Published: 04 November, 2016
Scotland's contribution to the UK's gin boom took centre stage at a meeting of MSPs and producers inside the Scottish Parliament, where it was recognised for being one of - if not the - biggest gin exporters in the world.
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Published: 31 October, 2016
Duty contributions for the wine and spirits industry has hit the £4bn benchmark for the first time, with alcohol sales hitting an all-time high.
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Published: 25 October, 2016
The price of a bottle of wine and spirits is facing a major hike if duty rises in line with inflation, industry experts have warned.
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Published: 14 October, 2016
Along with the monarchy, Aston Martin, the British sense of humour - and some would say, Downton Abbey - our drinks industry has helped to put Britain on the map and strengthen its image around the world.
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Published: 07 October, 2016
Innovation is not something that happens in a vacuum. It is as much a result of having people who are comfortable challenging convention as it is a having companies that foster an environment which allow for ideas - no matter how crazy - to be captured and tested.
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Published: 07 October, 2016
In a stark contrast to last year's theme of celebrating success, last month's WSTA conference unsurprisingly took on a somewhat different tone.
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Published: 07 October, 2016
Disruption is the new norm - and the experiential its freewheeling partner - as the fast-paced evolution of communications and other technologies continues to reshape how we interact with the world.
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Published: 03 October, 2016
Besides helping brands reach a boarder base of consumers and create a dialogue with them, social media is also helping to drive what many on the panel at September's WSTA conference see as the way forward for brands - collaboration.
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Published: 03 October, 2016
British Gin accounts for a quarter of all UK spirits exported to the USA, according to figures released today.
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Published: 14 September, 2016
Berry Bros. & Rudd MD Dan Jago will lead the WSTA through a tumultuous period in British politics and history and the association prepares to make Brexit its focus over the next two years.
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Published: 13 September, 2016
Due to the warm English summer both gin sales have soared and the value of gin sales has now crossed the £1 billion barrier six months earlier than forecasted, according the Wine and Spirits Trade Association's latest figures.
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Published: 26 August, 2016
Yesterday the government published the UK Chief Medical Officers' Low Risk Drinking Guidelines, which reflected the new moderate drinking guidelines that were introduced in January of this year.
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Published: 22 August, 2016
The new moderate drinking guidelines which created a stir at the beginning of the year are still set to move forward, but the messaging the government is taking may be more diluted than what the chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies recommended earlier in the year.
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Published: 10 August, 2016
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has pledged to advise, support and protect smaller producers through the current period of economic and political uncertainty.
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Published: 08 August, 2016
Miles Beale, the chief executive of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, reminds us while opportunities and challenges lay ahead following the Brexit vote "this is not a time for knee-jerk reactions", but "it is also not a time to be left standing still either."
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While trying to establish beneficial trading terms with the EU should Article 50 be enacted will be a top priority for the new government, how the new cabinet members voted on alcohol duty may be a bit worrying for the drinks trade.
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The Healthy Drinking Alliance in this month's edition of Harpers is pushing to help raise awareness about the importance of self-regulation as an industry and believes we need to be doing more to prevent government mandates from coming into effect in the future.
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At the London Wine Fair 2016 held last week at Kensington Olympia, chief executive officer of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) warned the trade may face some challenges in the year ahead following the Chief Medical Officer's revised guidelines for alcohol consumption.
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Published: 27 April, 2016
Conal Gregory, the only Master of Wine to have been elected to Parliament, warns that there is no hope for duties to be reduced or even frozen if there is no effective campaign fighting that battle. He gives tactical tips on what the trade could do better to combat future hikes.
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Published: 08 April, 2016
The wine trade has a case of the 'Budget Blues. While spirits, beer and cider saw a duty freeze in the 2016 Budget, wine duty was handed an increase in line with inflation.
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