Buffett’s McLane joins Wirtz in Missouri wine wager
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A)’s McLane trucking unit, a supplier to retailers and restaurants, formed a venture with closely held Wirtz Corp. to take a stake in a wine, spirit and beer distributor. The deal to invest in Missouri Beverage Co. is expected to be...
Pernod Ricard posts 2.4% rise in quarterly sales – US organic sales up 6%
French drinks group Pernod Ricard reported on Thursday a 2.4 percent sales increase in the third quarter of its 2012/13 financial year and confirmed its target for a rise in full-year operating profit of almost six percent. Pernod, which owns a wide...
California 4am last call for alcohol proposal rejected
It looks like last call for alcohol will continue to be at 2 a.m. in California. After the Democratic majority struggled over which way to vote, a state Senate committee rejected a controversial proposal giving cities and counties the power to extend bar hours like...
Inside the “Liquor Wars” in Missouri: the legislation, the litigation and the interests
Two bills, more than six lawsuits, at least 34 contract lobbyists, and countless companies are involved in the wine and spirits issue that is progressively rising as legislative session nears its end. Referred to by some on both sides only half-jokingly as the “liquor...
March 2013 Control State results: volume down 2.7% and revenue up 0.5%
During March, nine-liter spirits case sales in the control states fell 2.7% compared to same month last year sales. Rolling-twelve month reported volumes grew at 3.0%, down from February’s 3.5%. Mississippi, Vermont, and West Virginia reported monthly growth rates...
Wine focused Venture Capital Fund Bacchus Capital Management invests in Madrigal Family Winery
Bacchus Capital Management has announced making “a significant infusion of equity growth capital” in Madrigal Family Winery in Napa Valley and that winemaker Ed Sbragia will become Madrigal’s consulting winemaster while Steve Cousins of Sbragia Family Vineyards...
Fight brewing over Michigan booze laws: Government backs bid to ease making, selling of alcoholic beverages
The Snyder administration and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission director are seeking sweeping reforms they say will encourage a burgeoning home-grown industry by making it easier to make, buy and sell alcoholic beverages. The state ranks fifth nationally in the...
AB InBev and Modelo merger set to move forward
Two of the world's biggest beer companies are ready to join forces. The Justice Department announced that it had reached a settlement with Anheuser-Busch InBev and Grupo Modelo to resolve the anti-trust suit it filed earlier this year in response to their proposed...
Wine ice cream illegal in Louisiana – state law change required
Rum-laced fruitcake and boozy bonbons can be sold in Louisiana, but wine ice cream will need action by legislators before it can hit grocers’ freezers. State Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commissioner Troy Hebert said Thursday that he consulted legal experts after...