Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Q&A: Tasha Iny, international agave ambassador, Proximo

Published: 16 December, 2025

Andrew Catchpole catches up with Tasha Iny, recently appointed champion of all things tequila and mezcal at world-leading category driver Proximo.

Dawn Davies showcases The Whisky Exchange’s agave spirits offer

Published: 08 October, 2025

At The Whisky Exchange’s impressive cellar on Great Portland Street, Dawn Davies MW, buying director at The Whisky Exchange Trade, guided Harpers through the company’s fresh agave spirits offer and explained the heady potential of the category.

González Byass announces alliance between its Casa Pedro Domecq and mezcal distillery

Published: 10 February, 2025

The new alliance between mezcal distillery, Destilería Los Danzantes, and Casa Pedro Domecq, the Mexican joint venture between González Byass and Emperador Group, will aim to expand the reach of the Mezcal producer. The alliance follows a capital injection by Casa Pedro Domecq.

US trade wars loom as Scotch faces £600m hole in exports

Published: 03 February, 2025

A mounting global trade war between the US and its three largest trading partners has reignited concern for businesses in markets such as the UK, as the Scotch whisky industry is still recovering from a £600m hole in its finances.

Skirting a possible Scotch loch

Published: 15 November, 2024

With demand for higher-end whisky flat or declining in mature markets, producers should be looking to foster new demand. Tom Bruce-Gardyne reports.

US imposes anti-dumping duties on glass wine bottles

Published: 12 August, 2024

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on glass wine bottles from China, Chile and Mexico, with some duties reaching as high as 218.15%.

Diageo shares hit four-year low

Published: 31 July, 2024

Diageo has cautioned that financial challenges may extend into next year after the company fell short of its full-year profit expectations, leading to a more than 9% drop in shares to a four-year low.

Nick Gillett: Why mezcal could cure the ‘tequila timebomb’

Published: 12 February, 2024

If you’re an avid agave fan or have been subject to any of my previous tequila musings of the last few years, you might have heard the phrase – ‘the tequila timebomb’. For a few years now, the boom in tequila’s popularity has been well documented, as have the numerous voices warning that, to keep up with this demand, producers are irresponsibly damaging Mexico’s agricultural and civil landscapes. In 2022, my article on the subject talked about monocropping practices of enormous agave cultivations, cloned plants, and the dangerous effect these were having on biodiversity, agriculture, and even water availability for local communities. So, 18 months later, have we managed to dispose of the tequila timebomb?

SWA backs Mexico-UK spirits accord

Published: 01 December, 2020

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has welcomed the announcement of the Mexico-UK Spirits Agreement.

Raicilla: The new face of agave

Published: 23 September, 2020

From an almost complete unknown beyond the Americas, raicilla is now making inroads overseas, including markets such as the UK. David Furer reports on the new kid on the spirits block.

The sipping forecast

Published: 30 September, 2019

Modern brands are looking beyond mixing in search of a brighter future, says Nigel Huddleston

Friday Read: Riding the tequila wave

Published: 09 August, 2019

It is a tumultuous time to be a smaller tequila producer. External forces are a mixture of positive market growth and negative trade tensions, including rising supply costs (agave, in 2018, was up 571% since 2016), fuel shortages engendered by pipeline pirates and fraying civil structure in the main production area of Jalisco. Against this background ‘adaptation’ is the keyword for the smaller producer.