Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Global online buying frenzy levelling out

Published: 11 August, 2020

The extraordinary upward curve in online wine and spirit sales appears to be flattening, suggests the latest data from Wine-Searcher.

Budget: Coronavirus relief for SMEs and employees

Published: 11 March, 2020

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a bold response to the coronavirus crisis in his 11 March budget, with a raft of measures to support SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and their employees.

Unique private whisky collection up for sale

Published: 07 February, 2020

Perthshire-based specialist online whisky auction house Whisky Auctioneer has begun its sale of the largest private collection of whisky to go under the hammer.

US and UK whisky industries demand action on tariffs

Published: 29 January, 2020

Whisky industry bodies on both sides of the Atlantic have issued a joint call for their respective governments to stop using tariffs on whisky as a proxy battle in unrelated trade disputes.

SWA welcomes UK alcohol tax review

Published: 08 November, 2019

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has welcomed the Conservative pledge to review tax paid on a bottle of whisky.

Tariffs will slash US whisky exports by 20%, SWA warns

Published: 18 October, 2019

The 25% tariff on the import of Scottish single-malt whisky to the US, which came into force last night, will lose the industry 20% of its US exports in the first year, the Scotch Whisky Association has estimated.

SWA in crisis meeting with govt as tariff deadline looms

Published: 17 October, 2019

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is to meet secretary of state for trade Liz Truss later today to demand government action on the threatened US tariffs on Scotch.

MPs demand government action on US Scotch tariffs

Published: 08 October, 2019

Scottish MPs have demanded that Boris Johnson speaks directly to US president Donald Trump to avert the imposition of 25% import tariffs on Scotch.

SWA hires ex-FO mandarin for key international role

Published: 22 August, 2019

The Scotch Whisky Association has appointed a former senior official at the Foreign Office as the organisation’s international director.

Scottish government calls for post-Brexit protections for whisky

Published: 01 August, 2019

Scotch whisky must retain its current protected status if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, Fergus Ewing, the Scottish government’s secretary for the rural economy, has said.

SWA blasts Bladnoch for sexist marketing campaign

Published: 23 July, 2019

Bladnoch Distillery has been reprimanded by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) for the sexist marketing of its True Scot brand.

Diageo targets new Scotch fans with voice-activated tech

Published: 18 December, 2018

The traditional world of Scotch whisky and Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa system are due to collide this Christmas.

Scotch Whisky Association takes action on alcohol misuse

Published: 17 December, 2018

Thirteen projects set up to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland have been granted awards by the Scotch Whisky Action Fund.

Edrington sells Cutty Sark to La Martiniquaise-Bardinet

Published: 28 November, 2018

Edrington has sold its Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky brand to La Martiniquaise-Bardinet for an undisclosed sum.

Haig Club aims to shatter whisky myths with new push

Published: 23 October, 2018

Diageo’s Haig Club aims to shatter whisky drinking myths in a new print ad campaign featuring David Beckham.

Pernod Ricard plugs Scotch growth back into NPD with new launch

Published: 30 August, 2018

Pernod Ricard is capitalising on encouraging growth in the Scotch category with the launch of its new Chivas XV.

Scotch Whisky achieves trademark certification in South Africa

Published: 06 August, 2018

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has successfully registered ‘Scotch Whisky’ as a certification trademark in South Africa.

SWA calls for zero tariffs on whisky making materials

Published: 29 June, 2018

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has called for zero tariffs on imports of whisky making materials in the Brexit negotiations.

The rise of Irish whiskey as EU whiskey

Published: 27 June, 2018

It may be unsurprising that Selfridges is launching its first Irish food and drink show this August. With a fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth Irish whiskey is now the world’s fastest growing spirit according to the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA).