"Our focus has always been on building and scaling brands that stand out in their category and resonate with consumers," said Phil Rosse, CEO, The Mark Anthony Group of Companies. "Long Drink has already established strong momentum and a clear point of difference in the RTD space, and we see a meaningful opportunity to build on that success by expanding its reach and bringing it to more consumers."
Sukari Spirits positions itself as an originator and innovator of all-natural, ultra-premium spirits, with a focus on clean formulations and elevated drinking rituals.
Diageo's dividend situation has deteriorated sharply, with a rebased interim payout of $0.20 per share and a new policy establishing a minimum annual floor of $0.50, indicating a focus on debt reduction over income.
Mizunara is the third release in the distillery's Oak Masters' Series, which also includes White Oak and White Oak 24-Year-Old expressions. Mizunara is native to Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. It's an extremely rare oak and quite difficult to work with because it's very porous, making it difficult to craft into casks. But the effort is almost always worth it, as the oak brings out sandalwood, incense, floral and even tropical notes.
As a result of a new deal agreed during Sir Keir Starmer's trip to China, import taxes on whisky will be cut from 10% to 5% - a deal the UK government said would be worth 250m to the UK's economy over the next five years. Scotch whisky is a key export for Britain's drinks sector, with more than 5bn in annual exports. In recent years, China has been one of its fastest-growing markets.
Growing numbers of Scottish spirits producers are showing signs of financial strain as weakening export demand, rising costs and trade barriers squeeze margins across the sector. Research by restructuring specialist BTG Begbies Traynor found that 69 Scottish distillers were facing "significant" or "critical" financial distress at the end of the year, up from 49 in the previous quarter. According to the Scotch Whisky Association,
If you are new to whiskey, the barrel a whiskey ages in matters almost as much as the liquid itself. Black Cask whisky is aged only in American oak barrels that previously held bourbon, a choice that tends to create flavors many U.S. drinkers already recognize, such as vanilla and caramel, characterized by a gentle sweetness.
As a professional bartender with years of behind-the-bar experience, I've tasted, mixed, and served my fair share of spirits - from obscure craft distilleries to globally recognized icons. Over time, I've noticed a recurring pattern: certain brands achieve fame, hype, or luxury pricing that their actual liquid rarely justifies. That's what I mean by "overrated." For the purposes of this article, an overrated brand is one that is sought-after, valued, or frequently discussed, yet, in terms of aroma, flavor, or overall drinking experience, fails to live up to its popularity, demand, or price point.
Matured for 16 years in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, the finish is equal parts spicy and smooth, offering rich notes of honey, fruitcake, and dark chocolate. Since this whisky has extra time maturing in the Oloroso sherry casks, some of the honeyed, fruity notes step to the foreground. The nose delivers caramel and brown sugar plus subtle whiffs of green apple and dried fruits.
Following what was a period of high sales and rapid expansion, the market is contracting for a number of reasons. Alcohol consumption has declined in recent years, for one thing, but international response to U.S. tariffs has also hit bourbon sales hard, with exports of the liquor dropping significantly in 2025. Many icons of American whiskey have been affected, with Brown-Forman - parent company to Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester, among others - laying off a significant portion of its workforce.
With Bruichladdich, we've built it up over the years by experimenting with barley and grains and being unpeated. And with Octomore, you've got extreme heat and a concept that shouldn't work. But Port Charlotte was actually us getting back into peated whiskey when we reopened in 2001. Everyone was keen to make peated whiskey again, because if you go back to our history, around the 1950s and early '60s, it would have been heavily peated.
It's easy to be a little snobby about celebrity-owned liquor brands. These famous people usually compete with little knowledge compared to distilleries with decades, or even centuries, of experience. The reality is that some of them are quite impressive, especially with some notable bourbon brands. Others, however, lack any type of quality. They seemingly exist on the back of their celebrity-backing and significant marketing. I'm here to root out these brands and explain why it's best to avoid them.
The U.S. spirits landscape has evolved far beyond the recognition of simply being the birthplace of bourbon. In recent years, we've seen a transformation in both the quality and individuality that the country's craft distilleries have been able to produce. While previous decades were dominated by the big-name distilleries, far more awards are going to craft distillers who have mastered the art of producing high-quality whiskeys, rums, gins, and more.
