TTB issues guidelines for voluntary serving facts statements: allows suppliers to provide consumers with nutritional information including calories per serving
May 29, 2013 Washington, DC — On May 28, 2013, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued a ruling (Ruling 2013-2) that allows alcohol beverage industry members to provide consumers with nutritional information about their products and provides...
A year after liquor privatization in Washington: state revenues increasing as customers are paying more
May 28, 2013 A year ago, you couldn’t buy liquor at grocery stores in Washington. Now you can, but you probably pay more for it. June 1 will mark the one-year anniversary of the state’s departure from the liquor business, when it turned sales over to private retailers...
‘Operation Swill’ details emerge, caramel-color rubbing alcohol sold as scotch
May 24, 2013 At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch. In another, premium liquor bottles were refilled with water – and apparently not even clean water at that. State officials provided those new details Thursday on...
New Jersey’s “Operation Swill” cracks down on alleged liquor substitution in on-premise accounts: well liquor in premium brand bottles?
New Jersey's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Wednesday that it had seized alcohol from 29 bars and restaurants as part of a year-long investigation into allegations that the businesses have been fooling customers by filling bottles from premium brands...
Winemakers must do more to tackle counterfeit wines – QR codes might be solution
May 22, 2013 Winemakers should act now to prevent fraudsters creating counterfeits of their products, according to Geert de Vries of KPMG. Speaking today at the London International Wine Fair 2013 at ExCeL, London, de Vries, who works for KPMG's risk services unit,...
Frugality of US consumers is receding – Restaurant sales at all time high
May 21, 2013 Americans seem to be fed up with frugality. As the recession ever so slowly recedes, an increasing number of Americans say they are less frugal than they were a few years ago. At the same time, sales at restaurants are at an all-time high and at least one...
Mallya readies platform for 10% preferential allotment to Diageo – Whyte & Mackay future still up in the air
May 19, 2013 Nearly six months after signing a landmark deal with Diageo, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, is preparing the stage to make the 10% preferential allotment in his flagship United Spirits to global spirits major Diageo. This move follows the tepid response to...
Liquor bill blocked at Missouri legislative session’s end
May 19, 2013 A contentious liquor bill that had been the topic of intense lobbying at the Capitol this session didn’t make it to a vote before the session’s end today. Lawmakers wrapped up at 6 p.m., with the bill aimed at regulating the link between alcohol suppliers...
Liquor Board in Washington issues first draft of rules for pot industry after prohibition
May 17, 2013 Entrepreneurs looking to get in on the ground floor of Washington’s legal marijuana market now have a blueprint. The state Liquor Control Board issued the first draft Thursday of rules for the system of licensed, regulated and taxed cannabis that voters...