The market for whisky in India is huge, but local brands have the lion’s share due to the exorbitant import tariffs. Christian Davis reports

The Millionaires’ Club 2012 – the spirits industry’s definitive ranking of million-case selling brands - has launched on Drinksint.com.

UK: Charles Heidsieck champagne is to move to a "fine wine-orientated partner" in the UK. Distribution is to shift from First Drinks Brands to Liberty Wines from June 1, 2012 .

Following its €95m purchase of Cooley Distillery, Beam will phase out the supply of third-party brands to concentrate on building its core Irish whiskeys: Kilbeggan, Tyrconnell, Connemara and Greenore.

UK: Children as young as 10 are more familiar with some leading alcohol brands and adverts than those for popular foods and snacks, according to a new report by Alcohol Concern.

Johnnie Walker has taken first place in Brands by Value, a list of the world’s 50 most valuable drinks brands.

Diageo has delivered 3% volume growth and 7% organic net sales increase for the six months ended December 31, 2011.

Global business consultancy McKinney Rogers has appointed a former Bacardi USA president to its board.

Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC) has signed a five-year exclusive agreement to distribute Beam brands in Poland.

Altia Plc is buying the Xanté Company and the Xanté spirits brand from the Swedish Tilander family.

Pernod Ricard UK has announced the following senior appointments within its executive committee and senior management group with immediate effect.

LVMH has appointed new chief executive officers for its champagne brands Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

Beam Inc has announced an agreement to purchase Irish whiskey producer Cooley Distillery.

Heineken has declared an intention to increase its share in a brewery in Haiti to 95%.

Heineken and Facebook have announced a global partnership, which will see the two companies collaborate on digital campaigns for Heineken’s brands around the world. 

Accolade Wines has set its stall out, 10 months after Constellation Brands sold off its international wine division to an Australian private equity group.

US: Mexico-based La Madrileña is to distribute Beam’s entire portfolio in Mexico. As part of the performance-based agreement, effective on January 1, 2012, La Madrileña will be the exclusive distributor of Beam’s brands, including Jim Beam bourbon, Sauza tequila, Courvoisier cognac and Cruzan rum.

US: Polish vodka brand Sobieski is to launch three new flavours in the US. Espresso, Cynamon and Bizon Grass are to be imported and marketed by Imperial Brands.

Patrón Spirits International has teamed up with Mumbai-based agent Aspri Spirits to distribute its portfolio of tequila, vodka and rum in India.

Drinksint.com is now home to the World’s Most Admired Wine Brands magazine supplement, a comprehensive industry poll of the world's best regarded wine. 

Russian Standard vodka owner Roust and Rémy Cointreau have announced the expansion of their partnership in Russia which will include the distribution of additional Rémy Cointreau brands.

Constellation Brands has purchased the remaining 50.1% of Italian wine brand Ruffino from MPF International. 

US Spirits company Fortune Brands today begun trading as Beam on the New York stock exchange, following the separation of its businesses.

Buffalo Trace bourbon owner the Sazerac Company has agreed to purchase 17 brands from Pernod Ricard‘s Corby Distillers. 

Pernod Ricard is pinning hopes of further growth on the US, central and South America to undermine Diageo’s position as the number one drinks company in the world.

Burn Stewart Distillers, producer of brands Bunnahabhain and Scottish Leader, has announced net profits of £3.7 for the financial year ending December 31 2010.

Diageo has announced plans to step-up its multi-million dollar strategic partnership with social media website Facebook.

Diageo has announced the launch of Catalyst, a stand-alone group that will focus exclusively on what it describes as high potential brands.

Japanese brewer Kirin has bought the outstanding shares in Aleadri-Schinni Participações e Representações S.A. (“Aleadri”), a company that holds 50.45% of the outstanding shares of Schincariol Participações e Representações SA (Brazil; CEO: Adriano Schincariol: “Schincariol”).

Fortune Brands has announced the boards of directors for Beam and Fortune Brands Home & Security, the standalone public companies to result from the planned separation of its businesses.

Constellation Brands has added Keith Wandell, president and chief executive officer of Harley- Davidson to its board.

Rémy Cointreau has completed the sale of all the shares in Piper-Heidsieck-Compagnie Champenoise to the EPI Group (Européenne de Participations Industrielles).

Drinks International and Euromonitor International have published the Millionaires Club 2011. The report lists spirits brands that sell over one million nine-litre cases. A record 172 brands feature in this year’s edition and figures are based on 2010 sales volumes.

Pernod Ricard has announced the disposal, by its affiliate Pernod Ricard Europe, of its shares in Georgian Wine and Spirits LLC to JSC Marussia (Georgia).

Morrison Bowmore Distillers has made five new appointments within its sales and marketing team.

The Rémy Cointreau Group has announced the sale of Piper-heidseick – Compangni Champenoise to EPI (Européenne de Participations Industrielles)

New World brands continue to dominate the global wine sector and now constitute 13 of the top 15 wine brands, according to a recent study.

The Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division has announced three director-level appointments in a bid to “create a leadership team with a wealth of experience and global expertise”.

Indian distributor Radico Khaitan is to launch Japanese whiskies the Yamazaki 12 year old and Hibiki 17 year old in India.

Ian Macleod Distillers has appointed Danielle Murphy as business development manager at its Scotland-based sales team.

Diageo’s Johnnie Walker is the number one spirits brand by value according to Impact Databank’s Top 100 Premium Spirits list.

Brown-Forman has announced that its board of directors has authorised the repurchase of up to $250 million of its outstanding Class A and Class B common shares until November 30, 2011, subject to market and other conditions.

The Rémy Cointreau Group has announced that it has entered into “exclusive negotiations with EPI” to sell its champagne division.

Fortune Brands has said it sees a “bright and prosperous future for Beam Global as an independent spirits company”.

The Stock Spirits Group has announced double digit organic volume growth with total sales volumes of 162.4 million litres in 2010.

Constellation Wines Australia and Europe has been renamed Accolade Wines following the completed acquisition of an 80% share in the company by Australian equity group Champ.

Africa: Heineken has announced the acquisition of two holding companies from the Sona Group. The two acquired businesses have controlling interests in each of the Sona, IBBI, Benue, Life and Champion breweries in Nigeria.

French wine barrel manufacturer, Groupe Charlois, has expanded into the US with the purchase of Winemakers Cooperage (WC) from Treasury Wine Estates.

Brown-Forman, the major US drinks company, has announced a strategic review with a view to offloading its Californina-based wine assets.

Pernod Ricard has announced the completion of the sale, by its affiliate Pernod Ricard New Zealand, of Lindauer and other New Zealand wine brands from Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay together with their inventories and assets.