After a year of decline, China’s spirits imports showed early signs of recovery in 2026, with value growth far outpacing volume, pointing to a shift in market structure. Read More
Whisky
Grace Vineyard is now making a sharp turn toward baijiu and beyond, in a sweeping overhaul that could redefine its identity following its ownership change. Read More
Suntory Global Spirits has confirmed that its Laphroaig Distillery and Bowmore Distillery on Scotland’s Islay island will merge their production teams as part of an operational restructuring, while offering employees a voluntary redundancy programme. Read More
French spirits maker Pernod Ricard reported declines in both sales and profit in the first half of its 2026 fiscal year, with sharp contractions in China and the US weighing on overall performance. Read More
Whisky has overtaken domestic beer to become the top-selling alcohol category by revenue at South Korean retail giant E-Mart for the first time, marking a significant shift in the country’s supermarket sales landscape. Read More
Chen Chun-an, founder and chairman of Drinks, one of Taiwan’s most prominent wine and spirits distributors, died peacefully in the early hours of Feb. 17 at the age of 80. Read More
French wine and spirits export volumes fell last year to their lowest level in at least a quarter-century, and industry leaders see little immediate relief ahead. Read More
China is slashing whisky tariff down to 5%, which is expected to generate £250 million in economic benefits for the UK over the next five years. Read More
Over the course of a single year, China’s brandy import value fell by more than US$500 million, while whisky import volume rose by more than 6.65 million litres — equivalent to nearly nine million additional 750-ml bottles. Read More
With 50 whisky distilleries in operation, China’s whisky ambitions are racing ahead of consumption. Will the next major whisky producer be China? Read More