SB’s most-read stories in February
Join us as we look back on the acquisitions, brand refreshes and new pours that dominated our headlines in the shortest month of the year.
It’s amazing what can happen in four short weeks, but over the course of February, we saw some big changes in the spirits industry, from distillery ownership changes to entirely new brand directions. And all of it was captured on the pages of www.thespiritsbusiness.com. But which stories caught the attention of our readers the most last month? Keep reading to find out.
Peaky Blinders launches official Bourbon
Kicking off our top 10 most-read list for February is the release of a limited edition Bourbon created by US barrel ownership platform Barrel Global and the entertainment company behind the Peaky Blinders TV series.
The Bourbon is the first release in a new line of Peaky Blinders-branded spirits, distributed by Barrel Global as the TV show’s spirits partner in select regions. It is distilled at the Green River Distilling Company, a historic Kentucky distillery that survived Prohibition. A fitting choice for the production of this dram, considering the fictional Peaky Blinders gang profited by smuggling Irish whiskey into the US.
Sazerac House creates six liqueurs for cocktails
If you plan to find yourself in New Orleans any time soon, you’ll be able to pick up the six-strong Sazerac House of Cocktails collection that debuted in February at The Sazerac House museum. The lineup, which seeks to empower home bartenders to craft bar-quality drinks, features Curaçao, Triple Sec, Amaro, Elderflower, Coffee and Aperitivo, and draws from NOLA’s deep-rooted cocktail culture.
Each liqueur in the collection is available in a 750ml bottle from The Sazerac House, located at 101 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, for the suggested retail price of US$19.99 each.
Top cocktail recipes for Valentine’s date night at home
Who knew our readership had such a romantic streak? Our 10-strong recipe roundup of cocktails to serve on Valentine’s Day was our eighth most-read story last month, proving the way to anyone’s heart is a good cocktail.
From chocolate-covered strawberry-inspired Martinis to an extra-spicy Bloody Mary guaranteed to heat up any date night, there was something for every situationship in this feature.
Gen Z: anti-alcohol or anti-boring brands?
We had our suspicions that the claim that Gen Z doesn’t drink alcohol was false, and our big story for the February issue of The Spirits Business magazine proved us right. Gen Z isn’t anti-alcohol; they just don’t have the bandwidth for brands they find boring – a take that has proven quite popular with our readership considering its seventh position on the list.
Gallo to buy Four Roses from Kirin for $775m
Last October, Japanese drinks conglomerate Kirin was rumoured to be working with investment bank UBS to find a buyer for Four Roses Bourbon, with an alleged US$1 billion price tag. The firm declined to comment at the time, but last month it broke its silence to announce it had found a buyer in wine and spirits company Gallo, and would be offloading the Kentucky distillery for the handsome sum of US$775 million.
That sale price includes an earn-out fee of US$50m, which will be paid out if Four Roses hits a certain performance target. The sale will enable the Japanese firm to “reallocate its resources toward businesses that could further grow by leveraging Kirin’s own organisational capabilities”.
Lagavulin launches Sweet Peat whisky
Diageo-owned Lagavulin added a layer of sweetness to its trademark smoky profile last month, unveiling its latest whisky release: Sweet Peat.
It had been nine years since the Islay brand last updated its permanent range, but Diageo noted that the new addition ‘aligns naturally with the ways whisky is enjoyed today’.
The whisky has been aged in first-fill American oak ex-Bourbon casks for 11 years, which is said to have brought a layer of sweetness – through notes of toffee apple and vanilla – to the brand’s classic smoke-heavy flavour.
Glenfiddich signals new era with redesign
Drawing on five generations of family history, William Grant & Sons unveiled that it will be taking Glenfiddich single malt whisky in a new visual direction from next month (April).
The new look has been crafted for a contemporary audience and aims to balance modernity with heritage while drawing on the Glenfiddich family archive and taking inspiration from the ‘pioneering’ releases of the 1960s, when the brand helped establish single malt Scotch whisky as an international spirits category.
Suntory offers redundancy as it merges Islay distillery teams
A voluntary redundancy programme opened for operational employees at Bowmore and Laphroaig last month, as Suntory confirmed there will be adjustments to its whisky business on Islay, Scotland.
The structural change is said to align with updated production needs and follows traditional seasonal operating models used across the Scotch industry, Suntory Global Spirits explained, adding that the redundancy programme is “entirely voluntary, confidential, and supported by HR.
It’s simply there as an option for colleagues who feel that the new single‑team structure may not suit their individual needs.”
Johnnie Walker introduces Black Cask
Joining the news cycle in the final days of February was the reveal of Johnnie Walker’s newest permanent expression, Black Cask, which rapidly became our second most-read story of the entire month.
This new whisky is available exclusively in the US, and has been crafted to appeal to Bourbon drinkers in the hopes that it may create a gateway for the consumer base to venture into the world of Scotch.
The Scotch blend is said to be layered with notes of creamy vanilla sweetness, caramel, gentle spice, and smooth oak warmth, and was aged exclusively in American white oak ex-Bourbon barrels, bringing together the worlds of American and Scottish whiskies.
One in five Scotch distilleries in financial stress
Our top story of the month, sadly, isn’t a positive one, as it was revealed last month that 19% of Scotch distilleries are more than just feeling the pinch at the moment. In fact, a business distress report from December 2025 discovered that 69 distilleries in Scotland were facing ‘significant or critical’ financial issues, marking a 40.8% increase in the final three months of 2025, ahead of the UK average of 12.2%. A further 217 distilleries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland said they were facing financial difficulties.
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