Don’t look back in anger: 10 positive news stories from 2025
While 2025 might have seemed heavy on the doom and gloom, The Spirits Business archives tell a brighter story.
As the year wraps up, we’ve taken a scroll back through the more than 3,000 articles we’ve published this year, and we’re spotlighting 10 of the most positive pieces of news we’ve covered in 2025 – from uplifting wins to meaningful milestones, and bright spots that helped balance out the darker headlines.
So keep reading for a reminder that 2025 was a silver-lined year (even if ‘tariff’ was one of our most-used words of the past 12 months).
India and UK sign monumental trade deal
After three years of negotiations, the UK and India signed a trade agreement in July – a deal that the UK government said could see beverage and tobacco exports to India increase by approximately £700 million (US$942.3m).
UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi described Thursday 24 July as a “historic day”, as they met in the UK and signed the trade agreement between their countries.
The deal is forecast to boost the UK economy by £4.8 billion (US$6.45bn) a year and bring in £6bn (US$8.08bn) of investment for British and Indian businesses.
Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne buy London Cocktail Week
In October, The Spirits Business revealed that co-founders Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhán Payne would acquire London Cocktail Week from Pernod Ricard-owned Speciality Drinks.
While Sharman-Cox and Payne have owned minority shares in London Cocktail Week in the past, this acquisition marks the first time the women have taken total ownership, and the deal is expected to be finalised by February 2026.
In an exclusive interview with SB, Sharman-Cox shared the pair’s aspirations for London Cocktail Week: “We would like to be taken as seriously as – and this is really ambitious – London Fashion Week. That’s what we’d like. There’s no reason why it couldn’t be. It’s heading in the right direction.”
Irish whiskey distillery visitor numbers return to growth
In November, the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) revealed that the number of tourists to Ireland’s distilleries in the past year was the highest since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tourism figures from the IWA showed that Ireland’s distilleries attracted a total of 1,010,261 visitors for the year to June 2025 – a 23% increase on the previous year, 2023-2024, when more than 800,000 people headed to the country’s distilleries.
Eoin Ó Catháin, director of the IWA, said: “Irish whiskey has long been one of Ireland’s most compelling cultural exports, and these remarkable results show that our distillery experiences are now flagship tourism attractions. It is particularly great to see thousands of tourists visiting our rural distilleries as well as our urban experiences.”
One of One Distillers auction raises £2.3m for charity
The third biennial Distillers One of One smashed all expectations in October, when 30 lots from the highly anticipated luxury whisky auction went on to break records, generating a total of £2.3 million (US$3.1m) for The Distillers’ Charity – most of which will primarily go to the Youth Action Fund to support disadvantaged young people in Scotland.
Held at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh, the auction saw 39 ultra-rare Scotch whiskies from 35 companies and distilleries across Scotland go under the hammer. Notable record-breaking price tags were achieved for The Glenlivet, Port Ellen, Ladyburn, Glenfarclas, The Glendronach, Laphroaig, Kandoblanc, and The Glen Grant releases.
GTR flourishes
Our global travel retail report found that the sector flourished in 2024, with rising international passenger numbers driving a boost in spirits sales.
Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed total air passenger traffic in 2024 (including both international and domestic flights) grew by 10.4% in 2024 compared with 2023, and is now 3.8% above pre-pandemic (2019) levels. And more travellers meant more spending opportunities in duty free, with spirits reaping the rewards of this last year. Sales were up by 6% in value and 5% in volume in GTR. This outperformed the domestic market, with 0% value and 2% volume, according to IWSR figures.
For The Dolls whisky release
In November, whisky writer Kristiane Westray partnered with independent bottler Milroy’s of Soho to raise funds for trans+ charity Not A Phase with the release of a Dailuaine 13-year-old single malt Scotch that was distilled in July 2012, called For The Dolls.
Named after a term of endearment used within the queer community, usually for a trans woman, the bottling aims to increase awareness of the challenges faced by the trans+ community in the UK.
Westray, who recently published her first book, Savour, said: “For the Dolls is a powerful, purpose-driven whisky bottling that doesn’t just raise vital funds for Not A Phase, but also raises awareness of the increased hostility faced by the trans+ community in the UK following the UK Supreme Court’s cruel ‘biological sex’ ruling in April.
“Like many at that time, I looked at what I could do to practically support the trans+ community around me. I approached Milroy’s of Soho about arranging a bottling and I’m delighted that they’ve offered so much support. I’m also thrilled that every cisgender creative involved with the For the Dolls project generously donated their time and skills free of charge.”
Global gin sales up
The gin category has had a tricky time of late, with many saying the spirit’s time has been and gone. But as explored in our World Spirits Report, there is still a bright future for gin. In fact, the category is expected to grow by 2.7% by volume in 2025 and by 3.2% in the following year. Value‐wise, the sector should grow by 3.1% this year and by 5.2% in 2026.
Plus, last year it recorded a 2% volume gain globally due to emerging markets like Italy and India. While the sector might still have its challenges, these positive numbers show that gin is still fighting, and it is by no means on the ropes just yet.
Pernod Ricard invests $115m in Canadian distillery
This year, Pernod Ricard has invested some big money into its Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario, with figures reported to have topped the CA$115 million (US$83.5m) mark.
In October, the investment was described by Josh Reit, Pernod Ricard’s senior director of operations at Hiram Walker, as a reaffirmation of the company’s long-term local plans.
“This site for Pernod Ricard is extremely strategic in North America,” Reit told local publication the Windsor Star. “We look at not only its strategic position with North American supply. We also look at its overall footprint and its capabilities. We have the capabilities for rum distillation, whisky distillation, vodka distillation. We also do gin. So not only its location, but its versatility.”
The positive news of Pernod Ricard’s support of its Canadian distillery came in stark contrast to that of Diageo and the closing of its Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, which continues to bring an air of negativity to the headlines.
The Spirits Business Awards celebrates the industries winners
You know what they (we) say: there ain’t no party like an SB party, and this year’s glittering awards evening at The Underglobe in London really proved our point.
Aside from the disco ball-headed dancers (see our highlights video to see what we’re talking about) and a rib-tickling stand-up routine from host Rob Beckett, the undeniable highlight was getting to celebrate the winners of the night – from stand-out brands to aspirational industry individuals and organisations.
Gen Z drinks more than expected
People have been saying it for years: Gen Z is the generation of abstinence. They don’t want to drink alcohol in the same way the older generations do, opting to focus on health rather than indulge in booze. But in June, that theory was blown out of the water as IWSR’s Bevtrac survey looked at consumer sentiment and found that the assumption that Gen Z is drinking less than previous generations not to actually be the case.
Looking across 15 markets, the results showed the proportion of Gen Z legal-drinking-age (LDA) adults who had consumed alcohol in the past six months had risen from 66% in March 2023 to 73% in March 2025, and in certain markets, this increase was even more pronounced. In the US, for example, the jump went from 46% in 2023 to 70% in 2025, and in the UK, it leapt from 66% to 76%, and Australia went from 61% to 83%.
The overall rate of 73% is still lower than the participation in alcohol consumption across all adults (78%), but not massively different.
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