SB’s most-read stories from August
Whiskies of all varieties dominate our most-read stories list this month, from award-winning Scotch and Irish drams, to flavoured expressions that will take you from summer into autumn.
As one of the world’s biggest pop stars teamed up with one of the world’s biggest whiskies, an iconic Tequila brand got a glow-up and another went over to the dark side.
Meanwhile, North America wasn’t lacking in drama, as a closure in Canada caused a stir, and a lawsuit in the US took much of the industry by surprise.
Keep reading to find out which stories were our most-read from August.
Patrón Tequila unveils first redesign
Taking the 10th spot in our list of most-read stories from last month is the news that, for the first time since its launch in 1989, Bacardi has given Patrón Tequila a new visual identity for its bottle and packaging.
You may have already seen this new look – complete with an embossed glass pattern on its sides that us intended to evoke the shape of the agave piña while also improving grip for bartenders – out in the wild, as it has already been rolled out into certain markets, with the rest to follow this autumn. It features on the packaging and bottles of Patrón’s core range, which includes Silver, Reposado, Añejo, and Extra Añejo.
Crown Royal bottling facility to close
Looks like its curtains for Ontario’s Crown Royal bottling facility, as Diageo announced last month that it will be shutting down the operation in February 2026 as part of its cost-saving Accelerate programme. It is likely that this will lead to some of the job cuts that interim CEO Nik Jhangiani hinted at following the announcement of the firm’s full-year financial results in early August.
Since this announcement, people have been up in arms, including Ontario’s premier Doug Ford, who this week made threats against the drinks conglomerate in retaliation.
Sabrina Carpenter joins Johnnie Walker in multi-year deal
For one day in late August, this was all anyone in the drinks industry could talk about: Johnnie Walker, the biggest-selling blended Scotch whisky in the world, joined forces with one of the world’s biggest pop stars for a multi-year deal that will aim to broaden awareness of the Johnnie Walker brand – and in particular where and how people can enjoy Johnnie Walker Black Label.
Coinciding with the launch of the Grammy Award-winning pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s new album, Man’s Best Friend, the collaboration will offer legal-drinking-age fans insights into Carpenter’s opinions on her favourite classic whisky cocktails, and album-inspired content.
Carpenter said: “Stepping into this next chapter of my music has been such a thrill. It feels more confident and a lot more unapologetic. This partnership is about celebrating boldly, pushing boundaries, and moving forward with purpose.”
The Irish Whiskey Masters 2025 results
Because there has never been a whiskey drinker that has said they only want to drink bad whiskey, the results of The Irish Whiskey Masters 2025 proved to be a hit with our readership, as we unveiled the very best the sector has to offer.
With a run down of the Silver, Gold and Master Medal winners, and the unveiling of this year’s Taste Master, we made sure you’re able to head into autumn drinking only the best.
Uncle Nearest hit by $100m lawsuit
August was a bad month for Uncle Nearest, and it started off with the news that the Tennessee whiskey brand was facing a US$100 million lawsuit from its primary lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, for allegedly defaulting on multiple loans.
According to Farm Credit Mid-America, Uncle Nearest owes more than US$108m across several loans and accrued interest, and has claimed the whiskey producer provided “apparently inaccurate” barrel inventory reports that overstated values by US$21m, sold whiskey barrels to pay other obligations, and discounted future revenue streams to at least four parties.
This was just the start of things, and spoiler alert: it all went a bit down hill from here for the Nearest Green Distillery, as you’ll see below.
Don Julio debuts ‘sweet-smoky’ Tequila
Exclusively produced for the Mexico market, Diageo released a new Don Julio Tequila innovation last month – a sweet and smoky añejo called Ceniza that has been described as the brand’s first dark añejo Tequila.
Ceniza has a sweet-smoky profile from its time being charred and toasted in barrels, plus deeper notes of cacao and cooked agave, and due to its balance of sweet and smoky notes, the expression is said to pair ‘exceptionally’ with Mexican dishes of intense flavours.
The Scotch Whisky Masters 2025 results
While the industry has been buffeted by economic storms, the quality of the liquid the Scotch sector produces was never in doubt, as the results of our annual blind-tasting competition proved.
Six sets of judges put their palates to the test in July to bring our readership a run down of the best drams on the market, from blended expressions to ultra-premium aged bottlings. Taking the fourth spot on our most-read list, these results show yet again that drinkers only want the best when it comes to their whisky.
Jack Daniel’s launches blackberry flavour
Brown-Forman-owned Jack Daniel’s tapped into the flavours of a bramble-lined English country lane last month, as the Tennessee whiskey maker followed in the footsteps of Crown Royal and developed a Blackberry expression.
Made with the distillery’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and infused with fresh blackberry flavour, master distiller Chris Fletcher said: “The smooth, well-rounded finish of our Tennessee whiskey makes it one of the most versatile expressions to pair with unexpected flavour.”
Crown Royal Chocolate makes its debut
There’s another flavoured whisky on the podium this month, but this time its from north of the Canada-US border, and its hitting some more indulgent notes.
“Crown Royal has always led the way in whisky innovation and, with this new flavour, we’re inviting people to indulge in something truly unexpected,” said Hadley Schafer, the brand’s vice-president, on the launch of the limited edition chocolate variant. “This new expression maintains the quality of whisky we take pride in, while leaning into the bold yet inviting spirit that defines our flavoured whiskies portfolio. I’m excited for brand fans to enjoy Crown Royal Chocolate Flavoured Whisky in ways they could never imagine.”
Time to place your bets how long it will be before Jack Daniel’s brings out its own chocolate variant.
Fawn Weaver loses control of Uncle Nearest
And finally, the third act in the Uncle Nearest drama came to a dramatic conclusion in August, as the brand was put into receivership after a court concluded that there is not “adequate security” for Farm Credit’s loan, proven by the “lack of certainty surrounding Uncle Nearest’s solvency”. It added that the “issues surrounding Uncle Nearest’s barrel inventory” further supported its conclusion.
The court documents read: “Farm Credit asserts that the receivership factors weigh in its favour. Defendants, unsurprisingly, dispute this contention.”
It followed the news a few days prior that the judge had imposed a gag order to ensure the case was not ‘tried in the media’.
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