Daniel Marsteller

Terlato Wine Group, through its subsidiary Terlato Artisan Spirits, has announced the strategic acquisition of a 50% equity stake in the Oakside Cocktail Co. for an undisclosed sum. The luxury ready-to-serve lineup includes offerings like Rye Old Fashioned, Negroni, Manhattan, and Espresso Martini.

Butterfly has paid $1.95 billion for the Napa-based luxury wine producer

In late August, SND exclusively reported industry veteran Pete Carr’s departure from Bacardi after an illustrious career culminating in a post as global chief growth officer at the family-owned drinks giant. Now, Carr is embarking on his next move, heading up the new Americas unit at water technology company A1rwater.

Higher volumes of upscale Tequilas like 1800, Gran Coramino, and Gran Centenario have boosted Proximo Spirits in the U.S. lately, as parent company Grupo Cuervo posted global third-quarter sales of $553 million. Sales benefited from a weaker Mexican peso during the period, gaining 3.9% on a reported basis but falling 4.3% on an organic basis.

Rémy Cointreau says challenges in the U.S. Cognac market are proving longer-lasting than expected, with the company downgrading guidance today to call for “no recovery before Q4 24-25 at the earliest.” The French drinks group posted sales down 16% to €534 million ($578m) for its fiscal first half ended in September, despite a sequential improvement in the second quarter.

Social media posts indicate a potential significant downsizing at Southern Glazer’s, centered on the craft and fine wine divisions. While the posts are unconfirmed—and Southern Glazer’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment—they indicate that the nation’s largest distributor of wine and spirits could be tightening its belt amid continuing softness in the wine category in particular.

It’s been a tough market for Champagne over the past year as the category came back to Earth after booming during the pandemic, but marketers have seen stabilization lately and are finding pockets of growth. For Laurent-Perrier, the fourth-ranked Champagne brand in the U.S. at 55,000 cases, prestige cuvée Grand Siècle has been a clear bright spot.

The Boisset Collection has acquired French sparkling wine Le Grand Courtage for an undisclosed sum. Le Grand Courtage, handled by Opici Wines & Spirits in the U.S., reached 50,000 cases stateside in the past few years before receding some. Founded by American Tawnya Falkner, the brand includes a Blanc de Blancs Brut and Brut Rosé produced at Boisset’s sparkling winery in Nuits-St.-Georges in Burgundy.

New York-based importer and marketer Palm Bay International, owned by the Taub family, has appointed industry veteran Mark Federighi as chief sales officer, as it looks to ramp up growth moving forward. According to Impact Databank, Palm Bay ranks as the 10th-largest wine marketer in the U.S., with annual volume of 5.7 million cases.

According to Impact Databank, Bacardi-owned Dewar’s ranks second among all blended Scotch brands in the U.S. at 870,000 cases, out of global volume of 3.3 million cases. While the market for Scotch whisky in the U.S. has been challenging lately—with the blended segment down 5% to 5.5 million cases last year—Dewar’s has remained aggressive in courting new drinkers and premiumizing its portfolio, including with a fresh “Here’s to the Story” campaign debuting this fall.