Cricketing star Ben Stokes takes stake in alcohol-free Cleanco May 18, 2025 Cricketing star Ben Stokes OBE has taken a stake in reality tv star Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand Cleanco. Stokes partnership with the firm comes as part of a $5m fundraising round for the brand as it hopes for its first year of cash-flow positivty. Cleanco is also gearing up for global expansion with ambitions [...]
UK-India trade deal ‘transformational’ for Scotch whisky market May 6, 2025 The newly-announced trade deal between the UK and India has been lauded as “transformational” in opening Scotch up to the world’s largest whiskey market. Under the terms of the deal, the UK’s 150 per cent tariff on Scotch Whisky will be halved to 75 per cent, with the potential for further reductions in the coming [...]
More jobs lost at Dead Man’s Fingers maker as sales fall April 23, 2025 More jobs have been lost at the company behind Crabbie’s Ginger Beer and Dead Man’s Fingers spiced rum as sales fell and it remained in the red. Halewood Artisanal Spirts, whose brands also include Whitley Neill Gin, Liverpool Gin and Samuel Gelton’s Irish whiskey, cut its headcount from 472 to 390 in the 12 months [...]
Diageo looks to luxury to drive growth April 22, 2025 The past three years have been challenging for the global alcohol giant Diageo. The group booked a windfall during the pandemic years as stuck-at-home consumers splashed out on high-end alcohol to drown their sorrows, but this explosive growth soon evaporated. Diageo, best known for its Guinness and Johnnie Walker scotch whisky brands, struggled against the [...]
UK tech startups sound alarm over US tariffs April 8, 2025 The UK’s small and medium-sized tech firms have raised concerns following President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 10 per cent tariff on British goods entering the United States. As part of a sweeping trade shift dubbed ‘Liberation Day’ by the Trump administration, these new levies have injected uncertainty over UK-US economic relations, provoking anxiety among [...]
Conor McGregor is an embarrassment to Ireland March 21, 2025 Conor McGregor deserves to fade into obscurity following his criminal acts, instead he’s being paraded by Donald Trump as the face of Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, says Maria Ward-Brennan Once the most celebrated Irish sportsman, Conor McGregor is now one of the most hated – and he only has himself to blame. There was a [...]
PTO: Niche fund Cordillera pours £8m into triathlon March 18, 2025 The Warner Bros Discovery-backed Professional Triathletes’ Organisation (PTO), which runs the elite T100 Triathlon World Tour, has attracted a $10m (£7.7m) injection from niche US fund Cordillera Investment Partners. San Francisco-based Cordillera has $1.6bn (£1.2bn) under management and specialises in “non-correlated assets” such as whiskey, boat marinas and carbon credits. It joins broadcaster Warner Bros [...]
St Patrick’s Day 2025: where to find go, including bottomless Guinness at one pub March 17, 2025 Happy St Patrick’s Day, London! It’s time to fill your face with that deliciously savoury and increasingly trendy black booze otherwise known as Guinness. Whether you like your stout mixed into cakes, in burgers or (rather old fashioned but) in a glass, here are five of the best ways to incorporate Guinness into your daily [...]
Baileys and Grind launch St. Patrick’s Day giveaway March 14, 2025 Baileys and Grind are offering Londoners a free festive treat this St. Patrick’s Day weekend with a secret giveaway at Grind’s Liverpool Street café. From Saturday 15 March to Monday 17 March, the first 100 visitors each day can claim a complimentary ‘Baileys Irish Coffee’ by simply quoting the password ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish.’ The [...]
Whisk(e)y Business: The Irish Whiskey renaissance March 14, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. Today, Scotland is the world’s go-to destination for whisky, but back in the 19th century, Irish whisky (the ‘e’ in Irish whiskey wasn’t universal until the latter half of the 1990s), not Scotch, dominated the global market. By the late 1800s, Irish distillers had the [...]