All articles by Richard Woodard

Unaged Spirits Commentator

Why history could inform aftermath of The Famous Grouse sale

There’s been a lot of chat in whisky circles about anniversaries this year and no wonder. You can hardly move…
If US whiskey glut does emerge, major distillers will be fine – but small may suffer

There’s one question on media visits to cask warehouses and wine maturation cellars that gets asked with predictable regularity but…
Pernod’s portfolio decluttering at last takes in wine

There’s a rather fetching image on the ‘Brand Homes’ landing page of Pernod Ricard’s website, featuring the rippling roofline of…
Why Cognac should shine spotlight on smaller producers

History can sometimes take curious and serendipitous turns. In 1870, Emile Fillioux secured his place in the annals of Cognac…
Why Brown-Forman remains work in progress

Have we reached the bottom? The persistent challenges around distributor inventories and consumer demand in the US continue to cloud…

Why the moment for cannabis drinks is not yet upon us

Back in 2018, I investigated the nascent cannabis beverage market for Just Drinks. At the time, there was an awful…
The drinks industry’s big names spread wings to capture less loyal drinkers

It says a lot about how much the beverage alcohol industry has changed in recent years that the news that…
Why Campari can benefit from smooth CEO transition

In all the hagiographic coverage from the past six months or so prefacing Bob Kunze-Concewitz’ exit from the Campari Group…
The Lakes Distillery needed Nyetimber deal to fund ambitions

The surprise announcement that English sparkling wine specialist Nyetimber wants to acquire The Lakes Distillery may not have had scribes…
Rejoice as Diageo reopens Port Ellen but closures could soon haunt spirits industry

There’s a lot of romance attached to the whisky business, and I’m not sure the events of last week will…