AlcBev in Five

Fivewire

AlcBev in Five is the daily five-minute brief on the beer, wine and spirits business: the five stories that matter, every weekday. Deals, brand moves, regulation and the category shifts reshaping the trade. Curated daily, sourced and straight. For distillers, brewers, vintners, importers, distributors and the buyers who move the category. Walk in already caught up. In the know. In five

  1. 59m ago

    Pernod Ricard's Third Straight Down Year, and the Merger That Isn't

    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

  2. 2d ago

    Brown Family Letter Puts Numbers On It

    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

  3. 4d ago

    Brown-Forman Family Letter, Diageo Cuts 1,922 Jobs

    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

  4. 6d ago

    India's Spirits Sweep Reaches Pernod Ricard

    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

  5. Aug 14

    Cider Holds Its Growth, Pommery Secures Cash

    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 C**K 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

  6. Aug 12

    Off-Premise Slides, Tequila Cools, Kentucky Draws a Second Bidder

    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

About

AlcBev in Five is the daily five-minute brief on the beer, wine and spirits business: the five stories that matter, every weekday. Deals, brand moves, regulation and the category shifts reshaping the trade. Curated daily, sourced and straight. For distillers, brewers, vintners, importers, distributors and the buyers who move the category. Walk in already caught up. In the know. In five