Heaven Hill Distillery has appointed Proof Drinks as its UK distributor for brands such as Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Rittenhouse and Mellow Corn. The company was founded shortly after Prohibition in Kentucky by the Shapira family. The family-owned, independent business has grown to become the second largest Bourbon distiller in the world. It also has aperitifs, brandy, cognac, Canadian whisky, gin, liqueurs, rum, tequila and…

Mr Black Coffee Liqueur has joined Proof Drinks as part of its strategy to secure off-trade listings, following a successful debut for the brand in the UK’s on-trade. The drink is already in a number of top bars in the UK, including Swift, American Bar at The Savoy and Happiness Forgets. It has now joined the Proof Drinks portfolio to extend its reach across the…

Stryyk has secured a £1 million investment from soft drinks company AG Barr, which also owns Funkin Cocktails. Stryyk is a range of zero-proof distilled spirits launched last year by Alex Carlton and Andrew King. The duo were the original founders of the Funkin Cocktails business, 20 years ago and more recently they set up Elegantly Spirited Limited, the parent company of the Stryyk brand.

Stryyk is introducing a vodka alternative drink to its portfolio of alcohol-free spirits. The zero-proof brand, which launched in the summer, already has Stryyk Not Gin and Not Rum in its portfolio, and now it is ready to add Stryyk Not Vodka. The drink is crystal clear in appearance and it features cucumber and menthol notes with a sweet, wheaty undertone and hints of coriander.

Retailers sold alcohol to nearly one in six teenage mystery shoppers in 2016 without asking for proof of age, according to new data from Serve Legal.  The retail age check auditor said its testers, all of whom are young-looking 18 and 19-year-olds, undertook nearly 43,000 alcohol sales tests in supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations across the UK in 2016. …

Liberty Wines has bolstered its portfolio with the Sogrape range as part of an ongoing effort to make it “as de-list proof as possible” amid the consolidation gripping the trade. Liberty’s offering has grown from 1,300 wines to almost 1,400 after agreeing the distribution deal with Sogrape, and it has taken on some much-loved brands. Sandeman port, Mateus rosé and Casa Ferreirinha now all sit…

Bordeaux has grown wine exports to the UK by 750,000 cases in the past four years, making it one of the most recession-proof categories around. Latest off-trade figures show sales grew 14.2{7c69fd72f8e2bab9ee87ef5a2685d86c0107c79a8a610a3574925e3ec9a3ba47} in volume and 18.6{7c69fd72f8e2bab9ee87ef5a2685d86c0107c79a8a610a3574925e3ec9a3ba47} in value in the past year (IRI, 52 weeks to March 1). While the total off-trade wine market is down 3{7c69fd72f8e2bab9ee87ef5a2685d86c0107c79a8a610a3574925e3ec9a3ba47} in volume, Bordeaux is riding the crest of…