August 18th, 2025: From US tariffs to VIPs' tequila
Updates on US tariffs effects, US drinking habits, Anora Group's report, distillery news, IARD's latest campaigns, celebrities' investments in tequila and more...
The Spirits Post is an international press review about the spirits industry brought to you by , an Italian spirits journalist and judge. It provides you with an independent selection of news and content about spirits from all over the world.
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Hello everyone and nice to see you again after a short break!
I had some time to relax and refresh my mind about this blog and its next steps. I’ll be telling you everything very soon, and will even be asking you for your input. Stay tuned.
Today, I’ve tried to pick out the most interesting news from last week for you. Let’s begin with the US (missed it, didn’t you?).
US tariff wars intensify as spirits industry faces $60,000 job losses
New research from John Dunham and Associates, on behalf of The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), estimates a 15% tariff on EU wine and spirits imports could wipe out nearly 60,000 American jobs and cost $3.1 billion in wages. The spirits sector alone is facing approximately 19,000 job losses and a reduction of $979 million in wages. The tariffs are expected to add $0.82 per gallon to spirits costs, with wholesale prices rising by $0.22 per gallon across all alcoholic beverages, with no apparent benefit for domestic spirits.
Nicola Carruthers reports on these forecasts for The Spirits Business:
Us tariffs and Brazil
Brazilian cachaça exports hit by 50% US tariffs, facing $2.7 million losses
Trump's new 50% tariff on Brazilian cachaça threatens to reduce exports by 30%, according to the Brazilian cachaça Institute (Ibrac). The measure, effective from 5th August, could cost the sector $480,000 in lost exports through December, bringing the total loss to an estimated $1.1 million, while cachaça prices in the US market will surge dramatically. Small and medium-sized producers face the toughest challenges.
You can read (and listen to) this article on Portal Tela (no author mentioned):
Cachaça brasileira sofre perda de R$ 2,7 milhões com aumento de tarifas
I also recommend you read this article by Ana Gusmão on CompreRural, if you’d like to find out some more details about cachaça production and export:
Conheça os melhores países para exportar bebidas brasileiras
American drinking habits reach historic lows as health perceptions shift
According to the global research and consulting company Gallup, the US drinking rate has plummeted to 54% of adults in 2025, marking only the tenth time since 1939 that consumption has fallen below 60%. The research reveals 53% of Americans now consider moderate alcohol consumption (one or two drinks daily) harmful to their health, up from 28% in 2018. Young adults aged 18-34 lead this trend with 66% viewing moderate drinking negatively.
Article by Oli Dodd on Drinks International:
Financial reports
Anora Group spirits division continues decline
Nordic drinks company Anora Group reported that spirits sales dropped by 6.7% to €98.5 million in the first half of 2025, with total company sales down 5.3% to €324 million. Despite a challenging market situation in both Norway and in Finland, flagship vodka Koskenkorva showed growth, particularly in RTD and liqueur segments.
Article by Rupert Hohwieler on The Spirits Business:
Distillery news
Spirit of Manchester distillery closes permanently
Manchester-based Spirit of Manchester distillery has permanently closed its urban production site and bar, making its entire workforce redundant. Despite the closure, co-founder and master distiller Seb Heeley intends to continue producing Manchester Gin elsewhere in the city. The distillery's first whisky barrels officially matured this month, though their release remains uncertain.
Article by Rupert Hohwieler on The Spirits Business.
GlenAllachie to reduce energy use by more than 50%
Speyside's GlenAllachie will halve its energy consumption thanks to a Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) technology, which is being supported by the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. This is a first-of-its-kind system, capturing and recycling waste heat from distillation to reheat stills, which account for 60% of the distillery's energy use.
Rupert Hohwieler again on The Spirits Business.
Marketing campaigns
Global drinks industry accelerates ESG initiatives
Olly Wehring reports about the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking’s latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) actions worldwide. It’s a useful summary to help you keep an eye on what major spirits companies are doing in terms of marketing campaigns.
Drinks industry Environment, Social & Governance activations around the world in August '25 – ESG
Something to read
Tequila and celebrities
Lewis Hamilton has recently expanded his agave drinks portfolio, launching a mezcal-inspired non-alcoholic drink, called Almave Humo, in partnership with Casa Lumbre Spirits.
Article by Ricardo Alonso on Robb Report Mexico:
Lewis Hamilton lanza Almave Humo: el "mezcal" sin alcohol hecho con agave de Puebla
Meanwhile, Indian giant Radico Khaitan announced a Rs 400 million investment in D'Yavol Spirits, partnering with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his son Aryan Khan to launch premium international spirits, beginning with luxury añejo tequila.
Article by Rupert Hohwieler on The Spirits Business:
Celebrities are not new to agave spirits investments, especially after the George Clooney’s involvement in Casamigos Tequila and the subsequent sale of the brand to Diageo for a sensational $1 billion in 2017. This phenomenon seems far from stopping, and a few months ago, the Italian newspaper Il Post contacted me for an interview on the topic. Here it is (no author mentioned):
This is the first time I’ve shared this interview. I’ve never done it before, because - sadly - I found the resulting article poorly accurate on the spirits side. I know that a half-hour talk can end up as just a few lines when you have limited space on the page. But this time I saw my point of view being reduced to a simple, obvious sentence, which was quite frustrating, I must admit.
During the interview I had the impression that my colleague was looking for proof for his idea that celebrities invest in tequila because it’s cheaper to produce in Mexico than in the US. I tried to explain that things are a little more complex than they seem. First of all, tequila is not the only spirit VIP’s like to get involved in - and it may not even be the cheapest one. Secondly, tequila was not only pushed by celebrities; it was already on the rise in the US. Jet set stars may have helped expand interest in the product to a larger and otherwise unreachable segment of consumers, but this doesn’t mean they’ve helped with the quality effort of tequila.
Here is an interesting feature about this topic by Shay Waterworth on Drinks International. It was published two years ago but is definitely still worth a read:
That’s all for today. I’ll see you again on Wednesday!
Cheers ;)