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Asia/Australia
Laos | Lao Brewery Company (LBC) keeps the taps flowing as the nation’s economy slows. The Carlsberg-backed brewer, who is in a joint venture with the state, is banking on rising disposable income and a youthful population to boost growth. Its signature product, Beerlao, probably matters more to its home country than any other beer in the world.
Asia/Australia
India | India’s food safety regulator (FSSAI) warned Diageo that it misleadingly claimed that one of its top-selling whiskies was “matured in American oak casks”, when most of the product had not been matured. The FSSAI previously asserted that some of its products contained improper flavouring, such as whisky and rum flavours rather than proper ageing and ingredients. Authorities then banned the sales of Diageo’s Royal Challenge Whisky made in the state of Madhya Pradesh and some whisky and rum brands made in other Indian states.
Asia/Australia
Australia | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) blocked MicroStar Logistics’ proposed acquisition of Konvoy's assets, finding the deal would likely substantially reduce competition in Australia's keg pooling market, the website The Shout reported on 7 August.
Asia/Australia
Australia | Excise tax on spirits in Australia climbed to AUD 110.15 (USD 77.50) per litre of pure alcohol after the country’s latest 2 percent inflation hike on 3 August. Australians now pay AUD 30.84 (USD 22) in excise on a 700 ml bottle of a 40 percent ABV spirit – twice the New Zealand rate and more than six times the US rate. On top of excise, Australians also pay GST on booze – a flat 10 percent tax which applies to the final retail price of the product.
Asia/Australia
Vietnam | Heineken boasted that in the first half of 2026 the Vietnam beer market grew 6 percent. That is a good sign because in previous years beer consumption tended downwards. However, the industry's consumption outlook remains cautious as the first-half momentum benefited from a strong festive season, while inflationary pressures, rising costs of living and not least the government’s clampdown on alcohol make consumers reluctant to part with their cash.
Asia/Australia
New Zealand | French multinational Malteurop will close its New Zealand malt plant in Marton at the end of September, the beer blogger Michel Donaldson revealed on 17 July. New Zealand’s beer market has been declining and the plant seems to have reached the end of its life.
Asia/Australia
India | Karnataka became India's first state to adopt an Alcohol-in-Beverage (elsewhere known as ABV) excise duty structure. Before, alcohol was taxed on a bulk litre-based system. The new policy, effective since 11 May, deregulates strict government-controlled prices. Brewers and alcohol producers now set prices based on market factors and alcohol content within eight price slabs.
Asia/Australia
India | Indian trade bodies representing Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Heineken and Carlsberg, accused the southern Indian state of Telangana of not paying its bills, owing them a total of USD 392 million, Reuters reported on 12 June. They are not alone. The state is massively in debt.
Asia/Australia
India | Danish brewer Carlsberg plans to file draft papers for an initial public offering (IPO) of its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary as early as this month, potentially raising USD 700 million. The IPO, which could value Carlsberg India at nearly USD 3.9 billion, is expected to be a secondary share sale, with existing shareholders selling a chunk of their shares to investors. However, the final size, structure, and timing are still under discussion, Indian media reported on 8 June.
Asia/Australia
Australia | A trainwreck that was waiting to happen: Lion will cease production at the James Boag brewery in Launceston, Tasmania, from November, the Kirin-owned company announced on 2 June. In a statement, Lion said the brewery (with an estimated capacity of 900,000 hl beer per year) had been underutilised for many years, running at about 20 percent of potential output, following declining sales. The closure is set to impact the roles of 42 people.
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