti to Acquire Red Network Distributor Girardi in Massachusetts (Brewbound, BevNet) India's beer boom is pouring beyond affluent cities and nightlife districts (Economic Times) Spiked Sports Drink Race Heats Up with 2 Early Leaders, New Entrants (Brewbound) Tilaknagar invests in Tequila firm Black Tiger Distilleries (Just Drinks, Trade Brains, Economic Times) Henkell Freixenet buys majority stake in Irish distributor (Just Drinks, Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Congress delays federal hemp ban to December 11. A continuing resolution pushes the hemp ban deadline back a month, leaving beverage makers' inventory and shelf-space plans unsettled. (Brewbound, BevNet) Castel family branches call for governance "stability". A statement attributed to the wine group's majority family branches makes a control dispute public, with counterparties downstream of the outcome. (Just Drinks) Henkell Freixenet buys 60% of Cassidy Wines. The majority stake gives Henkell Freixenet direct route-to-market control in Ireland, a further step in European wine distribution consolidation. (Drinks International) Craft brewery roll-ups lag in off-premise scans, analyst says. Bump Williams Consulting reports consolidation among craft brewers has not produced stronger retail sales data. (Brewbound) Also moving today: Old Monk buckles under FSSAI pressure, tells HC it will drop '7 years old blended' from label | Company Business News (mint) Finnish Long Drink Cuts Sales Roles After Mark Anthony Acquisition (BevNET, Brewbound) Athletic Brewing Appoints Dan Kleinman as CMO (Brewbound, BevNet) We Have a New World's Oldest Whisky: The Balvenie Unveils 88-Year-Old Single Malt (Yahoo, sg.style.yahoo.com, Yahoo!) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Impact Databank Projects 1% U.S. Spirits Volume Growth. Impact Databank expects U.S. spirits volumes to rise about 1% this year, with RTDs carrying the gain, a baseline for distributor and brand planning. (Shanken News Daily) NBWA Beer Purchasers' Index Enters 'Cautionary' Mode. The August Beer Purchasers' Index, paired with out-of-code inventory risk, puts the industry in what NBWA calls a 'cautionary' position for a second straight year-end summer. (Brewbound) Campari Puts Global Push Behind Espolòn Tequila. Espolòn, now Campari's largest U.S. brand at 1.67 million cases, is getting global backing, a marker of where the group is directing tequila investment. (Shanken News Daily) Cognac Winegrowers Sue Sazerac Over Ended Supply Contracts. A group of Cognac growers has taken Sazerac to court over the alleged illegal termination of supply contracts, a case touching how brand owners exit appellation agreements. (Just Drinks) Also moving today: CGA On-Premise Preview: Labor Day Celebrations Expected to be Down Slightly Compared to 2025 (Brewbound) Irish whiskey industry looks beyond US as Trump tariffs drive global expansion (Irish Examiner) Mexico's mezcal boom is under threat from organized crime (The Hill) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Tariffs, Softer Demand Squeeze European Distillers. The Wall Street Journal reports European distillers with heavy U.S. exposure face tariffs alongside weaker-than-planned global demand, a mismatch suppliers and distributors will price against. (The Wall Street Journal) Pernod Ricard Reports Full-Year Sales Down 3.9%. Pernod Ricard posted organic full-year sales of €9.4 billion, down 3.9%, and its CEO said the company is working to adapt faster to a soft U.S. market. (Shanken News Daily, Robb Report) Morales Beverage Group Signs LOI For RNDC Indiana. Morales Beverage Group has signed a letter of intent to acquire RNDC's Indiana business, a deal it says would extend its footprint to six states. (Shanken News Daily, BevNET, Brewbound) Sazerac Extends Fireball, Buys U.K. Vodka Asset. Sazerac is reported to be extending Fireball and adding a U.K. vodka brand while its $15 billion bid for Brown-Forman remains unresolved. (Shanken News Daily, icohol.com, Food Dive) Also moving today: Heirs to the Jack Daniel's Fortune Are Fending Off a Takeover -- and a Rogue Cousin (The Wall Street Journal) Free spirit: Will the Supreme Court let this man distill his own whiskey? (USA Today) Beer Leading Consistent Declines Thru Mid-August, per NIQ Weekly Scans (Brewbound) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Pernod Ricard pivots to RTDs as U.S. sales fall 14%. Pernod Ricard reported a 14 percent U.S. organic net sales decline and told investors it is leaning on ready-to-drink and smaller formats, the category leader's stated answer to a shrinking American market. (Brewbound, Shanken News Daily, The Manila times) Brown-Forman, Pernod Ricard merger reported still off the table. Amid reported turmoil among Brown family heirs, the Lexington Herald Leader reports a Brown-Forman combination with Pernod Ricard remains off the table, setting expectations on the consolidation question over American whiskey. (Lexington Herald Leader) RBC forecasts young-adult drinking to rise by 2027. RBC Capital Markets projects young drinkers' consumption will increase by the end of 2027, a bank forecast, not observed data, that cuts against the Gen Z moderation assumption shaping volume planning. (Brewbound) Varun Beverages enters alcohol with ex-Diageo executive. India's Varun Beverages will form an alcoholic drinks subsidiary led by former Diageo executive Prathmesh Mishra, per the Economic Times, another large route-to-market player moving into the category. (Economic Times) Also moving today: Former Stone Escondido Site Faces 220 Cuts as Sapporo Winds Down Brewery’s Operations (Brewbound) AB InBev invests in New York Cutwater production (Just Drinks) Heineken to redevelop Swiss site (Just Drinks) CHRIS HEMSWORTH JOINS ARCHIE ROSE DISTILLING CO. AS CO-OWNER AHEAD OF U.S. LAUNCH AND GLOBAL EXPANSION (共同通信PRワイヤー, Philippine Times, Drinks International) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Brown family letter criticizes Brown-Forman CEO. WDRB reports Brown-Forman heirs sent a seven-page letter faulting outgoing CEO Lawson Whiting, putting family shareholder pressure on a leadership transition. (WDRB, Paxton Media Group Kentucky Pub Group2) US alcohol groups urge resumption of Canada tariff talks. Just Drinks reports American alcohol trade groups are pressing Washington and Ottawa to restart trade talks that broke down last week, a dispute touching shipments and pricing. (Just Drinks) Circana reports craft beer declines accelerating in August. Brewbound, citing Circana's latest monthly report, says craft beer's summer decline deepened into August, a trend suppliers track for depletions and shelf resets. (Brewbound) Sazerac buys collapsed Garrard County distillery in Kentucky. NOLA reports Sazerac completed the purchase of a Kentucky distillery that failed after 15 months, adding bourbon capacity by acquisition rather than construction. (NOLA, Drinks International) Also moving today: Sazerac enters soju in US with Dahlo brand launch (Just Drinks, Food Dive, CNHI News) Irish alcohol excise duty ranks second highest in Europe (Eoghan Corry's TRAVEL Extra, The Irish Sun, The Irish Times) Beer giant Constellation Brands invests $100M in US farm profitability (Food Dive) RTD Growth Challenges Bev-Alc’s Price-Based Premiumization Playbook (Brewbound) Wine's consumer problem may be relevance -- not image, study says (Santa Rosa Press Democrat) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

US imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian wine and spirits. Talks with Canada collapsed and a 50% duty on wine and spirits took effect, resetting landed cost for importers and buyers overnight. (Shanken News Daily, Drinks International) US wine imports fell in first half of 2026. US customs data analysed by OIVE shows wine imports down in both value and volume, giving operators a pre-tariff demand baseline. (Just Drinks) Brown-Forman shareholders voice criticism before CEO exit. Shareholders criticised the company ahead of its planned CEO transition, following a reported rejection of Sazerac's $15 billion bid. (Shanken News Daily, New York Post, Lexington Herald Leader) Gallup: US alcohol consumption holds at record low. Gallup reports 54% of Americans drink alcohol in 2026, unchanged year over year and still at the survey's record low. (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) Also moving today: Sazerac Bolsters Capacity With Garrard County Distilling Purchase (Shanken News Daily, Food Dive) Bev-Alc Trends Hold Steady Through Mid-August After Circana Data Correction (Brewbound) The Death of Traditional ‘Trading Up’: RTDs Lead New Premiumization Wave (BevNET) Budweiser parent company sues Tennessee for $1.8M refund (The Tennessean, Yahoo! Finance) Business rates: Government reviews valuations for pubs and hotels (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Bloomberg: Brown-Forman family members wrote to board. Bloomberg reports two members of the family controlling Brown-Forman put objections to management in writing after the Pernod Ricard talks ended, suggesting governance pressure outlasted the deal. (mint, Bloomberg Business) Diageo discloses 1,922 job cuts over past year. Diageo's own disclosure shows a 6.4% headcount reduction, giving the trade a concrete figure for how the spirits slowdown is reaching the category leader's cost base. (WebProNews, The Fresno Bee) NIQ: RTDs take 38% of bev-alc innovation dollars. A new NIQ report puts ready-to-drink brands at 38% of category innovation spend from a smaller item count, a data point for how teams allocate new-product budgets. (Brewbound, BevNET) Gallup: US drinking rate flat, non-alc trial rises. Gallup reports the share of US adults who drink held steady against 2025 while adult trial of non-alcoholic options increased, a split read both moderation and stable-volume narratives can cite. (BevNET, Just Drinks, Brewbound) Also moving today: Diageo to reformulate India whisky, rum brands after FSSAI flavouring challenge | Company Business News (mint) Sazerac Just Confirmed a Major Kentucky Distillery Deal. Its Next Step Could Be Even Bigger (Inc., The Manual, CNHI News) Carlsberg India posts strong volume growth in H1, IPO process underway: Global CEO Aarup-Andersen. (Economic Times, @businessline, The Telegraph) De-alc business Strategic Beverage Services acquires BevZero US assets (Just Drinks) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

India's food regulator samples liquor at Pernod plant. Reuters reports India's food-safety regulator inspected a Pernod Ricard factory and collected samples as part of a wider probe into the country's $40 billion liquor sector, putting compliance risk on the whole market, not one company. (Reuters, Market Screener, Yahoo News) Carlsberg lifts profit outlook as Britvic synergies land early. Carlsberg guided full-year profit toward the upper end of its range despite missing half-year estimates, saying its 2025 Britvic purchase is delivering faster than expected, a read on whether soft drinks can offset soft beer. (Checkout, Just Drinks, The Independent) US pauses 50% tariffs on Canadian wine and spirits. A three-day pause on scheduled 50% tariffs covering Canadian wine and spirits leaves importers and cross-border producers planning against two cost structures at once while trade talks continue. (Shanken News Daily, Just Drinks) Diageo annual report discloses 1,900-plus job cuts in FY26. Diageo's annual report quantifies a workforce reduction management had declined to state publicly, with 90% of its $1 billion restructuring reported as complete by September. (BevNET, Brewbound, Just Drinks) Also moving today: Constellation Brands Announces $100 Million Investment to Support U.S. Farmers (The Montreal Gazette, The Manila times, Barchart.com) Beer Loses Summer Traction as Bev-Alc Slump Deepens in Weekly NIQ Off-Premise Scans (Brewbound) Boston Beer CFO Diego Reynoso to Exit; Formal Search Launched for Replacement (Brewbound) America's #1 beer maker is pouring millions into CNY brewery to serve up more canned cocktails (syracuse, Barchart.com) Independent brewers urge UK government to delay DRS (Just Drinks) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Hard Cider Posts Year-Over-Year Gains, 3 Tier Reports. New 3 Tier Beverages data shows cider growing on singles, six-packs and national brands, a pack-and-brand read for buyers planning against a soft bev-alc quarter. (Brewbound) Pommery Secures Cash Position; Henkell Exclusivity Ends Without Deal. Maison Pommery & Associés says financing talks concluded and its treasury is secured, while the exclusivity window with Henkell International closed with no agreement, leaving ownership unresolved. (Maison Pommery & Associés) Majestic Wine Plans £4m Retail Investment, Four New Stores. Majestic will spend £4 million on its store estate this year and open at least four sites, per trade reports, a bricks-and-mortar bet against UK high-street retrenchment. (The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) New Generation Wines Acquires Bancroft Wines. Importer-wholesaler New Generation Wines has bought Bancroft Wines, per its own announcement, another UK consolidation that narrows the route to market for supplying brands. (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) Also moving today: NEXT CENTURY SPIRITS ACQUIRES GRAIN & BARREL SPIRITS BRAND PORTFOLIO, INCLUDING ICONIC CHICKEN COCK WHISKEY (CNHI News) Is rum’s premium moment finally here? (The Spirits Business) Thailand to ban alcohol sales during Buddhist holidays (The Drinks Business) Union says Diageo ‘steam-rolling’ through job cuts (The Spirits Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Diageo takes FSSAI rum ban to court. Diageo is challenging an Indian food-safety order against one of its rum brands, arguing the ban skipped due process, a procedural-risk marker for spirits brands selling into India. (Business Standard) SIBA tracker reports slower UK brewery closures. SIBA's own Brewery Tracker says UK brewery closures slowed in the first half of 2026 versus 2025, an early read on whether the independent brewing base is stabilising. (Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) Australia's spirits excise rises to AU$110.15 per litre. Australia's latest indexation lifts spirits excise to AU$110.15 per litre of pure alcohol, with industry voices warning of a shift to black-market alternatives. (The Spirits Business, The Drinks Business) European supermarkets premiumise own-label wine ranges. European retailers are reworking own-label wine to compete above budget tiers, per ESM, putting private label into the price bands branded producers rely on for margin. (esmmagazine.com) Also moving today: Campari CEO plans streamline completion by 2027 (The Spirits Business) Canada DTC deal opens up alcohol market (The Spirits Business) Carlsberg Expands PepsiCo Partnership To 15 Markets (esmmagazine.com) Diageo sale of East African Breweries is on the rocks (The Drinks Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Circana: Off-Premise Bev-Alc Dollar Sales Down 2.2%. Beer and wine losses again dragged weekly off-premise sales, per Circana data reported by Brewbound, a read on whether the slide holds through the summer window. (Brewbound) Don Julio Sales Down 19%, Yahoo Finance Reports. A reported double-digit decline at one of tequila's anchor brands raises the question of whether the category's decade-long run is flattening. (Yahoo! Finance) KEG 1 Signs LOI for RNDC's Kentucky Assets. A second suitor emerged for RNDC's Kentucky book within a week, putting the state's route-to-market in play, though the deal is only a letter of intent. (BevNET, Brewbound) Diageo Outlines U.S. Recovery Plan After 11.5% Decline. Diageo's new North America leadership presented a growth plan to analysts after core U.S. spirits sales fell 11.5%, setting priorities distributors will be asked to execute. (Shanken News Daily) Bipartisan Bill Would Regulate Hemp THC Drinks Like Alcohol. U.S. representatives introduced legislation placing hemp-derived THC beverages under an alcohol-style framework, a competitive and compliance question for bev-alc operators. (Just Drinks, Brewbound) Also moving today: Labour urged to cut whisky duty amid planned Diageo job cuts (The National, caithness-business.co.uk) Heineken puts money on the table to drive regenerative barley adoption (AgNavigator.com) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Tamarron Survey: Wholesalers May Cut Regional, Local Craft. Tamarron Consulting's annual survey of 170 wholesalers reports distributors may drop regional and local craft brands over the next year, a route-to-market signal for brewers heading into book negotiations. (Brewbound) Beyoncé Buys Out LVMH Stake in SirDavis Whisky. LVMH confirmed Beyoncé has taken full ownership of SirDavis American Whisky less than two years after launch, with terms undisclosed, a test of how celebrity-founded spirits brands restructure after a big-house debut. (storyboard18.com) Cutwater Reported Fastest-Growing US Alcohol Brand, Up 104%. The Spirits Business reports AB InBev's Cutwater grew 104% over the past 12 months to become the fastest-growing brand in US alcohol, a reference point for spirits-based RTD share gains. (The Spirits Business) Also moving today: Could bad news be coming for Jack Daniel's parent? New warning sign released (Lexington Herald Leader, Market Screener) Tilray to cease brewing at Terrapin site in US (Just Drinks, Brewbound) How US drinkers fell out of love with Bud Light (Financial Times News) Tequila giant Becle makes direct India push, appoints Shweta Jain as MD (Economic Times) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

India seizes Diageo liquor stock over packaging markings. Government sources tell Reuters inspectors seized roughly 18,000 boxes of Diageo bottles for allegedly missing safe-recycled-plastic markings, a compliance stop in one of the group's fastest-growing markets. (Reuters, News18, Business Standard) Henkell talks to buy Maison Pommery end without deal. Just Drinks reports Henkell Freixenet's bid for a majority stake in the Champagne group closed without agreement, leaving the house's ownership question open. (Just Drinks) Treasury Wine sets out plan to rebalance US supply chain. Just Drinks reports investors responded positively to TWE's plan to "rebalance" its Americas supply chain to accelerate future returns. (Just Drinks) United Spirits accused of misleading whisky maturation claims. The Drinks Business reports India's food safety regulator has extended its labelling dispute with the Diageo subsidiary, a week after banning certain spirits over improper flavourings. (The Drinks Business, LatestLY, Economic Times) Also moving today: Suntory posts stagnant H1 alcohol sales (The Spirits Business, Shanken News Daily) Premiumisation lifts liquor firms' June quarter topline amid cost headwinds (Business Standard) Survey: 69% of Canadians back US booze ban (The Spirits Business) Heimark Distributing Strikes Deal for Alford Distributing in Southern California (Brewbound) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Diageo Reports Sales Down 2%, U.S. Recovery Two Years Out. Diageo reported a 2% organic sales decline for its June fiscal year and placed a U.S. spirits recovery roughly two years out, a horizon suppliers and distributors can set forecasts against. (Shanken News Daily, Diageo) Diageo Unveils $1 Billion Cost Plan, Backs RTDs and Guinness. CEO Dave Lewis announced a $1 billion cost-cutting program while naming RTDs and Guinness as continued investment areas, signalling where the largest spirits supplier is still spending. (Brewbound, BevNET, The Drinks Business) Molson Coors Cuts 400 Roles as Quarterly Profit Falls 49%. Molson Coors said it would cut about 400 salaried Americas jobs as second-quarter pre-tax profit fell 49%, putting a figure on the beer slowdown's effect on brewer P&Ls. (Journal Sentinel, Brewbound, Investing.com) Also moving today: June Beer Industry Supply Declined YoY; Losses Eased Compared to May, per BI (Brewbound) Heineken's Profit Beats Forecast After 3,000 Job Cuts (Hospitality Ireland, Brewbound) WSWA Sees “Signs Of Stabilization” In Wine And Spirits Market (Shanken News Daily) Under Sazerac, Minute Maid Spiked Chases Hard Tea’s Shift To Spirits (Brewbound, BevNET, Shanken News Daily) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Heineken Holding reports 2026 half-year results. Heineken Holding N.V. has filed its 2026 half-year results, the holding-company view of the brewer that group-level investors and analysts track. (Heineken Holding N.V., Taiwan News, FinanzNachrichten.de) Heineken says Africa, Asia offset weaker Americas. CFO Harold van den Broek said emerging-market strength carried Heineken's first half while the brewer was "not happy" with the Americas, a read on where growth is coming from now. (Just Drinks, Moneyweb, Checkout) Heineken shareholders approve Rafael Oliveira board appointment. Heineken N.V.'s general meeting approved Rafael Oliveira to the Executive Board, adding a named leader to the brewer's senior bench. (Heineken N.V., The Manila times, Taiwan News) India's FSSAI bans several rum and whisky brands. The regulator prohibited sales of brands including Old Monk, McDowell's No. 1 Rum, Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum, putting compliance exposure on United Spirits and INBREW. (Pratidin, Firstpost, The Hindu) Also moving today: The State of Bev-Alc Distribution: Suppliers Reckon With A Shifting Middle Tier (Brewbound, BevNET) US court reverses Jack Daniel’s win in dog toy trademark case (The Spirits Business) Bacardi Expands Capacity, Opens Puerto Rico Visitor Center, Capping $100M Investment (Shanken News Daily, The Spirits Business) CNBC UK Exchange: Diageo's turnaround test (CNBC, Google News, Google News) Off-Premise Declines Consistent Through Late July, per NIQ Weekly Scans (Brewbound) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Morgan Stanley reports improving U.S. spirits retail trends. Morgan Stanley says U.S. retail alcohol scans improved modestly in the four weeks to July 25, with spirits ahead of beer, though part of the lift is tied to a one-off event. (Investing.com) Manhattan Beer takes on brands previously handled by RNDC New York. New York Wine & Spirits has acquired distribution rights to a portfolio formerly with RNDC New York, changing route-to-market in the largest U.S. state market. (Shanken News Daily) Circana weekly scans show bev-alc sales down, beer leading decline. Circana's latest weekly scan report puts total beverage alcohol sales down year-over-year and week-over-week, with beer identified as the main drag. (Brewbound) Wildfires burn near Bordeaux as France faces extreme heat. Wildfires continue near Bordeaux amid extreme heat, raising questions about vineyard exposure that have not yet been quantified. (The Drinks Business) Also moving today: Campari profits fall despite stronger outlook for 2026 (The Drinks Business) Heineken 0.0 Partners With Serena Williams For US Open Promo (MediaPost, Men's Journal, CNHI News) Senate Funding Bill Would Delay Hemp THC Ban By One Month (Shanken News Daily, The Fresh Toast, The Drinks Business) 85-year-old distiller escapes partner bankruptcy just in time (TheStreet) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Diageo's income from Moët Hennessy tie-up fell sharply. Reported earnings from one of spirits' longest-running distribution partnerships dropped in fiscal 2025 versus 2023, putting a route-to-market pillar for two of the industry's largest groups under scrutiny. (London South East, Reuters, esmmagazine.com) Union says Diageo distillery jobs at risk in Scotland. A local trade union reports hundreds of redundancy-risk notices across Highlands and Islands distilleries, testing how far cost discipline now reaches into production capacity. (Just Drinks) United Spirits takes FSSAI flavouring order to Bombay High Court. The Diageo-owned Indian producer has challenged a regulator's restriction on flavouring, putting product-formulation rules and the reformulation exposure they create before a judge. (mint, cnbctv18.com) Indian spirits makers lean on luxury as growth slows. Mint reports producers from Diageo India to Radico Khaitan are betting affluent drinkers keep trading up, a mix shift that reads through to portfolio and pricing strategy. (mint) Becle says too early to call US Tequila normalisation. The Tequila producer declined to say whether US inventories and demand are normalising, leaving timing unsettled for anyone planning agave-category shipments. (Just Drinks) Also moving today: RNDC court filings reveal scale of distributor’s financial collapse (The Drinks Business) Diageo appoints new Asia Pacific chief (The Spirits Business) Compagnia del Gusto Holding buys Jascots Wine Merchants (Drinks International, Just Drinks, The Drinks Business) Tsingtao enters Irish whiskey with Great Northern (The Spirits Business) Endeavour Group to offload Australian wine assets (The Drinks Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Control-State Spirits Flat Year-To-Date Despite June Gain. Shanken News Daily reports June volume ran 5% ahead of last year, yet control-state spirits sit at +0.1% YTD, a read on whether the category's slowdown is steadying. (Shanken News Daily, Just Drinks) India Bars Some Diageo, Inbrew Whisky And Rum. India's food safety regulator ordered a stop-sale on certain United Spirits and Inbrew products over flavour additives, per Reuters, putting additive compliance on the agenda for anyone with India volume. (Market Screener, Yahoo News, Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd) St-Germain Outgrowing Aperol As Hugo Spritz Spreads. The Financial Times reports Bacardi's St-Germain is growing faster than Campari's Aperol in the US this summer, testing the assumption that the aperitif occasion belongs to one brand. (Financial Times News) California Wineries Removing Vineyards Amid Weak Sales. The Boston Globe reports California produced less wine last year than at any point in 25 years, with growers pulling out vines, a signal of oversupply reaching grape contracts and bulk supply. (The Boston Globe) Also moving today: Constellation Only Top 5 Beer Vendor in Growth in L4W, per Circana Monthly Report (Brewbound) Southern Glazer’s Closes Eagle Rock Colorado Deal (BevNet, Brewbound, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits) NIQ: Vodka RTD Growth Shows Where Spirits Innovation is Converting (Brewbound, BevNET) New bill prevents price hikes for Michigan spirits (The Spirits Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

AB InBev Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results. The world's largest brewer published its Q2 results, setting the volume and pricing benchmark other AlcBev prints this week get read against. (Anheuser-Busch InBev, Financial Post, The Montreal Gazette) Ambev Beats on Profit, Misses on Revenue in Q2. Latin America's largest brewer topped earnings expectations while sales came in short, per its Q2 2026 call transcript, a margin-versus-volume split. (Investing.com) Bev-Alc Declines Persist in Latest NIQ Weekly Scans. Year-over-year bev-alc declines continued through the summer event window, per NIQ data reported by Brewbound, the current off-premise demand read. (Brewbound) MGP Ingredients Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results. The distilling and food-ingredient supplier posted results for the quarter ended June 30, giving an upstream read on brown-goods and contract distilling demand. (MGP Ingredients) Also moving today: Anheuser-Busch InBev Says Cutwater Is on Track for $1B as Spirits Gain Share (BevNET, Brewbound) A-B’s US Depletions -1.9%, Shipments -0.6% in Q2; Cutwater 2nd Largest Revenue Growth Contributor (Brewbound) Alcohol consumption in Ireland falls in 2025 (The Spirits Business) British booze getting weaker (Mail Online) Radico Khaitan profits jump 27.7% in Q1 (The Spirits Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Campari reports fifth straight quarter of organic growth. Campari's H1 2026 presentation credits aperitif-led performance for margin expansion, giving operators a benchmark as the wider spirits category softens. (Investing.com) Cobblestone Brands to buy Bisquit and Cabo Wabo. Campari has agreed to sell a Cognac and a tequila brand to a Dublin-based independent, per The Spirits Business, extending its portfolio pruning. (The Spirits Business) RNDC says buyers have shown interest as Chapter 11 begins. The US distributor tells The Drinks Business that parties are circling parts of its remaining business, leaving affected brands' route to market unsettled. (The Drinks Business) Australian wine export volumes fall to 22-year low. Just Drinks reports export volumes at their lowest level in 22 years, putting a figure on the demand decline growers and importers are pricing against. (Just Drinks) Also moving today: Brown-Forman Corporation: Sazerac's $32 Cash Bid Rebuffed as Dual-Class Control Shields Valuation Disconnect (Yahoo! Finance, The News Tribune) Pernod Ricard finalizes deal as NFL's official spirits sponsor (sportsbusinessjournal.com) Wildfires threaten wineries as blaze nears Bordeaux (The Drinks Business) Alcohol consumption falls again in Ireland (Just Drinks, The Drinks Business) United Spirits backs India’s ‘first’ limoncello (The Spirits Business) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Report Details Terms of Sazerac's $15B Brown-Forman Bid. Forbes and other outlets report new detail on an unconfirmed $15 billion approach whose terms, if pursued, would redraw the American whiskey map. (Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, The Courier-Journal) RNDC Files Chapter 11, Leaving Suppliers in Line. BevNET and Brewbound report the top-three distributor's bankruptcy filing puts suppliers already months without payment behind other creditors, turning distribution risk into a receivables problem. (BevNET, Brewbound) Canadian Whisky Faces 50% U.S. Tariff as Scotch Goes Duty-Free. Forbes reports two brown spirits now cross the same U.S. border on opposite terms, with the timing of any shelf-price move still unsettled. (Forbes) Craft Beer Dollars Down 3.7% in Latest Circana Read. Brewbound reports craft's four-week decline narrowed versus prior periods, a data point buyers are weighing against occasion-driven segments. (Brewbound) Also moving today: LVMH expects “moderate” growth for wine and spirits for rest of 2026 (Just Drinks, The Spirits Business) Price sensitive: is depremiumisation the future? (The Spirits Business) Louis Roederer enters Burgundy with Domaine Pierre Damoy acquisition (The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News) How Tequila brands hope to recharge sales growth in the US (Just Drinks) Pressure on Italy wine exports continues (Just Drinks) Louis Roederer seals deal to enter Burgundy (Just Drinks) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

Brown-Forman rejects Sazerac takeover proposal. Brown-Forman has turned down a fresh approach from fellow US distiller Sazerac, according to trade reports, leaving ownership of a major American whiskey portfolio an open question. (Just Drinks, Yahoo! Finance, Shanken News Daily) RNDC files Chapter 11 as wind-down begins. Republic National Distributing Co. has filed for Chapter 11 in Texas after selling off most of its business, formalizing the exit of a top-three US distributor. (Shanken News Daily, BevNET, Brewbound) Impact Databank projects 3.5% US wine decline in 2026. Impact Databank projects US wine volume will fall 3.5% in 2026 to below 300 million cases, which would mark a sixth straight annual decline. (Shanken News Daily) Circana scans show muted World Cup off-premise sales. Circana's weekly scan data shows the FIFA World Cup's final week produced only modest off-premise bev-alc gains, a data point for how planners value event-tied promotions. (Brewbound) Also moving today: Cuervo Sees Sales Slip, But Says U.S. “Sequentially Improving” (Shanken News Daily) Edrington Aligns With Johnson Brothers In Four States (Shanken News Daily) Brown-Forman Stockholders Elect Directors (Barchart.com, wallstreet:online, Brown-Forman) May Beer Supply Slips Back Into Red as Consumers’ Wallets Tighten, per the Beer Institute (Brewbound) Battle of the Teas Continues as Boston Beer Adjusts Media Spend and Tempers FY26 Expectations (Brewbound, The Boston Beer Company) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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) Get AlcBev in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://alcbevinfive.com

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)