One theme keeps resurfacing, in different forms, across recent conversations about spirits: the wish to better understand what is actually being poured into the glass. It is not yet a uniform shift, and it does not affect every market in the same way. But in mezcal, cocktail bars and craft distilling, there are three revealing […]
For years, in much of Europe, tequila was presented mainly as a late-night shot: more ritual than tasting, more habit than category. Today the picture looks somewhat different, but calling it a full-blown shift would be too much. What we can see instead is a set of signals: some brands are moving upmarket, certain markets […]
For nearly a decade, tequila was one of the clearest growth stories in global spirits: volumes rising, new labels arriving almost nonstop, celebrities stepping into production, and a premium segment that seemed to defy gravity. That cycle now looks less relentless. This is not necessarily a crisis, but a different phase: value is beginning to […]
In whisky, the key question is not only what reaches the shelf, but how it gets there. Some labels lean on immediate flavours and an easier entry into the category; others reinforce the credibility of an age statement; still others try to balance heritage with contemporary taste. Three recent launches are enough to show how […]
One shift is becoming increasingly visible across the spirits landscape: traditional distilled categories are losing momentum, while spirits-based ready-to-drink products keep gaining ground. It is less a clean break than a sign that consumption occasions are changing, and that the category is now moving at more than one speed. In Germany, according to BSI, the […]
American whiskey appears to be moving through a slowdown and rebalancing phase, with inventories still elevated and consumers more selective. In that context, some distilleries are trying to build value beyond the bottle itself, leaning on experience, a sense of place, and brand heritage as ways to strengthen loyalty. This is not a portrait of […]
The U.S. spirits market, at least in the picture offered by SipSource/WSWA data, is going through a correction that does not look like a short-term episode. Q1 2026 data indicate continued contraction in both volume and revenue across core spirits, while some areas of the category are holding up more clearly than others. It is […]
An artisan gin from near Verona, a whisky that brings Scotland and India into the same glass and a Nicaraguan rum refreshed through design all point to the same challenge: finding a clear identity in a spirits market that feels more crowded by the year. Today, it is no longer enough to position a bottle […]