Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

Hawksbill and Caskshare prepare for World Rum Day

Published:  08 July, 2021

The great and the good of the rum world are gearing up for World Rum Day, taking place this Saturday 10 July in order to spread word of rum, which was named by the WSTA as the most loved cocktail spirit during 2020’s first lockdown.

Read more...

WSTA calls for return of ‘zero for zero' Bourbon tariffs while warning about wine duties

Published:  07 July, 2021

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has submitted a response to the government’s consultation on damaging US tariffs, calling for the swift removal of tariffs on US whiskies.

Read more...

Prentis promises to work with industry on certification and Brexit/Covid fallout

Published:  28 May, 2021

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has welcomed a “positive and productive” meeting with Victoria Prentis MP where she is said to have understood the “value” of the wine and spirits industry and vowed to work closely on rebuilding post-Brexit and Covid.

Read more...

Pandemic boosts Argentinian and rosé wine sales

Published:  17 May, 2021

Argentinian wine and rosé were two of the alcoholic beverages which saw a “remarkable uplift” in retail sales during lockdowns and restrictions in 2020, according to the latest WSTA Market Report. 

Read more...

Alcohol exports plummet

Published:  05 May, 2021

Alcohol exports from the UK to the EU were in free fall for the first couple of months of this year, hit by the perfect storm of Brexit at the beginning of the year alongside Covid lockdowns across Europe continuing to shatter the on-trade, newly released data has revealed.

Read more...

Denis O’Flynn joins Kingsland Drinks

Published:  06 April, 2021

Kingsland Drinks Group has appointed Denis O’Flynn, previously MD at Pernod Ricard UK and chairman of the WSTA, as a non-executive director of its board.

Read more...

Govt opens DRS consultation and announces delay of scheme

Published:  25 March, 2021

The government has launched its second consultation into a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Read more...

Govt delays VI-1 wine certification by six months

Published:  25 March, 2021

The government has delayed the VI-1 wine certification for wine imported to the UK from the EU by six months. 

Read more...

Budget: Chancellor freezes all alcohol duty

Published:  03 March, 2021

Duty on wines, spirits and beers is to be frozen, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in today’s Budget. 

Read more...

Trade calls Victoria Prentis out over VI-1 statement

Published:  25 February, 2021

An infuriated wine trade has today delivered an ‘unprecedented’ collective letter to Victoria Prentis MP, calling for the scrapping of VI-1 forms when the easement provision ends on 1 July.

Read more...

A duty to industry

Published:  15 February, 2021

Will the chancellor address the continuing controversy over punishing duty rates in the wine and spirits sectors in the 3 March Budget? Lisa Riley reports.

Read more...

No/low consumption to rise 31% by 2024

Published:  10 February, 2021

Total volume sales of no/low alcohol beer, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink (RTD) products are set to increase 31% by 2024, according to a No-and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study 2021 from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. 

Read more...

Pandemic fails to halt UK distillery boom

Published:  09 February, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has failed to halt the UK’s distillery boom with new figures showing a record number of distilleries were registered in 2020.

Read more...

Brexit: Reality bites

Published:  08 February, 2021

The actualities of shipping goods from the EU are beginning to sink in as wine incurs an estimated €200 per shipment, making groupage cost-prohibitive for many. Jo Gilbert calculates the knock-on costs to the trade

Read more...

Beale: ‘Punishingly high duty rates stifling home grown wine and spirit businesses’

Published:  28 January, 2021

The WSTA has renewed its calls on the Chancellor to cut alcohol duty to allow UK businesses to “thrive and compete on a global stage”. 

Read more...

Minister dashes hopes of VAT cut extension

Published:  27 January, 2021

A treasury minister has said there are “no current plans” to further extend the reduction in VAT for hospitality businesses despite estimates that rising rates could directly and permanently impact the sector and lead to the loss of up to 310,000 jobs.

Read more...

WSTA and SMEs call on Chancellor for further support in budget

Published:  21 January, 2021

Many of the UK’s best known wine and spirit SMEs have written a joint letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak urging him to cut duty while extended the hospitality’s VAT cut to provide further relief for those struggling with the pandemic.

Read more...

WSTA launches low & no alcohol labelling guide

Published:  13 January, 2021

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has produced new guidance around the labelling of low & no alcohol drinks as a record number of Brits explore the category. 

Read more...

Beale: ‘OIV membership is only half of the picture’

Published:  07 January, 2021

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has welcomed the UK government’s decisions to re-join the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) as a member, but also said that OIV membership was “only half the picture”. 

Read more...

UK 2020 Timeline

Published:  15 December, 2020

From the first indications that a novel coronavirus brewing in the east had reared its ugly head in the west, 2020 fast played out as the year when Covid-19 turned the trade upside down. On-trade restrictions and closures, pivoting of businesses, innovation in every shape and form, plus the super-charging of ecommerce and an amazing collective response by individuals, companies and trade bodies alike all became the ‘new norm’. As a year most of us wish to see the back of stumbles to a close, the Harpers team rounds up some of the most significant events of 2020.

Read more...