Booze News Weekly Roundup: Historic California Winery Files for Bankruptcy, AB InBev RTD Lawsuit Dismissed, and More
This is VinePair’s Booze News Weekly Roundup, where we gather the hottest headlines and product releases every Friday for a snapshot of what’s happening in the beverage alcohol industry. It was a relatively quiet week on the Booze News front, but we have updates on GunBun’s bankruptcy filing, the legal spat between Stateside and AB InBev, the latest product releases, and more.
News to know:
California’s longest family-run winery files for bankruptcy: Gundlach Bundschu Winery, the oldest continuously family-run producer in the state, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. After 168 years in business, the winery, known among devotees as GunBun, is now seeking an investor to reorganize its finances and remain afloat.
Stateside, AB InBev dismiss suit over packaging dupe: Stateside Brands and Anheuser-Busch InBev agreed to dismiss lawsuit over lookalike spiked tea brands on Monday. In a filing last October, Stateside accused AB InBev of mimicking “the overall look and feel” of Surfside’s vodka tea cans with its similar ready-to-drink (RTD) brand Skimmers. The judge also waived all rights to appeal, as first reported by BrewBound.
White Claw maker pivots to Reyes in Denver: Mark Anthony Brands, which owns popular RTDs like White Claw and The Finnish Long Drink, exited Coors Distributing Company and pivoted to a Reyes subsidiary as its distributor in Denver. The producer will now distribute via Reyes Beverage Group (RBG) Spirits and Wine of Colorado. The switchover is the latest win for RBG, which picked up the majority of RNDC’s former accounts this year.
Product releases to watch:
Compass Box’s latest U.S. release blends three 10-year-old whiskies: The popular blended Scotch brand introduced “This is a 10-Year-Old Whisky” — a combination of three, decade-old single malts — to U.S. markets. The limited-edition blend is now available for purchase online for $84.99.
Laphroaig cements 15-year-old single malt in U.S. portfolio: The Islay Scotch brand is bringing back Laphroaig 15-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky to U.S. markets as a permanent addition to its lineup after over a decade away. Laphroaig aged the expression in ex-bourbon casks for 15 years before bottling at 92 proof. Laphroaig 15-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is now available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $89.
The article Booze News Weekly Roundup: Historic California Winery Files for Bankruptcy, AB InBev RTD Lawsuit Dismissed, and More appeared first on VinePair.