By: Rupert Hargreaves

Chief Operating Officer Rupert Hargreaves is City AM's Chief Operating Officer. He was previously the Managing Editor and City AM's News Editor. Today he edits Whisky Business: City AM's monthly look at the world of whisky. Before joining City AM, he helped lead the digital team at MoneyWeek, the UK's best-selling financial magazine. Rupert has nearly 20 years of experience in financial journalism and holds qualifications from the CFA Institute and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).

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The Lakes Distillery: Profit slumps at Nyetimber’s whisky brand

Whisky

Nyetimber, the English sparkling wine producer, paid £71m to acquire The Lakes Distillery in 2024 as part of its goal to create a UK-based luxury drinks brand. But just two years on, and it’s starting to look as if Nyetimber, led by CEO Eric Heerema, may be suffering buyer’s remorse. Paul Carrie (who previously co-founded [...]
Austrian whisky makes its mark

Whisky

This month’s issue of Whisky Business, City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky, takes a look at the whisky coming out of Austria. Austria’s spirits market is worth around €360m a year, with whisky exports accounting for about 10 per cent of that, according to figures published in 2024. That makes the company a minnow [...]
Awash With Whisk(e)y

Whisky

Faltering demand, especially in the USA, has promoted concerns about oversupply and the prospect of another whisk(e)y loch. A number of Scotch distillers are slowing down production, but for Tom Bruce-Gardyne it feels like a bigger issue across the pond … “Every drop of liquid we distil, every barrel we choose to fill, every palate [...]

Scotch is missing its Can-Do spirit

September 21, 2026

Last Saturday’s FT covered the industry’s current woes in depth. ‘Scotch whisky’s hangover’ is a sobering read, and yet other spirits are suffering as much, if not more. The one category bucking the trend is spirit-based RTDs, a category that Scotch has been slow to enter. Ron Emler investigates for City AM’s Whisky Business. A [...]
Northumberland’s bold producers reinventing English whisky and gin

September 16, 2026

To celebrate the introduction of geographical indications for English Whisky, Rupert Hargreaves takes a look at two innovative producers shaking up England’s spirits market. When you think of Northumberland, images of rugged landscapes, heather-covered hills, fir trees and ancient ruins spring to mind. Nestled between Scotland and England, the region is steeped in history, from [...]
Scotch Whisky’s slightly sore head

September 15, 2026

In a recent in-depth analysis of the Scotch whisky industry, the FT painted a grim picture of suppressed demand and an ever-rising tide of maturing spirit. Will distilleries and jobs be swept away in another great whisky loch? Tom Bruce-Gardyne believes such talk is way too pessimistic The week-end before last, the FT went big [...]
Laphroaig turns to cocktails to drive growth

September 10, 2026

The Scotch whisky industry faces well-documented challenges. Changing consumer habits and increased competition mean even the most storied brands must adopt new strategies to keep up. Laphroaig is one of the most established brands in the Scotch industry, and there’s not a single bar in the country that doesn’t have a bottle firmly established on [...]
Can the Capital Access Window finally revive AIM?

August 25, 2026

August is usually a sleepy time for capital markets. Investors head off on their summer jaunts, firms take a breath after a frenzy of results in late July and advisors start mapping out back-to-school plans for September. Not so in the world of regulation. This year, Britain’s watchdogs have introduced what could prove one of [...]
The Highland tourist tax: Is Scotland pricing out whisky tourists?

August 25, 2026

The latest available data from the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor in Scotland (STEAM) shows that between 2012 and 2024, visitor numbers to the Highlands increased 82 per cent to 9.4m. Spending increased by a similar amount, to £2.1bn. A large share of that is directly linked to the Scotch whisky sector. You’d think, therefore, [...]
Four South Korean whiskies to try today

August 13, 2026

Whether it’s through K-Pop, Squid Game or Korean street food, you’ve probably heard about, or indulged in, the rise in popularity of South Korean lifestyle culture in the UK. And the world of whisky certainly hasn’t been immune to this trend. Since the 2025 win for Korea’s first single malt whisky – Ki One Unicorn [...]

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By: Rupert Hargreaves

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