Heineken concerned over US tariffs

The Netherlands | Heineken shrugged off the threat of tariffs earlier this year, but now the company is raising more concerns about potential disruptions to its business. In the Dutch brewer’s first quarter 2025 report, released on 16 April, Heineken’s CEO Dolf van den Brink indicated that US tariffs, particularly those targeting canned beer, could force it to adjust spending and investments.

United Kingdom | Tariffs on Scotch whisky exports to the US have been called “disappointing” by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and could have a wide impact on the industry. Announced on 2 April by President Donald Trump, the UK is now facing a 10 percent blanket tariff on the exports of its goods to the United States.

Mexican tequila and Canadian whiskey exempt from US tariffs for now

United Kingdom | Diageo, the world’s largest drinks firm, avoided the worst of President Trump’s chaotic trade policy this month. Not only were its Don Julio tequila in Mexico and Crown Royal whiskey in Canada spared additional tariffs – they are altogether exempt from import tariffs in the US under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a free trade agreement which was negotiated by the first Trump administration and came into effect in 2020.

Diageo sells another brewing asset in Africa, this time in Seychelles

United Kingdom | Diageo has sold its majority stake in Seychelles Breweries to Mauritius-based Phoenix Beverages for around USD 80 million, media reported in early April. The owner of Guinness held a 54.4 percent stake in the only total beverage company in Seychelles, which also makes SeyBrew beer. The firm will continue to be listed on the Seychelles Stock Exchange after the deal is closed.

Danish distiller Stauning in trouble after Diageo exits incubator Distill Ventures

Denmark | British drinks firm Diageo is changing its strategy, which will hit the award-winning Danish distiller Stauning hard. On 28 March Stauning had to lay off 13 of its 50 employees and cut production by half. The future looks uncertain, now that its main investor Diageo has backed out of its incubator Distill Ventures.

Brau Union loses major beer account in Salzburg: 2000 hl gone

Austria | A spectacular change in the beer landscape: Salzburg's traditional Sternbräu beer hall, one of Austria's largest on-premise accounts, has terminated its beer supply contract with Brau Union and is switching to local brewer Stiegl.

Carlsberg claims barley variety as its “invention”. Resistance is mounting.

Germany | Independent breweries in Austria and Germany are sounding the alarm and fear for the diversity of beer. The reason: The Danish brewer is claiming barley plants from classic breeding and their use for brewing beer as its “invention” and has been granted a patent (EP2575433 B1) at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich. This means that all other breweries have to pay license fees if they want to use this patented barley.

Number of breweries in Germany declines again

Germany | Massive cost increases are causing more and more breweries to go out of business. Over the past five years, the number of breweries in Germany has fallen by 93. This corresponds to a decline of 6 percent. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were only 1459 breweries operating in 2024. This past year alone, 52 brewery businesses failed.

Russia | Propaganda, misinformation or fake news? According to the Russian newssite Kommersant (10 March), Russian importers want to bring in beer from the Dominican Republic. This decision was made against the backdrop of a tenfold increase in duties on beer from “unfriendly” countries, like the EU.

Russia’s small brewers want MUP for beer

Russia | Russia’s small brewers have asked the Ministry of Economic Development to establish a minimum unit pricing for beer, the newssite Kommersant reported on 14 March. “Opora Rossii” (“Support for Russia”), an NGO supporting small and medium-sized businesses, believes that the MUP will stop the anti-competitive practice of selling beer at below cost price, which harms small companies.