China: Asahi to sell stake in Tsingtao Brewery
Asahi, the Japanese drinks giant, has announced that it is selling its 20% stake in Chinese beermaker Tsingtao Brewery in a deal worth about $941 million. The group first announced that it was looking to sell its holding in Tsingtao Brewery in October 2017. An 18% stake is being sold to the Chinese conglomerate Fosun […]
France: Campari to buy cognac firm Bisquit Dubouche
Campari, the Italian spirits group, has announced that it is to buy brandy firm Bisquit Dubouche from its South African counterpart Distell. Established in 1819, Bisquit Dubouche offers a classic range of cognacs – namely Bisquit VS Classique, Bisquit VSOP, Bisquit Prestige and Bisquit XO, together with “rare collections” and limited editions, that are claimed to be “characterized by craft and unique features”. The Bisquit […]
Thailand: ThaiBev to take majority stake in Sabeco
ThaiBev, the leading Thai drinks firm, has announced that it has made a successful bid to acquire a majority stake in Vietnam’s state-owned beer maker Sabeco. In a statement, ThaiBev said it had agreed to acquire approximately 53.59% of all outstanding ordinary shares in Sabeco for an aggregrate price of approximately 156 billion THB ($4.77 billion). […]
USA: Becle to acquire Pendleton Whisky
Becle, the owner of the tequila brand Jose Cuervo, has announced that it is to acquire whisky brand Pendleton Whisky from spirits firm Hood River Distillers in a deal worth $205 million. Launched in 2003, Pendleton Whisky is described as one of the leading super-premium whisky brands in the USA and has an annual sales volume equal to […]
Netherlands: Heineken to open first brewery in Mozambique
Heineken, the global beer giant, has announced that laid the foundation stone of its first brewery in Mozambique following an investment of $100 million. Located in the province of Maputo, the brewery will have a production capacity of 0.8 million hectolitres and will brew beers for domestic consumption, with operations expected to begin by the first […]
Australia: AB InBev acquires Pirate Life
Pirate Life, a craft brewer based in Adelaide, Australia is to be bought by global beermaker AB InBev via its subsidiary Carlton United Breweries. Announcing the move in a statement, the two firms said the deal would enable Pirate Life to “continue its unprecedented growth path”. Established in 2014, Pirate Life produces a range of […]
USA: LVMH takes 60% stake in Colgin Cellars
LVMH, the high-end wine and spirits firm, has announced the acquisition of a 60% stake in California-based winery Colgin Cellars. Founded by Ann Colgin in Napa Valley 25 years ago, Colgin Cellars is noted for wines such as Tychson Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Cariad Napa Valley Red Wine, IX Estate Napa Valley Red Wine and IX Estate Syrah. According to the […]
USA: Milestone Brands acquires rights to Naranja liqueur
Milestone Brands, a US spirits brand created in 2016, has announced the acquisition of the rights to the Naranja liqueur brand from Pura Vida Spirits. Naranja is an orange liqueur described as having being distilled in Mexico since 1933. Milestone Brands said it intended to relaunch the brand in January 2018, with production to be […]
USA: Stoli Group announces new whiskey distillery in Kentucky
Stoli Group, part of the leading wine & spirits firm SPI Group, has announced the construction of a new “bourbon destination” in the US state of Kentucky, comprising a “state-of-the-art distillery and unprecedented visitor center”. The new 420 acre facility is being built to support the Kentucky Owl bourbon brand that was added to the Stoli Group portfolio earlier […]
South Africa: AB InBev launches Castle Free lager
South African Breweries (SAB), a subsidiary of global beer giant AB InBev, has announced the launched of Castle Free lager, described as the first alcohol-free lager to be brewed in South Africa. The new product, an extension of the existing Castle lager brand, is said to have been the result of an investment of 30 […]