Food & Drink

Gin protest: the WSTA voices concern ahead of the Budget

Gin boom to be affected by tax increase

By Robert Mann

Britain’s booming £2bn gin industry shows no signs of slowing down and now gin makers across the country have united to call on the Chancellor to freeze spirit duty.

Less tax: trade bodies including the British Beer & Pub Association and UKHospitality are calling on the Government to freeze beer duty in the November Budget

Beer tax to add extra £125m on beer spend

By Nikkie Sutton

A 2% rise in beer duty at next month’s November Budget would mean an additional £125m on what consumers are already spending annually on pints of beer.

Rising up: spirits and wine sales have soared by 5% since last year

WSTA: gin and fizz are bolstering British pubs

By Nikkie Sutton

Wine and spirit sales in UK pubs account for more than one third (36%) of the value of alcohol sold, worth almost £6bn to pubs, according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Make wine while the sun shines: the high temperatures of 2018 created almost perfect grape growing conditions

The price of a bottle of fizz could rise by 9p

By Nikkie Sutton

If plans to increase wine duty in line with inflation (by 3.4%) go ahead in November’s Budget, prices of sparkling could soar by 9p and still variants by 7p, according to a leading industry body.

Low-booze beer: Adnams Ghost Ship Alcohol Free is 0.5% ABV

Adnams unveils alcohol-free Ghost Ship

By Nikkie Sutton

Suffolk-based brewer and distiller Adnams has recently launched a booze-free version of its Ghost Ship beer in a bid to meet the rapidly growing demand for low and no-alcohol drinks.

Over achievers: BrewDog has raised £13m more than its original target for the fifth round of Equity for Punks

BrewDog smashes £10m crowdfunding target

By Nikkie Sutton

Scottish brewer and operator BrewDog has raised £13m more than its crowdfunding target as its latest drive draws to a close on 15 October.

Can rum topple gin? James Lawrence from English Spirit prsented a potted history on the growth of English rum

Spirits Summit

Can rum compete with gin?

By Stuart Stone

James Lawrence from small batch distillers English Spirit gave The Morning Advertiser’s Spirit Summit the lowdown on the rise of English rum and his thoughts on how rum can compete with gin.

Peak pink? According to David T Smith, the pink gin craze is here to stay

Spirits Summit

The thing about pink gin

By Stuart Stone

Independent spirits writer, consultant and gin specialist David T Smith discusses where pink gin came from, where it is now, and where it's going, at the Spirits Summit (2 October) today.

Taste success: coming up with alternative serves for whisky can help pubs sell more of the spirit, according to experts

Spirits Summit

Whisky drinkers’ image needs to change to help drive category

By Nikkie Sutton

The old-school traditional image of a whisky drinker being an older gentleman with a pipe, sipping on the spirit next to a fire must drastically change in order to boost whisky sales, according to two spirits companies.

Changing experiences: Tom Mallett from Kantar World Panel discussed the evolution of on-trade and off-trade alcohol consumption

Spirits Summit

How are visits to the on-trade changing?

By Stuart Stone

Kantar World Panel consumer insight director Tom Mallett discussed ways in which the on-trade can compete with the £13.29bn off-trade at The Morning Advertiser’s Spirit Summit at The Yard in Shoreditch, London.

On the up: Jonny Jones from CGA highlighted the spirits categories that are showing growth

Spirits Summit

Gin is showing no signs of slowing

By Nikkie Sutton

The spirit on everyone’s lips at the moment, gin will continue its growth in the on-trade, according to data experts.

What is it? experts try to define craft

Can we define craft?

By Nicholas Robinson

The word 'craft' is bandied around so often it’s hard to know what is and what is not craft. Harder still is the fact few, the drinks industry in particular, work towards a standard when defining something as craft.

Beer in abundance: Great American Beer Festival (image: ©Brewers Association)

Comment

6 hot American craft beer trends

By Lotte Peplow

The US is a hive of craft beer activity, with a market that has significantly more going on than the UK’s. In this special feature, Britain-based beer sommelier, writer and judge Lotte Peplow reports on the latest trends from the Great American Beer Festival...

Super cool: Doom Bar goes for extra chilled appeal

Sharp’s trials Doom Bar Extra Chilled

By Nicholas Robinson

Molson Coors-owned Sharp’s Brewery is trialling its iconic Doom Bar brew as an extra-chilled variant because the brewer claims more consumers prefer cooler pints.

Declining market: cask sales have dropped by 6.8% in volume (image credit: zmurciuk/gettyimages.co.uk)

The Cask Report 2018/2019

Cask beer sales declining faster than overall beer

By Nikkie Sutton

Sales of cask beer are falling quicker than overall beer sales in the on-trade, according to new figures compiled by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and featured in The Cask Report 2018-2019.

Increase in reports: incidents involving drinks being spiked are rising (image credit: monkeybusinessimages/gettyimages.co.uk)

What can pubs do to prevent drink spiking?

By Nikkie Sutton

Pubs should encourage customers to moderate their drinking and consider specific training for their staff in a bid to reduce the risk of punters getting their drinks spiked, according to an alcohol charity.

Meat-free: vegan and veggie options on the up

They said veganism wouldn’t catch on… they were wrong

By Nicholas Robinson

They said it would eventually become a big part of our lives, although, for whatever reason, many didn’t believe it. But the fact is free-from food and drink, especially vegan and vegetarian, has ballooned in recent years, and the past 12 months has shown...

Big move: Kopparberg sets sails for the UK

Kopparberg is moving production to the UK

By Nicholas Robinson

Kopparberg will manufacture its ciders in the UK for the first time in a bid to 'soften the blow of Brexit', The Morning Advertiser (MA) understands.

Testing facility: Fuller's launches first pilot brewery beer

Fuller’s launches pilot brewery

By Nicholas Robinson

London brewer and pubco Fuller’s has announced the launch of its new pilot brewery at the firm’s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick.

Historic: Fuller's Griffin Brewery is a significant landmark

In association with Fuller’s

Inside Fuller’s Griffin Brewery

By Nicholas Robinson

Fuller’s has a great history and, even now, looks virtually unchanged from the outside. But the company is not stuck in 1845 and has invested in many things, including a new pilot brewery, and remains a huge force in world beer

The only way is up: gin sales rocket further than ever

Brits chug back record amounts of gin

By Nicholas Robinson

Brits have sloshed back 60m bottles of gin in the past 12 months, worth £1.6bn, according to the latest figures from the Wine & Spirits Trade Association (WSTA).

Join us: Spirits Summit to be held in London on 2 October

Get a full measure of the spirits category

By Nicholas Robinson

Pink gin, whisky, alcohol-free ‘spirits’ and the rise of English rum are just a handful of the topics we’re exploring at this year’s Spirits Summit at the Yard, Shoreditch, in London on 2 October.

Grape deal: Heath Ball emphasised the importance of a reasonably priced wine list

MA500

Top tips from award-winning operator on making wine work

By Nikkie Sutton

Operators need to seriously up their wine offer and not add on huge mark-ups, according to Great British Pub of the Year licensee Heath Ball from the Red Lion & Sun in Highgate, north London.

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