It’s the start of a new year. Many of us are in the midst of Dry January or a New Year’s resolution to cut back on alcohol. Though this can have varying degrees of success, the spotlight often falls on the low and no-alcohol category at this time of year.  Walking around supermarkets from early January onwards you can see several end-of-aisle fixtures…

Manchester-based brewer Beer Nouveau compiled a list of 83 British breweries that closed in 2022 in the wake of Covid and soaring costs. The list comprised only those who’d gone public about their closure and didn’t include Beer Nouveau itself, which revealed in October that it was calling time. Among the (relatively) big independents to go were Kelham Island, Twisted Wheel and…

Spare a thought for fortified wine – its time comes but once a year for many drinkers. But there’s so much more to the category, finds Clinton Cawood There’s no denying the importance of the festive season to fortified wine, and as we head into the final months of 2022, now’s the time to explore the category’s potential, and encourage consumers to make the…

As consumer demands change in the face of wellbeing and sustainability issues, brewers are under pressure to act. Nigel Huddleston finds many are taking on the trends It’s not an easy time to be a brewer in the 2020s.  The pandemic temporarily ripped the heart out of the on-trade; ingredient and energy prices are raising cost pressures at a time when consumers have less…

While Heineken’s recent 100% buyout of London’s Beavertown Brewery has brought despair from many quarters of the craft brewing scene, many commentators regarded it as inevitable. The Guardian’s Rob Davies said that, with Heineken owning a 49% stake since 2018, it “was always going to happen”, while beer writer Melissa Cole described it as “no big surprise”. Clearly they weren’t taking Beavertown owner Logan…

Downton Distillery has settled a case with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to standardise and extend storage time restrictions for goods that are being held in duty suspension warehouses.  Led by founder of the British Distillers Alliance, Alan Powell, a judicial review was launched last year to challenge HMRC’s policy for Trade Facility excise warehouses. These premises may be used by alcohol producers…

Online wine retailer Naked Wines has announced the release of its first ever TV advert. The campaign, called ‘It’s time for better wine’, focuses on Adrian and Rebecca Santolin (pictured), two of the company’s long-standing Australian winemakers.  “It’s a big moment for the whole team and we’re all immensely proud to be in a position to make this investment in our brand,” said Naked Wines…