August 9th, 2025: Consumption trends, Bacanora and other news…
IWSR's 6 key trends, Sonora to extend Bacanora appellation, cocktails in Spain, US whiskey's challenges, Buckingham Palace's first RTD, eyes on no-low 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!
I was planning to share this press review yesterday but, sadly, I discovered that I had no internet connection where I was attending an event. So, here is our latest news update, before I slow down next week to enjoy a little holiday.
Important notice: from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th, I will be on holiday.
I may send you one selection of articles during the week, should any truly significant news brake.
That said, let’s begin with today’s press review, which includes some valuable content for you to read, learn and use to analyse the current situation.
6 trends to monitor from the IWSR
The International Wine and Spirits Research has summarised six key trends that define this year for alcoholic beverages. While I’m sure that many of you are already familiar with some of these trends, I find it useful to see them all laid out in black and white.
Here they are in brief:
Selective premiumisation
Evolving lifestyles
Digital and tech
Social drinking
Health and ethics
External pressures
You can read IWSR insights here:
Inside the IWSR Global Trends Report: Key Drivers for Beverage Alcohol in 2025
If you want, you can also listen to IWSR COO Consumer Insights, Richard Halstead, sharing some of the key information from their latest Bevtrac release:
57 US alcohol industry associations send letter to Trump
“Toasts Not Tariffs”, a coalition of 57 associations representing all three tiers of the US alcohol industry, has delivered a letter to president Donald Trump calling for fair and reciprocal trade policies with the EU.
Ted Simmons reports about this topic on The Spirits Business:
Permanent EU-US spirits deal called for on both sides of Atlantic
Surprise: I found the text of the letter for you, including the list of all the coalition members. You can read it in DISCUS’s website here:
And you can find more information about the coalition here.
Eyes on cocktail preferences in Spain
The Spanish Federación de Asociaciones de Barmans Españoles (FABE) has released data on cocktail preferences in Spain. Paloma is on the rise, but Moscow Mule is also doing well, and tourism is obviously playing a big role in this scenario.
You can read the details on Vinetur:
Nuevas preferencias en cócteles marcan la temporada estival en España
Mexico
Sonora State pushes for extension of the Bacanora appellation
Bacanora is currently produced on 35 municipalities in Sonora. The local government has just proposed an extension of the appellation to include the entire State, which would mean adding two more municipalities. You can read more details in this article by Dulce Fajardo on the mexican newspaper Meganoticias, including a video with AI-generated voice in English, which may be helpful for those of you not familiar with Spanish:
What’s more, I also found the official document with the request by the Estado de Sonora. It was issued on July 21st and you can read it on the Diario Oficial de la Federación:
Of course, there are also some opinions against this choice. I found one here by a salesperson named Manuel Moreno, who argues that any extension should be driven by demand and that the government should first work on the current base of production. There appear to be only 16 official licenses, while producers working in informality are estimated to be more than a thousand.
Interview by Dayan Lagarda for the Medios Obson:
Cuestionan ampliación de denominación de origen del bacanora
…help me understand
I have the impression that agave spirits are growing as political leverage, while neglecting the fact that the market is in contraction and many areas are already facing overproduction. But I’m seeing things from a distance, and I would like to have a deeper insight into these situation.
I know that some friends from Mexico are reading my blog, as well as friends involved in Mexican spirits trade from the rest of the world. I would love to hear your points of view. Please, feel free to comment or send me messages to help me and the community better understand the situation.
Thank you so much!
Bourbon is facing hard times
Distillers across Kentucky and Tennessee seem to be facing one of the strongest slowdown in the industry’s history, and the US policies are not helping out.
Ron Emler is trying to sum up the situation in his article for The Drinks Business:
Distillery news has sadly been confirming the trend in the recent months.
Copper & Kings sold to Bourdon Spirits Company
US firm Constellation Brands has just divested Copper & Kings, selling it to the Kentucky-based Bourdon Spirits Company.
You can read the article by Henry Mathieu on Global Drinks Intel:
Constellation Brands offloads Copper & Kings brandy to Bourdon Spirits Co
Meanwhile, in the UK
Yorkshire Distilling Co set to auction in September
UK-based third-party distillery Yorkshire Distilling Co has appointed administrators and is set to be auctioned in September.
Article by Georgie Collins on The Spirits Business:
Yorkshire Distilling appoints administrators as assets go to auction
Eyes on RTD
Buckingham Palace launches first RTD drink
King Charles III might have been spotted sipping Scotch whisky, but the Royal Collection Trust is diving into RTD.
Again, Georgie Collins on The Spirits Business:
Something to read
Eyes on no-low
I promised I would look for some more content about no-low, and I found something interesting on
’s channel.First, an interview with Ben Branson, founder of the successful non-alcoholic spirits brand Seedlip, and now Sylva and Seasn. It may be inspiring to see the category from an insider’s perspective.
You can find the podcast episode on his website here or on his Youtube and Spotify Channel:
Maffeo also released a comprehensive guide to the no-low market, which may help those of you who are dealing with sales. You can find it on his website and it requires a free offer:
Rising Above – A Comprehensive Guide to Capturing Growth in the NOLO Market
Then, if you have not read it yet, I strongly recommend you have a look at the Mckinsey report I posted in June. I’m recalling the post here for you:
This is report is not specifically about spirits or drinks, which makes it even more useful for you to think outside the box.
That’s all for today!
I’ll see you on the Monday 18th to start a new week (hopefully, if Mr Trump or his colleagues don’t decide to have some new, exciting ideas ;) )
Have a great weekend and a relaxing summer break if you are in Italy.
Please do recommend this blog to your friends in the industry, and feel free to send me your thoughts and ideas.
Spoiler: I'll have some news to share soon about this blog, as I have many ideas to develop it further and make it even more useful.
Cheers!