Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the smoking ban in England, and the figures just released by marketing company Nielsen reveal a massive downturn in the sales of beer and spirits, as well as tobacco. In the nine months from July to March, volume sales of alcohol fell 8% in the on-trade in England and Wales, the latter having introduced the smoking ban three months before England.
The live online tasting that was broadcast from Laproaig’s cellars in Islay last week attracted 11,666 viewers from 79 different countries ranging from Bhutan to Botswana and Puerto Rico to Peru. This number makes it the largest such tasting ever conducted, beating last year’s total of 7,915.
Russia’s economy has been growing steadily since 2003, and it is now a consumer power to be reckoned with. Euromonitor’s Catherine Mars examines how the emerging status culture will change the shape of the country’s spirits market
The current issue of the spirits business – db’s sister title, and the first international trade publication dedicated exclusively to spirits – features a full report on the first Scotch Whisky Masters event, examines the state of the vodka market in Russia and the US, and talks to Diageo's Paul Walsh
The quarterly magazine is edited by leading spirits guru Patience Gould
