Chile’s reputation as the Volvo of the wine world has been consigned to the scrapheap. Jamie Goode reports on the new wave

The world has suddenly woken up to Irish whiskey – but how is the sector going to meet the phenomenal demand? Gavin D Smith reports

The art of tequila

12 June, 2015

With ‘artisan’ the watchword across all spirits categories, tequila is coming into its own with discerning consumers, finds Richard Woodard

Blended scotch whisky rules when it comes to volume sales worldwide. Gavin D Smith reports

Parting shot

28 May, 2015

Can sambuca be both a serious cocktail ingredient and a party shot? Lucy Britner looks for answers 

Hollywood director Steven Soderbergh tells Hamish Smith why his niche passion could have global box-office appeal.

Scraping the barrel

14 May, 2015

Despite a boom in American distilleries, producers are struggling to keep up with demand. Dominic Roskrow reports

Pursuit of quality

06 May, 2015

Last year was significant for the Austrian wine industry – roaring exports and some new, fresh, quality-oriented initiatives. Christian Davis reports

The cat's whiskers

06 May, 2015

Old Tom and classic cocktails go hand in hand. But where did Old Tom come from and where is it going? Lucy Britner attempts to find out

Bitter tastes victory

06 May, 2015

Bitter flavours are finding favour with consumers across food and drink – and this can only benefit cocktails. Holly Motion reports

World's 50 Best Bars editor Hamish Smith imbibes at Israel’s finest

Parker points back

14 April, 2015

Robert Parker is the biggest name the wine world has ever known. Hamish Smith caught up with him to find out how his name was made.

Champagne: The Right Road

10 April, 2015

The champagne category needs to claw back its premium status to survive this competitive market. Giles Fallowfield reports

Pulling out the stops

02 April, 2015

New solutions are bringing closure to the debate. Jamie Goode reports

Last up from the Brandy Report is a look into brandy sales in the Travel Retail sector.

Peach is the next flavour seducing consumers in the HQ of flavoured spirits. Hamish Smith tracks the sugar rush to brandy

The US is back spending and brandy, imported and domestic, is set to benefit. Hamish Smith charts the market’s turnaround

Russians are exhibiting a paradoxical approach to economic difficulties, reports Richard Woodard

Good fella

24 March, 2015

Cocktail entrepreneur JJ Goodman has spent his life making his own luck. He tells Hamish Smith how he went from chicken shop to bar royalty

The Australian wine category has had a turbulent time with surplus, a strong dollar, corporate travails among the major producers and consolidation. Christian Davis reports 

He is French. He speaks five languages. He loves and collects wine. He has sold champagne. Who better to run Vinexpo? Christian Davis meets Guillaume Deglise

Hamish Smith gets under the skin of South Africa’s little-known gems.

As an expert sommelier and owner of one of the the biggest brands in hospitality, Gerard Francis Claude Basset OBE is a big believer in brands. He explains to Holly Motion the vital role they play in the wine industry 

Producers of top Spanish brands are hopeful for the future, says Dominic Roskrow

In the latest instalment of the Brandy Report Hamish Smith looks at French brandies from outside of Cognac and Armagnac.

Experimental cask finishes, single cask bottlings and unaged spirits… Ian Buxton has been to Armagnac and finds innovation making advances on tradition 

Could any another brandy styles emulate cognac’s success? Richard Woodard looks at the candidates for premium enlightenment 

Pastis: The Star Anise

25 February, 2015

The pastis market may be a mature one, but it is using tradition alongside innovation to recruit new consumers. Richard Woodard investigates

In the latest article of the Brandy Report, Nicholas Faith discusses the downturn in the ever-volatile cognac market

In the second article of the Brandy Report series, DI investigates the Philippine brandy market

In the first of our new series of reports on the global brandy sector we introduce the category - where it is now, and where it is headed.

As demand for sparkling wine shows no signs of abating, the New World is taking its chances and offering quality like never before, as Jamie Goode reports

Distillers in Tennessee are whipping up a storm as they continue to debate the definition of their whiskey. Dominic Roskrow reports

Rainbow Brandy

16 January, 2015

When it comes to brandy South Africa does not get much of a look in. Yet its best are up there with the world’s greatest.  Christian Davis reports

Gregory Dal Piaz, editor of Snooth.com, discusses where your next great wine will come from

Adventurous flavours are on the cards for sugar syrups in 2015, as Lucy Britner reports

Panos Sarantopoulos, chief executive of Rémy Cointreau’s liqueurs and spirits division, is on a mission to get the iconic orange liqueur behind every bar. Christian Davis meets him

Cachaça: In Full Flow

09 January, 2015

Brazil’s cachaça is carving out an identity for itself ahead of the 2016 Olympics, as Richard Woodard reports

DI talks to Sandy Hyslop

19 December, 2014

Sandy Hyslop, Chivas Brothers’ master blender, is hands on. He’s not one for travelling long haul most of the year. Christian Davis tracks him down to where he is happiest.

Valuing the Douro

09 December, 2014

Jaq Bayles finds that port may at last have found some ways to make itself attractive to a younger generation. And even the most traditional producers are at peace with it

Raki comes to the table

09 December, 2014

Hamish Smith investigastes the resurgence of an old spirit

Despite facing a litany of challenges, the travel retail business is upbeat, as the TFWA World Exhibition proved. Joe Bates reports

Sweet Wines: A Noble Pursuit

08 December, 2014

It may not have the raciest of images, but sweet wine is undergoing quiet change. Jamie Goode reports

Flavoured spirits drinks are being released at a pace. But are they blurring the rules over whisky production, and are they just a passing fad? Dominic Roskrow reports

Hamish Smith meets the latest generation of the world’s most famous triple sec family

Irish whiskey: Sky's the limit

21 November, 2014

Irish whiskey is really pushing forward as a spirits category. With the world’s thirst for whisk(e)y, the sky appears to be the limit. Christian Davis reports.

Mineral Water: Make it Clear

17 November, 2014

Attention to detail can turn a good bar into a great one and ensuring you use the right water is a matter of taste, finds Lucy Britner

Prosecco: hard graft

07 November, 2014

Hamish Smith travels to the Prosecco Hills and finds that, while the Italian sparkler is outselling champagne, its bubbles don’t necessarily reach the top

As gin continues its relentless seduction of the cocktail cognoscenti, Holly Motion ponders its enduring appeal

Connecting with consumers

27 October, 2014

When connecting with consumers brands must lean into change, writes DI guest writer Nick Vale, global head of planning at Maxus.

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La'Mel Clarke

Service isn’t servitude: the skill of hosting

La’Mel Clarke, front of house at London’s Seed Library, looks at the forgotten art of hosting and why it deserves the same respect as bartending.

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