Booze News Weekly Roundup: New English Single Malt Category Angers Scottish Distillers, Trump to Lift Irish Whiskey Tariff, 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. This week, we have updates on Scottish distillers’ responses to a new English single malt category, Trump to lift Irish whiskey tariff, the latest product releases, and more.
News to know:
New English single malt designation riles up Scots: Scottish distillers are furious after the British government designated English single malt as a distinct whisky category. Scottish distillers are lobbying against the new protected status and arguing that the criteria for English single malts are looser than those for Scotch: To earn the premium designation, Scotch distillers must produce single malts entirely onsite, whereas the English distinction allows for some steps to be completed at separate locations. The Scottish Whisky Association plans to discuss the matter this week with British government officials.
Some better news in across-the-pond whiskey: President Donald Trump said he plans to lift the 10 percent tariff on Irish whiskey earlier this week. Trump, who wedged his announcement into the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open, said “everybody’s been bugging” him to drop the levy, professional golfers included.
Sazerac continues its buying spree: Just days after finalizing its reportedly £300 million ($405 million) purchase of U.K. brand Au Vodka, Sazerac is now in talks to acquire German schnapps producer Berentzen-Gruppe AG, Bloomberg reports. It’s the latest development in the Louisville, Ky.-based spirits producer’s 2026 shopping spree: Earlier this year, Sazerac shuffled a $15 billion offer to buy out competitor Brown-Forman.
Summit Brewing defaults on $8.2 million loan: One of the country’s largest craft breweries faces foreclosure by its lender. BMO Bank, the secured lender for the St. Paul, Minn.-based brewery, initiated foreclosure activities last week, as first reported by The Minnesota Star-Tribune. Once the state’s largest craft brewery, Summit has struggled in recent years with the overall downturn in craft beer. From 2022 to 2023 alone, its volume output plummeted by over 30 percent, according to Brewbound.
Product releases to watch:
Apothic goes gory with “bloody” wine bags: E&J Gallo’s Apothic Wine partnered with Halloween queen Heidi Klum on a seasonally inspired bag of wine made to resemble a blood transfusion bag. Apothic Type ‘A’ Blood Bag will be available online as a limited-drop release for a suggested retail price of $10.31 for two bags.
Knob Creek unveils 12-year-old bourbon: James B. Beam Distilling Co.-owned Knob Creek debuted 12 Year Old Cask Strength on Wednesday. The high-proof whisky, bottled at 121.2 proof, will be available nationwide for a limited time at a suggested retail price of $89.99.
The Macallan launches third release in TIME : SPACE Collection: The cult brand added a 20-year-old Scotch finished in sherry casks to its ultra-premium lineup. The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask, bottled at 44.8 percent ABV, is available for purchase through the distillery’s lottery system for $1,400.
The article Booze News Weekly Roundup: New English Single Malt Category Angers Scottish Distillers, Trump to Lift Irish Whiskey Tariff, and More appeared first on VinePair.