Maximilian Riedel, the 11^th-generation CEO of Riedel Crystal, has won the 125^th anniversary Pratt Legend Award, from the Pratt Institute.

Diageo has made a TV programme about its World Class bartender competition.

Diageo has introduced a limited edition bottle of Bell’s to raise £1 million for Help The Heroes charity.

William Grant & Sons has expanded The Balvenie portfolio to include a 17-year old edition of its Doublewood single malt scotch.

Irish rugby star, Jamie Heaslip, has become brand ambassador in Ireland for South African wine brand, FirstCape.

Beam has announced the nationwide launch of John DeKuyper & Sons Crave chocolate liqueurs.

Nyetimber, the leading English sparkling wine brand has announced that it has decided to skip this year's harvest.

The Hardy’s range of Australian wines is under review as Accolade Wines introduces a new tier into the UK, William Hardy, which will retail for around £8.99.

Jura distillery has added a 30 year old single malt whisky to its range.

Khlibniy Dar, Ukraine's best selling vodka, is celebrating 10 years in market today. 

Australian Vintage is installing and commissioning a spinning cone column with a view to introducing a new generation of lower alcohol wines next year.

Diageo is to launch a global marketing campaign for its Baileys cream liqueur. A television and print campaign is to appear in every continent, from October 7.

Beam Inc.,the leading US premium spirits company, has unveiled its new visitors’ centre – the Jim Beam American Stillhouse– at its flagship distillery in Clermont, Kentucky.

Brown-Forman has appointed bartender Tom Vernon as its new American whiskey ambassador.

Diageo has announced a £7 million media campaign in the UK for Smirnoff its leading vodka brand.

Pusser’s Rum will target younger drinkers in the UK this winter with a new on-trade promotion.

Online retailer Master of Malt has launched what it calls the world’s hottest chilli vodka, named 250,000 Scovilles – Naga Chilli Vodka.

Pernod Ricard USA is rolling out the distribution of its Olmeca Altos tequila brand.

UK brewer Innis & Gunn grew sales by 62% in 2011 to £7.5m thanks in particular to a strong performance in the US.

Diageo today (October 1) launched a new Guinness advertising campaign, named Cloud, on Facebook ahead of its general release in the UK and Ireland.

Chase Distillery has rolled out its new super-premium gin, Williams Great British Extra Dry, to global markets after its debut in Spain.

After 14 years with McGuigan Wines, Paul Schaafsma, Accolade Wines’ general manager for the UK, Ireland, Africa, Middle East and South America, is acquainting himself with the company and the clock is ticking on the 90 days he has to come up with a strategic plan.

English sparkling wine, Nyetimber, has appointed the former Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck communications director to its team.

Berry Bros & Rudd has launched a 1970 vintage of its Glenrothes whisky. 

Diageo has launched a limited edition flavour of its Baileys cream liqueur. Baileys Orange Truffle will be available in travel retail between October 2012 and January 2013.

The Argento Wine Company has been sold to Inversora Agroindustrial Sudamericana by British wine company Bibendum Wine.

The bottle of of Rémy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac which was put up for auction (as reported on the Drinks International website, September 5), has sold for £10,350

The International Wine Challenge held is annual bash at the Hilton on London’s Park Lane last night at which all its trophy winners were announced.

Wines of South Africa has announced that the first wines to carry South Africa’s new, fully traceable, ethical seal will be showcased at Cape Wine 2012, later this month.

Absolut vodka is to roll out its Absolut Unique bottles in domestic markets from October. The limited edition of four million individually designed and numbered bottles launched in travel retail at the beginning of September.

A new craft distillery in Battersea, London is to launch its first product. 

Macallan Gold has launched exclusively to the UK, with about 50 European markets and Canada to receive the new pale single malt scotch whisky next spring.

Diageo is set to launch a global advertising campaign for its blended scotch whisky Johnnie Walker, starting in Africa.

Leithaberg, one of Austria’s newest DACs, wants to be the Burgundy of Austria.

Follador, the premium prosecco producer, is once again an official supplier at the BMW Italian Open.

A rare bottle of Rémy Martin Black Pearl cognac estimated to be worth between £5,000 and £7,000 is up for auction in London.

Diageo has announced the release of some rare single malt scotch whiskies to be launched this autumn in the Special Releases series. All are at natural cask strength.

Islay distillery Ardbeg has launched a limited edition whisky called Galileo to commemorate a space-maturation experiment. The 12 year old single malt is a vatting of different styles of Ardbeg laid down in 1999. 

Blossom Hill, one of the UK’s most popular wine brands, is receiving its largest ever advertising support, including £2.2m on media alone.

US: San Francisco-based Anchor Distilling Company is to import and distribute BarSol's range of Peruvian piscos. 

Liqueurs de France has added a Swiss absinthe to its Enigma brand range, Enigma Verte Suisse.

Diageo has teamed up with artist David LaChapelle for its new marketing campaign Smirnoff Midnight Circus, a global tour to celebrate 'nightlife experiences' in more than 25 cities.

Pilsner Urquell has awarded Paul Seagraves from Tweedies Bar in Grasmere, Cumbria with the title of UK Master Bartender 2012.

Buffalo Trace Distillery has admitted whiskey that spent six years ageing in small barrels has turned out to be a failure.

Diageo has launched the John Walker & Sons Odyssey, a new Johnnie Walker blend which is being rolled out initially in the Asia Pacific region.

Edinburgh whisky bottler Wemyss Malts has launched a five-expression range of blended and single cask, single malts; themed around the taste and aroma of each whisky.

Pernod Ricard's whisky and gin arm Chivas Brothers has rolled out Ballantine’s 40 Year Old across "significant" Asian markets.

Accolade Wines has announced that it is to launch its leading Australian wine brand, Hardys into Ukraine.

Diageo has unveiled a new Guinness TV advert in collaboration with Saatchi & Saatchi entitled Paint the Town Black.

Owsley Brown Frazier, the great-grandson of the distiller who founded Brown-Forman Corp and former vice chairman of Brown-Forman Corporation died yesterday (August 16) after a long illness. He was 77 years old.