OWC The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has lodged a formal appeal against the UK Government's decision to grant protected Geographical Indication (GI) status to English whisky. The SWA has been joined in its opposition by the Irish Whiskey Association and the Welsh Whisky Association. The dispute centers on what the associations call a "watering down" of the traditional rules that define single malt spirits. Under strict Scottish rules, a single malt Scotch whisky must be mashed, fermented, and distilled at a single distillery site within Scotland. The newly approved English GI framework—officially greenlit by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 11 September 2026—allows English single malts to be mashed and fermented away from the primary distillery.
OWC Breweries and pubs launched 'Drop the Pint Day' on Friday 9th October, an initiative designed to show the Chancellor the potential benefits of a lower tax on pub beer ahead of the Budget later this month. The headline duty rate in Germany is 5p for a pint of beer compared to 55p in the UK . 'Drop the Pint Day' saw 65 venues reducing their prices on one cask or keg of beer to German tax levels.
OWC Japanese officials have raided the country's biggest beer makers over allegations they worked together to raise the price of their beverages. Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory Spirits confirmed to the BBC that their premises had been searched by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), adding that they would fully cooperate with the regulator. According to the Japan Times, the investigation centres on the companies raising their prices in April last year and in October 2022.
OWC Italy’s biggest family-owned winery, Marchesi Antinori, says professional thieves stole 30,000 bottles of wine worth about €5mn from its storage facility in Tuscany in what it believes to be one of the largest wine thefts in recent history. It is the latest in a series of wine heists in Italy, carried out by criminals whose careful selection of bottles reflected wine connoisseurship and inside knowledge of their targets. Florence based Antinori, which traces its origins back to 1385, reported the thieves last weekend targeted its warehouse in Cortona, Tuscany, just as the winery was preparing to ship a large consignment of some of its most valuable bottles to customers abroad.
OWC France’s record-breaking summer heat has forced champagne producers to contend with unusually high sugar levels in grapes, forcing authorities to allow alcohol content of up to 15 percent in the region’s sparkling wine for the first time. Champagne is usually capped at 13 percent.
OWC Women in their 30's and 40's should receive targeted public health warnings about links between alcohol, excess body fat and breast cancer. According to a major study published in Scientific Reports. Researchers argue that because lifestyle risk factors fluctuate at distinct stages of life, public health messaging must be tailored to these age windows to effectively reduce cancer rates.
OWC The BBC spent £13,018 with its preferred alcohol supplier in 2024/25, less than half the £26,131 spent through the same route in 2016. Previously released figures give an unusually detailed look inside the broadcaster’s drinks cabinet. The BBC’s relationship with alcohol has grown considerably more restrained over the past decade, according to Freedom of Information disclosures that chart everything from its annual drinks bill to a surprisingly exhaustive shopping list of Malbec, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, lager and spirits. The £13,018 cannot be treated as the BBC’s complete alcohol bill; drinks can also be bought through in-house hospitality providers, claimed on expenses or invoiced through events companies.
OWC The Napa Valley Vintners have launched a coordinated emergency effort to combat Red Blotch grapevine disease The insidious disease is actively spreading through California wine country, severely weakening vines and ruining grape yields. Red blotch is a threat to grapevines, slow acting and hard to detect. The disease is caused by grapevine red blotch virus. Unlike phylloxera and Pierce’s disease, red blotch doesn’t kill vines—at least not quickly. It attacks their metabolism slowly, making it harder for the vine to ripen grapes.
OWC Whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled a selection of five ultra-rare single malt Scotch whiskies selected by football legend Sir Kenny Dalglish for the first of its new Vintage Moments series. Comprising only fifteen individually numbered box sets, the collection was born in May, when Kenny visited Elgin to taste the cask library and choose his five Vintage Moments. These vintages were chosen by the football legend to represent pivotal moments in the life and career that he singled out as “landmark moments to be celebrated alongside the values that have shaped his life and career”, the company said. The final selection, which were bottled at cask strength, includes the 1951 from Glen Grant Distillery, 1967 from Longmorn Distillery, 1974 from Strathisla Distillery, 1977 from Benromach Distillery and 1995 from Glentauchers Distillery and is priced at £100,000.
OWC BuzzBallz the ready to drink cocktail, favoured by Gen Z drinkers has experienced explosive growth since it was founded in 2009. Created by Merrilee Kick, a former high school teacher and single mom in Texas, who conceived the spherical design as an MBA thesis project inspired by Swedish crystal snowballs and tennis ball containers. Packed with 13.5% to 20% ABV in a small 200ml plastic orb, delivering strong alcohol content at an affordable price point (typically $4 to $5 in the US or £2.99 to £4.99 in the UK. BuzzBallz was purchased by the spirits conglomerate Sazerac in 2024, pushing the brand past a $1 billion valuation.
